I've made no secret of my great affection for the character of Neville Longbottom. He really is one of my very favorite characters in the entire Harry Potter series. I think one reason I enjoy Order of the Phoenix so much is that Neville has such an important part to play in many of the events, and we learn far more about him.
I've always loved that Neville is in Gryffindor. It seems it would have been quite plausible for the sorting hat to have put him in Hufflepuff (hard workers, loyal, not too flashy) just as it would made some sense if the sorting hat had put Hermione in Ravenclaw (all those brains!). The fact that both are Gryffindors proves, I think, that courage is at the heart of who they are, even more than some of their surface character traits.
We've seen glimpses of Neville's courage all along, even from the beginning. Dumbledore acknowledges Neville's bravery in Sorcerer's Stone when he awards him the points that put Gryffindor over the top to win the house cup (a scene which many people, me included, hope is major foreshadowing for Neville's eventual role in the final battle). But it's in OotP that Neville really shows his Gryffindor courage. In the Department of Mysteries battle with the Death Eaters, he's the last student standing with Harry. He is resolute and absolutely determined to stand with his friend and to fight, right there in the face of terrible evil.
I think one of my all time favorite moments comes when Neville faces Bellatrix Lestrange. This is a dramatic and dark moment: here is this bloodied, broken-nosed, not-quite-fifteen year old boy facing the terrible woman who tortured his parents into insanity. When she taunts him that's she had "the pleasure" of meeting his parents, we get this line from Rowling:
"I DOE YOU HAB!" roared Neville, and he fought so hard against his captor's encircling grip that the Death Eater shouted, "Someone Stun him!"
I love Rowling for her word choice here. Note what ISN'T said...she doesn't have Neville shout, or yell, or scream, or rage, or bellow, or any of those other perfectly acceptable words. To describe what he sounds like here, she says he ROARED. As well she should. Because Neville, like Harry, is a true Gryffindor. He is lionhearted through and through.
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Ooh, you're right! "Roar" is such a wonderful word to use with Neville in that scene. What a terrible thing to come face to face with this woman had wrought so much misery in his life, and to have her stand there and mock him... His fearlessness in the battle as he stands by Harry is impressive; I feel so badly for him dropping the prophecy, but it was much more important that Voldemort *not* get it than that it be preserved... His contributions far outweighed that little slip.
I was just thinking the other day about how Hermione seems like a Ravenclaw and Neville a Hufflepuff, especially with his intense interest in herbology. On the surface he does seem like a very anxious boy, not likely to be noted for his bravery, but courage can be found in surprising places. I really hope he has a major role in book seven too, and his prominence in OotP was one of my favorite aspects of the book.
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