Mentor Analysis: Alavel
In Dungeons and Dragons, there’s a creature called a Nimblewright. Basically, it’s an animated suit of armor with intelligence and personality. In year three of Girl in Red, Rose made two of them to guard Gryffindor Tower against Sirius Black. Their names were Taltria and Alavel (“Blade Dancer” and “Knight Sword” in Elven). After third year, they continued to patrol Hogwarts and look after the students. Alavel was terse, serious, and kind, while his sister Taltria was more carefree. Following Rose’s orders, Alavel looked after Harry.
At first, Harry didn’t get along with Alavel. Alavel was just the latest in a long line of adults telling him what to do and how to live his life. While Alavel tried to connect with Harry, Harry was having none of it. It wasn’t until Harry broke up with his then girlfriend Ellie, breaking down himself, that he opened up to Alavel. Harry cracked, and Alavel happened to be there as someone to whom he could vent. Harry finally wanted help from someone, and Alavel knew just what to say. That was the end of fourth year.
Throughout fifth year, Harry went to Alavel for help and advice. On paper, Alavel was working as an assistant to Filch, but he functioned as a guiding hand to the students. Harry talked to him about everything: Quidditch, school, dating, Voldemort, his friends. When Harry started teaching younger students Defence Against the Dark Arts, Alavel was there to support him, and lent them some credibility by having a staff member present. When Harry saw Sally-Anne slipping away into Umbridge’s clutches, Alavel was there to put things into perspective so he didn’t come to hate her. That lasted until Umbridge took over Hogwarts and sacked Alavel. This was one approach to removing Alavel and allowing Harry to grow on his own, although it didn’t go well for Harry. He blamed Sally-Anne for Alavel being sacked (it was in part her fault, and that wasn’t the only reason he was angry at her). Under different circumstances, Harry might have grown, but with everything else happening, he couldn’t.
Later that year when the main characters escaped Umbridge’s clutches and ran into the Forbidden Forest, there were Death Eaters waiting for them. Despite their best efforts, the main characters were only students, ill-prepared to handle twenty and change trained killers. That’s when Alavel stepped back into play. He brought a few others with him, and together, they were able to fight back the Death Eaters until Voldemort himself arrived. Even then, Alavel stood against him, determined to stop him from hurting Harry. For a while, he was winning, until another Death Eater stepped in and killed him.
I made the decision to kill off Alavel for a few reasons. First, to allow Harry to grow without him. Unfortunately, I’d made him too responsible and wise, able to solve Harry’s emotional problems too quickly. Second, I wanted to cement that specific Death Eater as a threat, because in reality, that Death Eater was Rose. Due to Slytherin’s influence, she’d had to join the Death Eaters, and she had to convince them she was against them. Killing one of her own creations, something she’d already been dead set against in previous years, would convince them (and my readers) that she’d changed.
Even after Alavel’s death, he was never forgotten. Harry worked to be like him, becoming the primary source of emotional support for his friends, as Alavel had done for him. He always asked himself what Alavel would do when faced with a problem. It’s because of this that he’s able to rehabilitate Ginny when she loses her mind in sixth year, and stand by her as she recovers in seventh year. Despite having to kill off Alavel to make this happen, it gave me the opportunity to see Harry grow in a way that wouldn’t have happened with Alavel alive. This also provided the inspiration for the poem I Know I Can Fly.
An effective mentor is tricky to write. I had to ensure that Alavel was there as needed, thus staying in character. Harry couldn’t open up to him immediately because it wasn’t in Harry’s character. Sacrificing himself for Harry was exactly the way Alavel would’ve wanted to die, if he’d had to die at all. I like how it turned out, and I hope other people can learn from my work.
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