Neville's character arc in the Harry Potter movies was certainly heartwarming, but the details of the books reveal why his sad story was so impactful.
Summary
- Neville Longbottom's character arc in the Harry Potter series was the most dramatic, ultimately proving his bravery and importance in defeating Voldemort.
- Neville faced bullying and ridicule from his own family for not demonstrating magical ability, which greatly impacted his self-confidence.
- Neville's connection to Trelawney's prophecy, his final moments with Harry before his sacrifice, and his journey to overcome his parents' weighty legacy make his book story far better.
Neville Longbottom's story was dotted with a few sad moments in the Harry Potter movies, but that was nothing compared to the books. Kind but entirely lacking in confidence, Neville had the most dramatic arc of any of the Wizarding World's characters. By the end of the series, he had proved that the Sorting Hat hadn't made a mistake in placing him in Gryffindor, and Harry's victory would have been impossible without him. The Harry Potter movies also captured this shift, but the resolution wasn't nearly as satisfying without the additional context of Neville's full book story.
The Harry Potter movies revealed that Neville was the son of Aurors Frank and Alice Longbottom, who were tortured to insanity by Bellatrix Lestrange. Harry's classmate revealed in Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix that he was proud to be their son and saw him steadily grow into a more confident character. By the end of Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, Neville was unrecognizable and played a crucial part in Voldemort's downfall by killing Nagini with the Sword of Gryffindor. It was a heartwarming character arc, but compared to the Harry Potter books, Neville's story was far less tragic.
7 Neville Was Bullied By His Family For Not Demonstrating Magic
Though Neville's family rarely participated in any scene in the Harry Potter books, they were discussed frequently—and the way Neville described their behavior was rather disturbing. In Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone, the boy explained that his family had thought he was a Squib since he had not shown any magical ability by the time he was seven (when magical children are supposed to have revealed their abilities). When Neville was eight, his uncle hung him out an upper-story window, hoping that would scare him into using magic. Unfortunately, the uncle became distracted and accidentally let Neville fall. If he hadn't been a wizard, it surely would have killed him.
Thankfully, Neville's magical ability finally came to the surface, and he bounced to safety. His family was thrilled, but that didn't stop their bullying. Just as Severus Snape tormented Neville for having minimal magical ability, his family, especially his Gran, constantly ridiculed him for not being as good as his Auror parents. This meant that by the time Neville started at Hogwarts School in Harry Potter, he was already convinced that he was a massive disappointment—which certainly didn't help him do any better.
6 The Chosen One Prophecy May Have Applied To Neville Too
One of the key aspects of Neville's story was his involvement with Trelawney's Chosen One prophecy, but the Harry Potter movies skipped this over. In the book, Dumbledore told Harry that the prophecy had indicated that a boy born at the end of July would be the Dark Lord's downfall, which could have also meant Neville. Voldemort only chose to attack the Potters because of Lily's status as a Muggle-born. The villain felt that his adversary was more likely to be a half-blood like himself. Still, Neville's pure-blood family would likely have been next on his list after the Potters were killed.
The fact that either Harry or Neville could have been the Chosen One further supported the idea in Harry Potter that a person's destiny comes down to their choices. It's implied that if Voldemort had attacked the Longbottoms first, it would have been Neville that the wizarding world called "the Boy Who Lived." Ironically, were that the case, Neville's family would have been far more proud of him, and he might have discovered his strong magical ability much sooner.
5 Neville's Parents Survived Torture But Lived In St. Mungos
The Harry Potter movies were never very clear about the fate of Neville's parents. When Sirius showed Harry the picture of the original Order of the Phoenix (something done by Mad-Eye Moddy in the books), he said that the Longbottoms met a fate worse than death. However, when Harry talked to Neville about his parents after a Dumbledore's Army lesson, the boy made it sound like his parents were dead. The Harry Potter books were far less confusing about this and even saw Harry meet the Longbottoms.
Frank and Alive Longbottom were tortured by Bellatrix Lestrange after Voldemort's downfall. The Death Eaters likely knew that the Dark Lord's plans had involved the Longbottoms, so they thought the Aurors might have known what happened to him. In truth, Frank and Alice had no more answers than anyone else, so they couldn't have given in to Bellatrix's torture even if they wanted to. By the time these last Death Eaters were rounded up by the Ministry of Magic, Frank and Alice's minds were past saving, and they became residents of St. Mungo's Hospital for Magical Maladies and Injuries.
4 Neville Thought The Golden Trio Had Bullied Him In Philosopher's Stone
One of the more significant changes in Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone from book to movie was the scene where the Golden Trio got detention after Malfoy snitched on the group for sneaking around at night. In the original text, Ron was in the Hospital Wing this particular night, thanks to a bite from Norbert the dragon. So, it was only Harry and Hermione who were out of bed. Like the movie, they were followed by Draco Malfoy, who had overheard Harry talking about Hagrid's dragon. Unlike the film, they were also followed by Neville Longbottom.
Neville had overheard that Malfoy planned to get Harry in trouble, so he left the Gryffindor's common room hoping to warn him. Unfortunately, McGonagall found him first. The professor assumed that Harry had lied about a dragon to get Draco in trouble and stated that he was probably all too happy to learn that Neville had also fallen for the trick. The poor first year was heartbroken to think that Harry would do this, and since they all were punished, Harry didn't have a chance to set the record straight.
3 Neville Only Earned His Gran's Approval After Risking His Life In Harry Potter
Neville's grandmother, Augusta Longbottom, was always critical of her grandson. Whenever he talked about her, it was often regarding her feelings that he never lived up to his father's legacy. Aside from allowing him to be hung out a window without knowing if he could save himself, there was never an indication that Augusta was physically abusive—but the way she treated Neville made it clear why his confidence was so low. Then, the fact that her tune changed entirely after the events of Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix made this relationship even more tragic.
After Neville fought alongside Harry at the Order of the Phoenix at the Ministry of Magic, Augusta finally became proud of her grandson. There was little concern for the very real danger he had put himself in at only 15—she was just glad to see that Frank and Alice's son wasn't so different from them after all. Neville had always been a child worthy of pride and praise, but his Gran could only see after he demonstrated bravery.
2 Neville's Lack Of Skill May Have Been Because Of His Wand
Everything changed for Neville after the events of Order of the Phoenix. Of course, this had a lot to do with Dumbledore's Army. Harry turned out to be a great teacher for Neville, so his skills developed far faster in that one year than of all those previous. Still, Neville struggled with the spells at first and required much more practice than his classmates to get them down. However, at the beginning of the Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince book, Neville revealed that up to that year, he had been using his father's old wand. After the events at the Department of Mysteries, his Gran was finally proud enough to buy him his own.
The Harry Potter series has been consistent in that a wand that hasn't chosen a wizard will never work as well as one that has. Still, Augusta Longbottom seemed to believe that her son's skill would pass to Neville if he used the man's wand. Though it's only a Harry Potter theory, it makes sense that Neville's magical ability would improve once he began using a wand that had picked him to be its owner. This is especially tragic since it proves that if Augusta had only accepted her grandson for who he was rather than trying to turn him into her son, Neville would have had a much easier time.
1 Neville Was The Last Person To See Harry Before His Sacrifice In Deathly Hallows
Neville's role in Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows was significant since if it wasn't for his quick action against Nagini, Harry wouldn't have been able to defeat Voldemort during their final battle. Additionally, his speech to Voldemort after Harry's supposed death demonstrated how his fight wouldn't end, no matter how many heroes were lost. Still, this moment was far more impactful in the Harry Potter books since Neville had been the last to see Harry before he entered the Forbidden Forest to sacrifice his life.
Though the Deathly Hallows movie saw Harry say goodbye to Ron and Hermione and instruct them to kill Nagini, the final Horcrux, he specifically avoided this in the book. After leaving Dumbledore's office, Harry knew that seeing his two best friends would only make him lose his nerve, so he headed to the forest under his Invisibility Cloak. On his way, he saw Neville tending to the bodies of the fallen. Harry decided to reveal himself to Neville, and though he didn't tell him his sacrificial plan, he did ask him to kill Voldemort's snake. Neville agreed, and his last words to Harry before the Boy Who Lived left for the forest was, "We’re all going to keep fighting, Harry. You know that?”
Before sacrificing himself, Harry had passed his mission to the boy who was most like him—who had lost his parents to Voldemort and had also been prophesized to take the villain down. Neville didn't fully understand this, but he took the responsibility seriously. After seeing what he believed to be Harry's dead body, Neville wasted no time making good on his promise. He stood in front of Voldemort and screamed that he wouldn't back down, and shortly after, he killed the great snake. It was the grand conclusion to Neville's sad but heroic character arc—something the Harry Potter movies just didn't adequately capture.
