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Neville is one of the most inspiring characters in the series – not because he’s powerful or smart or even funny, but because he’s so painfully ordinary. Neville is a late bloomer. In the beginning of the series, he is bullied, clumsy, and awkward. He doesn’t appear to be good at anything, except perhaps herbology, and he struggles to make any deep friendships. He is more of an outcast than even the Golden Trio, making even the nosy Hermione or the misunderstood Harry look popular in contrast.
Despite his disadvantages, however, Neville has his qualities. They aren’t brains or wit or talent; instead, his qualities are bravery and loyalty. He’ll stand by his friends…or he’ll stand up to them, even if it’s inevitable he’ll lose.
Before we continue, I’m Riley and this is Otherworldly Fiction. On this channel I ramble about books, while also offering the odd writing tips. If you want to learn more about your favourite fantasy series, or you’re just obsessed with Twilight and Harry Potter, hit the subscribe button. Posts are on Fridays.
Neville is relatable because we’ve all been there. Without looks, skills, or friends, we’ve watched from the sidelines. At the same time, many of us went through a transformation. We started to find our footing, discovering what we were good at, who we could trust, and ultimately who we wanted to be. Watching Neville go through this process, of being behind everybody but eventually finding himself, makes him one of the most relatable kids in the series. We love him because of his inadequacies, not in spite of them, because we can see ourselves in Hogwarts’ shyest but bravest Gryffindor.
Having established who Neville is, it’s time to explore his history. Neville was born on the 30th of July, in the year 1980, hours before Harry. Born in the same month and year as Harry, he was nearly himself the chosen one. Voldemort heard a prophecy which detailed an adversary he would face: this child would be born in July, to parents who had defied his forces three times, and would go on to challenge Voldemort.
Neville and his family met the requirements laid by the prophecy, making them as eligible for Voldemort’s ire as the Potter’s, but by chance Voldemort chose to attack the Potter’s. Though they had been spared the fate of James or Lily, the Longbottom’s would endure a worse tragedy.
Like Lily and James Potter, Neville’s parents, Alice and Frank Longbottom, were a part of the Order of the Phoenix. This resistance group had been formed to fight Voldemort and his Death Eaters, and the group was composed of others like Sirius Black and Alastor Moody. What’s more, the Longbottom’s were skilled fighters in their own right, being Aurors with some renown. They had been trained by the Ministry to fight Dark Magic, and to uphold the law.
Unfortunately, for all their talent, Alice and Frank were no match for four vicious Death Eaters – at the helm of the attackers was Bellatrix Lestrange, one of Voldemort’s most loyal and powerful followers. Together the four Death Eaters used the Cruciatus Curse on the Longbottom’s, torturing them to the point of madness. Though they were not killed, their minds were undone and they would spend the rest of their lives in St. Mungo’s Hospital, in the Wizarding World’s equivalent of a psych ward.
In this way, their fate was worse than the Potter’s, because they were alive but never well enough to care for Neville. Neville was still more or less an orphan, and he was placed in the care of his tough and overbearing grandmother, Augusta Longbottom.
Neville did show some early aptitude for magic which was missed, because even as a baby he automatically used magic to tighten his blanket about himself and in so doing be more snug. However, this early talent was overlooked; any who saw how snug he was assumed an adult had simply tucked him in. He exhibited other signs too, but all were missed by Augusta. Overbearing and strong-willed, Augusta made Neville meek – she went so far as to accuse him of being a Squib, a child born to a Wizarding family without power, but eventually Neville showed signs of magic. When his uncle accidentally dropped him out of a window, Neville bounced.
Neville began his schooling at Hogwarts in the year 1991, where he was, despite his seeming fearfulness, sorted into the house known for its bravery, Gryffindor. Throughout the years he struggled. With the exception of herbology, he failed to excel in any subject and he was the constant target of bullying – not only from the likes of Malfoy and his crew, but from the poltergeist Peeves who even went so far as to drop a bundle of sticks on the poor kid’s head. He was also losing his toad, Trevor, at every turn (and even in a place like Hogwarts, toads weren’t considered a “cool” pet).
Like Harry, Neville also argued with the Sorting Hat. Harry persuaded the Hat not to place him in Slytherin, but when Neville tried to persuade the Hat to place him in Hufflepuff, the Sorting Hat insisted on placing him in Gryffindor.
If something bad was going to happen, it happened to Neville, and Neville, despite being in Gryffindor, remained fearful for much of his school career. Though friendly with his classmates, he had no close friends; he was clumsy, and awkward in classes, and was a particular target for Snape. Potions Class was his worst subject, though this was largely due to the terror Snape instilled in him. He was forgetful too, needing a Remembrall to help him keep track of everything.
Augusta didn’t help, as she continually placed Neville in the shadow of his parents. He was reminded not only of how great they had been, but how much he failed to live up to this standard. Augusta may have meant well, but Neville was cowed by her. His meek nature was created in large part by Augusta’s domineering manner.
It wasn’t until his Fifth Year that Neville really came out of his shell. When Harry began Dumbledore’s Army to prepare for Voldemort in secret, Neville, even knowing he could face expulsion at the hands of Umbridge, signed up. Though he didn’t excel at first, his skills improved with time. Under the guidance of Harry, he began to show signs of being a great fighter. He started to pull off spells, and found something even greater than skill – confidence in himself, and friendship.
When Seamus accused Harry of being a liar, based on what the Daily Prophet said, Neville also came to Harry’s defense. He declared that the paper had “gone downhill,” and that he and his grandmother would no longer read it.
With time, Neville even became one of the strongest members of the DA. The news of a mass breakout in Azkaban, which resulted in the escape of his parents’ torturers, only made Neville push harder so that, second only to Hermione, he learned the fastest. When he took his Owls, he achieved a grade of Exceeds Expectations for Defense Against the Dark Arts, and an Outstanding for Herbology.
Along with Ginny Weasley and Luna Lovegood, Neville would form the Silver Trio – together, these three would go on to lead Dumbledore’s Army in the absence of Harry, Ron, and Hermione. Still in their fifth year, it was the Silver Trio which followed the Golden Trio to the Department of Mysteries in hopes of saving Sirius. Along with his classmates, Neville managed to hold his own against skilled Death Eaters.
In his Seventh Year, Neville led Dumbledore’s Army alongside Ginny and Luna. The three broke into Snape’s office: they were attempting to steal the Sword of Gryffindor, so that they might help Harry. Neville also defied the Death Eaters running the school, earning himself more bruises than any member of the DA. When asked to practice the Cruciatus Curse on First Years, he refused and for this he was beaten by the Carrow’s, twin Death Eaters acting as teachers in the school.
Eventually he ran the organization alone. Luna was captured, and Ginny, with the rest of the Weasley’s, also went into hiding following the Easter holidays. The Death Eaters went after Neville for his rebellion, and they tried to target his grandmother. However, they underestimated Augusta’s skill and she managed to flee. Neville found the Room of Requirement, fearing for his life, and through it created a hidden refuge for the DA.
Finally, during the Battle of Hogwarts, Neville again showed his quality when he destroyed the last of Voldemort’s horcruxes, the snake Nagini. Wielding the sword of Gryffindor, which had come to him after picking up the Sorting Hat, he sliced the snake’s head off.
With peace restored, Neville followed in his parents footsteps and became an Auror. However, his passion for herbology eventually won out; when he either applied to Hogwarts, or was offered a position, he became one of the school’s herbology teachers. When McGonagall became the school’s headmistress, Neville also assumed her role as the head of Hogwarts house.
While there were hints of Neville and Luna being together, anything that was between them only lasted through the summer after the war. Afterwards, they were no more than close friends and Neville instead married Hannah Abbott, who had also been a member of the DA. Hannah Abbott acted as the Leaky Cauldron’s landlady for a time, though she retired from this role by 2014. As with the other members of the DA, including Harry and Luna, Neville would be the subject of Rita Skeeter’s nasty articles. The poisonous writer accused him of drinking too much Ogden’s Firewhisky, though Rita’s claims were never proven.
Neville had enough to keep him occupied as a teacher. He had to dole out detentions, teach classes, and even introduce Harry to students when Harry chose to visit the school. Neville remained good friends with the Potter family, and he kept his DA coin as a keepsake, showing it off to eager students.
He even worked with the Statute of Secrecy Task Force, teaching them new spells, helping them work with plants, and improving the quality of their potions. He taught one of their members that magical plants could be made to grow faster if they were sung or spoken to, and songs from Celestina Warbeck showed the greatest efficacy in improving Dittany potions.
Hogsmeade also hosted a Vegetable Vault competition. Neville won in the Leaping Toadstools category, with his plants beating the others in a race. This proved they would be the best when used. In his work with the Statute of Secrecy Task Force, Neville also improved their Greenhouse Charm, helped them to better understand Hogwarts castle, and taught them about fertilizers. Finally, he showed them improved clipping techniques and what they should do with excess ingredients.
Although he began as the most timid student in his first year, Neville went on to become one of the most accomplished in his last. Driven by loyalty to his friends and a newfound self confidence, he played a pivotal role in not only stopping Voldemort, but supporting Harry as both a follower and a friend. He might not have Hermione’s wit, or Harry’s talent on the Quidditch pitch, but Neville is one of the students we can most relate to.
For most of us, we either were, or knew, someone like Neville. We were shy kids who didn’t fit in or excel while others did, and yet we blossomed in our later years and learned not only our talents but who we were.
Shy, but loyal, frightened but brave, and underestimated but heroic, Neville was easy to root for. His later years also demonstrated his talents, and he remains loved by fans who can relate to an underdog.
What surprised you most about Neville’s story? Is he one of your favourite characters? Let me know! And if you enjoyed this video, like and subscribe. Thank you for watching, and happy reading.
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