There are a lot of characters to maintain observe of within the magical “Harry Potter” universe, but it surely’s inconceivable to neglect about Neville Longbottom, the shy and forgetful boy (performed within the movies by Matthew Lewis) who will get sorted into Gryffindor together with Harry Potter (Daniel Radcliffe) himself. After we first meet Neville in each the e-book and movie of “Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone” (or “Thinker’s Stone,” if you happen to reside overseas), he is misplaced observe of his toad Trevor, and his candy, bumbling conduct persists all through the story. Sadly, throughout “Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fireplace,” Harry learns one thing genuinely devastating about Neville’s mother and father … and the flicks do not truly embrace the entire tragic particulars.
On the floor, Harry and Neville have very related tales. Each of them have been the one sons of Aurors, and Harry’s mother and father Lily and Alice, alongside Neville’s mother and father Frank and Alice, have been members of the Order of the Phoenix, which rallied towards the Darkish Lord Voldemort (Ralph Fiennes within the movie collection) earlier than Harry and Neville have been even born. Harry’s mother and father have been, fairly infamously, killed by Voldemort when he was only a child; Neville’s mother and father are alive however confronted a horrifying destiny after they have been tortured by a gaggle of Voldemort’s supporters and left so mentally broken that they have been by no means capable of absolutely recuperate. This reality is revealed within the motion pictures, however a scene within the e-book model of “Order of the Phoenix” truly options Frank and Alice … and it is completely devastating.
Neville’s mother and father are alive — however they do not acknowledge their very own son
After Arthur Weasley (Mark Williams within the motion pictures) is attacked by Voldemort’s snake Nagini, he leads to St Mungo’s Hospital for Magical Maladies and Accidents for therapy — and when his household and buddies go to go to him, Harry calls consideration to a well-known face. That face is Neville’s, and he is shocked to see them; because the e-book reads, “Neville seemed as if he would slightly be anyplace on this planet however right here. A uninteresting purple flush was creeping up his plump face and he was not making eye contact with them.” Neville is accompanied by his grandmother Augusta Longbottom, who raised him in his mother and father’ stead … however issues go very unsuitable for Neville when Augusta casually remarks that Neville’s father is within the ward.
Because of Ron’s gawking, Augusta realizes that Neville’s buddies do not learn about his mother and father (she has no concept that Harry came upon by chance a yr beforehand), and explains the scenario to the group earlier than Neville’s mom Alice unexpectedly joins them. “Neville’s mom had come edging down the ward in her nightdress,” the e-book says. “Her face was skinny and worn now, her eyes appeared overlarge, and her hair, which had turned white, was wispy and dead-looking. She didn’t appear to need to speka, or maybe she was not capable of, however she made timid motions towards Neville, holding one thing in her outstretched hand.” It seems to be a Droobles Blowing Gum wrapper, and the e-book continues, “His mom tottered away, again up the ward, buzzing to herself. Neville seemed round on the others, his expression defiant, as if daring them to chortle, however Harry didn’t assume he’d ever discovered something much less humorous in his life.”
Neville pockets the gum wrapper whereas his grandmother is not paying consideration, leaving Harry, Hermione, Ron, and Ginny completely surprised. It is a heartbreaking scene, and it makes Neville’s story even sadder.
By the top of the books, Neville turns into a hero
There’s yet one more factor you’ll want to know in regards to the torture of Neville’s mother and father Frank and Alice Longbottom, which is that they have been suffering from particular Loss of life Eaters: Bellatrix Lestrange (Helena Bonham Carter), Bartemius Crouch Jr. (David Tennant), and some others, together with Bellatrix’s husband and his brother. Barty Crouch Jr. is defeated on the finish of the earlier installment, “Goblet of Fireplace,” after impersonating Hogwarts professor and Auror Mad-Eye Moody (Brendan Gleeson) for a complete college yr, however in “Order of the Phoenix,” Bellatrix breaks out of the wizarding jail Azkaban together with a handful of different sadistic Loss of life Eaters.
Confronted with the prospect of the girl who tortured his mother and father coming to seek out him or hurting others, Neville, for lack of a greater time period, ranges up. He practices greater than anybody else within the scholar vigilante group dubbed “Dumbledore’s Military” (which research and practices defensive spells in honor of Hogwarts headmaster Albus Dumbledore, performed by Michael Gambon, and despite the hated Hogwarts professor and Ministry of Magic plant Dolores Umbridge, performed by Imelda Staunton), and in “Deathly Hallows,” his true energy turns into clear. Not solely is he main the principle scholar insurrection towards the Loss of life Eaters overtly main the wizarding college, however he additionally is continuous Dumbledore’s Military in secret — and when Harry, Ron, and Hermione return to the fortress to seek out one in every of Voldemort’s Horcruxes (or a chunk of his soul embedded in a magical object), Neville performs a pivotal function in all of it. After Harry sacrifices himself to Voldemort to destroy the Horcrux residing in his personal soul, Neville, a real Gryffindor, is presented with the Sword of Gryffindor by the Sorting Hat … and makes use of it to kill Voldemort’s snake Nagini, the ultimate Horcrux. Harry finally takes Voldemort down, however Neville makes it doable.
Neville Longbottom might have been The Boy Who Lived — if it wasn’t for Voldemort
Harry’s mother and father are fairly famously killed by Voldemort earlier than the narrative even begins — however actual “Harry Potter” followers know that, if Voldemort had carried out one tiny factor in a different way, Neville might have been “the Boy Who Lived” and even died through the Darkish Lord’s assault. The prophecy regarding Harry, which Voldemort solely hears a small portion of due to his bumbling spy Severus Snape (the late Alan Rickman), says that the kid born to defy Voldemort will probably be born as “the seventh month dies” (so the top of July) and born to oldsters who’ve “thrice defied” Voldemort. Each Harry and Neville have been born in late July — actually, Neville, born on July 30, is at some point older than Harry — and each the Longbottoms and Potters escaped fights with their lives towards Voldemort 3 times.
The a part of the prophecy that Voldemort did not hear, although, got here all the way down to his alternative … in that the Darkish Lord would “mark him,” with him being the prophesized boy, “as his equal.” By selecting to assault Harry and the Potter household, Voldemort ensured that Harry would turn into his rival and did not perceive that, when Harry’s mom Lily stood in entrance of her son and begged for his life to be spared, providing herself within the course of, Harry would achieve lifelong magical safety. To be sincere, although, Neville had a lot occurring within the “Harry Potter” books and flicks; he did not additionally should be the savior of the wizarding world.
The “Harry Potter” motion pictures are streaming on Peacock now.
