Neville: "All Muggle"?

[delwynmarch]

No: HPFGUIDX 121525


Charme wrote: 
"SS/PS, US: "Well, my gran brought me up and she's a witch," said
Neville, "but the family thought I was all- Muggle for ages."

Eustace Scrubb answered:
"I wouldn't be surprised if his pureblood Gran (and maybe Great Uncle
Algie as well) used the M-word when fretting about Neville's lack of
magical manifestations prior to age 8...perhaps he overheard some
statement like "The child might as well be all-Muggle, Algie!""

Del replies:
I like Eustace's explanation, because it makes sense from within the text.

Another explanation could simply be that JKR didn't want to introduce
the concept of Squibs in PS/SS, for two reasons that go together:

1. Squibs have no role whatsoever in PS/SS. Cos is the book that
concerns itself with the issue of blood so it makes sense that we
learn about Squibs in that book. PS/SS was the book where JKR had to
teach us about Muggles and wizards and about the relationship between
their two worlds, and that was complicated enough to do without
introducing an unnecessary detail.

2. JKR knew that PS/SS was only the first episode of a 7-year-long
saga, but if it hadn't been such a huge success, it's likely that no
other book would ever have been published, or maybe even written (a
single mother with a full-time job...). So there was no point in
introducing a notion that might never be used.

But I definitely like Eustace's explanation better, even though it
pains me to think of how hurt Neville must have been to overhear his
Gran saying something like that.

Del