don’t you ever dare to say that we are the weaker gender
“The dedication of this book is split seven ways: to Neil, to Jessica, to David, to Kenzie, to Di, to Anne…”
J.K Rowling said that her inspiration for Hagrid came from when she was 19 in a pub in the west country and this terrifying looking guy came in with these other biker guys and the only thing he talked to J.K about was how his cabbages were getting on
remember when we found out Neville Longbottom had bigger balls than anyone else in the HP series
remember how Dumbledore told us this in the very first book, but no one believed him
if you’ll excuse me i just need to be emotional about harry potter for a second
because he’s not exceptionally powerful or anything you know? like he’s a super average student, smart enough to get by, but he doesn’t really blow anything out of the water (besides defense against the dark arts but really he’s been doing that shit since he was 11 so)
his greatest power is his ability to love, and that love is what enabled him to defeat the greatest wizard ever
voldemort was smart as shit okay like freaky smart and so so so so so powerful
but this kid, who spent the majority of his life in a dark cupboard, having hateful and belittling words flung at him from his own family for the first 10 years of life, no memory of anyone ever showing love or kindness to him
this boy had so much love in his heart that he was able to make a patronus at the age of 13, a spell that requires happiness and love to create it
this boy loved so much that he defeated the greatest dark wizard ever at the age of 17
#WHAT PART OF HE WAS RAISED IN A CUPBOARD BY PEOPLE WHO HATED HIM #AND YET HE DIDN’T GROW UP TO BE A HATEFUL AND SPITEFUL PERSON #BUT INSTEAD WAS FULLY PREPARED TO SACRIFICE HIS 17 YEAR OLD LIFE FOR THE SAKE OF THE WORLD #DO YOU NOT UNDERSTAND
I can’t stop laughing at Harry running the fuck away, the boy who lived ladies and gentlemen.
….You realize, of course, that Hermione Granger lit a teacher on fire when she was eleven, and kept a person alive in a jar for a year when she was fourteen, and studies dark and forbidden magics for kicks, and is one of the brightest and strongest witches of her era. If she came at me, even wandless, I would aparate to Neptune to get away from her.
“This may surprise people, but it is the truth. In many, many ways, Hufflepuff is my favorite House. There comes a point in the final book where each House has the choice whether or not to rise to a certain challenge… The Slytherins, for reasons that are understandable, decide they’d rather not play. The Ravenclaws: some decide they will, some decide they won’t. The Hufflepuffs, virtually to a person, stay – as do the Gryffindors. Now, the Gryffindors comprise a lot of fool-hardy and show-offy people. That’s just the way it is. I’m a Gryffindor, I’m allowed to say it. There’s bravery and there’s also showboating, and sometimes the two go together. The Hufflepuffs stayed for a different reason. They weren’t trying to show off. They weren’t being reckless. That’s the essence of Hufflepuff House. Now my oldest child, my daughter Jessica, said something very profound to me not very many days ago actually. She said to me – and she, by the way, was not Sorted into Hufflepuff House – but she said to me, “I think we should all want to be Hufflepuffs.” I can only say to you that I would not be at all disappointed to be Sorted into Hufflepuff House. So I’m a little upset that anyone does feel that way.” -Jo Rowling
ok this is a slytherin headcanon interpretation post purely as reference for another post i might make later
here’s the thing about harry being a hatstall: when you look at it, there’s not much evidence for him being a slytherin. he’s not particularly ambitious; when he’s told his potions grade will stop him from taking at newt level and becoming an auror (pretty much the only career that interests him), he’s not too fussed. he has to be told by mcgonagall when it turns out slughorn’s requirements are lower than snape’s - he hasn’t really concerned himself with it. throughout the books he has responsibility thrust upon him, rather than taking it for himself. he has to be persuaded to take the leadership role with dumbledore’s army.
cunning? you could maybe make a case, but it’s not strong enough to balance out all the other things that clearly make him a gryffindor - his courage, his loyalty - his daring, nerve and chivalry. sure, he’s pretty nifty sometimes. but this is the boy who, during the triwizard tournament, needed a hint from cedric diggory, needed constant behind-the-scenes help from disguised “”moody”“, and didn’t even utilise all the resources at his disposal (“”moody”” berates him for not thinking of asking neville for help). it certainly isn’t his defining trait.
he doesn’t fit with the stereotype of slytherin. he’s not focused on self-preservation - he accepts the possibility or near certainty of his death several times over the course of the books! the trait that (in the books at least) pretty much most defines slytherin is one he completely lacks. he’s not in the least traditionalist or power-hungry. he’s enough of a gryffindor for the sorting hat to give him gryffindor’s sword after only two years.
against all of that, it’s hard to find evidence for the hat’s indecision unless you bring in an interpretation of slytherin which isn’t explicitly shown in the books.
“Mr. Harry Potter. The Cupboard under the Stairs, 4 Privet Drive, Little Whinging, Surrey.”
friendly reminder that when oliver wood addressed the gryffindor quidditch team as ‘men’, angelina johnson called him out on his sexist and misogynistic bullshit by reminding him there were women on the team too, and he listened to her without question ✿◕‿◕✿
I think it speaks to the fact that Snape was fucking horrible that Neville’s worst fear was not Bellatrix Lestrange, the person who tortured his parents until they could no longer remember who they were, or even Voldemort, whose name the act was committed in, but his school teacher who bullied him nine months at a time for years on end.
