I enjoyed reading your conversation above, about Harry, Draco and Neville. And even without catching what you did, they do seem connected. Neville isn't a part of the trio, but he's always injected at odd moments, like when he tries to stop them from going after the PS/SS, or when he goes to the MoM (and did very well after all, despite everyone's expectations), or when he and Luna are the only ones who show up for the DEs' entry into Hogwarts. He seems to be growing on Harry through the years, too, and not just as an object of pity any more. Harry's not as fascinated with Neville as he is with Draco, but when he does notice him, he doesn't pass him over.
And that their parents are what bring them together is an interesting observation. You say Draco's frustrated that Lucius doesn't want his help - would Frank or James have wanted Neville's or Harry's help if they had been allowed normal lives? I don't think they would have. Lucius, Frank and James all know the realities, and they all would probably have protected their sons from them at least until they thought they were ready. Now Lucius is gone for Draco, too, and he's lost one rail on the side of his ship. Children, I think, reject maternal involvement as they get deeper into their teens, so Lucius being gone really affects Draco. He's now the man of the family, and yes, I can see the WW having that attitude.
The husband and I talk about kid rearing occasionally as our own kids reach certain points. Boys, like young lions, have to fight the Old Lion to prove their independence and their worth. That's where all this teen head-butting comes from. It's seperating from childhood. And with all three of these boys reaching their seventeenth birthdays, maturity in the WW, this will be some biological snap that has to happen. Only, the Old Lion they're fighting isn't their fathers, it's the world's expectations. They're all deprived of their fathers at this point. And, they're deprived of their fathers' advice. Draco has to decide for himself if he'll lower his wand, and if he'll keep it lowered in book 7. Lucius can't help him.
Harry's been on his sneak streak since book 1. And so far, no matter how serious the events, it's been closer to a game than a breaking away. He still rushes for Dumbledore's approval. Now Dumbledore is gone, so the only approval he must find is his own. And that means he'll have to give more thought to the repercussions of his actions. Dumbledore isn't there to do it, or to fix what Harry might set in motion.
Neville's gran is both mother and father. But the lion he has to overcome is Frank's sainted goodness according to his gran. Even Harry doesn't have that sort of saint to look up to with Petunia around. And, with Snape. Harry gets fond memories to build on from Sirius and Remus, and from Dumbledore and the rest of the staff. But he gets a harsh dose of his father, the fallable human from Snape, and 'that awful boy' from Petunia, which is why I think the awful boy is James and not any other friend, though I could be wrong. Neville gets Saint Frank from everybody. And he gets it constantly. He has to break away from his pity for his father, and I think he does both love and pity his father. And that will probably be harder.
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I enjoyed reading your conversation above, about Harry, Draco and Neville. And even without catching what you did, they do seem connected. Neville isn't a part of the trio, but he's always injected at odd moments, like when he tries to stop them from going after the PS/SS, or when he goes to the MoM (and did very well after all, despite everyone's expectations), or when he and Luna are the only ones who show up for the DEs' entry into Hogwarts. He seems to be growing on Harry through the years, too, and not just as an object of pity any more. Harry's not as fascinated with Neville as he is with Draco, but when he does notice him, he doesn't pass him over.
And that their parents are what bring them together is an interesting observation. You say Draco's frustrated that Lucius doesn't want his help - would Frank or James have wanted Neville's or Harry's help if they had been allowed normal lives? I don't think they would have. Lucius, Frank and James all know the realities, and they all would probably have protected their sons from them at least until they thought they were ready. Now Lucius is gone for Draco, too, and he's lost one rail on the side of his ship. Children, I think, reject maternal involvement as they get deeper into their teens, so Lucius being gone really affects Draco. He's now the man of the family, and yes, I can see the WW having that attitude.
The husband and I talk about kid rearing occasionally as our own kids reach certain points. Boys, like young lions, have to fight the Old Lion to prove their independence and their worth. That's where all this teen head-butting comes from. It's seperating from childhood. And with all three of these boys reaching their seventeenth birthdays, maturity in the WW, this will be some biological snap that has to happen. Only, the Old Lion they're fighting isn't their fathers, it's the world's expectations. They're all deprived of their fathers at this point. And, they're deprived of their fathers' advice. Draco has to decide for himself if he'll lower his wand, and if he'll keep it lowered in book 7. Lucius can't help him.
Harry's been on his sneak streak since book 1. And so far, no matter how serious the events, it's been closer to a game than a breaking away. He still rushes for Dumbledore's approval. Now Dumbledore is gone, so the only approval he must find is his own. And that means he'll have to give more thought to the repercussions of his actions. Dumbledore isn't there to do it, or to fix what Harry might set in motion.
Neville's gran is both mother and father. But the lion he has to overcome is Frank's sainted goodness according to his gran. Even Harry doesn't have that sort of saint to look up to with Petunia around. And, with Snape. Harry gets fond memories to build on from Sirius and Remus, and from Dumbledore and the rest of the staff. But he gets a harsh dose of his father, the fallable human from Snape, and 'that awful boy' from Petunia, which is why I think the awful boy is James and not any other friend, though I could be wrong. Neville gets Saint Frank from everybody. And he gets it constantly. He has to break away from his pity for his father, and I think he does both love and pity his father. And that will probably be harder.