Neville's accident in his first potions class.

[terri-testing.livejournal.com]

It seems clear that Neville's cauldron- and shoe- melting reverse-effect potion was the result of a strong surge of magic as well as merely adding porcupine quills a little soon.  But what emotion could have prompted such a surge?  Fear, presumably, that's what normally seems to inspire Neville's outbreaks to date.  But what could have prompted a surge of fear--strong fear, maybe panic--right at that point in the class?


It obviously wasn't anything the professor was doing, he wasn't even near the boy, He wasn't hovering over Neville making him nervous, or insulting Neville's technique.  Canon tells us that Snape was across the room, "telling everyone to look at the perfect way Malfoy had stewed his horned slugs, when..."

Unless, of course, that was the trigger.

Neville had spent years being terrorized, nearly killed, by his family to "force some magic out of me."  But they were satisfied by ANY display of magical power.  Snape?  First Snape makes the dunderhead comment, then he demonstrates that he expects his students to remember what they've read, and now he makes it absolutely clear that only "perfection" counts as a satisfactory performance.  Algie, Augusta, Enid, can be pacified by a random magical outburst; the professor demands absolute competence as well as power.

Of course Neville freaks, and proceeds to demonstrate instantly that yes indeed, a panicked random magical outlash will get him in trouble in Professor Snape's class (and maybe in school in general), rather than getting him off the hook as it did at home.  To an abused kid who expects to be killed for nonperformance, all of a sudden school (or at least this class) is more dangerous than home--the bar is higher, insurmountably high.

Insight courtesy of potionpen/nightfall rising.

Comments

[vermouth1991.livejournal.com]

F*&k Neville's family. Yes, even Augusta.

[snapes-witch.livejournal.com]

Especially Augusta!

[ed. to correct typo.]