How much does Neville know?

[darrin_burnett]

No: HPFGUIDX 39916

Rosie wrote:


> > >
> How much does Neville know? We know he knows what state his parents 
are in,
> and it doesn't seem that subconscious when he volunteers the curse 
in
> Defense against the Dark Arts. Dumbledore says Neville has a right 
to tell
> people about his parents when he wants to... implying that he knows 
what
> happened to them? Or does he just know they are insane, but doesn't 
know
> why?
> 
> Rosie


We do not know exactly what Neville knows, but one theory that I find 
entirely credible says that Neville had a Memory Charm placed on him 
to block out the nastier details. 

It has been established that memory-affecting spells affect that 
person's mental performance -- Bertha Jorkins, by name -- so I think 
this is an excellent way to explain why Neville is so forgetful and 
nervous.

Now, to poke a hole in mine own theory -- when the memory charm is 
broken, perhaps it follows that Neville's handicaps will disappear as 
well, rendering him a very talented young wizard, the son of Aurors, 
after all.

I do not wish to get horribly bogged down in the individuals I used 
as examples. My overriding point is that the betrayer in the scenario 
may not necessarily be a bad person -- just an easily manipulated one.

Darrin Burnett
Could find Memory Charms all kinds of useful...