IMPORTANT NOTICE

I am one of the many ( there should be more) people that have IAOWHPD or the I Am Obsessed With Harry Potter Disorder. Some of the symptoms may include, but do not limit to: blocking out the world when reading Harry Potter, reading Harry Potter over and over again and noticing new fantastic things each time, wishing Hogwarts was real, thinking that at least one character from Harry Potter is hot, comparing everything to Harry Potter or quotes by the characters there in and making your own fantasy life about Harry Potter. If you think you have this disease copy this onto your profile. We don't want to be cured. Support this disease in its uprise to overpower the brains of people and make their lives so much better...:

“I have a real issue with anyone trying to protect children from their own imaginations. If we cannot acknowledge that a lot of us have a bit of darkness within ourselves, some more than others perhaps, and bring it into the light and examine it and talk about this part of the human condition, then I think we will be living in quite a dangerous climate. I think that’s much more damaging for children.”

- J.K. Rowling on parents that forbid their children from reading Harry Potter (or any fantasy novel that they vaguely disagree with)

Quote: In the world of storytelling there is no such thing as an original idea; what makes the story unique is the way in which you use that idea! - Never truer words spoken...

My opinions on some hp characters...

Albus Dumbledore: I see Dumbledore as a highly manipulative bastard. In cannon, he set Harry up 'Like a pig for slaughter' as Snape said, he could have saved so many lives if he was honest but instead he wanted Harry on a certain path and ruined many lives. He also had a hand in creating 'Voldemort', he saw was Tom Riddle was like and where he grew up and instead of helping the boy, who at the time was only 11, he held him in suspicion and allowed him to be sent back to the hated and dreaded orphanage every year. Dumbledore had a responsibility, as headmaster, to protect and aid all students that passed through his halls and he fails horrendously.

We see the Philosophers Stone, a priceless magical artifact which is practically a myth, be brought in and hidden in a school for its protection because someone wants to steal it. Nicolas Flammel has had the stone for centuries and this is the first time its been threatened? I think not some how, but yet we see it in the first book and film, then three 11 yr old's not only find out whats hidden on the 3rd floor but also manage to get down there to save the stone when their claims are ignored. These are children that two have only just found out about the wizarding world, they pass through tasks that just happen to play to their strengths? I smell a test! And where is the great Albus Dumbledore during this, he had a letter from the ministry and leaves knowing he had a priceless magical artifact in his school, but not only that, Dumbledore is a master legilimence and he didn't realise the Darkest wizard of the century was just chillin' on the back of one of his teachers head? Then when it's all over he swoops in and saves the day making him seem like a hero when really he should have prevented the entire situation.

Second year was a joke.

He knew who the heir of Slytherin was and he had suspicions on what he had created but he did nothing. Plus he has all the portraits reporting to him but none of them or himself noticed Ginny writing messages on the walls or acting at all suspiciously? Again he leaves the school knowing Lucius Malfoy would have done anything to get rid of him and leaves a riddled clue for Harry, allowing a 12 year old child to go down and face a basilisk. 3rd year makes me angry. He is chief warlock, he could have gotten Sirius a trial, he was the head of the wizard court and was considered the greatest wizard in the world, people would listen to him but he just sent 13 year olds back in time to complete an near impossible mission.

The whole goblet incident was stupid. Harry didn't enter willingly so how can he be in a magically binding contract? Being only 14 he should have been offered more help with the tasks but he was left as the school turned his back on him. And how is it that Dumbledore doesn't notice one of his 'dearest friends' isnt actually the man he believes him to be, Mad eye Moody was really Barty Crouch in polyjuice but the great Albus Dumbledore is oblivious as ever, then at the end of the year instead of demanding veritaserum or a peincieve he allows the minister to say Harry is lying with leads to the 5th year.

Some many things were wrong with this that its almost impossible to put in to words. Leaving Harry in the dark was one of the stupidest things he could have done and then with the hearing which could have been solved again with a few drops of veritaserum but no, Dumbledore swoops in and gets Harry off and leaves the teen on his own. Then Umbridge in the school where Harry was subjected to slander and a blood quill, but nothing was done. Then he takes the rap for the DA because the stupid toad didn't teach them anything and leaves the school in her hands. He makes Harry take occlumency with someone who openly hates him, he doesn't tell Harry what the connection is just sticks him with Snape and then when the whole DoM indecent happened he dumps the prophecy on Harry not half an hour after he lost one of the only people that could be considered family.

6th year he didn't actually teach Harry anything that could help him, he could of actually told the boy how to destroy the horcrux's, where they were and what was going on but he decides that Harry should be kept in the dark and allows the teen to watch as someone he hates kills his mentor on the astronomy tower. The final year, somehow even beyond the grave Dumbledore is still manipulating peoples lives, he sets up Harry's departure from the Dursley's through Snape and tells Snape what to do even as he is only a portrait. He told Snape that he had to tell Harry that he needed to die and appeared in limbo to congratulate Harry 'you brave wonderful man', even in death he doesn't explain anything to Harry.

Overall I don't like Dumbledore.

Rant over.

Harry Potter: I believe Harry is one of the most complex characters in the entire series. I think that his upbringing had a much bigger effect on him than even he realised, and that it changed a lot of things that could have been. From as far back as he could remember, he had been told that he is nothing but an unwanted freak, he's been locked up in a small cupboard and made to work for meagre offerings while he watches his cousin be adored and spoiled. Everything bad that happened to the Dursleys was somehow Harry's fault, and I think, in an effort to somehow fit in with the image his 'family' was trying to create out of him, it repressed his personality. He was severely starved of affection, emotionally stunted and hyper-aware of exactly how unwanted he was. He had been made to feel like a burden from the minute he lived at the Dursleys and I think their treatment of him made him almost conditioned to certain behaviors.

When the time came for all of the strange things that had been happening to him to be explained, it was like another layer of rules that had been added to him. Hagrid came to a boy who was craving simple acceptance and gave him exactly what he wanted, and then preached that Albus Dumbledore was this great man and Slytherins were evil, Harry, at the time, was only eleven, and had been conditioned to listen to adults, so of course he was going to listen. But at the same time, he knows that this is a chance for him to be different, he is free from his relatives constraints and grabs it with two hands. And you can see how much he hated his relatives because he follows the first person to be decent to him in to an unknown place without question. When he gets to the wizarding world, he has suddenly gone from pariah to hero within literal minutes and he is woefully unprepared to deal with exactly what that entails, and it doesn't help that for his entire memory he had been forced to stay in the shadows, to hide to keep himself safe, and now he is thrust in to the spotlight and has thousands of people's expectations thrown upon him without any warning whatsoever.

His meeting with Draco Malfoy could have gone better, Harry should have been briefed on the basics of the wizarding world, or at least Hogwarts, before stepping foot in Diagon Alley. However, it also didn't help that Malfoy reminded Harry of someone who had helped make his life miserable. Harry's first year was a bit of a joke, Snape was a fool to treat Harry like he did because Harry has never been like James, and it would have been impossible for him to be. James was privileged and an only child, brought up loved by his parents, confident, rich and always popular, something Harry never was. I do understand why Harry went after the stone, though. Finally, after 10 years of misery, he had something to hold on to, something that he wanted to keep and he wasn't about to let it all go to someone who had taken his parents from him no matter what. Second year was a laugh, Harry had only been in the wizarding world for a year and he was expected to know that speaking to snakes was bad?

I hate the fact that people took his name and made so many assumptions about him, to the point where he didn't even know how to act himself. He was pushed and pulled in so many different directions that it was actually dizzying. He had to rely on himself for so long that when he found it ridiculously difficult to place trust in others, and then, when he did, he found himself back where he started; alone. His wish to be accepted, to have someone for himself is practically thrown at us when we see Sirius enter on third year, Harry has only known of this escaped criminal for 8 months and has only know he was not guilty of what he was put in prison for, I.E the betrayal of Harry's own parents and the murder of 12 muggles, for half an hour and he is willing to drop everything and move in with him. Forth year, despite everything, Harry survived. He got through something that 7th years struggled on, he was forced to compete in this deadly competition, and yes he was given help but he was 14, and Barty Crouch Jr didn't make it easy for him.

He was forced to participate and watch in a ritual to ressurect the man who killed his parents and has repeatedly tried to kill him, the man who, ultimately, forced him in to a like of servitude and abuse at the hands of his relatives and then tried to kill him again. And still he survived. He was cut off from the world he was grown to love for nearly an entire summer after watching someone die and seeing Voldemort be reborn, he was left alone to defend himself when he was attacked and NO one is there for him, everyone is treating him like a child but at the same time they expect him to be this figurehead for the light. There is also the huge smear campaign that the ministry has against him and everyone just allowed that to happen, no one steps up and makes Harry take truth serum or takes his memories, they just call him a liar and throw him under the bus. And yet Harry still survives. He deals with Umbridge, the ministry, the Dark Lord, teaching others how to defend themselves, occlumency, Dumbledore ignoring me and THEN Sirius dies before his eyes.

Sirius' death is something that could have been prevented with Dumbledore simply being honest with Harry. Instead, the person who accepted Harry wholeheartedly is ripped away prematurely. And mere hours after he's witnessed the death of his godfather and his friends be attacked, Dumbledore then dumps the prophecy on him and gives him some shitty excuse for not telling him. It's despicable, but Harry shows how strong he is because he carries on, he continues to fight despite everything he has suffered. Sixth year he is back to being hero, but the war is growing and Harry has a monumental pressure on him, he now knows that he is the ONLY person who can stop Voldemort and he feels like it's impossible but yet he doesn't give up and he does not run. Dumbledore, the man Harry has seen as a mentor, is then killed in front of him, and, even though he has repeatedly told the order and the headmaster that he KNOWS Draco Malfoy is up to something they ignore him.

They ignore someone who, despite spectacular odds, has never been wrong about someone. He knew someone was after the stone; they were. He knew Hagrid didn't open the Chamber and believed it to be with Moaning Murtle; it was. He tried to tell the world that the Dark Lord had returned; he had. Then in sixth year he told them all, even his friends, that Malfoy was up to something and they brushed him aside like it was nothing. And they paid the price. But still, Snape killed Dumbledore and the old man leaves Harry with an impossible task, he hasn't told Harry how to destroy the Horcruxes and he leaves the world believing that Snape killed him maliciously. Harry takes on this mission, his only help are two people who are his age, and they are alone. Yet he continues, he fights through impossible, collects the Horcruxes even though he knows the war is raging on. He fights all of his instincts to go and actively fight, knowing this is the only way to finally get rid of the Dark Lord. He believes that after he has collected all these items he will only have the man himself to take down, he can finally see a future, only for it to be brutally crushed as Snape dies.

He's show the memories of a man that he believed hated him to find out that he wasn't what he seemed, but the most crushing thing is that a man he looked up to, a man he believed cared for him was raising him for the sole purpose to die at the right time. Harry, who is 17 years old, has just found out that there is no future for him, there is no happy ending for him, that the only way for the world to be rid of evil if for him to die. Not only does he have to die, he has to be killed by the very man he has been fighting to destroy.

But yet he doesn’t run, he doesn’t cry or scream at the injustice, he doesn’t even share this terrible burden. No, he gets up and he walks to his own death. The sheer amount of will power, the amount of raw bravery that Harry has is phenomenal. Unprecedented. He, despite knowing he is going to die, that he is going to be killed, stands and faces Voldemort, he looks him in the eye and lets himself be murdered. Obviously we know it doesn’t work, however, Harry walked in to the forest believing that he was going to die. That amount of courage is commendable. When Harry gets up again and the battle restarts, and I prefer the book version of this, he goes directly the Voldemort, protecting others on the way. Harry, in what may be his finest moment, taunts Voldemort in front of everyone, he stands up and faces him, he taunts and mocks him and then ultimately beats him in a fight of wills.

Yet there are things I don’t understand about him. He is powerful, he had performed incredible feats, and yet he is made out to be mediocre at times, and I hate it. He stood up to Voldemort at 11, fought and killed a 1000 year old basilisk at 12 and survived the bite, drove of over 100 dementors with one spell, that many fully qualified witches and wizards cannot cast, at 13, participated and won a tournament that people have died in, escaped a duel with the most powerful and feared Dark Lord in over a century, defied the ministry and Umbridge repeatedly, taught numerous other people how to defend themselves actively and then fought and aided in the capture of the inner circle death eaters at 15, battled death eaters again at 16, broke in to the ministry while a wanted fugitive, broke in to gringotts and successfully stole from a high security vault and then rode out on a dragon, broke in to Hogwarts while it was being run by Death eaters, and then defeated Voldemort. All of these things illustrate that Harry is powerful, a lot more so than the average person, and I don’t like the fact that he is sometimes made out to be heavily reliant on others. He’s a survivor, he has always been a survivor, and has shown that, if needed, he can make it on his own.

Harry Potter is a brave, honest, and ridiculously strong person. He is a completely unique individual, he has his flaws and he knows it, but he also has his strengths. And unlike others, he does not gloat, brag or exploit them for himself. Harry is an incredibly selfless, sometimes too selfless, but over all a good person. He had the option to turn out exactly like Voldemort, he had the upbringing to do so and yet he didn’t. That is a flaw I have found in his written character. I love Harry, I do, and when I personally write him I take many of his qualities because they deserve to be highlighted. However, you cannot have someone who has been abused, broken down and shunned suddenly become the embodiment of a good and light; it just doesn’t work. As I said, he’s a survivor, he’s been made to survive with nothing, and been made to look after himself, he shouldn’t have suddenly gave a crap about all these people that never gave a damn about him. J.K wrote HP in a very black and white world, and Harry was the white. He did go against all odds, but I suppose that’s what made Harry, Harry, he did things that no one else would. What no one else could!

There is no one like Harry Potter.

Molly Weasley: She is not, in any way, the picture of the perfect mother, nor is she a good replacement for Lily. She shows clear favouritism with her children and smothers them to the point of unbearable. She uses her older children as expectations for her younger ones and never takes in to account that they are each individual, and it automatically sets siblings against siblings because they are always expected to be each other and when they can't it builds resentment. Her behaviour towards the twins is disgusting. Not once did she take in to account that they created everything they had off their own knowledge when they were starting up their joke shop, instead, because they didn't meet her set standards they were treated with disdain and their work destroyed. She doesn't remember their names, and at one point she fails to acknowledge them even being in the family (in OotP when Ron becomes prefect Molly states "that's everyone in the family", despite the twins obviously not being prefects).

She never once acknowledged either Bill or Charlie's jobs being acceptable to her, because they weren't in the ministry of magic, never mind the fact that the ministry treated her husband like dirt. Ginny was the only girl so she got away with practically everything, which, while more understandable, isn't ok when you have seven children. With Ron, Molly doesn't really acknowledge him at all until he gets made prefect, which, in her eyes is what he was meant to do. I know she has a lot to do, but she doesn't even remember that Ron doesn't like corned beef - it's simple, yeah, but not to a kid who already has an inferiority complex. She is completely horrible to Fleur, who her son is intending to marry, instead of being welcoming and accepting. This is her eldest son's wedding, and yet she cannot find herself to simply be happy for him - even going as far as to insult Fleur directly after Bill has been injured by Greyback.

But, I think, worst of all, with Molly, is her belief that because she is a mother of seven she knows best for children. Ok, yeah, she cared for Harry, but other that what her kids told her what did she actually know about him by fifth year. In OotP, she constantly overrules Sirius, in his OWN HOME, when she has absolutely no right. She says that Harry is like a son to her, but by this point Harry had stayed in her company for half a summer in before second year and two weeks for the Quidditch world cup. She never wrote to him, other than Christmas, Easter and birthday gifts, she never did anything when her sons came home and said they had found Harry locked in a small room with bars on the windows, never check to see if he was ok after Philosopher's stone, or the Dementor attack in third year, nor the entire Sirius Black incident. She even had the audacity to spite Hermione for Easter in fourth year over Rita Skeeter's article, without even bothering to write and ask Harry if he was ok with what had apparently happened. No, Molly Weasley isn't the perfect mother, whatsoever, and I think it shows a damn lot about the strength of her kids and their father to how each of them turned out.

Ginny Weasley: I don't really like her. Well, it's more of how she was portrayed really. I feel that it was an extremely wasted opportunity when it came to her character, but what I hate the most is paring her with Harry. That is not, in any way, a reasonable match. I cannot fault her for being a fan girl, she would have grown up in the wizarding world where Harry Potter was a household name, and children were told stories about him from a young age. She cannot be blamed for that. However, when she grew up and got over the fact that Harry was just a person then she was ok. I think that there could have been a lot more to her, book Ginny was a lot better than film Ginny for sure, but, for someone like Harry, I don't think she is the right match. Especially given the fact that Harry doesn't like the attention and she was one of his biggest fans. I don't know, Ginny was very one dimensional.

Sirius Black: Sirius has had a hard life, we know about his time in Hogwarts and we know the basics of his home life, but we don't know details. It's obvious that his parents, especially his mother, hated him and that had a big effect on him. He ran away when he was 16 showing that it got to a stage that he could no longer handle and I think that affected him more than he ever let on.

Sirius rebelled against everything his parents wanted him to be, and that, I think, is why Severus got the brunt of Sirius' attacks. Severus Snape was everything Sirius was supposed to be, a love for the dark arts, in Slytherin, and therefore everything he hated. I'm not excusing Sirius' behaviour, it was wrong and he showed himself to be the Black that he hated when he continuously attacked someone with a careless disregard that originally had done nothing to him. But, he was hurting and he took it out on the wrong person.

When James and Lily died I think that was what finally broke Sirius, he had 4 friends that he trusted with his life, which to him, with the family his had, was a big deal, and he found out that one of them betrayed them and the other, the one he was closest to, was dead. When he tracked Peter down, it was never more apparent that the Black madness had touched him, he had lost everything so he laughed so he didn't cry.
Azkaban did him no favours and he didn't help himself, but he should have been given a trial and I think, if he had been raising Harry with Moony then he would have healed, something, I believe, he never did. And with that, he never fully grew up. He took to many risks simply because he didn't truly know the consequences and that, unfortunately, resulted in his death.

I think Sirius had much more hidden to what he let the world see, I think it was one of the worst think J.K did when she killed of Sirius.

Remus Lupin: I have two opinions of Remus. On the one hand he is the one of the biggest cowards imaginable. He was turned in to a werewolf at a young age, but he gained three friends that broke the law to support him every month in his time of need. He got through school and went against his nature to fight for the light, which is extremely brave, however, when Lily and James fell, instead of sticking around and trying to work what had happened he fled. He left one of his best friends, one that risked everything for him and fled, even if he didn't know that it wasn't Sirius who betrayed the Potter's, he didn't stick around to see him be sentenced or see Pettigrew get the send off a supposed hero desevered.

He just ran.

And, adding to that, another of his best friends, and his wife, had just been murdered and he completely disregards their child without so much as a thought, hiding behind the excuse of him being a werewolf. When he returned, he didn't engage Harry in reminders of his parents, he didn't connect with his best friend's son and he didn't even tell Dumbledore about Sirius being an animagus to protect Harry because he was too afraid. Later on, after the war broke out, he was back fighting for the light and he finally gave in to Tonks, but what disgusts me the most, and I completely agree with Harry on this, is when he tried to abandon his unborn child. No matter what, he should have stuck it out, he helped create that baby and it was his responsibility, his duty, to look after that child with everything he had. I also think he was foolish to go in to battle when he had a newborn child, he should have hid and been there for his child, instead, he left him to grow up an orphan and that is not fair; no matter the circumstanced.

On the other hand, Remus Lupin was one of the strongest men alive. He survived being bitten by a werewolf at a young age and he went through numerous transformations with no support and nothing to help ease his suffering. He made to Hogwarts and, despite the fact he was forced, every month, to go through an excruciating process of his entire body changing in to something completely different and, worst of all, having no control of his actions, he still managed to get consistent high grades throughout his schooling. Then, he followed his three closest friends to fight for the light, going against his very nature, turning down offered of freedom and acceptance, something he desperately wished for to stick to his beliefs and his friends. He tried to follow the law and got shunned, but still he continued to fight for the good of the world, and for the people that looked upon him as if he was scum without a thought. He was extremely brave to continue throughout the circumstances, and when it didn't look to get any worse, Remus suffered three tragic blows in an instant.

First, Lily and James were murdered, then he believed that Sirius betrayed them all to the lure of the dark, something he had been denying his entire life, and then Peter was dead at the hands of Sirius. He lost everything. Those who meant everything to him, those who accepted him unconditionally were ripped away within a week and still he survived, yes he disappeared, but he got on with his life and soldiered on. He returned to the wizarding world when Sirius escaped and he had his entire beliefs shaken when he came face to face with the one he believed took everything from him, only to find out that Sirius was innocent, that his best friend never betrayed him and remained true even after all these years. Pettigrew escaped leaving him helpless to help Sirius, but he continued to try his best. Through all of this he was still forced to transform in to a mindless beast, and he had been made to do it alone for so many years when he shouldn't have been that way. Then, in in '95, the best friend he had only just go back was ripped away from him before his eyes, Sirius was killed leaving him alone in the world again.

And yet he continued to fight. He kept at the war effort and actively participated, despite everything that had happened. He found someone who accepted him and fell in love with Tonks, and in an effort to protect her and his son he tried to leave, knowing that he was endangering her for just being with her. And, while it was overtly wrong, he was well meaning and he tried to do what he believed best. Then, during the final battle, he was forced to leave his son to try and defeat the 'evil' and finds his wife in battle, only for her to be struck down and soon to follow her. Remus Lupin went down fighting, he went down as a strong man, a man who went against all odds and lived. No matter how hard it became, no matter how many times it seemed that it was impossible to overcome the next hurdle, he continued to fight. And for that he has my respect.

Draco Malfoy: Draco is the epitome of spoilt pureblood prince that believes everything should be laid out before him simply because he is a Malfoy. He acts like he has no thoughts that came from his own head, everything is something his father said and when he doesn't get what he wants he threatens anyone with his father. There are so many things that are wrong with how Draco is and how he acts, but he had never had a good example to go by, because Lucius was more interested in his image and his money than teaching his son the correct way to behave.

But, on the other hand, when the time came, Draco did stand up for what was right. He didn't do it in an obvious way and he didn't necessary stand up and fight, but he didn't give Harry away when he knew exactly who it was even when he was promised everything would go back to how it was when Voldemort wasn't displeased with the Malfoys and, in the film, it couldn't have been more obvious that Draco didn't want to go over to the Dark Side again. Only the fact that his mother, one of the people I believe he cared deeply about, asked him too, and in the film all of the Malfoys fled.
I've never been able to make up my mind on Draco. Whenever I write him in I usually change it up, sometimes he's good and sometimes he's bad, more often than not I make his good.

Fred and George Weasley: I personally believe that killing of Fred was the worst thing J.K did, even outstripping the death of Sirius and Remus!! Like I said in my rant about Molly, she's so smothering and she's completely awful to the twins about their chosen career path and in the then they end up being more successful than any other Weasley before them! Harry seemed to be the only one who saw the twins as individuals instead of Fred and George and in turn they saw Harry for Harry and not Harry Potter. I love them.

Severus Snape: I'm a bit iffy on Snape, sometimes I love him but sometimes I hate him. I write him good and bad because I can never decide which I prefer. Snape, deep down, was a good man. Yes, the Marauders were cruel to him, but I don't believe they made him the way he was, that I think was a mixture of many things and perhaps the Marauders played a part. Granted, Lily marrying his tormentor is enough to have anyone pissed off, and all the other factors in his life such as his nasty childhood, the Dark Lord, Dumbledore and the war itself is not an excuse for how he treated Harry. Yes he was a triple spy and he had very little room to breathe, but how he behaved and acted with Harry is just wrong. The way Snape grew up he should have known that there was something wrong with Harry, he knew James Potter since he was 11 years old and there is very little, minus appearance, that Harry actually shares with his father. Snape was blinded by a face which had been dead for ten years and it clouded his judgement and his thoughts, he worked as a spy, he is one of, if not, the best at noticing things that others didn't; he had to or he would be dead. But he was so blinded by hatred and envy that he failed to see a child struggling in a new world and that is inexcusable.

Oh, I know he was a total badass, and I wish he hadn't died so he could have made peace with his demons, but I do not think that, if he got there, that Lily would be too pleased with how he treated her only son; the one she died to protect.

Tom Riddle is amazing. I do not care what anyone says! I freaking LOVE Tom Riddle!! Like, he is, I think, my all time favourite character because he practically has it all. He's intelligent, beyond that, he's charismatic, charming, smooth, cool, dark and extremely extremely hot! Everything just seemed to come effortlessly to him, he could do anything and he did. He grew up in hell, he was hated and scorned because he was different and he didn't let that stop him, he made himself better, stronger and more powerful than those who treated him like shit.

I know he was evil and I know he was monstrous, but I cannot help but admire his will power to keep going no matter what stood in his way. I believe that if he had not lost his rational mind, which created Voldemort, he would have won the war without a doubt. If he could run and rule an army of such masses when he was insane, then when he was sane it wouldn't have been a problem. As to the fact that Dumbledore was the only one he ever feared - I believe that that is complete crap. I believe that Riddle was wary of Dumbledore because the headmaster knew more about him than anyone else and knew where he come from, he also knew that Dumbledore was powerful and could block him if he wanted to so he became extremely cautious around the old man. He became Voldemort when he lost his mind and I think a large part of that was down to the Horcruxes. Seeping himself in dark magic was one thing, but it wasn't enough to send him as insane as he was (take the Black family for example, one of the, if not the, darkest magical families in the wizarding world and while some of them were slightly insane, they never completely lost it - I'm of the opinion that Bellatrax was just a sadist.)

So I think with all the dark magic, so many horcruxes and living as a disembodied spirit for 13 years sent him over the edge to what we know as Voldemort (4th year). Voldemort was weak. Not magically so, but in worth. He was nothing more than an animal driven by the need to control everything but he couldn't control himself. Voldemort did not deserve the title of Dark Lord, he deserved to be bested by Harry because it was of his own arrogance that he lost, where Voldemort did not deserve it, Tom Marvolo Riddle was a true Dark Lord.

Bellatrix Lestrange: I can't help but love Bellatrix. She was one of the most loyal characters in the entire book. She may have followed the 'wrong' side and she may have took it to the extremes, but she never ever ever had any doubts about what she stood for and who she was loyal too. Even in the very end when it was apparent Voldemort was going to lose, she stuck with him and she was the last of his remaining forced to fall showing that she was also incredibly powerful and skilled despite her insanity. I hate that she killed Sirius, but at the same time it was war and they were on opposite sides and if he was in her place Sirius would have probably did the same. The attack on Neville's parents, while it was completely horrendous, there was also a reason behind it and because of that I can’t fault her for it. She was followed her Lords orders, once again showing her loyalty, and as Neville was the other child of the prophecy and Bella was Voldemort's most devoted and loyal it was only right that she be sent after him. And I expect that, if they had not been caught when they did, they would have finished the job. They were also searching for their Lord who had mysteriously disappeared. I cannot help but respect her too. Simply because she and the others involved in the attack stood up and faced prison for their cause and even when she was sentenced to life in Azkaban Bella still stood in front of the ministry and showed her faith and complete belief in her Lord and that is something to be commended even if her loyalty and beliefs were in the 'wrong' side.

Barty Crouch Jr: Barty reminds me of Malfoy in the respect that he always sought after his father's approval. Crouch Sr never paid enough attention to his son, and to Barty it seemed as if nothing he did was ever good enough. Though his mother loved him dearly, it was his father that Crouch wanted to impress and it showed in the fact he got 12 OWLs. He joined the Death Eaters because the Dark Lord showed interest in his intelligence and Barty switched his need to impress from his father to Voldemort, becoming obsessed with pleasing his new master, who he saw as a replacement father figure. One he believed was much more superior to his own father. Barty was ridiculously intelligent, as well has highly cunning and extremely observant, so much so, he was able to masquerade as Alistor Moody for nearly a year under Dumbledore's very nose. Thus showing his ability to work with anything. His hatred for his father grew with the neglect the man showed him in his youth and I think, when his father controlled him for ten years with the Imperius curse, it blinded him usual quick mind as his need to reunite with Voldemort became priority. His loyalty to the Dark Lord is easily matched to that of Bellatrix Lestrange and, like her, I cannot fault him, because he never doubted. The only time he seemed to waver was when faced with the Dementors and he pleaded with his father to see reason, but I believe that wasn't a show of wavering loyalty, but something that would enable him to continue looking for his fallen Lord. I believe, if he had not been kissed, Barty would have been the last to fall with Bella in the final battle. I truly enjoy Barty's character, and I was very disappointed to see him removed so quickly from the series.

Luna Lovegood: I love Luna, there is something about her uniqueness that just draws me in. She's just so... fresh! She has no normal restraints and lives completely in her own way, she is one of the very few people that literally could not give any less of a crap what others think of her and it is freakin' brilliant.
But, I also think that the creatures are a defence or a coping mechanism after her mother's death.

Luna is one of those people who are hard to read, but she is still one of my favourites! She is just an awesome character that is so under rated.

Ron Weasley: Ron to me can be seen in two different lights. One where he was loyal to Harry in the end, even as his jealousy got in the way and he left, he always came back. He was strong, loyal, clever and a damn good friend.
On the other hand, he was a jealous prat that left his friend in his time of need and Harry was a mug to take him back to easily, granted in DH Ron did save his life so it was acceptable, but in 4th year it wasn't.

Minerva McGonagall: I've always had questions about McGonagall. Over the years, she has seen a lot, she has seen generations lost to war and face two wars herself and she came out of both alive. She was strong, independent, powerful and respected. She is a woman who was staunch in her beliefs, but I was disappointed when she let Harry down in two of the most crucial points in his life. She should have stuck by her instincts when it came to Harry's placement with the Dursleys, she shouldn't have blindly followed Dumbledore's word when she knew that Harry would not be well cared for, and I think that is a mistake she will have to make up for for the rest of her life. The second time was with Umbridge. She didn't even hear Harry out, her student, the son of two of her favourite students, was being tortured by a teacher and she didn't take the time to find out. Harry was left alone to deal with mass criticism, mental attacks, threats from the Dark Lord and then he was shunted in school when he needed someone to help him desperately. I truly believe McGonagall is a good person, but there have been points where I wish she would have simply listened.

Dolores Umbridge: Simply put... I hate her. Nothing less. She is my most hated character in the entire series, the fact that we never find out if she dies or not was the worst thing because I was praying for a horrible, painful, humiliating death. I do not even think I can explain how much I HATE that woman and every time I see the actress in another film I'm forcefully reminded of Umbridge and I have to sit there and grit my teeth. I think, because she was supposed to be on the 'good' side, like she was from the ministry, the place where its supposed to be the good of the people which made her character a whole lot worse. She was vile. She's one of the worst type of people, she would smile as she killed you and then justify in a way that no one would dispute. I can find no redeeming qualities to her whatsoever!!

Hermione Granger: Hermione is a difficult one for me because sometimes I hate her and sometimes I love her. I perfectly understand that the Trio wouldn't be anywhere without her, but sometimes I feel that she also holds them back. With her constant need to know everything and be the best at everything she forces people in to her shadow which then makes them act negatively towards her. We see in 6th year that she hated the fact that Harry became better at potions than her and her belief that books are infallible is nothing more than an annoyance. However, I kinda admire her because despite the fact that she was a muggleborn; she kicked ass!

Neville Longbottom: I feel for Neville because of his grandmother and her overbearing nature, she forced the image of Frank Longbottom on to him and it was only when Harry stepped up and told Neville he could be a powerful wizard did he come in to his own. I did like what he became and when he took out the snake, despite me being a massive lover of everything dark, I couldn't help but be like YES GO NEVILLE!! I don't know if he could have been the chosen one however, Neville, while becoming an amazing wizard, couldn't have faced what Harry faced simply because of his upbringing. His grandmother stunted him too much.

Vernon Dursley: Vernon is one of those characters that embodies the word scum. Like Umbridge, I have no love for him, but unlike Umbridge, I can sort of understand his behaviour. He is not a blood relative to Harry, and he married in to the strangeness that comes with magic, and I can understand that fear causes people to act in irrational ways. However, his behaviour was truly reprehensible and, in no way, excusable.

Petunia Dursley: There is absolutely nothing that can excuse her behavior in reguards to her nephew. She knew all about magic, and yes, she was jealous, and yes, she feared something she would never understand, but that is not an acceptable reason to treat Harry as she had done. She, quite frankly, abused her nephew in the worst possible way, she tore him down for something that she knew about and he had no control over, she punished him for things that she expected to happen and took her resentment and bitterness out on an innocent child. A child that had did nothing to her or her family, accept become an orphan. What makes it worse is if the positions were reversed, Lily would have looked after Dudley as if he was her own and thought nothing of it, simply because it was her sister's child. And what makes it worse is that she didn't have to take Harry in, she took him in with for the promise of protection, when he would have been better of elsewhere. She is the worst possible example of a human, and she reminds me of the muggle version of Umbridge.

Dudley Dursley: Dudley is a product of the environment he was brought up in. I can't hate Dudley because he has never known anything else. From the day he was born he had been spoilt, and then when Harry arrived he has only saw his parents treat his cousin with nothing but contempt, disgust and disregard. His father was a bully, and encouraged his son to be the same. Dudley was encouraged and praised for treating Harry like dirt so it became second nature to him. The thing I liked about Dudley was that he grew up and he saw that his parents were wrong, he knew that his behaviour was not acceptable and, though it was too late, he did still try to rectify it. After Harry saved his life he opened his eyes to the real world, and when he said to Harry 'I don't think you are a waste of space' I felt unually pleased, because it showed that people can change. I like to think that Dudley grew out of his father's bullying ways, settled down and made a decent life for himself.