And meanwhile, down in the DADA dungeons

[izmeina]

This is your punishment my dears, for asking evil nasty attention seeking questions, Mr Prufrock and our little Slytherin Myss.
Now you are both going to be answering some questions for ME.
Oh no not with your quills... contaminated with all sorts of unauthorized cheating spells I am sure. You are going to be using a special one of mine. Oooh and put that bottle away Mr Prufrock. You won't need any ink. And nor will you my little Slytherin Myss.

So first. The Prufrock boy. Your questions.

The Dark Lord offers you a no questions asked and all expenses paid scholarship to any university anywhere in the world. Where will you go and what will you study?

What will you be doing (and with whom whom ) on Wednesday 16th June 2004?

If you could be reincarnated as any character from literature, who would it be? hem hem. (are we really going to let him have a choice on this one?)

What would you like to be remembered for?

Please explain your interest in the evil, subversive and certainly unauthorized dark art of "Extreme Value Theory"


And you do realize....Ms Doerr that your detentions cannot be rescheduled merely to suit your convenience. Moving House or Quidditch practise..it is all the same to me. The answer is "No"

And what makes you even think you are worthy to share the same house as my most esteemed colleague Lucius Malfoy? Wrestling with trolls is after all a distinctively Gryffindor trait. Did you put a switching spell on the Sorting Hat?

Er...more unauthorized subject matter. Native American Beliefs? How long have you been indulging your fascination with these dark arts? The Ministry needs names and dates.

What 3 spells or potions would you like the Ministry to give you "Unlimited Access" in preparing or performing? (The Time-Turner is definitely NOT included in this generous offer.

If you had to choose only one, what would be your favorite poem of all time? The Ministry of course also requires extensive explanations.

And finally, I think it is time to consider some LINES for your tombstone. What shall they be?

I do hope that I have made an impression on you both. Thank you and Good Night.

Comments

[mamaslyth.livejournal.com]

And you do realize....Ms Doerr that your detentions cannot be rescheduled merely to suit your convenience. Moving House or Quidditch practise..it is all the same to me. The answer is "No"

It's a good thing I can research things quickly then...


And what makes you even think you are worthy to share the same house as my most esteemed colleague Lucius Malfoy? Wrestling with trolls is after all a distinctively Gryffindor trait. Did you put a switching spell on the Sorting Hat?

Actually the poor hat almost tore itself in half trying to decide which house to put me in. But although I will admit I occassionally show some Gryffindor bravery/recklessness, there is always a calculated mindset behind it. I have my own goals and I use my own rules to get them. I won't do things merely on principle - it has to be a very good principle or at the very least, an acceptable result. Also, in practice, I am more likely to work around people than I am to confront them. In real life, I get a lot of pleasure in out-thinking my opponents and leaving them little to no room to retaliate with.

That amount of foresight and self-interest is what made the hat's mind up in the end. It's not its fault I've developed a bizarre sense of humor with age.


Er...more unauthorized subject matter. Native American Beliefs? How long have you been indulging your fascination with these dark arts? The Ministry needs names and dates.

Well, family rumor has it that my great-grandmother was an Native American child adopted by a German American family. (Actually, more than just a rumor, I have distant cousins who are registered as Native Americans - I just can't get a straight answer from my parents on which tribe and the great aunt on that side of the family whose word I could trust, died before I got around to asking her about it.)

So, as a child, I was introduced to a few beliefs, here and there. But it was January, 1998, when a friend of mine invited me to find my totem animals, while she tried to find her own to heal some great wounds to her identity for her past. I'm not sure, but I think she felt that it would be easier to find her own, if she could see how someone else created their totem. It didn't take me very long and I did send an explanation why it contained the animals it did.

Of course, then I had to study the symbolism of the animals I chose, which lead me to study more aspects of Native American beliefs. I am not an expert by any means, but I do like the subject.


What 3 spells or potions would you like the Ministry to give you "Unlimited Access" in preparing or performing? (The Time-Turner is definitely NOT included in this generous offer.

Drat! I would use it to sleep more.

Okay. Hmmm...

1) a personal pensieve
2) a cleaning golem (preferably made of wood) to replace the house-elf I lost
3) a weight-loss potion


If you had to choose only one, what would be your favorite poem of all time? The Ministry of course also requires extensive explanations.

If of thy mortal goods thou art bereft,
And from thy slender store
Two loaves alone to thee are left,
Sell one, and with the dole,
Buy hyacinths to feed thy soul.
- Musharish-Ud-Din Sadi

When I was an adolescent, we used to have a garden of hyacinths near the utility room window, where I used to take care of the laundry for our large family. Their scent every spring coming through that window was one of the few things that could lift the depression I had as a preteen. It reminded me that no matter where you are, there is something beautiful to be found, if you just paid enough attention.

When I became much older, I found that the only way I could bring myself out of a seriously "bereft" state, was if I spent some time feeding my soul. It didn't matter what wondrous plan I had come up with, without the fire of hope to fuel it, the plan would go nowhere, because I lacked the physical energy to do it.

Besides, hyacinths are so pretty and smell so wonderful.


And finally, I think it is time to consider some LINES for your tombstone. What shall they be?

"My soul opens
To the emptiness
Of endlessness
I leave full
Singing music unheard"
(Moon Song by Amanda Doerr)