Neville Longbottom; he’s both an underdog and a hero. Many were delighted by his changes throughout the Harry Potter series. We got to see him grow up from the awkward boy with no confidence, into something so much more. There’s no doubt in our minds that Neville was one of the hidden heroes of the series.
However, the truth of the matter is, the Neville from the books is quite different from the Neville in the movies. Some of these changes were negligible, while others probably still bug fans to this day. And let’s not forget all of the little details the movies left out in their entirety. So we’re here to set the record straight: here are ten things that the movies deliberately changed about the endearing Neville Longbottom.
His Looks
One of the things Harry Potter fans have more or less come to terms with is how different some of the characters looked from the way they were described in the books. The movies had to make a lot of compromises, in terms of minor details about our favorite characters. In the grand scheme of things, as long as they looked mostly accurate, that’s the best most expect.
Neville was no exception to this policy. In the books, Neville is described as being blond, but fans have mostly adjusted to the idea of him being a brunette, thanks to Matthew Lewis’ portrayal of the character.
His Childhood
The movies did not do justice, in regards to Neville’s childhood. In fact, they don’t do much more than mention that his family believed he was a Squib for a good long while. But there’s so much more to it than that.
Most of Neville’s backstory is erased in the movies, for sake of time. And thus, his parents are not mentioned much. In the books, it’s made painfully clear that his parents are alive but that they are in St Mungos due to the mental damage they took from being tortured.
Additionally, Neville’s extended family (aunts, uncles, and grandparents) went to extreme lengths to try and test and/or force out the magic hidden within Neville. A lot of what was done could and should be considered child abuse.
Shifting the Credit
Most fans are aware that lines and actions were altered, from the books to the movies. Sometimes that meant that a character would get credit for something they didn’t actually do in the books and that happened with Neville, as well. Though in his case we can argue that it was done to his favor.
In the movies, we saw him hand Harry Potter Gillyweed, but in the books, he merely came up with the idea (it was Dobby who provided the hard to find plant). Another example is the time that Neville found the Room of Requirement. That didn’t actually happen in the books.
The Slug Club
A lot of minor subplots were changed throughout the course of the adapting process. The movie runtimes were a major limiting factor, but some of those changes didn’t make that much sense. Nor did they save the movie at any time.
For example, a scene in Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince showed Neville being a server during one of Slughorn’s parties. Which makes no sense, since in the books Neville was among the students that Slughorn had personally invited.
His Love of Luna Lovegood
Perhaps one of the biggest complaints from fans is the way the romances were portrayed in the movies. Many felt that more buildup was needed. Ironically, Neville also experienced a change in his love life for the movies.
In the movies, we got to see Neville fall for Luna Lovegood (and who can blame him). In fact, in the final movie, he rushed off so that he could confess his love to her. Unfortunately, that isn’t the case for the books. In the books, Luna was never a love interest for Neville. Though perhaps she should have been.
His Father’s Wand
One of the many details left out about Neville revolved around his wand. Or, more accurately, around his father’s wand. You see, Neville wasn’t quite as bad at magic as we were lead to believe. Remember that whole thing about the wand choosing the wizard, and thus connections to wands being fairly important?
Well, up until late in the series, Neville was using his father’s wand. Which means he was using a wand that was a bad fit for him.
Once his wand got replaced (because the other had been broken), Neville finally got a wand that chose him, and thus he had a much easier time with basic magic.
His Grandmother
Neville’s grandmother is a character who gets briefly mentioned, here and there, in the movies. Her most iconic mention is the time that Neville’s boggart got dressed up as her. But in the books, his grandmother actually played a slightly larger role.
For one thing, she kept pushing poor Neville towards the branches of magic she approved of, and thus away from charms. Ironically, those are the subjects he was the worst at. Then there was the time the Death Eaters tried to attack her, in order to reign Neville in. That didn’t work out too well for them. Finally, she joined in with the rest of Harry’s allies during the Battle of Hogwarts. Who knows how many Death Eaters she took out in her determination to find her grandson.
The Chosen One (Almost)
Perhaps the most important detail the movies left out about Neville Longbottom involves his connection to the infamous prophecy. Or his potential connection, that is. You remember the prophecy, the whole reason Voldemort targeted Harry’s family? Well, it turns out that it could have applied to two different infants. Harry or Neville.
Because Voldemort chose to go after the Potters, he marked Harry as his equal and thus made Harry part of the prophecy. Had he chosen differently though, there’s a very good chance that Neville himself would have ended up being the Chosen One. And it’d be interesting to see how that series of events would have played out.
A Tortured Soul
Yet another fact in a long list of things they left out about Neville; he faced more than his fair share of torture, throughout the course of the series. Perhaps they cut all of that in an attempt to make the movie a little less horrifying, we’re not sure.
The truth is that Neville faced a lot of physical harm and torture throughout the series. First, during the battle at the Ministry of Magic, he had his nose broken. Then, later, he was beaten and tortured for resisting the Death Eater’s takeover of Hogwarts. And finally, Voldemort tortured Neville by trying to set him on fire (he set the Sorting Hat on fire, which had been placed upon Neville’s head). And those are just the largest moments in his painful history.
A Force of Strength in Deathly Hallows
During Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, the Death Eaters were doing their best to take over Hogwarts. That means that they were actively torturing students, trying to teach the Dark Arts, and doing lots of other horrific things and it was Neville who stood up to them.
He rallied the students around him, creating resistance of sorts. He kept Dumbledore’s Army alive, and created hope and a safe place for the students of Hogwarts. And we are utterly shocked and disappointed that much of this was cut out completely from the movies. In many ways, this was the biggest part of what Neville had done in the series.
