A fearful and timid student, Neville Longbottom rises in stature as the plot of the Harry Potter saga progresses. While the films focus slightly on the Gryffindor student's change, the books tell us more about him. Here's a look back in five points.
#5 His parents were tortured
A detail completely forgotten in the film saga, but essential to understanding Neville's evolution and psychology: the torture of his parents by the Death Eaters, and in particular Bellatrix Lestrange. Shortly after the Potters' death, Voldemort's followers sought to extract information from them in order to find their master. Unsuccessfully, but by inflicting the Cruciatus Curse on the couple, former Aurors and members attached to The Order of the Phoenix, the Death Eaters caused irreversible damage. Driven mad, they were sent to St. Mungo's Hospital, to the point where they no longer recognized their son. A heartbreaking scene from book 5 of The Order of the Phoenix that also does not appear in the 2007 film. Not even the one where Harry, Ron, Hermione, and Ginny visit Arthur Weasley in the magical hospital after he was attacked by Nagini. As a result, Neville was raised by his grandmother until his admission to Hogwarts. Marked by this absence, he buried his anger inside himself, and revealed a shy, fearful, and clumsy personality. It was only later that he established himself as a talented wizard.
#4 Neville Longbottom Could Have Been the Chosen One in the Prophecy
In Order of the Phoenix, Harry hears the prophecy told by Sybil Trelawney to Albus Dumbledore in the past: "the one with the power to vanquish the Dark Lord approaches... born to those who have defied him three times... born when the seventh month dies...".The Divination teacher is therefore talking about a boy born at the end of July. If Harry is born on July 31st to wizarding parents who have indeed opposed to Voldemort, therefore met the criteria, Neville too. Born the day before, on the 30th of the same month, he too was conceived by parents who were striving to fight the dark wizard. But the latter ultimately chose Harry, and by attacking him, he therefore permanently bonded to him. It's in The Order of the Phoenix that Dumbledore reveals to Harry that the prophecy could just as easily have referred to his Gryffindor friend.
#3 He is an expert in herbology
In The Goblet of Fire, Neville helps Harry prepare for the second test of the Triwizard Tournament by providing him with Gillyweed, a plant that grants those who swallow it the power to breathe underwater. Long gone are the days when Neville would faint at the shrill cry of Mandrakes. During his schooling, he developed a certain talent for Herbology, a subject taught by Professor Sprout. While the films don't emphasize this detail much, Pottermore knows that Neville becomes a true expert in magical plants. For example, he helps his classmates by handling a complex plant like Mimbulus Mimbletonia during a class in Order of the Phoenix. That same year, he gets excellent results in his Herbology O.W.L.s, and we learn at the end of the series that he becomes Professor of Herbology at Hogwarts, succeeding Madam Sprout.
It was during his fifth year at the school of magic (Order of the Phoenix) that Neville Longbottom rose in rank and revealed his potential. More precisely, it was thanks to his involvement in the classes given by Harry to the students, who together would form Dumbledore's Army, that Neville improved his spellcasting skills and finally realized the extent of his responsibilities: fighting Voldemort but also, and above all, avenging his parents. The film depicts this metamorphosis, particularly when he succeeds in perfectly casting spells, but doesn't really go any further. We see him confront the Death Eaters in the Department of Mysteries, but since the plot is focused on Harry and Sirius Black, the young wizard logically takes a back seat. In the book, the scene, better described, reveals an ultra-combative Neville, weakening the Death Eaters. Unfortunately, he breaks his nose, breaks his wand, and suffers - like his parents - the Cruciatus Curse cast by Bellatrix Lestrange. But his performance and courage have caught the eye of the wizarding world, and his grandmother, who is proud of him.
#1 Neville Organizes the Resistance at Hogwarts
After the death of Dumbledore and the dictatorial regime led by Snape - now headmaster - and two of Voldemort's henchmen in charge of controlling and punishing recalcitrant students, it is Neville who organizes and leads the resistance at Hogwarts. While Harry, Ron, and Hermione work to find and destroy Horcruxes outside the castle walls, he, Ginny, and Luna secretly revive Dumbledore's Army. Despite the severe punishments and physical abuse inflicted by the two Carrow brothers, he manages to stand up to them, before hiding and living in the Room of Requirement, which once again becomes the stronghold of the resistance. Heroic during the Battle of Hogwarts, he opposed Voldemort and severed the head of the snake Nagini. The film Deathly Hallows Part 2 still captured the scene. Nagini is a Horcrux, so it makes sense that director David Yates and Warner decided to include her in the 2 hours and 10 minutes of the feature film.
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