Neville Longbottom, an unlikely hero of the Harry Potter series, won many fans. His bumbling mannerisms and late bloomer appeal spoke to many readers and watchers who recognized themselves in a character that had to learn to be a hero instead of stepping right into the role.
Neville had to overcome the scorn of many students - and teachers - but memorably came into his own over the course of the series. Here are the ten worst things Hogwarts students did to Neville.
Laughing At Neville During His Very Public Sorting
Neville had it quite rough his first year in school. His problems began on the Hogwarts Express, but Neville got his first real taste of cruelty from his peers during the Sorting Ceremony. Neville’s Sorting took an unusually long time, mostly because Neville tried to argue the Sorting Hat into placing him in Hufflepuff. The shy child who thought of himself as a near-Squib and had suffered the loss of his pet on his first trip to school also had to endure the laughter of classmates as he ran from the stool after his Sorting with the hat still on his head, a clear moment of forgetfulness due to extreme nerves.
Draco Bullied Neville During Classes
Things did not get easier for Neville in his first year. Neville struggled with his first flying lesson, then Draco Malfoy made fun of is injuries and attempted to steal his Remembrall. Later, Draco struck Neville with the Leg-Locker Curse, leaving poor Neville to bunny hop from the lower floors to Gryffindor Tower until someone could release the curse. At least Neville received a warm welcome, where Harry attempted to comfort him and offered him chocolate frogs.
Draco Terrified Neville In The Forbidden Forest
Neville’s suffering at Draco Malfoy’s hands wasn’t over. Neville tried to push past his fears to warn Harry, Hermione, and Ron that Draco was aware of Hagrid’s illegal dragon. Unfortunately, he was rewarded with near-instant capture by Professor McGonagall and subsequent detention to be served in the Forbidden Forest. Although Harry, Draco, and Neville were all clearly frightened of the forest, Draco played a cruel joke on Neville and snuck up behind him, then grabbed him to scare him. Poor Neville, already frightened, was subjected to the further indignity of Hagrid’s grumbling about his cowardice in front of his peers.
Neville’s Friends Put Him In A Full Body Bind And Left Him Terrified On The Floor
Neville’s unfortunate first year came to a spectacular conclusion. Neville quite sensibly noted that the trio’s adventures had already got them all into repeated trouble and lost Gryffindor many points. Though he was frightened and risking his only real social ties, Neville tried to stand up to his friends nevertheless. Hermione hit him with a full body-bind curse and left him on the ground. It may have been a small consolation that Dumbledore awarded Neville 10 house points (thus pushing Gryffindor to victory) for standing up to his friends, though Neville had to live with their evident disregard for him nonetheless.
Neville’s Friends Refused To Walk Him Home From Class And Left Him Stranded Outside
When Hogwarts was on high alert for possible incursions by Azkaban escapee Sirius Black, Neville’s poor memory landed him in hot water. After the Fat Lady fled her job as Gryffindor’s door guardian, the excitable Sir Cadogan took over. Sir Cadogan changed the passwords so often that poor Neville was reduced to writing them down.
After this security breach led Neville to be banned from knowing the password, he was forced to wait in the hallway outside his own dorm until someone came along each day. Neville, who had classes alongside many friends, should not have been hung out to dry in this way. Kinder friends would have walked him back to the common room from class.
Nobody Stepped Up To Partner Neville In Dumbledore’s Army
Neville was a stout friend and defender of Harry’s, even through Harry’s surly moods and the cloud of suspicion hanging over him. When Dumbledore’s Army was proposed, stouthearted Neville was one of the very first to sign up. However, other students did not react kindly to his loyalty or bravery, and he was left partnerless at the first meeting of the D.A. Maybe this unkindness was a blessing in disguise; Harry stepped forward to partner Neville, and Neville flourished under Harry’s teaching methods at the D.A., gaining many practical skills and parlaying his success into an Exceeds Expectation O.W.L. in Defense Against the Dark Arts.
Romilda Vane Dissed Neville To His Face
Romilda Vane, a younger Gryffindor student, caused many problems for Harry and his friends in Harry’s sixth year at the school. Her first introduction set the tone. Romilda Vane burst into a Hogwarts Express compartment that Harry shared with his friends Neville and Luna Lovegood. Even after Neville had distinguished himself in the DA in Year 5 and fought side-by-side with Harry, Romilda felt it necessary to loudly stage-whisper that “You don’t have to sit with them.” It was almost more depressing than insulting; Neville and Luna took this in unsurprised stride and were more confused that Harry rushed to claim them as friends than that they had been delivered such an obvious insult.
Harry Insulted Neville’s Heroic Efforts At The Department Of Mysteries
Harry was a kind character and a heroic one, but he didn’t have a lick of people sense. Neville often stood stoutly behind Harry, only to be rejected or belittled. One of the most prominent examples was at the battle at the Department of Mysteries. Neville bravely volunteered to assist Harry’s dangerous raid on the Ministry of Magic over Harry’s objections, but Harry kept rejecting Neville’s contributions throughout.
Multiple times over the course of the battle with Death Eaters, Harry sought to send Neville back to school and take him out of the fighting. Though Neville stuck it out and sustained heavy injuries, it is easy to imagine that Harry’s behavior felt like a vote of no confidence for one of his most loyal supporters, even though Harry likely meant to take the danger on himself and spare Neville.
Hogwarts Students Rejected Neville
Neville was left stranded and alone, despite his heroics, in his sixth year at Hogwarts. At the end of Half-Blood Prince, Neville and Luna Lovegood are the only members of the D.A. still checking their enchanted galleons. It is intimated that this is because, though Neville showed himself time and again to be brave and loyal, he still remained lonely and not well-liked through the sixth year. His peers’ continuous rejection is definitely one of the meanest things other students at Hogwarts heaped on Neville.
Student Performed The Same Unforgivable Curse That Drove Neville’s Parents To Madness
Neville came into his own as the leader of a rebellion within a Hogwarts run by Death Eaters in the seventh year. Neville was incredibly brave, enduring torture for his defiant actions. His ability to keep fighting in the face of resurging trauma and provocations from his fellow students was a true achievement. By far the worst thing that Neville’s fellow Hogwarts students did to him was practice the Cruciatus Curse on fellow students - and, it is heavily implied, possibly Neville. Neville’s parents were tortured into insanity by the Cruciatus Curse, and book 4 made it clear that any use of the Curse had a profound flashback effect on Neville. The wanton use of the Curse by fellow students must have been a misery to him, but Neville stayed stout in the face of it.
