Jedi Rita

Author at http://www.fanfiction.net/u/160729/Jedi-Rita.

Becoming Neville (Harry Potter)

Reviewed by Kathryn A on 10th January 2010 (1)
Tags: Novel, AU, Mystery
Characters: Neville Longbottom
(610K)

Summary: Neville's Gran breaks her hip just after his fifth year at Hogwarts, and he must spend the summer with Harry and Remus. They discover a hidden message in the candy wrappers his mother has been giving him, and begin to uncover the mystery.

This is a rare thing: a story about Neville Longbottom, from his point of view. Full of self-doubts and uncertainties, quiet, gentle, overlooked, underestimated, wishing he were brave like Harry. And yet what he needs is to learn how to be brave like Neville.

Neville here is very well written, and his Gran is just right. The author portrays very well how Neville's family mean well, and do care, but at the same time discourage him because of their low expectations of him. Neville's parents are well done; Alice is crazy, but there are sadly poignant flickers of method in her madness.

The other supporting characters get a decent shot, particularly Snape and Lupin.

Then we have the mystery itself; the puzzle pieces fitting together into an intriguing whole.