[HPforGrownups] Harry's only Living Relatives/ Barty Crouch Jr./ Houses mystery/ Neville's bravery

[Richelle Votaw]

No: HPFGUIDX 44675

Barb writes:

> I fail to see how "the only family he has left" is open to interpretation.
When it comes to LOONiness, those words are extraordinarily clear.  This
statement leaves absolutely no leeway; there is no way that Harry has
relatives anywhere else, given Dumbledore's statement, assuming that he is
a) telling the truth; and b) fully informed of Harry's family situation.
There can only be relatives in Sardinia or Australia or whatever if
Dumbledore does not know about them.  He is having a private conversation
with McGonagall and has no reason to lie.  We can speculate about his not
KNOWING about other relatives all

When I pointed out the differences in relatives and family, I was thinking
more on the lines of a great great uncle or something.  Considering the life
spans of wizards, and Harry's young age, he could easily have a great great
aunt or uncle, or even great-great-great aunt or uncle.  The bloodlines
would be so distant they would scarcely be considered "family" but they
would be relatives.  Regardless, they wouldn't be as closely blood related
as Harry and Petunia are.  At the most we could stretch it to Lily and
Petunia being half sisters, but still related, and therefore a closer blood
relation exists between Harry and Petunia than if Harry had a distant
relative someplace in the WW.  And that all seems to be important in the
protection of "little Harry Potter." :)

"Daniel" writes:

> Was he (Barty Crouch Jr.) actually guilty of torturing the Longbottoms?
>
> We know that he's a Death Eater but does anything validate the theory
> that he was then?

Well, he did apparently know about the whole Cruciatus-Longbottom mess.  You
could argue that he learned it all from the trial, but why flaunt it in
front of Neville the way he did while disguised as Moody?  He enjoyed that a
bit too much.

"Daniel" again:

> Why did he put Harry through the Imperius Curse five times and didn't
> tell Voldemort about it? Voldemort obviously didn't know or he
> wouldn't of tried it at the cemetary.

There's no evidence to support that Crouch Jr. didn't tell Voldemort.
Voldemort thinks he's better than any other wizard, obviously, so the way I
see it he figured Harry couldn't resist *his* Imperius curse.  That Crouch
Jr.'s just wasn't good enough.  After all, he was a bit out of practice
after all that time in Azkaban and under his father's Imperious.

"Daniel" writes again:

> Peter suits either Gryffindor or Slytherin, maybe Ravenclaw. The only
> house that he does not suit is Hufflepuff. He is mocked for his
> supposed cowardice yet he has done many brave things, albeit for
> evil. A lesser man would not have had the nerve to face Sirius after
> betraying the Potters, they would have gone underground. But Peter
> allowed Sirius a chance to fight and Sirius lost. He also allowed
> himself excruciating pain to get Voldemort back to power, the way he
> cut his arm off shows a brave man and to completely fool Dumbledore
> and whole wizarding community shows the actions of an intelligent man
> who has a knack for survival. He also became an Animagus and with or
> without help, it is a difficult skill to master

Peter definitely had no Ravenclaw characteristics, his own friends didn't
think he was very bright from the sound of things.  Ravenclaws are known for
wisdom.  A wise man Peter is not, or he'd never have gotten himself mixed up
in this mess.  Self mutliation is hardly a sign of bravery.  He was just too
big of a coward to tell Voldemort no, use someone else's blood.  As for
facing Sirius, it was all part of the plan.  Peter knew everyone in the WW
thought Sirius was the secret keeper, so why not finish the frame up?  He
fits more to a Hufflepuff than anyone else to me.  For one thing, Sirius
assumed he was loyal.  Why?  If he was in Hufflepuff, they're *supposed* to
be loyal and true.  Ah, but loyal to who?!

psychodudeneo writes:

> Neville Longbottom.
>
> He doesn't seem to share any of Gryffindor's traits.  He avoids
> conflict, he sweet, and he's not particularly brave.

I beg to differ.  He has plenty of good "excuses" he could pull out to
defend himself many times. But he doesn't.  He doesn't one time try to hide
behind his parents condition and the effects it or something related to it
have had on him.  Not once does he mention it, even to his dormmates.  Nor
does he try to hide it when he does make a mistake.  When McGonagall asks
"What abysmally foolish person wrote down this week's passwords and left
them lying around?"  Neville raises his hand.  That took courage.  Sure,
Neivlle hasn't grabbed a sword and killed a basilisk.  Nor has he faced
Voldemort face to face and lived to tell the tale.  Nor has he faced a fully
grown mountian troll, or a dragon.  But, as Dumbledore said, there are all
kinds of courage.  It takes just as much bravery to stand up to friends as
it does enemies, and that Neville has done.  He's brave, he has courage, and
you can be sweet and be a Gryffindor.

Richelle

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"May it be a light to you in dark places, when all other lights go out."
---- Lady Galadriel, The Fellowship of the Ring
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