Chapter Thirteen - Nicholas Flamel

[Brittni]

Discuss chapter thirteen

[Brittni]

Here we come to my first discussion of Neville! Did it really take me 13 chapters before I mentioned him?

Anyway, there is a really great interaction between Harry and Neville in this chapter where Neville comes back to the common room after an encounter with Malfoy. Neville is really doubting himself here, because of Malfoy and Harry tells him the Sorting Hat put him in Gryffindor for a reason and that he is worth 12 of Malfoy.

I love this. One, because I love Neville (obviously) and two, because throughout the series this really great relationship develops between Neville and Harry and I think it really starts here. We all know how Neville ends up in book seven, but he gets to that place largely because of Harry. I have the feeling that Harry is probably one of the first people to show Neville that he is capable of doing great things. Think about what Neville says about his family in this book. They thought he was going to be a squib for most of his life. It seems clear that he has not received much praise from any of them up to this point.

Here for the first time in the series someone is telling Neville that he is worth something and I have to imagine it was an important moment in Neville's life. Soon after we see him take on Crabbe and Goyle at the Quidditch match and later he even stands up to Harry.

Neville is going to continue to look to Harry for support and as an example until he becomes the Neville that everyone finally starts to love in book seven (even though I loved him and had faith in him all along).

And that's it for my book one Neville spiel. Look forward to more to come. This is practice for me future in depth book analyzing his character.