The Cheese Stands Alone - Harry and Neville's Isolation

[fiondavhar]

No: HPFGUIDX 96445

Throught the books, we have seen Harry become increasingly isolated; 
both from the wizarding world and from his friends. Each book seems 
to re-inforce this - except the most recent, OotP, in which he is 
joined at the end by Neville. 

Harry is not isloated by his friends in the physical sense, and not 
even so much in the emotional sense at first, but he is always the 
last in all the conflicts - the cheese stands alone, so they say. 

In PS/SS Ron gets knocked off first, and then Hermione, and he faces 
Quirrel alone. In CoS, Hermione gets knocked off first, then Ron, and 
Harry faces Tom Riddle alone. In PoA, Ron gets knocked off, then 
Sirius and Hermione, and Harry faces the Demontors alone. In GoF, 
Hermione and Ron help Harry, but cannot compete in the tasks with 
Harry, and so, after Cedric is knocked off, Harry faces Voldemort 
alone. In OoTP, Ron and Hermione, Ginny and Luna are all 
incapacitated, and Harry goes on to face the Death Eaters alone - 
until Neville re-joins him. Harry and Neville, the "dunce" and 
the "super-star", the two boys of prophecy, the two orpans(who look 
one like the mother ((Neville)) and one like the father ((Harry)) by 
the way, and interesting thing to have been pointed out) are together 
at the end. The first time for either of them.

It may also be coincidence that Neville is also a very isolated 
character. He seems to have no BEST friends, though he is apparantly 
well liked enough, and he doesn't have anyone to confide in. No-one 
knows about the circumstances of his life, or has even bothered to 
ask him about it. In the D.A., he is left partnerless, and so Harry 
works with him. He is also the only other boy who could possibly have 
been referred to in the prophecy.

I find it interesting that it is in the book in which we are given 
this crucial information that Neville starts to come into his own, we 
find out more about him (and his not-so-obvious isolation) and he 
happens to be the only member of the group that went to the MoM to be 
with Harry at the end. Neville put an end to the 4 year tradition of 
the cheese stands alone - or is he also the cheese? The cheese in two 
pieces... it still stood alone, just together in it's isolation? erg. 

In any event, I think there have been very interesting and subtle 
paralells drawn between Harry and Neville throught the canon, and I 
think that it is not coincidence. 

I would welcome any feedback to help me sort my thoughts on this 
subject out! Anyone else interested in these Harry/Neville paralells?