Lupin and Neville's boggart

[wynnleaf]

No: HPFGUIDX 169062

wynnleaf
Something dawned on me for the first time the other day and I don't 
recall seeing this addressed in all the traitor!Lupin theories, 
although perhaps pippin has mentioned it at some point.

Why does Lupin choose Neville for the first person in the boggart 
lesson?  

Later in POA, Harry asked Lupin why he didn't give Harry a chance to 
tackle the boggart in class.  Lupin claims that it's because he 
assumed that Harry's boggart would be Voldemort (in fact, this *was* 
Harry's first thought as well), and Lupin didn't think it a good 
idea to have a boggart change into Voldemort right there in class.

Before the rest of the books came out, that explanation made sense.  
Now it doesn't.

We now know that Lupin was a member of the Order at the time of the 
Potter's deaths, *as well as* when Frank and Alice Longbottom were 
crucioed into insanity.  If Lupin was so concerned that Harry's 
boggart might be Voldemort, why did he choose Neville to be the 
first person to deal with a boggart in the class?  For whatever 
reasons, Snape had warned Lupin that Neville Longbottom was in the 
class.  Some speculate Snape was warning Lupin that, in addition to 
Harry, there was another child in the class likely to have a 
terrifying boggart.  Regardless of Snape's purpose, Lupin would have 
known enough about Neville to realize that.  

If Lupin *assumed* that Harry's boggart was Voldemort, shouldn't 
have he assumed that Neville's boggart would relate to being 
crucioed into insanity by death eaters?  Yet Lupin chose Neville 
*even before* asking what his greatest fear was.

Now one might think that Lupin's asking Neville to relate his 
greatest fear lets Lupin off the hook, so to speak.  But consider 
the consequences of the situation if Neville had been forced to say, 
in front of the whole class, "my greatest fear is being crucioed 
into insanity by the Lestranges."  Neville had never shared his 
parent's fate with any of his friends.  He was clearly, in OOTP, 
very shy about sharing that part of his life.  Yet Lupin's action 
could have forced Neville into doing just that.  Why would Lupin put 
Neville in this position?

If we are to believe Lupin's excuse for not letting Harry confront a 
boggart in class, we must question why Lupin chose Neville even 
*prior* to asking him about his greatest fear.  Lupin's explanation 
to Harry does not hold up to close scrutiny when compared to his 
actions with Neville.  In my opinion, it can only be explained by 
further revelations about Lupin (legilimency anyone?).

Considering that many, including me, think of POA as the best 
crafted of the books, the several big plot holes in POA are 
surprising.  Unless, of course, they are intentional.

Lupin's transformation only after the moon comes out from the 
clouds; Lupin repeatedly forgetting his coming werewolf 
transformation, in spite of a direct reminder and in spite of his 
own lengthy discussion about said transformations; and now, Lupin's 
choosing of Neville for the first boggart confrontation, when 
Lupin's own explanation for *not* choosing Harry should have held 
true for Neville as well -- are these all just plot holes?

wynnleaf, who thinks it funny how such a well-crafted book should 
have so many big plot holes, and they all revolve around why Lupin 
did something inexplicable.