First off, how did you become a Harry Potter fan?
I am proud to say I was among the first of the American fans...let's say I remember being excited when I found out the title of book 3! My step-mom had gotten me the first two books for Christmas (I guess that must have been 1999!), but it wasn't until i listened to part of the audio book with my cousin that I finally decided to read them...and I was HOOKED. I eagerly awaited the release of the untitled 3rd book...then the 4th (I remember when it was supposed to be 'The Doomspell Tournament')...and THEN my first midnight release party for book 5! I've been to nearly every midnight premiere of every film and all the midnight book parties since then; being the kind of fan I am, I, of course, always go in costume (a video from one such night can be found here, at my YouTube Page: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YXx3nldWP_Q). I can't WAIT to see 'Deathly Hallows: Part 1' this fall, and then celebrating my 20th birthday with a trip to Part 2 in 2011! I must note that I'm not your average 'I only read the books in English' fan. I have read several of the books in French, Italian, Spanish, and German, and would love to get my hands on more one day! I love to look at the different ways different cultures have processed the phenomenon and translated the books. The German books mostly keep the same names, but the French version translate nearly every single name so that the puns and wordplay are open to the Francophone audience! That's why I love Harry Potter, because it's got something for everyone, no matter where you live or what language you speak. It's message of love and loyalty is without linguistic boundaries.

It has been over two years since Deathly Hallows came out and we found out how the series ended. Do you have the same reaction to the ending now, as you did then?
The reactions I have now and the ones I had then are, honestly, completely different. The first time I read it, I was more shocked than anything. Shocked that, after ten years, the whole series had drawn to a close. It was very strange to see the end of something that I had been a part of since practically the beginning. Now, three years later, I'm re-reading the series back to front (literally: I started with book 7!) and they're much more emotionally impacting. Now that the shock of the series itself being finished has washed away, I can better appreciate the stories and characters themselves. Which leads me to not really like book 7 as much the second time around. It's really kinda boring and seems so disconnected from the rest of the series. BUT it's what Ms Rowling wanted, so I respect that.

There are quite a few organizations/clubs at Hogwarts. Which you would rather join and why: Dueling Club, Dumbledore's Army, or S.P.E.W.?
Dumbledore's Army, definitely. I believe the greatest thing any human being can do is fight for what is right and just--hence, the DA. The Dueling Club would be my second choice. And S.P.E.W. would be a very low third. House Elves are perfectly happy doing what they're doing, so leave them alone.

If you could attend Hogwarts, Which class do you think would be your favorite?
Ancient Runes. Which sounds really random, but I LOVE languages (I speak three and can read five fairly well). So, to learn Ancient Runes would be so, unbelievably, outrageously cool. Which leads into...

Which class would be your best, whether you liked it or not?
Ancient Runes, again. I really do best in the things I like, so that would probably be my top class. And maybe Divination, because I'm a king of BS.

Okay, be honest. We got you this year with our April Fool's story about JKR writing a Potter prequel featuring Elvendork. However, if she really wrote it, it would be so...
...awful that I would read and adapt it into a hit piece of musical theatre.

Is there anything else you would like to add?
Thank you so much, Kat, for having chosen me out of hundreds of applicants! I'd also like to give a shout-out to the Nerd Herd (you know who you are!) and take a second to mention that, if you all get a free moment, everyone should check out my YouTube page: http://www.youtube.com/stumpy457.

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