Molly is not ESE!

[imamommy at sbcglobal.net]

No: HPFGUIDX 125072


--- In HPforGrownups at yahoogroups.com, "vmonte" <vmonte at y...> wrote:
> 
Snip

> >I "vmonte" wrote:
> "I love the scene were F&G give Neville a canary crème and Neville
> turns into a canary. I like that Neville is able to laugh about it
> just as much as everyone else--that says a lot about him, IMO. Percy
> on the other hand, would not have handled that well."
> 
> >Del replied:
> I personally hated that scene, because laughing at myself like that 
is
> *exactly* what I would have done in Neville's shoes, except that I
> would have done it because I had no self-esteem at his age. I 
believed
> that I was such a failure that I deserved to be made fun of and 
that I
> had no right to stand up for myself. And Neville is not so far from
> that kind of thinking, or he wouldn't introduce himself as "nobody" 
in
> OoP.
> 
> vmonte responds:
> I guess I'm interpreting that scene differently than you are. 
Neville 
> is not like Percy. Percy would have gotten mad, but not Neville 
> (JMO). I really don't think that Neville was upset, humiliated, 
> tortured, etc. I truly think that he understand that F&G were 
playing 
> and not being cruel. (And I'm not saying that F&G haven't done some 
> stupid things). Lucius, Snape, Draco, Umbridge, and Voldemort on 
the 
> other hand, do not have a sense of humor about themselves, and they 
> are truly cruel.
> 
> Vivian

I think this incident may actually have helped Neville feel part of 
the group.  Also, IIRC, Gred and Forge didn't specifically hand him 
the canary cream, he took it from a range of choices.  The twins even 
seem to have forgotten which sweets were jinxed.  

I can never remember anyone in Gryffindor picking on Neville.  I 
would guess maybe he does get picked on by students in other houses, 
and he may not be exactly popular, but I don't think his fellow 
Gryffindors treat him badly.

Now, you may argue that HRH have an air of superiority, and I might 
be inclined to agree with you; after all, why do we not have HRHN to 
deal with?  But I don't think they've ever treated him  badly to his 
face, nor do they have much to say about him with the exception of 
him invinting Hermione to the Yule Ball.  Harry, through better 
knowledge and understanding, has a lot of compassion for him, and is 
impressed by his efforts in the DA.  So HRH are not actively seeking 
him out; they are a pretty strong team already, but they aren't mean 
to him.  This dynamic may even change given the last several chapters 
of OOP.

I also think they are entitled to not have to seek him out.  Some 
people are just friends more naturally.  Harry and Ron had a sort of 
instantaneous, bosom friend moment on the train.  Hermione, after the 
episode with a troll, became a very good friend as well.  There have 
been many people in my life who I have not become good friends with, 
even if there was no reason why I shouldn't, simply because there was 
not that spark of friendship.

Whew!  So I don't think the Gryffindors are mean to Neville.

imamommy
Who wonders if noone will respond now that she's spent so much time 
answering hypothetical arguments to her case.