Top Ten Tuesday is an original feature/weekly meme created by The Broke and the Bookish. The feature was created because they are particularly fond of lists over at The Broke and the Bookish. They'd love to share their lists with other bookish folks and would LOVE to see your top ten lists!

Each week they will post a new top ten list that one of our bloggers at The Broke and the Bookish will answer. Everyone is welcome to join. All they ask is that you link back to The Broke and the Bookish on your own Top Ten Tuesday post AND add your name to the Linky widget so that everyone can check out other bloggers lists! If you don't have a blog, just post your answers as a comment. Have fun with it! It's a fun way to get to know your fellow bloggers.

Top Ten Tuesday Freebie (anything literary you'd like!):

I've been waiting for this one for a while. It's time I honour my all-time favourite series with a full post, and thus, I'm doing my top ten favourite characters from Harry Potter!

1. Albus Dumbledore - He will always be at the top of my list. Whether he was giving silly speeches (nitwit, blubber, oddment, tweak?), consoling and guiding Harry, or leading good wizards on a path of good magic and decency, he was a hero. I've never cried so hard about a character before in my life, but Dumbledore was it. He was the epitome of perfection for me.

2. Sirius Black - We never really got to know James Potter, so what I can figure is that Sirius is as close to a father as Harry ever really had. Despite his demons and his tragic past, Sirius loved Harry for all he was worth. His character made Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix for me.

3. Severus Snape - So sue me...his bark was far worse than his bite. Even though he was pretty much a greasy, slimy little douchebag rat for most of the book, he redeemed himself in the end. Plus, the depth of his character was fantastic.

4. Dobby - He wasn't the biggest character in stature, perhaps, but his role was more powerful than some of the biggest and baddest in the entire series. One little house elf changed Harry's life and many more, plus his heart and spirit was far bigger than he was. I want to keep him for myself.

5. Bellatrix Lestrange - Now, before you kill me or call me a Death Eater, allow me to clarify. She's one nasty b*tch, but good Lord is she a crazy good character. I mean, she's psycho, for sure, but without her, the final installments of Harry Potter would be lacking their token freak.

6. Ron Weasley - Oh, Ronald. How I love thee. Perhaps it's because he's so unsure of himself and self-deprecating, or perhaps it's because he's nearly always there for Harry, or even perhaps it's because he's just a kind, good person. Ron is faithful and true, and without him, Harry would be missing half of who he was.

7. Voldemort - No, I do not love Voldemort, but I love his characterization, for sure. Think of evil incarnate, and he's right up there with the devil, himself. It's not that his physical appearance matches how evil I would imagine him to be, but rather than he's that heinous. Just when I thought he couldn't get worse, he did.

8. Neville Longbottom - He's so cooky. I mean, c'mon. The poor guy was a blathering fool for a good bit, but he had a heart of gold. To watch him transform into the hero he so desperately wanted to be was a real treat.

9. Luna Lovegood - While we're talking about cooky characters, allow me to say how much I stinkin' love this girl! She's so strange! There was absolutely nothing normal about her which made her that much more intriguing, plus she didn't give a crap what anyone thought about her.

10. Hagrid - He's got a heart as big as he is - perhaps even bigger, if that's possible. I remember thinking he was like a big, doofus teddy-bear when I first read about him, but watching him grow from friend, to mentor, to ally to Harry was incredible, and I loved him every moment.

Talk to Me Tuesday is a brand new weekly meme where we will discuss anything (and everything) literary-related in an open forum of honesty. Questions for the next week will be posted one week prior to the post on the Features page. If you'd like to participate in this weekly feature, simply create your post, link back to me, and add your post to the wonderful Mr. Linky below. Have fun, and have at it!

This week's question: Who are your all-time favourite male and female characters?

Ahhh yes, the age-old question. A good friend asked me who my favourite all-time characters were, and it got me to thinking. See, the problem is that there are SO many characters in the genres I read that have characters that resonate on different levels, you know? I think it’s impossible and completely untrue for me to say that I have one true favourite for both male and female characters, but that said, I definitely have those that continue to stay with me long after I’ve finished a book or series, so I decided that I’d tell you my two (read: current) all-time favourites.

Sirius Black played such an important role in the Harry Potter series, though his role was far too fleeting for my liking. No, he’s not the youngest, or the hottest, or even the smartest, most likely, but there is something about his character that stays with me, no matter what book I pick up next. He’s an unlikely hero with a clouded past, but he resonates familial love, true courage and a depth of personality that doesn’t often appear for characters that don’t in a long series for a long period of time. No, he may not have played a role continuously through the series in terms of face-time, but his personality, spirit and heart remained long past his exit.

Annabeth from the Percy Jackson series wasn’t your typical female MC from the first second she entered the series. She’s strong and resourceful, she has no desire to be coddled in any way, shape or form, and she most certainly doesn’t want a boy to take care of her. She’s got this hardened exterior because of how she was raised, but inside, she’s just a teenage girl with the same angst as every teen. There are little hints of angst that appear now and again, but they’re peppered and punctuated by her sassy attitude and no-holds-barred demeanor. Most of all though, Annabeth doesn’t want to fit in. She’s special, and she will try her damndest to stand out.

Obviously, there are a ton of fantastic characters out there. To name just a few of my other favourites – Mr. Darcy from Pride & Prejudice, Hagrid from Harry Potter, Anna from My Sister's Keeper, Lloyd & Sam from The Long Weekend, Jo from Little Women and far too many others to name. So what about you? Do you have all-time favourite male & female characters?

Want to weigh in and do your own Talk to Me Tuesday post for this week? Go ahead and link up!