While Harry Potter, Ron Weasley, and Hermione Granger are the three big figures of JK Rowling's book and movie series, Neville Longbottom is potentially the franchise's biggest unsung hero. He starts off as a nerdy and scared student at Hogwarts in the Sorcerer's Stone but, by the end of the Deathly Hallows, had transformed himself to become one of the big players in the fight against Lord Voldemort and his horrible Death Eaters.
And while fans of the movies got to see plenty of Neville on the big screen, his character is significantly expanded on in the source material. So here are a few things only book fans know about him.
Voldemort Nearly Chose Neville Over Harry
Severus Snape, having overheard part of Sybill Trelawney's prophecy to Albus Dumbledore, rushes away from The Hog's Head to immediately relay information to his master. Afterward, the Dark Lord proceeds to go after Lily Potter, James Potter, and their baby boy Harry. However, he could very easily have gone after Neville instead.
The prophecy referred to a boy who was born in the month of July and whose parents had thwarted the villain three times before. Neville and his parents ticked the same boxes as Lily, James, and Harry but Voldemort decided to go after the latter instead. His plan ultimately backfires, however, with Harry surviving the killing curse.
His Family Thought He Was A Squib
While Neville had famous and talented parents, the majority of his family didn't think he possessed any magical talent whatsoever. And his great-uncle Algie was no different, putting the poor boy through a series of tests to 'try and force' some magic out of him.
Algie once pushed Neville off the end of Blackpool pier and he very nearly drowned. A little while later he then hung his relative by his ankles out of a window - and dropping him when he was offered a delicious meringue. Fortunately, Neville survived the incident, showing he did possess magical talent at the same time.
He Also Knew About Fluffy The Dog
In The Sorcerer's Stone movie, it's Harry, Ron, and Hermione who find out about the existence of Fluffy the Dog. The trio are roaming the school at night and encounter the beast while on the run from caretaker Argus Filch, who is alerted to their presence.
In the book, however, things are different. Neville is stuck with the trio after being locked out of Gryffindor Tower, having just got back from the Hospital Wing. He accompanies them and, like the other pupils in his house, is left traumatized by what he saw. Harry and his friends convince him to stay quiet.
Snape Bullied Him Severely
In the Prisoner of Azkaban blockbuster, it's revealed that the thing Neville fears most is Professor Snape. But fans of solely the movies may have been confused by this, with the pair never sharing a single interaction on the big screen.
But, in the source material, it's made clear that Snape bullies Neville on a regular basis. He makes continuously nasty comments about Longbottom's intelligence, takes the mickey out of his Potions ability, and appears to enjoy taking house points off the poor boy as well. Harry and Hermione do their best to try and help Neville through Potions class but it takes every ounce of courage for the young boy to turn up in the first place. Fans have since suggested that Snape was so harsh on Neville because he saw many similarities with his own, shunned, teenage self.
He Was Put Under The Imperius Curse
In the Goblet of Fire, Barty Crouch Jr takes Polyjuice Potion to disguise himself as Auror Alastor Moody. While he actually proves to be a pretty decent teacher, he's also hands-on. And, for their fourth-year exam in the book, he puts all of the students in his class under the Imperius Curse to see how they fare.
Hilariously, Neville manages gymnastics that Harry is certain he wouldn't normally be capable of. The Boy Who Lived is the only person in the class who is able to fend off the curse, scoring highly as a result. It's a funny scene but, again, it's one that only book fans know of - with Moody experimenting on his pupils left out of the fourth movie in the series.
He Visited His Parents At Christmas
Neville's parents are mysterious figures, with very little known about them up until the Goblet of Fire. In that movie, Harry finds out that Aurors Frank and Alice were tortured into insanity by the Death Eaters, who were led by the repulsive Bellatrix Lestrange and nasty Barty Crouch Jr. And, in The Order of the Phoenix, it's shown that Neville often spends Christmas Day with the pair.
It's a sweet, poignant moment as Neville bonds with two people who barely recognize him - but still love him in equal measure. He's told off by his grandmother but pockets sweet wrappers she gives him regardless. Ron and Hermione are both shocked by this revelation but Harry was in the know, having been sworn to secrecy by Albus Dumbledore the previous year.
He Broke The Prophecy
In the fifth movie, the Order of the Phoenix, Neville takes place at the Battle at the Department of Mysteries within the Ministry of Magic itself. Lucius Malfoy ends up breaking the prophecy in the blockbuster but, in the book of the same name, things are different.
Neville ends up accidentally breaking it while Harry attempts to save him, with the pair both under heavy attack from Death Eaters at the time. Neville gives everything to the fight and, despite being magically inferior to many of his foes, commendably holds his own amid the heat of the battle. Harry is gutted to see the prophecy break but knows he can't do anything about it. To this day, it's unlikely that Neville was aware the little orb could have referred to himself, rather than his Gryffindor housemate.
He Wins His Grandmother's Trust
As mentioned above, Neville's grandmother is a fierce woman. She's extremely difficult for him to please, especially when she always talks up how inferior he is compared to his Auror parents. Augusta Longbottom doesn't appear in the Deathly Hallows: Part 2 movie but, in the book, she's involved in a rather sweet moment.
When she emerges from the secret passageway between Hogwarts and The Hog's Head, she immediately asks where her grandson is. When Harry tells her he's fighting, she responds proudly by saying 'Naturally.' It's a touching moment and, had it been shown in the movie, it would have shown just how far Neville has come.
He Was Tortured By Lord Voldemort
In the Deathly Hallows book, everybody thinks all is lost when Harry appears to have died in battle. Voldemort gloatingly invites members of the Order of the Phoenix and Dumbledore's Army to stand before him and commit themselves to do his bidding. Neville, though, makes a stand of defiance instead.
This enrages the Dark Lord, who uses the moment as a chance to lay down the law. He tortures Neville by freezing him and placing the Sorting Hat on his head, before setting it on fire. Fortunately, it does no damage thanks to Harry's protection and, when he breaks free, he joins the fight again. Neville ends up beheading Voldemort's snake Nagini, forcing the deranged wizard into turning his wand on the Gryffindor pupil, but fortunately survives the Battle of Hogwarts.
He Becomes Herbology Teacher
Neville wasn't the brightest student during his time at Hogwarts. However, the one subject he thrives at is Herbology. And, after his time at the school, he studies hard in order to replace Professor Sprout as the Herbology teacher.
This little tidbit of information is told in the very last chapter of the series in The Deathly Hallows. Harry and Ginny tell their children to give Neville 'their love' but they protest, insisting you can't say such things to a teacher. That's a pretty fair point, even if Neville fought valiantly alongside the pair during his younger years.