CHARACTER DUEL!

Hey! Leah, here! I am posting what we like to call a CHARACTER DUEL. In it, Julia and I debate about the merits of characters in books. It’s all fun and such. We’re going to TRY to post a debate every Monday, I think. Also, please note that the opinions expressed within the debate do not NECESSARILY represent the debaters actual opinions. Oh, and the duel is between Neville and Bellatrix (from Harry Potter, obviously) with Julia defending Neville and me defending Bellatrix.


Julia:
Neville Longbottom, a man of wit and awesome, is usually seen as the underdog. But one has to be insanely stupid to see this, because Neville Longbottom, friend of the famous trio, could be a trio all on his own.

Leah:
Correction. Neville Longbottom is seen as the underdog because he is LAME and WEAK. He is seen as the underdog because he IS the underdog, and he always will be. There is a reason the trio is not the Famous Four. Bellatrix Lestrange is the closest confidant of the Dark Lord, the most powerful wizard EVER.

Julia:
So you're calling the Dark Lord the most powerful wizard EVER? Who survived to be in the epilogue? I didn't see any "powerful wizard EVER" talking about HIS kids. All I saw reading the epilogue was about a certain teacher. WHO WAS NEVILLE LONGBOTTOM. Married to Hannah. You see, Neville doesn't need to be apart of the trio, as he can survive on his own. Did Neville marry his best friend's sister? NO. He married a girl in his SCHOOL.

Leah:
They say those who can't do, teach. And Hannah Abbot was clearly the only girl who would have them. A Hufflepuff, of course. Bellatrix Lestrange DID things in her life. She KILLED Sirius Black, one of the most powerful wizards of the generation.

Julia:
A Hufflepuff is a mix of the three other houses, with a lot of loyalty mixed in. To suggest that the house of Helga Hufflepuff is below others, is simply blasphemy. Another thing that is blasphemy? Suggesting that Bellatrix Lestrange, did things. What Bellatrix Lestrange did, is just wrong. One shouldn't even be suggesting that they're amazing. Because they're not. Yes, she killed Sirius Black, but is that right? Should one even be applauding her "skill" at doing this? No.
Julia Lefrancois: One however, should applaud what Neville Longbottom did. He did things that even Albus Dumbledore applauded. I don't see any stamp of approval of Bellatrix from Dumbledore.

Leah:
And Dumbledore is the man from whom we're meant to get our moral guidelines? The friend of Grindelwald, the man who raise Harry Potter like a pig for the slaughter? I say nay. And what did Neville Longbottom do? Everytime he went up against Bellatrix Lestrange, he failed miserably. He is simply not powerful, whereas Bellatrix has a great deal of power. She had enough power to send Neville's parents to St. Mungo's.

Julia:
Ah but see this, Bellatrix never actually tortured Neville's parents. She just threatened to kill their son and they laughed themselves into insanity. TRUE STORY! However, Bellatrix, as you said, has a "great deal of power". Are you not aware of what Lord Voldemort said about Neville? A boy who is "simply not powerful", was told by the Dark Lord himself that he could make a very valuable Death Eater. He also said that they need more of his kind--which is showing spirit, being brave and noble. Why would he say this? Because he was tired of dealing with the current Death Eaters, like Bellatrix. She was the one that was always disappointing him. Is that cool? No. Even with this offer, Neville was brave enough to deny him and show his alliance to Dumbledore's Army. This shows exactly what he is. He is BRAVE enough to stick up to Lord Voldemort, the Dark Lord. Did Bellatrix ever do this? NO. She is a suck up.

Leah:
I would argue that Neville is STUPID not to join the side who, at the time, appeared to be sure to win. Stubbornly staying on the losing side is idiotic, not brave. He simply had no will to live because he knew that he had no reason to do so because he is a stupid boy whose parents couldn't even remember him because of BELLATRIX. Additionally, the only reason that Voldemort said that Neville would make a good Death Eater is because Neville is a pure blood, and he did not want pure blood to be spilled. And if it is a question of loyaly, Bellatrix's loyalty to the Dark Lord NEVER WAVERED.

Julia:
Are you saying that loyalty is not a redeeming quality, but switching to the "winning" side is? Also, his will to live did not waiver, even when he had "no reason to do so". What kind of reasoning is that? Throughout Neville's life, he hated Voldemort, and most importantly Bellatrix. He would not go down without a fight without making sure his parents were avenged. Also, to use your wonderful reasoning, Bellatrix's loyalty to Voldemort would be considered stupid, because moments before she died, it was a losing battle. A LOSING BATTLE. Is that a situation a winner would be in? No. Why was there a losing battle with Bellatrix on that side? Because Neville Longbottom, an awesome guy, killed Nagini. Nagini, who was the final horcrux.

Leah:
While Bellatrix was alive, it was never a losing battle. It became a losing battle after she died because the Death Eaters and Voldemort could not win the fight without her. She was integral to their fight, and her death was the most dramatic blow. Neville's slaying of Nagini did not make Bellatrix's side the losing one. It was Bellatrix's death that made her side the losing one.

Julia:
The fact that she died, and Neville survived, is something. Why did she die? Because she got too cocky for her own good. She overestimated her powers. A thing that Neville ever did.

Leah:
Bellatrix did not overestimate her powers. She underestimated Molly Weasley's, which was an understandable mistake seeing as how EVERYONE thought that Molly Weasley was simply a mother (a good one, but not a POWERFUL one). Neville did not die because someone was always protecting him. If you'll remember, Neville WOULD have died after the famous snake-decapitation if Harry wouldn't have cast a shield charm between Neville and Voldemort. So if you say Bellatrix made a miscalculation that resulted in his death, you must also admit that Neville made a miscalculation that SHOULD have resulted in his death.

Julia:
If Harry didn't put up the shield, yes, Neville would have died. But Neville would have died doing something great for EVERYONE. What did Bellatrix die for? Directly, it was because she was attempting to kill another child in the Weasley bunch, but indirectly, it was because she was a horrible woman.

Leah:
Who is your judge of a "horrible" person. By whose standards do you judge Bellatrix to be so terrible? And Bellatrix died because she was protecting her leader, the man to whom she'd pledged her loyalty. Is that horrible? I think not. Neville would have died because of a vague comment made by Harry about killing a snake.

Julia:
Society has a standard that judges people at being "horrible" or "honorable". Using the society that I live in, Bellatrix would be considered a terrible person. Not just terrible, but HORRIBLE. Also, she was protecting her leader? A leader who has the equivalence of Adolf Hitler, a HORRIBLE and TERRIBLE LEADER. Are you forgetting who Bellatrix was representing? A man so horrible, people couldn't even say his name! While Harry, who made the comment to Neville, is considered to be a hero, the chosen one. SPEAKING OF THE CHOSEN ONE, it could've been Neville himself.

Leah:
Could it have been? Would Neville's mother die for him? We'll never know because Voldemort did NOT choose him because HE DID NOT SEE HIM AS A THREAT. Neville is not a threat to anyone, except a snake whose fangs could not reach him. Neville could not touch anyone who had a wand. Because he is not powerful. Bellatrix, on the other hand, was victorious over almost anyone who stood against her.

Julia:
Except Molly Weasley. Neville, may not have been seen as a threat, but he was. He's the ultimate weapon because of this. Nobody expects him to stand up for himself, even though he does it time and time again.

Leah:
By your logic, Molly Weasley is also a secret weapon. Bellatrix couldn't have seen her coming. But I would argue that Neville is not such a secret weapon. To be secret weapon, you have to be able to do damage consistently. He may have LUCKED into killing the snake, but he never did anything else of merit. Some weapon. Bellatrix was not a secret weapon. Power like hers could not be hidden.

Julia:
Who says to be a secret weapon, you must do damage consistently? When playing in a sport, a secret weapon is a player that does ONE THING that the opponent is not familar with. Neville, fits this standard with his ONE THING of standing up for what is right.And throughout the series, he has PROVEN that he can do this. TO CALL NEVILLE LONGBOTTOM A ONE HIT WONDER KIND OF GUY IS LIKE CALLING STEPHENIE MEYER AN AMAZING AUTHOR. It is simply NOT true. Bellatrix on the other hand, is just a "weapon" of Voldemort, who found her useful in the sense of her lack of humanity.

Leah:
A weapon should absolutely be able to perform more than once. Would you want a sword that shattered after one cut? Would you want a knife that would disintegrate after one stab? Would you want a gun with only one bullet? These things would not be very useful in a fight, just as Neville is not useful in a fight. Bellatrix's lack of humanity is her greatest asset. It makes her ruthless. It makes her focused. It makes her determined to achieve her goals. It makes her the PERFECT weapon. Humanity, or lack thereof, is not the question. The question is magical ability. Bellatrix wins against Neville, hands down.

Julia:
Comparing Neville to a sword that shattered after one cut is simply wrong. Neville is a sword that cut many times without shattering. Shattering is just not in the vocabulary of Neville. Yes, Neville does not have the same magical ability of Bellatrix, but that is because Bellatrix has more experience with the amount of killing she does! Not just killing, but torturing. When one does this kind of stuff, they are not being awarded for this behavior. Why should she be right now? Neville has amazing potential in his magical ability that did not require his use of unforgettable curses. Yet, even with his lack of "ability" he was able to do so much. Neville just wins. Bellatrix does not.

Leah:
Neville is a sword that shattered after one strike. He did not do anything noteworthy other than killing the snake. Bellatrix proved again and again that she was a forced to be reckoned with. She had the STRENGTH OF WILL required to perform unforgivable curses. Neville did not possess that strength of will.


CLOSING ARGUMENTS:
Leah:
In closing, Bellatrix is an powerful witch. She has the strength of will and ruthlessness to do what,in her eyes, is required. She is loyal and determined. She dies defending her leader. Her motives may not have been the what society would consider to be good, but her power was simply awesome. Neville, on the other hand, was a powerless wimp. Some may consider him loyal, but really he is just stupid. He blindly does what he is told to do. He lucks into killing Nagini, but that is his only action that is noteworthy.

Julia:
Neville being called a "sword that shattered after one strike" is WRONG. Is one just simply ignoring anything before the events that lead up to the Battle of Hogwarts? Yes, Neville killed a snake that was the ultimate end to Voldemort, an act that Harry Potter himself was having trouble doing, but that is just the tip of what makes Neville amazing. In the years that Neville studied at Hogwarts, he did amazing things. And later on, Neville even teaches there. Bellatrix on the other hand, is a cruel woman who performs unforgivable curses like they're nothing. This is not true. Bellatrix is not a powerful witch, but a pathetic one. Neville is simply not a powerless wimp, but a powerful wizard. Not just loyal, Neville is brave. From fighting along Harry Potter, to his own actions, Neville does what is right to society. Even when put to the option of going on the "winning" side of a battle, Neville stood his ground. Neville shows throughout many moments in history that he is loyal and has great magical ability. Neville is amazing. Bellatrix is not. Neville lived to get married. Bellatrix got married, but in the end, she loved another man. Neville, not just loyal in battle, but loyal in marriage. That is truly an amazing thing. NEVILLE WINS!


AND THAT CONCLUDES THE CHARACTER DUEL! Feel free (that’s code for PLEASE, PLEASE, PLEASE) to leave comments about the debate. You can tell us who you thought won the debate, what you like about characters, what we need to work on…WHATEVER!