Harry Potter Friday Five

1. Which character evolution has been your favorite to read, and why?

Neville Longbottom's. It is fascinating to watch him develop from this awkward out of sorts child into this awkward out of sorts young adult. As the series progresses we watch as the question "Why was he sorted into Gryffindor?" is answered through his actions and character revelation. He is awkward, yes, and out of sorts, but he has always had a strength and just needed to have the self confidence to handle such a gift. He's getting there, slowly but surely.

2. When Harry was originally sorted, the Sorting Hat told him he'd make a good Slytherin. How do you think Snape would have treated Harry had he been sorted into his own house?

I believe Snape would still feel strong contempt for Harry, perhaps even more so, if he were sorted into Slytherin. Snape sees Harry as the offspring of those who tormented him during his developmental years. If I had to teach the child of someone who bullied me throughout high school, I might have a bit of a bias towards them. (Although I wouldn't attack the child the way Snape attacks Harry.)

3. Do you give any creedence to the "McGonagall is a spy" theory? Why or why not?

What? I must be living under a rock, because this theory had slipped past me. It seems a little out there for me, but who knows?

4. Which character do you get a sense is JK Rowling's favorite? Why?

Well, if I were writing a fantasy novel, it would be the bad guy. Villians are so much fun to write because you can allow them to do things and say things that are not allowed in proper society. They become a sort of outlet for every bad thing you have deep within you.

I'm going to say that Voldemort is her favourite if she follows that philosophy when it comes to writing.

Otherwise, I would say Dumbledore based on her reaction to writing his death in the last book.

5. We all know that the last word of Book 7 is "scar." Write what you'd love to see as the last sentence, and make sure to include "scar" as the final word!

(Okay, writing one sentence is pretty hard!)

"He Who Lived, the boy with the lightening bolt scar."

Why I try to avoid bottled water. I think.

My friend, Neil, his mother deals with water testing. After meeting her, I swore to never drink bottled water unless there was no other option. When asked why, I tend to draw a blank, only remembering that it was because of something nasty.

Thanks to the Mental Floss blog dude for doing a search for "bottled water facts".

http://www.mentalfloss.com/blogs/archives/4493#comments

Fun Bottled Water Facts
The Natural Resources Defense Council (NRDC) conducted a study of 103 brands of bottled water (over 1,000 bottles were tested in all) and found that one-third contained synthetic organic chemicals and bacteria. One sample even contained arsenic levels above state health limits.


The NRDC maintains that city tap water is required to undergo more rigorous testing and has higher purity standards than bottled water.

City tap water can have no confirmed E.coli or fecal coliform bacteria. FDA bottled water rules include no such prohibition (a certain amount of any type of coliform bacteria is allowed in bottled water).

Most cities using surface water have had to test for Cryptosporidium or Giardia, two common water pathogens, that can cause diarrhea and other intestinal problems, yet bottled water companies do not have to do this.