A big round of applause for this week’s Member of the Week:

News Administrator
EmmaRiddle
Aka Emma

As usual, the Interviewer, Kris, is in green. Our interviewee, Emma, is in dark red.

so...ask away
ok
lol
I have to get organized, you know; I've been slaving away on that potions final. Now I know why I never gave one before. LOL
lol you shouldn't slave away
That's true because I have real work I could be doing... But, anyway

Typical first question (so unoriginal): How does it feel to be chosen as the Member of the Week?
long over due...hahaha...no urm it feels 'special' -- like that fuzzy feeling that just makes you want to hug random strangers in the street
I've seen you do that before... except I wasn't quite random and only sort of a stranger...
lol well see that's what i'm like. a serial hugger. *hugs*
*hugs back*

So, give us some background on your SS life. You started as a Slytherin, moved to Slytherin mod, became a news mod at some point, and now, here you are: an admin. I think I just gave your background but, maybe you can elaborate LOL
and I was also a newbie helper and still am and I've helped out with Zonko's in my time.

Background... well in the beginning it was the dawn of time and yeah I stumbled on SS in 2002 and then actually joined in 2003 and basically hung out mainly in the PoA chat threads. I submitted a lot of articles, a lot of which were used. I remember receiving a PM from Mere (Dae) to be Slyth Mod because I was one of the most active people in the common room. After answering loads of questions and helping newbies, Jalita (Christhiane) asked me to be a helper. Then, a little later Karl (*Potter* -- the previous news admin) asked me if I wanted to help with the news as I'd been submitting loads and I agreed.

In between that I helped at Zonko's, did some stuff with RPs, became more active in the school and then, got killed by an 'invisible' force and became a divination teacher as a ghost. Shortly after that became news admin and in charge of affiliates; I assume because I was pretty active, Karl had left the site, and someone was needed to fill his position.

Come to think of it, that's an awful lot. I feel old. Lol
You feel old? In an SS way, right? LOL Maybe you should write a "My SS Autobiography" instead of doing this interview...
Yeah, that's what I meant. Just seems like an awful long time when really it's only been a year and a half. LOL maybe I'll make my own 'Hogwarts, A History' before I leave, whenever that is...
You aren't allowed to leave. Lol
lol that all depends. Are ya gunna make me stay? Lol
Yup *ties you up*
Nah, if I could help it, I wouldn't leave but who knows what I'll be busy doing in the future.

Speaking of what you'll be busy doing in the future, why don't you tell us a little about the Real Life Emma?
Question is, do you really wanna know? Lol
Well, what don't I know? LOL The real question really is, what do the SS members at large want to know?
Well, the real me is rather busy at the moment, mainly in dodging college coursework and the such. I quite like writing, as most people would've gathered by now and have written for a few publications in my time... I actually get phone calls from this local editor which is actually quite scary. I'm an A Level student as most people know who may either be going to University next year or taking a gap year in which I am interested in going to other countries and helping out in. My mind isn't made up yet.

favorite authors/books
Favourite books? C'mon, do you really have to ask?! HP is the most obvious and Rowling is my number one inspiration for everything I aspire to be. I also greatly esteem Jacqueline Wilson whose books got me through my teenage years (and still do). Garth Nix is an absolute genius and I'm reading a semi-autobiographical novel by Stephen Glass who had a film made about his life ('Shattered Glass’). He was notorious for writing articles for the 'New Republic' that were basically packed full of lies. Incredibly clever man, just short of a few screws or two. But then, aren't we all? I also greatly admire Emma Thompson and Richard Curtis for the masterpieces they've written which would be scripts and not books but it's still writing.

Favorite movies?
I have so many favourites from so many different genres. '1984' was adapted to screen decades ago (it has a middle ages John Hurt ((Ollivander in HP)) in it and he's now an old man!!) but it's a terrific masterpiece that brings the indoctrination of the story to reality. I have a soft spot for the Harry Potter films but they're definitely not among my list of 'greats'. I adored 'Love Actually' for many reasons - the actors, the director, the story, the great script, the heart warming moments etc...

Pirates of the Carribean is also one of my favourites as is Alfonso Cuaron's 'A Little Princess'. I also really enjoyed the newest 'Peter Pan' film and 'Shattered Glass' (which I mentioned earlier) which starred Hayden Christensen who actually for once gave a brilliant performance in comparison to the disaster that was Star Wars (his acting in it, not the actual film).

And then there are the classics -- Mary Poppins, Chitty Chitty Bang, Bang. 'Sense and Sensibility' is one of the all time classics in my eyes as is 'Emma' and 'Passion of the Christ' also falls into my all time favourite list. Surprisingly I also love musical films, my favourite being Moulin Rouge and Chicago. I just really love films with twists at the end too like 'Down with Love' and 'Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind'.

That's all? LOL
Yes, that's it. I told you I liked alot in really different genres!

Okay, so now here's a question: why HP?
That's a really tough question which I don't think anyone can really answer. There's just something about the integrity and universal appeal of the stories. The characters are unique but easily recognisable at the same time and they're just timeless. I think everyone can relate to Harry because we've all suffered at one time or another. Rowling has a real knack in teaching morals in her stories without ever patronising her readers. The books grow as they go along, they get progressively harder to read and it's an original thing that's never really happened before -- where people are actually waiting for an author to finish writing a book and release it. That is truly astounding and I think that one fact just says it all really about what has been achieved in these books - for lack of a better of a better word it has that 'X Factor' which nobody can define but which everyone recognises.

How did you first get into HP?
Just through going through the books on the 'young readers' shelf in my local library. I read PS when I was about 10 and really liked it but then, thought nothing more of it, I wasn't aware there would be another book until CoS actually came out. At that time Potter hadn't really taken off the and books weren't as anticipated but by the release of PoA I was hooked. So, essentially I loved it since 10 and was chuffed when I found out there'd be more books! I'm now 17 and as everyone knows JK initially planned to have released a book every year -- if she'd stuck to that book 7 would've been coming out this year and I would've finished the series at the right age. Alas, I cannot. But I don't view that as a bad thing! Knowing Harry for 7 years has been wonderful and I look forward to getting to know him more as Jo keeps writing.

That's awesome. So, tell me... who is your favorite character?
That's a toughie! I cant say just one, I don't think anyone could!
I could but, I've always been a weirdo.
I have a great soft spot for Ron and Hagrid. I've always been really curious of Snape and I think he's one of the best characters Jo has ever written, he's so unapologetic for the way he is, it's really entertaining. OotP had me warming to Luna Lovegood greatly probably because I am able to relate to her and I just found her character so refreshing and appealling. I also really love Tonks, from the little we've seen of her, she's just so prone to accidents, I guess I can relate to that too.

I guess it might be redundant for me to ask which character you relate most to so, I'll move on to which character do you look up to?
Relate most would be a tie between two, Snape and Luna, who in my opinion are alike in the way they're quite intelligent but were bullied and are sometimes viewed in the wrong sort of light. I relate to them because I was bullied when I was younger because I was both smart and different and that people even to this day sometimes misunderstand me because they don't understand me and why I am the way am or why I act/behave the way I do or why I say the things I say.

I suppose there isn't really one I'd look up to because none are perfect. Molly is like a mother figure but from OotP we know she's quick to make judgements as she did on Sirius and as she did on Hermione in GoF. I'd like to look up to Sirius for the what he's gone through but he isn't without his flaws either. Dumbledore would be the most likely but as we saw in OotP, he makes mistakes too. I suppose when you look up to someone you really need them to be perfect or next to perfect. I suppose my answer might be Minerva for the way she handles situations professionally but also for her warm inside which is caring and compassionate whilst also strict when it's called for.

So, which was your favorite book?
I love them all but my favourite would be OotP for the sheer amount of detail and character exploration we see in it. Also because of the new characters introduced and the fact that Harry finally gets over Cho Chang!!
lol
I think we learn alot more about Harry and the whole series seems to change from the beginning of OotP onward, they live in a world of fear as opposed to a world of magic that was PS where Hogwarts was escapism for Harry.

Last week's MotW, Fona, asks, " Which is your least favourite book of the Harry Potter Series? [You have to pick one]"
What, I have to? She's mean! Urrm probably Chamber of Secrets mainly because I just didn't like the storyline as much as the others although I still loved it for its humor and characters, if that makes sense.
That made sense.

Now for an off the wall kinda question: If you were a dessert, what dessert would you be?
That's a toughie. Probably a toffee/fudge/caramel ice-cream sunday - vanilla ice cream with squirty cream, a cherry and hundreds and thousands of sprinkles over the top.
I'll have to see what I can come up with for a title out of all that.
lol It's just my favourite ice-cream. I could do with one of them right now.
Me too- without the toffee, caramel, and cherry.
lol I'm just greedy.
I dont' like those things LOL

Ok so, if you could ask the next member of the week absolutely anything (within the board rules, of course) what would it be?
Which character's hairstyle would you most like for your own from the HP series?
From the movies, I assume? I mean, Hermione hair in the films (with the exception of the first one) was nothing like Hermione hair in the books....
No, how they're described in the books. I should've been specific *dies* but I don't really associate the films with Harry Potter much if that make sense at all.
You don't have to die, that's why I wanted to clarify. The films are based on the books but, they aren't the books; they are something entirely their own. I think that's why a lot of people get disappointed when they see their favorite books on film- they want the film to be an exact replica of the book but, that's just not the way it is.
Yeah and that's just not possible either seeing as nobody's perfect. But yeah, the books so in that respect I don't expect them to say 'Hermione'. LOL
She's actually the one I had in mine most. I think her and Harry's hair are the ones least like in the books (although Snape's hair could be a bit greasier, in my opinion). But, a lot of people envision the actors now when they envision the characters so, just to clear that little thing up for when I ask next time.
So you'll ask in context of the books? It really does irk me when people refer to cant waiting to see 'Emma' or 'Dan' in the next film when really in the film they're 'Hermione' and 'Harry' not themselves although the mannerisms of some characters are being replaced by the actors traits in some instances IMO.
yeah, I'll ask in the context of the books.

I think this is probably the longest interview I've done.
Is that it?
I don't have any more questions.