Neville's Development (was: Ginny's development)

[bookraptor11]

No: HPFGUIDX 72374

--- In HPforGrownups at yahoogroups.com, "jenny_ravenclaw" 
<meboriqua at a...> wrote: (snipping Ginny material)

>Neville really shone in OoP.  He was mature, tough, brave - 
> everything people have been saying they'd hope he'd be.  Before 
OoP, I 
> didn't much like Neville; I found him too wimpy, fumbly, bumbly and 
> forgetful.  It irritated me.  However, I knew there was something 
> there - we saw him stand up to his friends in SS and discovered 
some 
> awful truths about his family in GoF.  These were smaller details 
that 
> lead to a lot of speculation on the part of the readers and hey!  
The 
> readers were right.

Me:
In a previous post I mentioned how Neville was in the same place as 
Lupin was as a Hogwarts student, but unlike Lupin Neville never 
compromised his principals so that people would like him. I used the 
example you cited.

As a Neville supporter from the beginning, his actions in OOP didn't 
surprise me. What did surprise me was my own attitude that although 
Neville was timid, he would continue to grow and strengthen through 
the series. I've been thinking more about this, and realized that no 
matter how timid and self-effacing Neville acts, never once in any of 
the books have we seen him back down.

A few examples would be: in the first book, when he throws himself at 
Crabbe and Goyle in the fight, in all the books when he shows up for 
every potions class even though we know that Snape is his worst fear. 
No matter what, he never quits, he faces Snape week after week, ten 
months every year for five years now.

I've come to the conclusion Neville isn't becoming less cowardly, 
he's always been brave. His lack of self confidence keeps everyone 
from noticing this.

Donna