Chapter Discussion: Chapter Fourteen, Goblet of Fire: The Unforgivable Curses

[pippin_999]

No: HPFGUIDX 192204



--- In HPforGrownups at yahoogroups.com, "Geoff" <geoffbannister123 at ...> wrote:
>
> --- In HPforGrownups at yahoogroups.com, "pippin_999" <foxmoth@> wrote:
> 
> Pippin:
> > I am sure that if Harry had been in sixth year when Voldemort had shown signs of returning to power, Dumbledore would not have felt any need to involve the fourth and fifth year students. 
>  
> > > 4. Harry didn't seem to make anything of Neville's distress after seeing the
> > > Cruciatus curse. Given his own feelings about Avada Kedavra, do you think he
> > > should have been more perceptive about Neville, or did he have too much to think
> > > about on his own account?
> 
> Pippin:
> > Harry was never terribly interested in Neville. 
> 
> Geoff:
> I feel that that is a rather harsh interpretation. In any group of the type 
> we see in Hogwarts, there are very close friends, others with whom we 
> share some interaction and some with whom we have little connection 
> other than being in the same class.
> 
> I remember it being thus in my classes in my grammar school many 
> moons ago.I had perhaps three very close mates, then others fell into 
> the two groups detailed above.
> 
> I think Neville probably falls into the middle group. There is certainly 
> evidence that Harry looks out for Neville on more than one occasion 
> prior to the one in Moody's class and he seems a little closer to Neville 
> when he finds out about Neville's tragic background from Dumbledore 
> late in this book. Just to give a handful of instances which occur to me:
> 
><snip examples>

Pippin:
Yes, Harry does notice when Neville is upset, and also when he feels better. Harry thinks, IIRC, that giving Neville the herbology book was something Lupin might have done. But Harry's interest doesn't extend to wondering why Neville reacted the way he did. Harry isn't curious about Neville's backstory (or anyone's, really.) It's convenient for JKR's plotting, but Harry has certainly absorbed from the Dursleys the idea that he shouldn't ask questions, especially about the past.

Pippin