Transfiguration

A moment that Transfiguration transfixed us:

"And now – piertotum locomotor! ’ cried Professor McGonagall. And all along the corridor the statues and suits of armour jumped down from their plinths, and from the echoing crashes from the floors above and below, Harry knew that their fellows throughout the castle had done the same.

‘Hogwarts is threatened!’ shouted Professor McGonagall. ‘Man the boundaries, protect us, do your duty to our school!"

Transfiguration would suit you if:

• you’re good at understanding complicated diagrams

• your mind is more scientific than creative

• you’re a perfectionist

• you have excellent concentration

• you learn and accept that there are limits on what can be achieved – think Gamp’s Law

Charms

A moment that Charms charmed us:

"I can act from here,’ said Flitwick, and although he could barely see out of it, he pointed his wand through the smashed window and started muttering incantations of great complexity. Harry heard a weird rushing noise, as though Flitwick had unleashed the power of the wind into the grounds.’

Charms would suit you if:

• you enjoy creativity

• you’re imaginative

• you’d be keen for a duel (Professor Flitwick was a duelling champion!)

• you find it easy to pronounce tricky words and phrases, like Wingardium Leviosa

• you have a good memory for incantations

Defence Against the Dark Arts

A moment Defence Against the Dark Arts awed us:

"The Dark Arts,’ said Snape, ‘are many, varied, ever-changing and eternal. Fighting them is like fighting a many-headed monster, which, each time a neck is severed, sprouts a head even fiercer and cleverer than before. You are fighting that which is unfixed, mutating, indestructible."

Defence Against the Dark Arts would suit you if:

• you have fast physical and mental reactions

• you are quick to adapt to new situations and threats

• you are inventive (just think about all those spells the Half-Blood Prince came up with)

• you have good defensive instincts – in Defence Against the Dark Arts there isn’t always time for planning

• you think that ‘know your enemy’ is a good mantra

Herbology

A moment Herbology made us shout hooray:

"Oh, right!’ said Hermione, and she whipped out her wand, waved it, muttered something and sent a jet of the same bluebell flames she had used on Snape at the plant. In a matter of seconds, the two boys felt it loosening its grip as it cringed away from the light and warmth. Wriggling and flailing, it unravelled itself from their bodies and they were able to pull free. ‘Lucky you pay attention in Herbology, Hermione,’ said Harry as he joined her by the wall, wiping sweat off his face.'

Herbology would suit you if:

• you like being outdoors

• you don’t mind a bit of mud and dirt

• you are patient – just think how long those Mandrakes took to reach maturity!

• you have a good memory for complicated names, like Mimbulus mimbletonia

• you are a caring person – we reckon magical plants need a lot of love

Astronomy

A moment Astronomy amazed us:

"I know that you have learned the names of the planets and their moons in Astronomy,’ said Firenze’s calm voice, ‘and that you have mapped the stars’ progress through the heavens. Centaurs have unravelled the mysteries of these movements over centuries. Our findings teach us that the future may be glimpsed in the sky above us –"

Astronomy would suit you if:

• you like maps – both creating them and reading them

• you prefer night to day

• you aren’t afraid of heights – lessons take place up the Astronomy Tower!

• you have good eyesight – for using a telescope and plotting star charts

• you like to ponder the wider universe and our place in it

History of Magic

A moment History of Magic excited us:

"All the copies of Hogwarts: A History have been taken out,’ she said, sitting down next to Harry and Ron. ‘And there’s a two-week waiting list. I wish I hadn’t left my copy at home, but I couldn’t fit it in my trunk with all the Lockhart books.’

‘Why do you want it?’ said Harry.

‘The same reason everyone else wants it,’ said Hermione, ‘to read up on the legend of the Chamber of Secrets."

History of Magic would suit you if:

• you enjoy learning names and dates – especially of giant wars and goblin rebellions

• you are immune to the sleep-inducing effects of a droning voice (mentioning no names…ehem…Professor Binns!)

• you wouldn’t mind being taught by a ghost

• you appreciate that history is inextricably linked to the modern day

• you like secrets – just look at all the amazing things that Hermione found out from Hogwarts: A History!

Potions

A moment Potions impressed us:

"As there is little foolish wand-waving here, many of you will hardly believe this is magic. I don’t expect you will really understand the beauty of the softly simmering cauldron with its shimmering fumes, the delicate power of liquids that creep through human veins, bewitching the mind, ensnaring the senses ... I can teach you how to bottle fame, brew glory, even stopper death – if you aren’t as big a bunch of dunderheads as I usually have to teach."

Potions would suit you if:

• you like following instructions

• you have excellent attention to detail

• you’re precise when it comes to measurements or amounts

• you aren’t squeamish – there are often leeches or rat tails involved in brewing!

• you are patient

Flying

A moment flying made our hearts soar: ‘He mounted the broom and kicked hard against the ground and up, up he soared, air rushed through his hair and his robes whipped out behind him – and in a rush of fierce joy he realised he’d found something he could do without being taught – this was easy, this was wonderful. He pulled his broomstick up a little to take it even higher and heard screams and gasps of girls back on the ground and an admiring whoop from Ron.’

Flying would suit you if:

• you have good balance

• you don’t mind heights

• you prefer to rely on instinct and feeling rather than facts from a book

• you enjoy travelling at speed

• you’re competitive and love an adrenaline rush

So, which of these subjects sounds most like you? Luckily if you say all of them, you wouldn’t need a Time-Turner quite yet, as they’d all fit on your Hogwarts timetable. But tune in next time to find out which Hogwarts elective subjects would suit you best and build your very own ideal Hogwarts timetable!