I think we were all impressed with the evolution of Neville Longbottom and Ginny Weasley in OotP. However, I think we only experienced the tip of the iceberg. Both of these characters are going to have integral roles in the rest of the series. Let's start with Neville.

Before OotP, Neville was everybody's favorite loveable loser. He always tried hard, but seemed to never get the job done; and, he seemed to fold under pressure. This was clearly not the case in Book 5, and there are numerous reasons why. First, he knows that Voldemort and his Death Eaters are back. Neville naturally wants revenge for what happened to his parents, so this is all the more incentive for him try to become a better wizard. However, I don't think Neville was that bad in the first place. Bear with me on this. Before this book, the only subject Neville was good at was Herbology. Coincidentally, that's one of the only subjects that doesn't require the use of a wand (outside Divination, which is a crap-shoot, and Potions, where Snape terrorizes poor Neville). Subjects where the use of a wand was required, Neville struggled in. Why? Well, I believe it was because he was using his father's wand (as we find out in OotP). We find out very early that the wand chooses the wizard, and when you use another person's wand, you don't get the same results. I think Neville, armed with a new wand in the next book, is going to kick some major butt. Don't forget: the Sorting Hat put him in Gryffindor for a reason. Make no mistake, there is going to be a new Neville in town.

Now, on to Ginny. She, along with Neville, flourished in Book 5. She showed an incredible amount of guts and determination, whether it be in playing Quidditch or taking on Death Eaters. Fred and George talked almost adoringly about her bat-bogey hex. She does very well in the DA (Neville did as well) and refuses to back down in dangerous situations, despite many people asking her to. More importantly, she's dating, which means she conquered her obvious crush on Harry. This is significant because now she doesn't have to hide under the table every time Harry is in the room. Ginny is clearly on her way to becoming a very powerful witch. And, I also have to agree with my counterpart Dan Hoppel, when he says that Ginny and Neville will end up together. It makes perfect sense.

Now, on to this week's movie quote. This week's is a lot tougher, but it's from one of my favorite movies, so here it goes.

"The only true currency in this bankrupt world is what you share with someone when you're uncool."

[This contest is completed.]

09/05/2003

Joshua Smith is a 20-year-old journalism student at the University of Massachusetts Amherst, and an avid Harry Potter fan.

If you'd like to contact Josh, you may do so here.

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