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r/HarryPotterBooks•
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Random thought: is it just me or is what happens to Neville that night in PS kinda hardcore?

First point here, I love Hermione, she's literally my favorite behind only Harry and Dumbledore.

But I was just thinking about that encounter with Neville where he tries to stop them, and it just seems terrible lol.

Granted, he was trying to stop them. Granted that the spell technically is not harmful.

But...how long did Neville lie there, on the ground, totally paralyzed and unable to do anything but wait to be freed? Hours? The entire night?

No physical injuries, but imagine spending a night lying stiff as a board and completely not able to move even a bit, out on the hard floor of what, basically a huge empty living room?

If not traumatic, at least a very horrible memory.

If I were Neville, it wouldn't have been Snape stepping out of Lupin's closet, but Hermione lol.

I feel like she at least owed him an apology on that. Like a serious one. Did she ever say sorry?

Posted Aug 12, 2021, 9:47 AM UTC

15736
Gryffindorme•

As much as hermione was a brilliant witch, she did this at 11 when she wasn't as good at magic. I'm pretty sure that the spell broke soon after she cast it.

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[deleted]•

You are underestimating the brightest witch of her age. She was doing N.E.W.T. level spells in 5th year, probably before that. It was at least until morning when Seamus and Dean noticed Harry, Ron and Neville were missing from their dormitory or could have been the house elves too

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Gryffindorme•

I agree with you. She was definitely the most brilliant of her age and I'm not underestimating her in any way. I'm just simply stating that she was an 11 year old. Her spell would've probably held for a good few hours but that's it. He wouldn't have been petrified forever is what I'm saying.

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[deleted]•

No, most likely just a couple of hours but it's a spell that needs to be undone. It's not one that can break on its own. We see it done to Harry twice and both times it had to be removed either by someone or a death.

7
Gryffindorme•

When it was done on Harry on the train, Harry didn't last even an hour before tonks found him, therefore we can never be sure if the spell would've lasted till some undid it. Also, Draco was 16 when he cast it and had been obviously getting special death-eater training so he was definitely more skilled than 11 year old hermione.

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shaun056•

12 technically but I agree.

For all we know someone heard the noise being made and came downstairs as soon as HRH left

4
mikeusslothus•

Iirc this kind of spell wears off pretty quickly, depending on the strength of the person casting it. Pretty sure he would have been trapped for an hour maximum

46
YoshiCudders•

I wonder how quickly would it have worn off for Harry as Malfoy was leaving the Hogwarts express in HBP?

11
mikeusslothus•

Good question probably a fair bit longer! I do think I remember him worrying about having to ride the Hogwarts express from station to station a few times but still I wouldn't say more than a few hours maximum, maybe it's like the imperius curse where you can fight it off to a certain extent.

6
adscryptOP•

I think it is technically classified as a hex if I'm not mistaken, which is just below curse in the rankings of dark spells right?

So the question is, is a hex generally considered strong enough that it might last until reversed? Because I would think if it were a curse, it couldn't be undone at all right?

That has me thinking it needs to be actively reversed or you just lie there until you die.

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adscryptOP•

Let us hope, lol.

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[deleted]•

In the context of our regular lives? Sure it’s hardcore. In the context of the wizarding world and Neville’s first year at hogwarts I’d say that’s AT WORST the second worst thing that happened to him that year. But IMO it’s not even close to that bad.

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SkarkleKony•

Especially considering Neville’s uncle dropped him out of a second story window before they even knew he had magic!

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adscryptOP•

Poe's "Buried Alive" had a profound effect on me as a child I guess, lol.

Also seems like an extended version of that sleep paralysis thing? I've never had it but it sounds godawful.

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LilyRexX•

When you relate it to sleep paralysis it changed everything. I was thinking, yeah the floor is cold and hard, and maybe he needs to pee. Then I saw this comment and how sudden and unexpected and he can't move anything besides his eyes- can he move them? They're looking at Hermione, but do they move? Can he blink? It's nothing compared to his uncle dropping him out a window, but still feeling terrifying!!

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NiceDrewishFella•

She apologized as soon as she did it.

“Neville,” she said, “I’m really, really sorry about this.”

  She raised her wand.

  “Petrificus Totalus!” she cried, pointing itat Neville.    
  
  Neville’s arms snapped to his sides. His legs sprang together. His whole body rigid, he swayed where he stood and then fell flat on his face, stiff as a board.    

  
  Hermione ran to turn him over. Neville’s jaws were jammed together so he couldn’t speak. Only his eyes were moving,   looking at them in horror.   

  
  “What’ve you done to him?” Harry whispered.    

  
  “It’s the full Body-Bind,” said Hermione miserably. “Oh, Neville, I’m so sorry.”    

  
  “We had to, Neville, no time to explain,” said Harry.    
  
  “You’ll understand later, Neville,” said Ron as they stepped over him and pulled on the Invisibility Cloak."

-Ch 16, Through the Trap Door, Sorceror's Stone.

I think Neville would have been far more uncomfortable had Voldemort returned that night.

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Monschi2•

To be fair though, even if the trio had stayed in the tower that night, Voldemort wouldn’t have been able to come back because he had no way of receiving the stone from the mirror

10
NiceDrewishFella•

We don't know that for sure.

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lena91gato•

Yeah, but this was before he spent however many hours lying paralysed on the floor. Kinda don't think it counts.

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NiceDrewishFella•

As they remained life long friends, I am sure she did later and he came to appreciate the necessity.

Not to mention his points won the House Cup. I think he was good.

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MumziDarlin•

I believe this is one of the reasons that Dumbledore gave Neville those points that pushed Gryffindor over the edge to win the House Cup. Not just because he suffered, somewhat, or to just say that standing up to your friends is difficult, but laudable in some situations, but as a reward for enduring it. Neville needs a little help in confidence, and having Gryffindor pile on top of him with joy benefited both him, and the perception of him with his house. Dumbledore always says "It's our choices..." It is almost a foreshadowing of the choices that Harry must make in the future.

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adscryptOP•

This is why I can't think badly of Dumbledore. Yes, he's the man with the plan.

But he took the time to do things like give Neville points, to see the champion in him. Evil people don't do that shit. They just...don't. Evil Dumbledore would not have taken care of Neville.

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[deleted]•

She apologized before doing it.

But Harry did something bad to Neville and WASN'T sorry. In POA when Neville got banned from Hogsmeade and Harry wasn't supposed to be going but was sneaking in and Neville didn't know. Neville tried so hard to hang out with him, Harry kept trying to make excuses so he could sneak out.

Finally, they went to Gryffindor tower together, harry pretended he forgot his book, and finally ditched Neville. He did not apologize and never gave a second thought to this again.

Neville, on the other hand, probably waited for him to return for two hours and finally realized Harry wasn't coming back because he didn't want to spend time with him. That had to hurt. I wouldn't trust Harry as a friend after that.

Of course, I'm sure what Hermione did was very traumatic, but still. People think Neville stands up to his friends for doing it once, but he didn't stick up for himself in this scenario, and at the very least, he should have been pointedly not speaking to Harry for a couple of weeks unless he's a doormat. Because Harry was kinda cruel here.

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adscryptOP•

lol I always see you here making sure this story is told, and tbh I don't even remember this part very well to begin with.

I'm not saying what Harry did was right, or even defending it. But try to see it from Harry's perspective too.

You ever met someone who you just didn't connect with that much, but who very clearly wanted to be your friend or was very obviously seeking company, but you didn't want to be rude? Or been the person looking for a friend and met someone who while nice, was really not trying to be that person for you? Harry might not find Neville that funny or engaging at this point, and not everyone views friendship as something charitable. There are definitely saints in this world who will make someone a friend just because that person needs a friend, but it's hardly everyone or even most people.

Harry at that stage couldn't figure out how to tell Neville no without making it seem like the kind of rejection he knows Neville is too accustomed to already. I think some part of this is actually him trying to be considerate.

From this point of view, what Harry does, while still being shitty, is coming from a decent place. He doesn't want to hurt Neville's feelings by outright telling him 'No', and kind of evades the situation altogether instead.

We don't see Harry apologizing or making any excuses later, but I think he probably would have. Harry is not averse to apologizing, and as I recall, wasn't it more that he just really wanted to go to Hogsmeade than that he didn't want to hang around Neville? He just knew he couldn't bring Neville along. And Neville can't know where Harry went if he wants to get there.

And lastly, Harry has needs too. Neville needs a friend, yes, but Harry needed space that year, to figure out his feelings with regard to the betrayal of his parents and so forth. Harry did Neville wrong, but I do think he would have apologized later, and I don't think he did it specifically to be a cad. He just didn't know how to deal with a common situation.

9
frusdarala•

Besides Harry couldn't just tell Neville why he was ditching him, I'm sure that in any other scenario Harry would just tell Neville why he couldn't hang out atm.

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ashishtiwari11•

This actually showed that Neville is not just a failure but someone Voldemort can notice (like what happens in deathly hallows)

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Valirys-Reinhald•

That actually touches on what is probably the biggest flaw with Hermione's character, one which never really gets addressed in the series. She has a tendency to act unilaterally, as if she is judge, jury, and prosecutor on all things. When Hermione thinks she's found the right choice of action she will do it. This is great for her when championing a just cause, but when she doesn't stop to get the opinions of others then she runs the risk of acting on incomplete information at best, and actively taking away the choices of others at worst (see, how she treated her parents in Deathly Hallows).

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