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

[annemehr]

No: HPFGUIDX 192207





> 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.
> 
<snip>
> 
> I think Neville probably falls into the middle group.

Annemehr:
Yes... but just barely.  In fact, I don't think Harry "shares some interaction" with anybody outside of Ron and Hermione on purpose, unless you count the Quidditch team.

Geoff:
> 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:
> 
> When the group are at their first Quidditch lesson and Neville falls off 
> his broom, Harry takes issue with Malfoy over Neville's Rememberall 
> and gets it back from him in the aerial chase which ensued.
> (PS "The Midnight Duel" pp.109/10 UK edition)
> 
> When Neville comes back into the Common Room after Malfoy has cast 
> a Leg-Locker Curse and he is released and seems down because he 
> doesn't feel brave, Harry gives him a Chocolate Frog and tells him that 
> he is worth twelve of Malfoy in an attempt to lift his spirits.
> (PS "Nicholas Flamel" pp.160/61 UK edition)
> 
> When the Trio plus Malfoy and Neville are in the Forbidden Forest with 
> Hagrid and red sparks go off, Hagrid goes to see what has happened,
> HArry expresses a view that he doesn't care if Malfoy has been hurt 
> but is concerned about Neville because it is their fault he is in detention.
> (PS "The Forbidden Forest" p.186 UK edition)

Annemehr:
Of these examples, the first and third are prompted by Harry's tendency to want to rescue people, probably augmented by a feeling that both situations are Malfoy's fault.

The middle one, when Harry gave Neville a Chocolate Frog, is the only example of a really friendly gesture from Harry to Neville that I can think of at the moment.

Geoff: 
> There are more instances, as I suggested, later in the books, later than 
> the chapter we are considering.
>

Annemehr:
There may be.  I can't think of any that are real instances of friendship or cordiality as opposed to just being thrown together by circumstance.  At least, not until later in DH after Neville had demonstrated some competent heroism himself.

I don't *really* intend to be criticising Harry here.  Actually I'm just frustrated because from the first book I saw Neville as an interesting character full of potential, and was continually disappointed that Harry never did.  Because without Harry's interest (and by extension, JKR's?) there was never nearly enough Neville in the books.

Or to put it another way, it seems to me that Harry usually had the same estimation of Neville that Neville himself did.  And in the first six books, that was much too low.

Annemehr