OOP: Neville Questions/Thoughts (Spoilers) WAS Re: re:oop questions and...

[Tamara]

No: HPFGUIDX 64825

--- In HPforGrownups at yahoogroups.com, "jmgarciaiii" 
<jmgarciaiii at y...> wrote:
> S
> P
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> I
> L
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> R
>  
> S
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> E
> --- In HPforGrownups at yahoogroups.com, "zebco606" <zebco606 at y...> 
> wrote:
> [snip]
> > I wondered about Neville's mother 
> > recognizing him too, are his parents getting better? What is 
> driving 
> > me crazy is what is the significance of the bubble gum wrapppers. 
> > Any thought?
> 
> Well, here are mine, and worth every knut you paid for them:
> 
> 1- Neville's parents are probably NOT being given the treatment 
they 
> need to get better at St. Mungo's (Isn't St. M's Lucius Malfoy's 
> favorite charity?) but rather are being warehoused there and KEPT 
> from getting better.
> 
> 2- Mrs. Longbottom (and THAT scene was a zillion times more moving 
> to me than Sirius' demise) handing Neville those gum wrappers is of 
> HUGE significance. These mean something, and something quite 
> important at that.
> 
> 3- What about Mr. Longbottom?
> 
> 4- Is "Gran" just mean, insensitive or perhaps something more 
> towards Neville?
> 
> 5- Just WHY is Neville's memory so bad? ([Semi]Permanent damage 
from 
> a Memory Charm??)
> 
> It strikes me that Neville's "lack of ability" is merely the result 
> of the unfortunate combination of factors, i.e., poor memory and 
low 
> self-confidence. However, in OotP, we see him progress and we 
rarely 
> (ever?) hear of his forgetfulness. We see him become almost as 
quick 
> a study at DA as Hermione, and we see him become *resourceful* 
(that 
> wand-in-the-eye thing was MARVELOUS!) Lastly, we see (again) his 
> courage, which has never been played up as it has always been 
> counterbalanced by his lack of ability. Anyone willing to stand up 
> to his friends and all...
> 
> -Joe in SoFla

1. Maybe there just isn't anything to be done for Neville's parents. 
Madness is madness, and even in the wizarding world it may not be 
able to be cured or helped.

2. I totally agree on the emotions in that scene outweighing the 
emotions in the Sirius death scene. (ha, that sounds funny if spoken 
aloud because isn't Sirius pronounced "serious"? Even though in my 
mind I keep wanting to call him Sirus.) The gum wrappers must have 
some significance, or why include them?  Plus they come from a candy 
I've never heard of mentioned before in the books.  Unless it really 
was just JKR trying to show how much Neville does care for his 
parents and put some emotion into the scene.

3. I think Neville's Gran is just typically English and from an era 
making her even more "English".  The upper-class English, especially 
back in the day, were not prone to, um, shall we say, emotions. lol. 
They are 'stiff upper lip' and all that. 

4. I don't think Neville's memory is all that bad.  I think he just 
had poor self confidence, was very shy and is/was easily upset.  
Certainly Herbology would be the easiest, if not most calming, class 
he would have taken.  So natrually he does the best in it.  And I 
don't think it helps that he has his father's old wand, instead of 
one of his own.

Tamara