Neville facing LV and Peter's Hand - Questions

[carodave92]

No: HPFGUIDX 172644

I read the book quickly (had to pass it along to impatient family 
members!) and maybe didn't read these parts clearly...but...

How did Neville escape the fire unscathed when LV put the sorting hat 
on his head and it burst into flames?  I expected him to at least be 
burned and scarred when he emerged (I am assuming that he performed 
the spell to turn flames into a tickling sensation, like the witch in 
Harry's history book in PS/SS, but that isn't mentioned).

Also - why did Peter's hand strangle him?  DD specifically told Harry 
that Peter's life debt to Harry could help Harry in the future.  A 
second's hesitation in killing him is not exactly mercy...just the 
hesitation of a coward, which Peter definitely was.  I read this to 
mean that his hand had been cursed by LV, causing the hand to kill 
Peter if he ever wavered on an order from LV.  So what about the life 
debt?  Peter didn't make a decision to show Harry mercy - he just had 
a moment of hesitation.

Carodave