Imperio! - but who and when?

[marshbur at cs.unc.edu]

No: HPFGUIDX 102668

--- In HPforGrownups at yahoogroups.com, "boyd_smythe"
<boyd.t.smythe at f...> wrote:

> But if we've learned anything from JKR, it's that the obvious rarely 
> happens. If we all think Ron is so obvious for this, then wouldn't 
> that make him a less liekly target? Plus, JKR likes letting the trio 
> make their own choices. Ron would assumedly have no choice with an 
> imperio. (After all, it was not Hermione who read the diary in COS.)
> 
> That's why I think some less well-known character whom the trio do
> not suspect as evil will be the one. 

What about Neville?  We've never see nearly as much of his
personality, so Rowling could reasonably pull off "character changes"
under some other guise more easily.  Also, he's been a present
character, but not as central as the trio (much like Ginny was in
CoS).  It would be known by the DEs that he's in the same house (and
perhaps that he's in the  same dorm room) as Harry.  

Finally, Neville has the background and family to be largely above
reproach or at least to be unexpected by the WW (and this resonates
with the near-constant message of making no assumptions based on
blood).  It would be a sadistic twist on the part of the DEs to curse
Neville in this way (and Granny Longbottom seems to keep losing family
members, as they say).

I'd hate to see Neville be the one under Imperius, but I also think
it's likely...

cheers,
-david