Hrm...

[camwyn]

Trying to get a few things straight in my head for future reference as I work on HB: HP stuff. Suggestions welcome.

1. John's going to have to learn the Patronus Charm at some point, and I'm considering animal possibilities. I'm thinking something small, vicious, and persistent- polecat? Stoat? Pit-bull terrier? Mink? I'd say raccoon, since they're basically curious intelligent balls of ANGRY ANGRY MUSCLE with five out of six ends pointy when enraged, but, well, they're not in England.

Badger also possible because the damn things are known for being formidable defenders and nasty as sin, plus they have a rep in England for carrying bovine TB.

2. Speaking of badgers, sooner or later he's going to have to put on the Sorting Hat. Reluctantly, as he really doesn't fancy the idea of an artifact that can perceive his inner nature, but it's going to have to happen because people are gonna get curious. The way I see it he qualifies for three out of four houses- I can't see him in Ravenclaw no matter how clever he is- but I'm not even sure about Slytherin. Not ambitious enough in what I've read, but I haven't read everything...

Comments

[camwyn]

Eeeyah. Okay, going to have to track down the early early issues, dammit.

[gehayi.livejournal.com]

I see John as either a reluctant Gryffindor or as a Hufflepuff.

Reluctant Gryffindor has been explained.

Hufflepuff--well, they're patient (John is patient enough to wait for revenge, to put up with Tim AND to deal with his fellow mages and various supernatural entities); hard-working (got into magic to become a hotshot mage, yeah, but he stuck with it even though it took a long time); true and loyal (which he would never admit in a million years, and which he would always blame on expediency); and just. I can still see John yelling at Morpheus of the Endless that Morpheus couldn't leave John's ex-girlfriend in a state of physical decay and psychic torment because it wasn't FAIR, damn it. Nobody chews out the Endless. No one. But John did--and he changed Morpheus' mind.

Moreover, Hufflepuff is continually underestimated in the Potterverse. It seems to be less than it is, rather like John himself. People forget that Hufflepuff's animal is the badger, which is described in the Encyclopedia Britannica as "a powerful animal"; "having savage fighting instincts"; "fierce when cornered"; and "a tenacious fighter."

For my money, John's a Hufflepuff. A very reluctant Hufflepuff. And his Patronus should be a badger.

Confession time:

[camwyn]

I had been considering Hufflepuff for quite some time, but didn't know exactly how to phrase it. It started from the badger thing, because, well, I know badgers. Tough, tenacious, dangerous to any dog unfortunate enough to be sent down their setts; I seem to remember that badger hides were used in the making of shields by the ancient Celts, although I don't know for sure if that's so. Take that and add in the Hufflepuff reputations for hard work and loyalty, and, well... it seemed to fit.

I didn't want to presume too far, though; as I've said before, I'm still learning about John. Gryffindor for bravery would've been the obvious choice, because let's face it, he's got cojones. Slytherin could be seen to fit (though, as I pointed out, I was not properly aware of his earlier motives), but didn't quite feel right- though it was more right than Ravenclaw, which simply didn't work at all, to my way of thinking. Hufflepuff, though... he's got those qualities in spades despite sometimes hiding them awfully well. And it's a less blatantly obvious choice than Gryffindor.

I did not know about the incident with Morpheus. That's something to definitely keep in mind.

Re: Confession time:

[gehayi.livejournal.com]

I did not know about the incident with Morpheus. That's something to definitely keep in mind.

It's from the Sandman series, Book 1: Preludes and Nocturnes. The story is entitled "Dream A Little Dream Of Me."