The New Neville

Rowling does such a great job on surprising the audiences with her character changes and unpredictable surprises. It seems that characters are changing in every book. One character that particularly sticks out to me is Neville Longbottom. Throughout the first few books, Neville is just a shy, plump, clumsy no body. Everyone just thought of him as a joke in the wizarding world. He never stuck up for himself especially around Draco Malfoy. In the first book, Neville was awarded points to the Gryffindor house for sticking up for his friends which was the winning points to win the house cup. This began him feeling a little more confidence in himself.  Later, in the Order of Phoenix, we come to find his parents were a part of the Order of Phoenix and were aurors. His parents were tortured by Death Eaters and he was sent to grow up and live with his grandmother. Neville was one of two people that put in the prophecy. In between book four and five, I believe this is really showing Neville's coming of age. He starts to grow up and become a man. Neville begins to really grow in the Herbology class in book four. In book five, Neville joins Dumbledore’s army to defeat Lord V and the death eaters. I would have never guessed he would have done this in the past few books because of his lack of smarts and self-confidence.  Unlike Harry, Hermione and Ron, Neville was a surprised character to everyone with how brave he had become from the beginning. Although it took him a while to grow up and be strong, he really shows his strength at the end when it came to fighting Lord V and turning down his offer to join the dark side. Neville is just one of those characters that everyone wants the best for and loves. 

Blog 2 - The Seasons of Severus

The Seasons of Severus

As we have read on into the HP series, there is one character in particular that has seemed to me to be curiously evolving differently than the others. Severus Snape has always been the mysteriously evil teacher who is plotting to kill Harry Potter (at least from the perspective of Harry, Ron, and Hermione). What intrigues me about Snape principally is his ability to remain in such limbo within the minds of Hermione, Ron, and Harry- but has managed to win the undoubted trust of The Order and Dumbledore himself.

            While reading some of the blog posts on Snape I cannot help but disagree with their depiction of one of the more dynamic characters in the series. “Severus seems (especially in books 1-3) very flat and one-dimensional.” I would have to argue quite the contrary to this statement. The first book established Severus Snape as a person with a disturbing habit of running into Harry, and possibly even being the one behind stealing the Sorcerer’s Stone. What also I fascinating in retaliation is the same post we see the exposure of fascinating evidence that his character is indeed very dynamic. “Dumbledore later tells Harry that Severus Snape may hate him so much because James once saved his life, and so he was indebted to him, and consequently he is now indebted to Harry.” Clearly Snape has a relationship with Harry that goes beyond the bounds of teacher and student.

            Another evolving characteristic in Snape is his ability to hide from his past. We do find out simple things, like his obsession with the Dark Arts, and his past as a Death Eater (two things that set off the alarm bells in my head). What is particularly stunning, and something we spent some time on in class, was the occlumency lesson in which Harry enters Snape’s memory in the Pensieve. We see a Snape not only Harry sympathizes with, but someone we can sympathize with as well. It causes such a stir in other characters in the series that the ripple affects the perception of characters that aren’t even alive anymore.

            The Half Blood Prince will answer some questions about Snape that we have been wondering, but it also raises so many more. Why does Dumbledore trust Snape so much? I have always wondered it myself, but his allegiance has never been questioned by the Head Master.

Blog 2 Pespective comes with age

One of the larger themes in Harry Potter is defiantly the coming of age aspect. I think that one of the things that happens as we get older is that we do learn that people are more complicated than what they may appear on the surface. There are no totally good or bad guys.

Most of the characters in the series fit in with this because for many of the characters there have been times when they have done something that is morally wrong for a very good reason. All the characters have faults and in later books that is really realized.

I’ll use Snape as my example because he is a pretty complex character from the start of the series. In the Sorcerer’s Stone most readers will instantly peg him as the bad guy. I think that this is especially true if you were a younger kid the first time that you read it because he fits the stereotypes so well. He wears black all the time, he’s mean to the main characters, nice to the people that are mean to the main characters, he is sneaky and he teaches in the dungeons. It also doesn’t help that in the movie adaption Alan Rickman makes Snape seem even scarier with his acting.

But even in the first book we learn that Snape can't all bad because he does try to save Harry, even though he doesntr like him, in the Quidditch match and as the series progresses we learn about his motivations and also his history and some of the events that led to him being a mean old snarky git as a lot of people call him in the fanfiction world. I think that this is the growing up element. As we get older we witness change in ourselves and we became capable of understanding that people change due to the things that happen to them and just because they are doing things that make us upset or angry doesn’t necessary mean that they are all bad.

Blog Prompt #2

                                                         The Unexpected

One of the biggest themes in the Harry Potter series is coming of age.  One of the best things about a series like this, where each  book represents a different year in the school, is that  we get to see each character mature.  One of the main reasons that we get to see the growth of each character is that the series gets darker and darker with each book. In the Sorcerer's Stone, the students don't really have much to worry about except making friends. By the Half-Blood Prince, they've dealt with the Chamber of Secrets being opened, dementors, the return of Voldemort, the death of a student and now a Death Eater attack on Hogwarts, culminating in the death of Albus Dumbledore.  The fact that each student has been able to come back happily year after year even though things get progressively worse shows how much each student has grown up.
     In my opinion, the student that shows the most progression is Ron.  In the Sorcerer's Stone, Ron is just happy to befriend the famous Harry Potter.  He doesn't care about being overshadowed because he can finally stand out from his older brothers. He has he distinction of being best friends with "the boy who lived". No matter what Harry gets himself into, Ron is by his side. Ron might not seem like the bravest person in the world, but any 12 year old who manages to meet Aragog and his children without dying from fear (especially a person with extreme arachnophobia  is pretty brave.  By the Goblet of Fire, Ron has gotten tired of being known as just the best friend. For a while, his jealousy gets the best of him and he stops being friends with Harry. It might not seem like the most mature thing to do, but its better to address your problems/feelings than act like they don't exist. By the Half-Blood Prince, Ron has seen and dealt more than the rest of the school has because he's always right there with Harry. To me, that makes Ron more mature than Harry in some ways because he's there out of choice, not because he feels obligated to stop the return of Voldemort like Harry does. He's loyal to his friend, despite his jealousy and insecurities. It takes a lot to of maturity and bravery to be able to put yourself through everything that Harry gets them into. It takes even more maturity to willingly do it, knowing that you'll never get as much recognition. I think that this is shown even more  in the Deathly Hallows, but I won't talk about that just yet. Until then, Mischief Managed.

by Alan Lawson

Breaking Out (Blog #2)

            J.K. Rowling does an amazing job of developing the characters throughout the Harry Potter series.  Her characters grow not only physically, but emotionally and psychologically as well.  Through the development of the characters, we can all experience the story and its themes in new ways.  One character that I truly think has grown throughout the series so far is Hermione. 

When we first see Hermione, she is definitely a know-it-all.  She always wants to follow the rules, always wants to study, and is not afraid to tell someone what they should or should not be doing.  However, as the series progresses, Hermione grows out of her enclosed shell and begins to let loose.  In book one, she lies to her professors in order to keep Ron and Harry from getting in trouble after they stop the troll in the girl’s bathroom.  This is the moment we see Hermione finally loosen up and let herself become vulnerable.  In book two, we see her break the rules when making the polyjuice potion to help her, Harry, and Ron try to figure out who is opening the Chamber of Secrets.  Again, Hermione slowly lets loose and begins to learn that in order to do the right thing, it is okay to break the rules sometimes. 

Hermione shows a great deal of growth in the first two books, but even more throughout the rest of the series.  In book three, Hermione uses the Time Turner in order to save Sirius and Buckbeak.  She is taking a tool used for school and using it in a dangerous and life-altering way.  Messing with time and the future can have terrible consequences if something goes wrong.  Hermione is taking the risk in order to help her friends and does with outstanding leadership.  Lastly in book five, we see her take a leading role in preparing Dumbledore’s army.  She lends her skills and knowledge to her peers so they can learn and become better wizards and witches themselves.  Hermione takes big risks in participating in all of these events, but grows enormously in the process. 

Hermione starts out as know-it-all girl who never wants to take risks or break out from her comfort zone.  However, as the series progresses, Hermione breaks out of her shell and becomes a strong leader and individual.  She lets loose and learns that it is okay to break the rules to do the right thing.  Through Hermione’s growth, we learn more about the themes of leadership and coming-of-age.  Hermione represents these themes well and hopefully she will continue to do so through the rest of the series. 

Erin Bepler

Not a sidekick, but an equal

Many, if not most, people consider Ron Weasley to be Harry Potter's sidekick. This may be true in the begging of the series, but as time goes on some would say differently. From the very start, Ron is somewhat insecure because of his families background. He is made fun of and looked down upon for being poor while at the same time he battles an inner struggle of feeling like he isn't special. He is the youngest of six brothers, with a brilliant younger sister as well. He feels as though he will never be good enough and nothing he will do is comparable. But all of this gradually changes as he matures and becomes more independent.

Ron's personal journey has many ups and downs starting from when we first meet him at Kings Cross Station. He meets Harry and they become fast friends, quickly pushing him right into that "sidekick" position. He is able to aid Harry in wizards chess in the 4th obstacle of getting to the Sorcerer's Stone. Although Harry couldn't have done it without him, Harry is still the big hero in the end. One of Ron's first defining moments of bravery comes from the second book. Although he is deathly afraid of spider's he gathers up the courage that he needs and follows a trail of them into the forbidden forest. In the next two books, Ron has a lot of maturing and teen angst happening in his life. In Prisoner of Azkaban he become's very upset with Herminone and they don't speak for quite some time because he believes that her cat ate his pet rat. Once they find out later that his pet rat is actually a man, Peter Pettigrew, who is responsible for the death of Harry's parents, Ron becomes revolted by the shear thought of having such a close association with the rat. I believe Goblet of Fire to be most of Ron's worst of times. He experiences the reality of his growing sexuality and becoming more attracted to girls. He now begins to become romantically attracted to Hermione and becomes extremely jealous of Victor Krum, as he takes her to the Yule Ball and spends much time with her. He also battles envy and betrayal as Harry is chosen as the fourth Triwizard Champion. He believes that Harry has cheated in hopes for more attention, but he is even more concerned of the fact that Harry had not even told him and felt betrayed. In the next book Ron moves forward in a positive direction. He is appointed prefect as well as making Keeper of the Gryffindor Quidditch team. He is able to also better his Defense Against the Dark Arts skills through the D.A. which helps him when they go to the Ministry of Magic at the end of the book. In the sixth book Ron becomes very infatuated with a girl named Lavender but after almost nearly dying from drinking a poisoned mead that was meant for Dumbledore his fight with Hermionie finally comes to an end as they both resolve their issues.

In the last book Ron goes through some other developments, that I can't talk about right now. (sorry!) Overall Ron is the perfect "sidekick." He's humorous and not as dominant. He is often an aid to Harry and follows his lead. He may not be as clever and or mature as Harry and Hermionie but through his maturity he was able to become an equal. Through his development he was able to become a more independent and decisive individual that underwent the most character development out of anyone else in the series.

Blog #2 From House Elf to Hero

For me I have seen a huge theme in this series being heroism. In the books Harry is seen as a hero is many a lot but also has low points. But JK also does a wonderful job of lifting up many others to the same level.  Hermonione’s wit and knowledge, Ron’s wizard’s chess skills, Neville’s ability to stand up for good, Ginny’s bravery. People are saving the day left and right in these books.

            But one person who was so wonderful to watch grow for me personally was Dobby. Dobby started out being an interesting character. He was clearly looking out for Harry and seemed to care so much about him but was putting him in harms way and making Harry’s life very difficult. We also learned in The Chamber of Secrets of Dobby’s very hard life. He was a house elf that had little to no rights. Trying to save Harry alone was causing him to torture himself. It seemed so sad but very endearing that the deepest desire in Dobby’s heart was to serve the greater good. But he just couldn’t do so by wizarding laws. It was such a joy at the end of The Chamber of Secrets to see Dobby get to say no to the Malfoys and be free. Finally Dobby could be exactly who he wanted to be and fight for the good that he had in his heart.

            What is even more wonderful about Dobby’s story of freedom is that he continues to grow throughout the series. He becomes so independent and even leads other elves. He joins the staff at Hogwarts continues to serve Harry in any way possible.  We see Dobby as kind and loving when Hermione creates S.P.E.W. She starts knitting hats and scarves for the elves that work at Hogwarts in hopes of freeing them. But they see it as an insult and for a long time Dobby is the only elf that would clean the Gryffindor common room. Dobby was able to get passed the insult because he loved Harry and his friends so well. This is a development where we see Dobby really being mature and brave which hasn’t always been his character traits.

            Dobby begins to serve Harry in the last couple books. In the Order of the Phoenix Dobby helps Harry find the Room of Requirement for Dumbledore’s Army. And in The Half-Blood Prince Harry rusts Dobby to assist Kreacher in tailing Malfoy.  We see here how much Dobby takes serving Harry seriously. He says he doesn’t even sleep while he is doing something from Harry. His dedication without falter is unlike any character in the entire series.  Dobby is without a doubt the most loyal and strongest friend of Harry Potters and he started out a scared, abused, eccentric enslaved house elf. Dobby is a huge factor in many of Harry’s defeats against his enemies. 

B2: Neville Longbottom Master of the Puberty Spell

As shown in the Harry Potter series, Rowling has defined two types of heroes: the known hero, Harry Potter, and the silent hero, Neville Longbottom. These boys share similar back grounds, such as having lost their parents at an exceptionally young age, being raised by less than savory relatives, and coming into their magic (in Harry’s case the knowledge of magic) late. In the beginning their characters are polar opposites – Harry being social and outspoken, while Neville is more introverted and reserved. The characters play through the series as mirrors to one another and as such, Neville’s coming of age story is far subtler than Harry’s. 

In the first book, The Sorcerer’s Stone, Neville may be described as a blundering idiot who would be afraid of his own reflection if he were not expecting to see it (think along the lines of a tiny, yappy dog barking at itself in a window). Neville is relentlessly bullied throughout his first year at Hogwarts; however, when told by Hermione Granger to stop the bullying and stand-up for himself he states, “There's no need to tell me I'm not brave enough to be in Gryffindor, Malfoy's already done that” (Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone 218). Neville’s “Gryffindor bravery” begins to finally show near the end of the Sorcerer’s Stone when he attempts to stop Harry, Ron, and Hermione from seeking out the stone. Throughout the next couple of books Neville lurks in the background, cropping up every so often to play a small role in the story. One such incident is in the fourth book, Goblet of Fire, during an intense Defense Against the Dark Arts class where Neville is exposed to the Cruciatus Curse for the first time. Here, Rowling reveals that Neville’s parents are alive; however, due to being severely tortured through the Cruciatus they have lost all sense of themselves. It is not until the fifth book, Order of the Phoenix, that the extent of Neville’s character growth is shown. During the battle at the Department of Mysteries Neville is faced with his parents’ torturer Bellatrix Lestrange. Rather than cower, as he might have done in years past, Neville becomes enraged at her presence and tries to fight the Death Eaters restraining him to attack her. When Bellatrix demands Harry exchange the prophecy for Neville, Neville adamantly protests and is subsequently Crucioed. This is where Rowling shows the bravery Neville has grown into; rather than give into a bully, whom he would be reasonably terrified of, he stands up for what is right despite the consequences he knows will follow.

Rowling’s portrayal of Neville caused me to reassess my view of character’s roles throughout the series. In the beginning, Neville was portrayed as a gutless coward, yet as the series has progressed he has matured into a confident and strong individual. Neville’s “silent hero” character shows that people are able to make profound changes to their personalities. Additionally, Rowling is able to show readers the amount of “gray area” of her world through the gradual appearance of hidden character traits.

Rowling, J. K. Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire. New York: Arthur A. Levine, 2000. Print.

Rowling, J. K. Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix. New York: Scholastic, 2004. Print.

Rowling, J. K. Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone. New York: Arthur A. Levine, 1998. Print.

Sirius Heart

Tara McQuinley
Blog #2
Professor Heller
March 13, 2013

Sirius Heart

Characters in J.K. Rowling’s Harry Potter series are continually evolving. The fact alone that the majority of the main protagonists are teenagers suggests to the story that they will undergo transformation. The character who changes the most, however, is not one of Hogwarts’ young students, but middle-aged Sirius Black. Black does not experience as much personal change perhaps, but he develops much more in the mind of the reader than any other character.
            Sirius Black is introduced in Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban as an infamous murderer and the most powerful and loyal follower of the dark wizard Voldemort. From Harry’s point of view the reader learns that Black is Harry’s godfather, he betrayed Harry’s parents and is now after him to finish the job. Later in the novel Sirius, in the form of a black dog, drags Ron by the leg into the Shrieking Shack. All evidence pointed to his guilt until it is revealed that he was framed. Onward through the series Black becomes an adult presence in Harry’s life which he has been missing; someone he can go to for counsel and advice. Sirius is Harry’s only family. Just as Harry begins to trust in this bond the reader begins to see the flaws in Black’s character.
            During a conversation over the fire between Sirius and Harry, Black asks if he can join Harry in Hogsmeade for the weekend in disguise. Harry adamantly refuses the offer to which Black responds “You’re less like your father than I thought,” he said finally, a definite coolness in his voice. “The risk would have been what made it fun for James” (Rowling, 305). It is now evident to the reader that Black is living vicariously through Harry and clinging to the notion of his youth. Harry is always so compared to his father, and Sirius begins to mistake him for his best friend rather than his god-son.
            Finally, in the Order of the Phoenix Harry is tricked into coming to the Ministry of Magic to save Sirius, who he believes is being tortured there. After Harry falls into the trap Sirius, among other members of the Order of the Phoenix arrive and duel against Voldemort’s Death Eaters which ultimately leads to Sirius’ death. Rowling uses this fatality to illustrate that Harry cannot always count on people just because they are adults or because they are family. Mainly Rowling uses this death to show that Harry’s greatest strength and greatest weakness go hand in hand, his capacity to love. Dumbledore explains to Harry that it is the one thing that separates him from Voldemort. Harry’s heart is his greatest power.

The Leading Lady | Blog #2

The Leading Lady

Blog #2 | Character Development 

Without a doubt, J.K. Rowling has done a fantastic job at not only revealing the development of her characters within the series, but also doing so in a way that is symbolic with the themes and messages she is trying to deliver to the audience.

Of the characters within the series, Hermione once again stands out. What made her intriguing was how she has grown throughout the series in comparison to the other characters. We see many of the others acquiring new skill sets, overcoming feats, making new achievements, and moving from a “dazed and confused” mindset to one that is a bit more accomplished. What’s different about Hermione is that she had of all of this from the start. After all, she was the overachieving, know-it-all, perfectionist in the beginning.

Hermione’s growth gives a different perspective into how one develops. Her character shows that there are bigger things than your skill sets and talents, such as vulnerability, compassion, humility, and self-confidence. In fact, we notice that she may have been using her knowledge and achievements as means of self-defense against her own feelings of inferiority due to being Muggle-born. She felt as if she had something to prove for herself and other Muggle-borns, so she had to be better than everyone else in order to prove her worth. Over time, she learned that it’s not about being better than everyone else, but being your best self. Not only does she work on being her own best self, but helps her friends and peers move towards their best selves as well. Homegirl started to do lots of work for lots of other people. She quickly moved from selfish to selfless, using her knowledge towards the aid of others rather than gains for herself.

It seems that the first couple of books were where she really began to acquire social skills and become comfortable with herself. In Book One, she was the perfectionist who never broke the rules, but then lied to her superiors in order to take blame for the troll incident. From there, she built her relationships with Harry and Ron and began to understand loyalty and likeability. In Book Two, we start to see her be ridiculed for being Muggle-born, taunted as a “Mudblood.” She stays strong and keeps her head up, seeming to be empathetic of Malfoy’s unfortunate upbringing, understanding that it’s not a problem within her, but within him.

Hermione really starts to shine in Book Three, when she finally punches Malfoy; but more importantly, when she is not only granted a Time Turner, but then uses it to save Sirius from the Dementor’s Kiss and Buckbeak from execution. Moving into Book Four, she created S.P.E.W., launching an entire campaign for the fair treatment of house elves. She also shows a moment of strong loyalty when she proves to be the only character who completely believes Harry didn’t cheat to get into the Triwizard Tournament. In Book Five, she was the backbone behind Dumbledore’s Army, using her knowledge and skills to train her peers for their own defenses against the dark arts. In doing so, she furthered her relationships with her peers and developed a leadership role than was less dictating and more democratic. Let’s also not forget how she both saved and kicked some serious ass in the battles at the Department of Mysteries and (in Book 6) the Astronomy Tower.

Hermione transformed from a self-absorbed know-it-all to a team-playing leader. She grew to truly accept herself, and, furthermore, others. She realized that it’s more than having great talents, but also how you execute those talents and who you share them with. She proved that a large part of becoming a successful witch or wizard included social skills and self-confidence as well. She then channeled her talents into the greater good and aid of others to help them find their own best. Her character showed that there are vulnerabilities within both the top and bottom performers and those in-between. Hermione learned that success isn’t necessarily defined by your grades or skillsets, but also the quality of the relationships and experiences in your life. She showed people to let loose and to live and love a little. Work it girl.

Character Development - Revelations

                As the series progresses, Dumbledore becomes progressively more unpredictable. In the Order of Phoenix, he hardly appears inside Hogwarts, and nobody seems to know where he goes. He always seems to have ulterior motives for everything he does, and Harry never seems to figure them out.

                In the Order of Phoenix, Dumbledore hardly appears. Whenever Harry does manage to come into contact with him for advice, Dumbledore usually does not give him a lot of information. At the end of the book, Dumbledore reveals that he avoids Harry because he fears that Voldemort could use his mind control over Harry to spy on him. This was the first instance in which Dumbledore admitted one of his weaknesses to Harry.

                As the next book starts, Dumbledore aids Harry more than in the previous year. He gives him private “lessons” in his office, which are merely viewing memories inside the pensieve. Even though Dumbledore considers them lessons, he never actually teaches Harry anything. He simply presents Harry with a memory, and expects Harry to interpret and find the meaning of it on his own. Dumbledore also makes Harry try to coax a memory from Professor Slughorn’s memory, but does not give him any information to Harry on how to accomplish this task.

                Dumbledore’s changing demeanor towards Harry allows the reader to observe Harry’s maturity as the series progresses. They can view how Harry becomes more independent in solving Dumbledore’s tasks, and relies on Dumbledore less for his personal problems. Dumbledore’s absence in the Order of Phoenix reveals his true vulnerability. Many other professors talk about Dumbledore’s true strength, but his avoidance of Harry in fear of the Dark Lord spying on him reveals a weakness in his character. It shows that even Dumbledore recognizes Lord Voldemort’s true power, and he actually fears it to an extent. Overall, Dumbledore's actions and absences represent his fear of Voldemort rising. He basically hands over the task of defeating Voldemort to Harry

The Many "Layers" of Neville Longbottom

The character that I will be discussing is Neville Longbottom. When Neville was first introduced in the beginning of the series, Neville was always losing his frog, was awkward in social situations, and was very clumsy in his magic practices. Through the first four books, not much had really changed in his magical practices, his organization skills, or him being secluded and not having many friends, but Neville showed a few moments of great strength and courage. An example of this is when Neville was trying to get Harry and “the gang” (Including Ron and Hermione) to stop and not go to the chamber because he thought it was too dangerous and they might get hurt. Seeing as Harry, Ron, and Hermione, especially Harry, were the only people who truly paid attention to him at Hogwarts, it was a very courageous and selfless thing to do to stand up to his friends.

In the fourth Book, Harry learns through Dumbledore’s pensieve about Neville’s parents, that they were drove completely insane, past the point of functioning. Harry quickly realizes that Neville is a lot like himself, exploited by some “prophecy”, void of a true, functioning parental figure, and disliked by many just because of what they have do and/or who they are. Neville did have his Gran, and Harry have the Weasley’s, Hagrid, and Sirius (at this point in the book).

By the coming around of the fifth book, Ron, Hermione, and Ginny find out that Neville’s parents were actually at St. Mungo’s Hospital for Magical Maladies and Injuries by the soul of Bellatrix Lestrange.  

Neville and Harry are now more intertwined more than ever, Harry and Neville were both basically orphaned at the demented torturing and killing hands of Lord Voldemort.

I feel as when everyone found out about Neville’s parents, it was a great pinnacle point for Neville’s character development. The discovery somewhat explains why everyone expects great things from Neville as well, and what Neville has been going through, and why he and Harry have come to develop a friendship, even at a point when they didn’t even know why they were so intertwined.

During the fifth book, Neville’s character develops immensely. Neville joins Dumbledore’s Army, The DA, and was improving immensely in his spells with the help of his friends. When duty calls, Neville is right beside Harry fighting the death eaters at the Department of Magic, eventually facing the very person he didn't want to see, Bellatrix Lestrange. While Bellatrix is chastising Harry about the prophecy ball, it takes everything Neville can find within himself to tell Harry that he CANNOT hand over the prophecy ball. Bellatrix also casts the “Crucio” curse on Neville, which was the curse that shattered his parents in their moment of weakness and made them to be forever insane. The curse has no effect on Neville, and he was standing there, SOLID and RESILIENT. Neville faced the person that brought his family to shambles, just like Harry had faced the eyes of Voldemort so many times before. This was the very pinnacle for Neville’s character development and courageousness. It showed exactly how much he was parallel with Harry’s character and that Neville was a true and powerful wizard, if anyone had ever doubted him before. Neville is developing into a useful and key role in Harry’s life, along with playing a major role in the books.

Under all of the disorganization, frog chasing, messed up potions, detentions, and Howler’s from his Gran, Neville is important and he is dealing with a lot more than a reader might think if his character is just scraped on the surface. Neville is a dynamic character, being headstrong and courargeous. Neville’s character development has a great deal to do with Harry’s character development throughout the series.

(SPOILER) Severus Snape: Heart of Gold or Cold as Ice?

*Spoiler Alert*

Severus Snape appears to us in the first book as a “bat-like creature” swooping around in his black robes, never failing to harass those he finds “lazy” or “arrogant”. He seems to keep to himself, not making much effort to interact with other professors or even students he seems to like. Immediately upon meeting Harry Potter, Snape makes snap judgments based on the reputation of James Potter, who Severus went to school with in his youth. Severus seems (especially in books 1-3) very flat and one-dimensional. It is hard to understand why he harangues our hero the way he does. Throughout the series, we are led to believe that Severus is the true villain, working just beneath Voldemort, feeding him information whenever possible.

In the third book, Snape arrives just in time to “save” Harry and his friends from the infamous murderer, Sirius Black (who is later revealed to be innocent of all his purported crimes). Snape feels he has a moral obligation to protect his students, even if he does not particularly like them. However, we also observe that Severus’s interference in this scene may be more about his grudge (and getting revenge) against Sirius and Lupin who bullied him as children. Dumbledore later tells Harry that Severus Snape may hate him so much because James once saved his life, and so he was indebted to him, and consequently he is now indebted to Harry. Dumbledore also mentions that Severus and James had a huge rivalry while in school, reminiscent of the rivalry between Harry and Draco. This ties into the theme of trauma and empathic connections created when trauma occurs. Both Severus and Harry were bullied quite severely as children. Though they both react in extremely different ways, they come to understand loneliness and feel a moral obligation to keep others safe at the cost of their own lives (see book seven).

In the fifth book, Snape must teach Harry Occlumency (a spell which blocks the mind from intruders seeking information) in order to keep Voldemort out of his thoughts so that he will not be able to control him. During these exercises, Harry uncovers an incident in Snape’s past named his “worst memory” in which James and Sirius relentlessly bully Severus to the point where he is nearly in tears. He then lashes out at Lily, Harry’s mother, calling her a mudblood when she sticks up for him. We see that Snape’s way of dealing with pain is to lash out and shut down, to withdraw and brood. It is revealed that he was once a Deatheater, and we can easily pinpoint the reason why he ultimately decided to join the dark side. We begin to understand that Snape is a very complex character, not simply this cartoonish bat-like man skulking around Hogwarts making everyone’s lives miserable just because he can. No, we begin to realize that there is a real troubled past Severus keeps well hidden from public knowledge. 

Severus was redeemed by Dumbledore and we are told multiple times, through the men Harry trusts, to have faith in Snape and to believe he is a good guy. Our faith is tested when Snape appears to be a double agent, secretly working for Voldemort in the sixth book. Again and again, we are forced to reexamine the character of Snape. Is he a good guy or is he a bad guy? Should we trust him just because Dumbledore says so? Can’t Dumbledore be wrong about someone? This is a major theme of the series: defining good and evil. I would venture to say that Snape appears to be a morally ambiguous character for most of the series, and it is perhaps not until the very end when we find out otherwise. Still, even when you stumble upon Snape’s real motivation for doing everything he’s done since leaving the Deatheaters, the question of whether he performed these deeds out of the goodness of his heart is questionable. Love does not always have the power to redeem someone, but it does change them. This is evident in Severus’s character arc. 

and one for fun:

True Colors- Neville Longbottom

Katie Barrier

Blog Post #2

I think by far one of the greatest character transformations in the Harry Potter series is Neville Longbottom. When we are first introduced to Neville, it might seem strange that he was put into Gryffindor. Many times we see him in the first book, he is awkward and nervous. It’s clear that he had come from a long line of talented witches and wizards who had been putting him down for his reluctant show of magic. We even see this later on after Neville has proven himself with his grandmother’s backhanded comments about how he isn’t as talented as his father. I think with Neville J.K. Rowling was trying to show how being treated by your family affects your behavior and your own self-image. It wasn’t until being shown respect by his classmates, like when Hermione frees Neville from the leg-binding jinx and Harry telling Neville he is worth twelve of Malfoy, that Neville begins to grow into a true Gryffindor, albeit slowly.

Neville steadily proves that he belongs in Gryffindor, by standing up to Harry, Ron and Hermione when they sneak out of the common room in the Sorcerer’s Stone, but it’s not until the Order of the Phoenix that Neville shows his true colors. With the threat of Voldemort returning to power, Neville is reminded strongly that his parents are permanent residents of St. Mungo’s because of one of Voldemort’s followers, Bellatrix Lestrange. He becomes determined to avenge his parents and shows significant progress in Defense Against the Dark Arts in Dumbledore’s Army. He even insists on accompanying Harry, Ron and Hermione to the Ministry of Magic to fight Voldemort in the Order of the Phoenix.

Neville’s growing courage and magical prowess is an example of Rowling showing that even from meager beginnings, someone can grow into a great person, or wizard. Neville coming from a history of trauma, like never truly knowing his parents because of the severe mental trauma they suffered, and being teased and somewhat bullied by his relatives, like his uncle hanging him from the window to see if he had any magical talent, shows Rowling’s theme that where you come from and where you start has no bearing on the kind of person you turn out to be.