13

Divination Thirteen: Neville & Luna

‘The four of you stand accused of capturing an Auror – Frank Longbottom – and subjecting him to the Cruciatus curse, believing him to have knowledge of the present whereabouts of your exiled master … [and] of using the Cruciatus curse on Frank Longbottom’s wife, when he would not give you information. You planned to restore He Who Must Not Be Named to power…’ (GOF30)

Into the Pensieve: For Harry Potter, the battle of Hogwarts must remain peripheral to the continuing hunt for Voldemort’s Horcruxes. He is aided in his search by Neville Longbottom whose parents, Frank and Alice (both Aurors) had unknowingly found a Horcrux (Hufflepuff’s cup?) while on the trail of Lord Voldemort. Ignorant of its true nature, until Bellatrix came to call (with her husband, brother-in-law and Barty Crouch Junior), they soon realised the significance of its whereabouts to the Death Eaters who hoped to use it to hasten Voldemort’s return. Refusing to reveal the location, the pair were subsequently tortured into insanity, possibly in the presence of their young son. (The suggestion is that Neville received a Memory Charm – whether performed by one of the Death Eaters to make him forget the reason for his parents’ interrogation, or (more likely) by his Gran so he could forget the horrific attack for the duration of his childhood – which permanently damaged his memory.) Neville’s courage in revisiting the darkest moments of his life proves invaluable to Harry; providing the information he needs to recover a Horcrux. It is probable that the search for the Hufflepuff cup also involves Harry working with Hufflepuff’s remaining heir, Zacharias Smith, while Ravenclaw heir, Luna Lovegood, aids in the quest for the Ravenclaw artefact. (It has been mentioned that – like Harry – both these wizards appear to have lost their mothers and they are probably the sole survivors of their respective family lines.) Other potential helpers include Susan Bones of Hufflepuff, whose family has been targeted by Voldemort in the past (Harry fears that Voldemort’s recent murder of Amelia Bones might have resulted in another Horcrux) and the elusive Ravenclaw ghost, the Grey Lady. As the Death Eaters attempt to tail Harry, he resorts to hiding from Voldemort in the past, by means of his mother’s Time Turner, which also helps him to enter and leave the castle despite the siege. Harry’s faithful adherent, Dobby the house elf, assists him throughout his quests, ultimately sacrificing himself as a decoy when a booby-trap is sprung at the scene of one of the Horcruxes. At this tragic personal cost, Harry manages to retrieve both Hufflepuff’s cup and the Ravenclaw item (perhaps a book of magical wisdom?) [At this point, you can take the Portkey to an extra divination with some alternative speculation!] After the Horcruxes have been destroyed (with the help of curse-breaker Bill), these objects are returned to Hogwarts where – in a stroke of brilliance from Luna Lovegood – they are reunited with Gryffindor’s sword and Slytherin’s locket. Together they have the power to break the siege.

Omens & Portents: Canonical Clues & Questions

1. Concerning Neville & the Longbottoms…

• We know that Neville, like Harry, has a tragic past. Bellatrix Lestrange, her husband Rodolphus, her brother-in-law Rabastan and Barty Crouch junior captured Neville’s parents, the Longbottoms, torturing them into insanity in the supposed belief that they had information about Voldemort’s whereabouts.

• Dumbledore has hinted that we have not been told all there is to know about this crime, which occurred after Voldemort’s fall from power, when Neville was a small child. ‘Unfortunately, the Longbottom’s evidence was – given their condition – none too reliable.’ (GOF30) It has even been suggested that Neville was present at the scene and received a powerful Memory Charm, like the unfortunate Bertha Jorkins, which explains his perennial forgetfulness and late blooming. (Is the charm weakening?) Another suggestion is that Lucius Malfoy’s generous donations to St. Mungo’s Hospital are a form of bribery, to keep the Longbottoms from recovering their wits and revealing the truth. Certainly, we have seen worrying signs that it is not all sweetness and light at the hospital. Were Healers complicit in the murder of Broderick Bode? What were the results of the inquiry into Healer Strout? (I am not convinced, however, that there will be a miraculous recovery of Frank & Alice Longbottom: when it comes to such terrible conditions (even in fantasy) JKR must reflect the truth of human experience.)

• In any case, we must ask why Bellatrix targeted the Longbottoms? (The answer, according to JKR, is nothing to do with Neville’s near miss with destiny. Bellatrix most likely had no idea of his role as a child of the prophecy.) Was she really trying to discover Voldemort’s location in Albania or – more likely – the whereabouts of one of his Horcruxes, which the Longbottoms had discovered (unwittingly, at the scene of one of his crimes) and which might have helped her return him to power? (I have already considered what Bellatrix might know about Horcruxes.)

• The suggestion of a connection between Regulus and the Longbottoms has also been posited – an excellent theory (which accounts for the courageous silence of the Longbottoms under torture if they were protecting Regulus, a distant cousin; JKR’s Black family tree shows that they were related). However, the main problem with this is that it only provides yet more backstory for the locket – Harry is going to need more help with the other Horcruxes. Will that be Neville’s main role in Book 7, to lead Harry to one of the objects?
• ‘Gringotts is the safest place in the world fer anything yeh want ter keep safe — ‘cept maybe Hogwarts.’ (PS5) Is it possible that a Horcrux was found by the Longbottoms and stored in their vault at Gringotts, only to become the property of Neville on his coming of age?

• ‘He [Crouch Senior] put a very powerful Memory Charm on her [Bertha] to make her forget what she’d found out. Too powerful. He said it damaged her memory permanently.’ (GOF35) Interestingly, Neville Longbottom is described as having ‘the worst memory of anyone Harry had ever met’ (COS6). He is also clumsy and accident-prone which might suggest another effect of the Charm, according to Arthur Weasley. ‘Sometimes, when a person’s memory’s modified, it makes them a bit disorientated for awhile … and that was a big thing they had to make him [Mr. Roberts, a Muggle] forget.’ (GOF10)

• The idea that Neville’s Gran performed a botched Memory Charm on him – perhaps for his physical safety as much as his mental stability – is considerably strengthened by McGonagall’s casual reference to Augusta Longbottom’s (surprising) ineptitude in this area. ‘Take Charms,’ said Professor McGonagall, ‘and I shall drop Augusta a line reminding her that just because she failed her Charms O.W.L., the subject is not necessarily worthless.’ (HBP9)

• ‘It’s a Remembrall!’ he [Neville] explained. ‘Gran knows I forget things – this tells you if there’s something you’ve forgotten to do. Look, you hold it tight like this and if it turns red – oh…’ His face fell, because the Remembrall had suddenly glowed scarlet, ‘… you’ve forgotten something…’ (PS9) Might this suggest that Neville’s most important function in the series is to remember something?

2. Concerning Luna & Ravenclaw…

• ‘She was a quite extraordinary witch, you know, but she did like to experiment and one of her spells went rather badly wrong one day. I was nine.’ (OOtP38 ) By all accounts, Luna comes from a ‘quite extraordinary’ family. Will her own peculiar gifts prove helpful in the quest for the Horcruxes? And incidentally might one of her catch phrases be the Ravenclaw motto? ‘Wit beyond measure is man’s greatest treasure,’ said Luna in a sing-song voice.’ (OOtP10)

3. Concerning the Founders’ objects…

• ‘Helga Hufflepuff’s, as you very well know, you clever boy!’ said Hepzibah … ‘Lovely, isn’t it? And all sorts of powers it’s supposed to possess, too, but I haven’t tested them thoroughly, I just keep it nice and safe in here…’ (HBP20) What other interesting powers might these objects possess in their own right?

Legilimency… what is JKR thinking?

‘Let’s go again … on the count of three … one – two – three – Legilimens!’ (OOtP24)

• Dumbledore’s guesses about how to kill Voldemort are “never very far wide of the mark.” Harry will need to get rid of four Horcruxes, and then “go for Voldemort.”

• Dumbledore has given Harry “some pretty valuable clues” and Harry “has amassed more knowledge than he realises.” [JKR, Mugglenet/TLC interview, 2005 – Madam Scoop’s Index]

• The Lestranges were not after Neville; they were definitely after his parents. JK cannot say too much more about this because it touches closely on the prophecy, and on how many people knew about it. The Lestranges were not in on the secret. [JKR, website – Madam Scoop’s Index]

• Neville is a “normal” wizarding boy with a tragic past and his own “latent strengths.” [JKR, website – Madam Scoop’s Index]

• Book 5 was a “turning point” for Neville. [JKR, World Book Day, 2004 – Madam Scoop’s Index]

• Neville does have a “significant part to play in the last two novels and the fight against Voldemort.” [JKR, website – Madam Scoop’s Index]

• Neville’s toad is “still lurking.” [JKR, BBC Red Nose Day chat, 2001 – Madam Scoop’s Index] My favourite toad theory so far must be the idea that Trevor is the Unspeakable Croaker in Animagus form – ‘that’s Bode and Croaker … they’re Unspeakables …’ (GOF7), keeping watch over Neville on behalf of his Gran and Great Uncle Algie and disappearing ever so often to give reports!

• JKR: “Luna is the anti-Hermione because Hermione is so logical and so inflexible whereas Luna is the one who is prepared to believe a thousand mad things before breakfast.” [JKR, Royal Albert Hall, 2003 – Madam Scoop’s Index]

• As one can guess from the end of Book 6, the founders of Hogwarts will play a role in Book 7. [JKR, Mugglenet/TLC, interview, 2005 – Madam Scoop’s Index]

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