Neville, Cauldrons & the Poor

[ivogun]

No: HPFGUIDX 112215


There was some discussion not too long ago about how Neville is hindered by=
 using his 
father's wand.  And I began wondering again about other ways that Neville i=
s
disadvantaged.  What if Neville's problems in potions is exacerbated, or ev=
en caused, by 
the type of cauldron that he uses?  No other student melts his /her cauldro=
n, and they do 
concoct some horrid, stinky, smoky, off-colored potions, but no one else se=
ems to melt 
the things.  Not like Neville, anyway.  I really wonder if Neville uses the=
 type of cheap 
cauldrons that is the subject of Percy's long government report and the kin=
d that Mung 
illegally trades. There is a bit of a is a hint with his name "Longbottom."=
 In reality, Neville 
ought to be using well-built, thick cauldrons, but instead
 cheap.

My theory is that thin cauldrons are a major plaque of the wizarding poor. =
 So much so 
that the working class  ("tiny, grubby-looking") pub that Harry sees in the=
 first book is 
called "The Leaky Pub." The section of St. Mungos that deals with "Artifact=
 Accidents" (and 
lists  "cauldron explosions" first) is located on the ground floor.  There =
must be a lot of 
problems with bad cauldrons.  We don't see the problem at Hogwarts because =
it is an elite 
school.  Even many of the poorer students, such as the Weasleys, have paren=
ts who in 
order to ensure the safety of their children they spend money they don't ha=
ve to purchase 
proper equipment. (Well, there is the exception of Ron's broken wand in the=
 CoS, but Ron 
didn't go off to school with a broken wand either.)

Neville is probably quite poor.  Probably his uncle (or is it great uncle?)=
 is the only one in 
the family currently bringing in a salary.   His Grandmother seems stern ma=
triarchs who 
knows how to make do and how to put up a good front.  I can almost her tell=
ing Neville 
that this or that will do...when in reality it won't. How else can we expla=
in Neville's toad?  
Even Hagrid, not exactly a fashion expert, tells Harry that toads "went out=
ta fashion years 
ago."  

JKR does seem to have an interest with the poor.  Her Web page's August "Wi=
zard of the 
Month" featured a witch holding a flapping bat  who was famous for her work=
 with helping 
to redeem hags. (It's gone, so I can't quote it, but it was something like =
that.) And Snape 
who has all the bat imagery associated with him--does it mostly indicate th=
at he comes 
not just from a poor family, but that he was born in the meanest of poor sl=
ums complete 
with prostitutes and thieves?

It does make one want to rethink Snape's relation with Neville in potion's =
class.

Ivogun (Barbara Roberts), who is glad to have electricity back after a near=
 miss from 
Hurricane Francis