Obviously for N we have to talk about Neville!

Neville is an interesting character in this series. First and foremost, I think that we all fall in love with him as he tries to forge his way in the magical community, and the group of other students in his year. It can’t be easy to be in the same year as Harry but also in the same house (and in the same dorm room!). Both their parents were in the first wizarding war against Voldemort, and both of them lost their parents during that war. Neville is always being reminded of how amazing his parents were by his grandmother, which can’t be an easy standard to live up to.

If you have only watched the movies, then you would be lacking so much information about Neville. First, his parents are not dead. They are in St. Mungo’s hospital. Bellatrix tortured them with the Cruciatus Curse until their brains were damaged beyond repair. In Order of the Phoenix, Harry, Ron and Hermione actually get to see Neville’s parents while they are visiting Arthur in the hospital. The movies don’t show this scene and the touching moment that ends it where Neville’s mom gives him the wrapper off of a piece of bubble gum. His grandmother tells him to throw it away, but when she isn’t looking he puts it into his pocket.

Neville is a very private person when it comes to his parents, but he is on a quest to make sure that their tragedy is not in vain as he learns to fight the dark arts, and in the end, is the only person who succeeds in killing Nagini which causes Voldemort to finally be destroyed.

When reading the books, it is so clearly explained that Neville could have been the chosen one. Can you imagine how differently the books would have been had it been him? He was born at the end of July, the same as Harry. In addition, both their parents defeated/escaped from Voldemort three times. It was Voldemort who chose Harry to mark as his equal and thus the prophecy applied to Harry and not Neville. But it was also the death eaters who chose Neville to fight, in a way making him another chosen one. Bellatrix marked Neville as her own target in The Order of the Phoenix and would not relent in her path to destroy him just as she had his parents.

People are always surprised at Neville’s abilities in magic. His grandmother is opening disappointed in his abilities compared to those of his parents. In The Order of the Phoenix, while fighting death eaters in the Ministry of Magic, Neville breaks his wand. It was his father’s wand that he was using – a touching gesture for the young wizard, but ultimately the one which led to his downfall and inabilities to practice magic. As we all know (or should know), wands choose the wizard. If Neville is using his father’s wand, then it would naturally be resistant to him. He didn’t win the wand from his father in a duel, so its allegiance would still be to his previous owner.

I want to take this theory one step further – since Bellatrix was the person to torture the Longbottom’s during the first wizarding war, wouldn’t it be debatable that she had won the wands from Frank and Alice? And thus, the wand’s new allegiance would be with her and not the Longbottoms? Which would then give Neville, even more, resistance in its use than if he had just picked up his father’s wand and started to use it?

It is theorised by the fandom, that Snape’s hatred towards Neville can be linked back to the death of Harry’s mother. If Neville had been the chosen one, which it was possible for him to be, then Voldemort wouldn’t have had his sights on Harry. If he didn’t go after Harry, then Lily would never have died.

Neville and Harry can be seen to have this special bond then based on all this prophecy stuff. But I think that Harry also has a very great respect for Neville. Neville stands up to the trio when they are making bad choices, and on more than one occasion he is jinxed because of it, or he gets into trouble trying to make them do the right thing. Harry also uses Neville’s name that first time he rides on the Knight Bus. Having his name pop into his head first shows a great connection between the two of them. Also, in The Order of the Phoenix, Neville goes to the Ministry of Magic to fight with Harry to save Sirius, but after Sirius dies, Neville sits beside him and asked if Harry was friends with Sirius! A Pinterest post alerted me to this, I completely overlooked it. 

The actor who played Neville, Matthew Lewis, is also a huge part of the fandom. He is the reason why the term “Longbottomed” is around. If one person is to “longbottomed” it means that during puberty, they have gone from meh to oh hawt damn! As shown in the following pictures.

And let’s just take a moment or two to let this nugget of soul-sucking sadness happiness set in.