Silence regarding the Longbottoms

[abberzmama]

No: HPFGUIDX 30967

Hello from a first-time poster...

Like others, I often wondered why all the young characters,
especially Ron, were unaware of the fate of Neville's parents.  If 
they were so well-known and well-regarded, you'd think their
situation 
would be more common-knowledge.  Well...as I was recently reflecting 
on a time when I lived in a post-Communist country (I was a
missionary 
for my church in Kiev, Ukraine about six years ago), I remembered some
rather spooky experiences that make more sense of the silence 
surrounding the Longbottoms.  (I can't believe I didn't think of this 
earlier -- maybe Neville will lend me his Remembrall?)  If I may 
share...

The first experience happened when my fellow missionary and I were 
walking to a row of outdoor kiosks to buy Gummi bears, of all things. 
 We were only about 50 feet from the kiosks when we saw two groups of 
camoflauge-attired men, with ski masks on their heads and guns at 
their sides, dragging two men away from a kiosk.  They didn't just 
politely escort them -- they carried them by their hands and feet and 
violently threw them into the back of a waiting van.  (A native 
Ukrainian later told me that it was probably a police raid on some 
illegal operation, such as a racketeering scam.)  Well, needless to 
say, my jaw was on the ground.  However, the creepiest part of the 
experience happened when we walked over to the kiosks.  I asked a 
woman who had been standing RIGHT THERE what had happened.  While 
avoiding my eyes entirely, she woodenly said, "I don't know.  I
didn't see anything."  Everything about her demeanor said "I DON'T 
WANT TO TALK ABOUT IT -- DON'T ASK ME ANYTHING".

The other experience happened to another missionary who grew up 
outside of Moscow.  As long as she could remember, her grandmother
had lived with their family (as is pretty common in Russian culture). 
 However, no one had ever mentioned what had happened to her 
grandfather.  As no one ever spoke of him, she just didn't think to 
ask until she was a teenager.  As it turns out, one night many years 
ago, some men in black suits came to the door and took him away.  And 
even in their own family, they never spoke of this.  

I think the parallels between the heyday of the KGB and Voldemort's 
reign of terror are rather interesting.  I don't mean to compare the 
two organizations, just the mindset that occurs when people live
under a cloud of fear.  In the Soviet Union, people had no idea who 
they could trust, who was their true friend, who might turn them in
as 
an "enemy of the people" for something as simple as praying.  Sheesh, 
kids were even programmed in school to report their parents if they 
did anything that went against the good of the state. 

Now, to tie this all in to the Longbottoms...It makes sense that most 
adults, like the woman at the kiosk and my friend's parents, just 
DON'T WANT TO TALK or even be reminded of the fear that overshadowed 
so much of their lives, even after baby Harry's initial defeat of 
Voldemort (and the downfall of Communism).  Why re-live it any more 
than you have to, especially if so many people that you loved were 
hurt, and further, if you still have the fear that it could lead to 
you yourself being harmed?  I think their silence, right or wrong,
has an understandable psychological basis.

Lastly, on a related note (thanks for sticking with me!), perhaps
this is why Harry still knows relatively little about his parents.  
Does it seem to anyone else that there is an omnipresent "BIG SECRET" 
looming around about the Potters?  I mean, if I met the orphaned son 
of people I had known, I would tell him everything I could about his 
parents. Yet Harry only finds out snippets of information here or 
there.  I'm sure Dumbledore has his reasons, but I wonder why others 
(Lupin, Sirius, McGonagall, Hagrid, etc.) don't tell Harry more about 
James and Lily.  Hmmm...

I've gone on long enough -- thanks for hearing me out!

Katya

***********

"WE"RE NOT CONFUNDED!" Harry roared.  (hee hee -- always makes me 
laugh)