Snape/Neville/Trevor

[Anne <urbana@charter.net>]

No: HPFGUIDX 53037

--- In HPforGrownups at yahoogroups.com, "finwitch <finwitch at y...>" 
<finwitch at y...> wrote:
>Neville's totally unable to brew a 
> potion - particularly when he's faced with his worst fear, Snape.
> Snape may think he's simply not trying. 

ME:
This has always intrigued me. Neville is apparently totally flummoxed 
by Potions and can't do a damn thing right in that class, at least 
not according to Snape. However, he's also, apparently, a w(h)iz (pun 
intended) at Herbology. We read glowing comments about Herbology 
being his best subject. IIRC Hogwarts' herbology greenhouse contains 
numerous plants that students and Snape are growing *specifically* to 
be used *in Potions class*, as well as plants being grown for Madam 
Pomfrey's medicinal potions. So... if Neville is so good at 
Herbology, he must have a good "mind for plants" - BUT this does not 
translate into a "mind for potions". Why is this? Is it because there 
is something intrinsically more difficult about Potions than 
Herbology? Yes, Potions is an *art* as much as a science (so we're 
told). Or could it be more related to the very overt bad vibes / 
pressure he gets from Snape, as opposed to (*perhaps* -- I'm just 
guessing here) the accepting and supportive attitude of Professor 
Sprout?? Food for thought.

>Not only that. Neville's a 
> pure Gryffindor, with a total lack of ANY Slytherin trait - any 
> Ravenclaw - or even Hufflepuff... I think Neville's afraid of hard 
> toil, but is courageous enough to do what it takes anyway.

Actually I can see Neville in Gryffindor or Hufflepuff. Yes, he's 
courageous enough to "do what it takes" (as when he tried to prevent 
HRH from going to find the Philosopher's Stone). But he doesn't seem 
to me to be "afraid of hard toil" -- in fact he's willing to be 
*tutored* (by Hermione) to do better in the subjects he's not good 
at. Somehow I can't imagine Malfoy, Crabbe or Goyle (especially not 
the latter two) going out of their way to try to improve their 
grades. But of course one of Neville is worth at least 10 of Malfoy 
and probably 20 of Crabbe or Goyle.

Anne U
(who will be disappointed if Harry and Neville don't visit Neville's 
parents in St. Mungo's in OoP)