Neville and the stolen passwords

[jillily3g]

No: HPFGUIDX 35899

I know that Neville's character was developed more in GoF, and that 
Harry finally became aware of Neville's background, but I'm still 
worried about him.

For one thing, he doesn't seem to have any friends to hang around 
with. This seems underscored by the fact that the fake Moody only 
comforted him with the thought that he'd share his Herbology insights 
with Harry, but of course Harry doesn't spend enough time with 
Neville to find out. He's spent most of his life as a suspected 
Squib, not a really respected member of the magic community, so I 
doubt he got much nurturing before he came to Hogwarts. (I'm reminded 
of the line from Marge's Christmas letter in "The Simpsons": "Well, 
we love Bart.") Somehow I imagine him being excited to find out he 
*is* a wizard and was accepted to Hogwarts, anticipating all he'll do 
and learn, and then being pretty much ostracized. Better than being 
with "Gran", perhaps, but not much.

And then there's the password episode. McGonagall makes such a ruckus 
over someone leaving the passwords "lying around" and it proves not 
to be the case. I would think that a bedside table would be private, 
and therefore an acceptable place to leave something private. But 
none of this ever comes out. Couldn't HHR have revealed after Sirius' 
escape that he admitted to stealing the passwords without implicating 
themselves in the escape? What a difference this could have made in 
the student body's impression of Neville!

Beth, who has always felt bad for the underdog