To mark the 20th anniversary of the publication of Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone, we asked for Potterfans among PGS teachers to share their views on the series. Here, we hear from Mr Hamlet and Ms Burden.
Mr Hamlet
Which spell would you most like to be able to do and why? Being a DIY
lover, I’d have to go with Reparo… though it might take the fun out of it a
little
What form would your Patronus take? An owl.
Which House would the Sorting Hat have put you in and why? Would anyone
be anything other than Griffindor… I don’t think so. I’m a Griffindor
through and through.
Which book is your favourite/least favourite and why? They are all great so
not an easy question, but there are probably just a few easy and convenient
fixes in the early books – The Chamber of Secrets for example, why are all
those spiders lining up to go into the forest at that particular time… they
don’t seem to behave that way normally?
Which characters do you particularly like or dislike? Might be a bit
controversial, but least favourite character is probably Harry Potter himself:
he never really gets going as a great wizard, he has a lot of luck, everyone
else seems to come to his rescue all the time and every time he gets the bad
guy, it seems to be with some power or spell that he never knew he was capable
of. But for the protective spell his mother gave him, he’d be pretty
average and not worth You Know Who’s time. Favourite character…? I
like the bad guys – Bellatrix, Fenrir, Snape, Wormtail are all great
characters, but ultimately of course, it has to be Voldemort
Which of the Horcruxes do you find the most memorable? It’s the later ones
really – once they get on with it, the last few horcruxes seem to sort of
gallop along as if Rowling ran out of ideas about how to include them
meaningfully in the story; so it’s lucky dip between Helga Hufflepuff’s Cup,
Rowena Ravenclaw’s Diadem, and maybe even Harry Potter - see above
Do you have a favourite line from the series? I solemnly swear I am
up to no good
Which staff at Hogwarts do you think are particularly good
teachers and why? The fearsome but fair Professor Minerva McGonagall
Would you have sought a career as an Auror, a Dragon Keeper, a
Gringotts Banker or a Ministry of Magic worker? A dragon keeper
What position do you think you would have played at Quidditch? Seeker – on
the fastest broom there is.
Which item from Weasley’s Wizard Wheezes would you most like to
own? Peruvian Instant Darkness Powder
Ms Burden
Which spell would you most like to be able to do and why? Selfishly, I'd
like to be able to do the "Impervius" spell - the one that repels
water from glasses. I have exactly the same issues with wearing glasses and
playing sport outdoors that Harry has. However, it would be more unselfish to
choose a piece of magic that could help humanity - perhaps
"enervate", the spell to revive the unconscious.
What form would your Patronus take? Tortoises are my favourite creatures
but a chelonian might not repel a Dementor....let's go for a hare.
Which House would the Sorting Hat have put you in and why? I'm not sure. Any
of them except Slytherin.
Which book is your favourite/least favourite and why? Harry Potter and the
Order of the Phoenix is my least favourite - it's in need of an edit and it very much
feels like a "mid series" book. Harry Potter and the Half Blood
Prince is incredibly well-crafted and the revelation at the end is
breathtaking.
Which characters do you particularly like or dislike? Dobby is incredibly
irritating. Remus Lupin is my favourite character. I desperately want to like
Snape at the end but I can't - so much of what he does and says earlier is
incredibly cruel. He's an interesting portrait of a person who has been damaged
by life and tries to damage others in turn.
Which of the Horcruxes do you find the most memorable? The snake, Nangini,
is vividly drawn. However, the moment at which Ron is confronted by the figures
in the locket is particularly eerie.
Do you have a favourite line from the series? For me, the two lines
that stand out were not written by J.K. Rowling but are taken from the Bible -
the two inscriptions on the graves in the churchyard in Harry Potter and the
Deathly Hallows. The first, "The last enemy that shall be destroyed is
death" (1 Corinthians 15:26) appears on the grave of Harry's parents and,
in my view, encapsulates what the series is about. J.K. Rowling once wrote that
her mother's death was "on every page" of the Harry Potter books. The
second, "For where your treaure is, there will your heart be also"
(Matthew 6:21, part of the Sermon on the Mount) appears on Ariana's grave. It
is a reminder of how the young Dumbledore failed to prioritise his family but,
even to an atheist like me, it is a salutary reminder that what you value on a
daily basis defines who you are, eventually.
Which staff at Hogwarts do you think are particularly good
teachers and why? From the viewpoint of a teacher, the Hogwarts staff are very
interesting in their strengths and foibles. The scenes in which Umbridge
inspects lessons with her clipboard are very true to life. Hogwarts has some
appalling teahers (Lockhart, Trelawney and Binns) and some excellent ones
(McGonagall, Sprout and Lupin). However, there are also some portraits of
valuable but deeply flawed teachers: Slughorn, who is talented but alientates
many students as he has clear favourites; Hagrid, who is lovable but whose Care
of Magical Creatures classes are in serious need of risk assessments, and
Snape. Is Dumbledore right to tolerate some of what goes on in the castle?
Would you have sought a career as an Auror, a Dragon Keeper, a
Gringotts Banker or a Ministry of Magic worker? I suspect I'd have been Hogwarts
teacher...possibly Professor Sprout's successor in Herbology.
What position do you think you would have played at Quidditch? Chaser. It's a bit
like playing hockey.
Which item from Weasley’s Wizard Wheezes would you most like to
own? The fireworks!
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