Neville's wand (Was: Chapter 35 Beyond the Veil)

[justcarol67]

No: HPFGUIDX 121215


Gina wrote:
> On the point of Neville I don't think he showed BRAVERY as much as
he showed LOYALTY.  It was a brave thing to do, but he has been brave
before just not outspoken with it. He stood up against his friends for
his house and so forth.  The key is he cared enough about Harry not to
let him go on alone even if it meant he would be killed - He didn't
even have a wand for crying out loud!  The train of thought was Harry
is my friend and if he goes so do I.  I would say there was also some
loyalty to his mom and dad knowing who was in there also.  I really
like Neville.

Carol responds:
Neville had Hermione's wand, which he tried to use after his own (or
rather, his father's) was broken, along with his nose, by the sadistic
Macnair (Buckbeak's would-be executioner and LV's ambassador to the
giants). Neville's inability to speak clearly ("Stubefy" for
"Stupefy") prevented him from casting an effective spell, at least
with someone else's wand. It's possible that a more experienced or
more powerful wizard might have been able to overcome those handicaps.
(Notice that Dolohov can still cast a crippling curse--whatever that
purple light and slashing motion indicated--even when he's been
rendered speechless by a Silencio. But then, unlike Neville, he was
using his own wand.) At any rate, Neville isn't wandless but he might
as well be, thanks to Macnair.

As for courage vs. loyalty, surely he showed both. "Don't gib it to
him, Harry!" He'd rather be Crucio'd than give the DEs what they want,
which happens to be a Prophecy that might enable LV to destroy Harry.

Carol, who also really likes Neville