Neville Longbottom

Neville Longbottom is a fictional character in J. K. Rowling's Harry Potter book series. He is described as a round-faced Gryffindor student in the central character Harry Potter's year. Throughout the series, Neville is often portrayed as a bumbling and disorganised character, and a rather mediocre student, though he is highly gifted at Herbology. However, the character's personality appears to undergo a transition after he joins Dumbledore's Army in Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix. The encouragement he receives gives him confidence in his magical abilities, turning him into a more competent wizard. Eventually, Neville becomes the leader of Dumbledore's Army during Harry, Ron and Hermione's absence searching for Horcruxes. Neville is instrumental in the downfall of Lord Voldemort and eventually destroys the final Horcrux, which allows Harry to defeat The Dark Lord once and for all. Neville is portrayed in the film adaptations by Matthew Lewis. Character development Although a secondary character in the first four books, Neville appears often in the role of comic relief. He is one of Harry's strongest supporters over the course of the series, and becomes close friends with Ron, Hermione, Ginny, and Luna as well. Neville plays a significant part in the two final books and the fight against Lord Voldemort, destroying the final Horcrux, Nagini, with the Sword of Gryffindor. The Sword appearing for Neville in his time of need is Neville's confirmation that he is a true Gryffindor, as he had always doubted his placement in the house since the beginning, wondering why he was not sorted into Hufflepuff. Rowling revealed in an interview that "there's a lot of Neville in me—this feeling of just never being quite good enough... I felt that a lot when I was younger". For that reason, she wanted Neville to do something brave in Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone, in which Neville "finds true moral courage in standing up to his closest friends—the people who are on his side" towards the climax of the novel. She also said in that interview that this was "...a very important moment for me too in the first book". Appearances