Most people see today and saw “Happy birthday, Harry” but it is also Neville Longbottom’s birthday. And that’s important too.
Most people push Neville Longbottom to the side and to be quite honest, that’s not really fair. Not because Neville isn’t important (he really is). But rather because he was a bumbling idiot until later in the series.
As Neville Longbottom grew up, we suddenly found a fondness for him but we need to look at him more carefully. First of all, his life was just as sad as Harry’s. Yes, his grandmother who loved him raised him, but think about his parents.
He grew up going to see his parents who were driven mad by Bellatrix Lestrange. He had to watch what was happening to his parents as a kid and not do anything about it. Harry’s parents were dead and as sad as that is, at least Harry didn’t have to watch their decline like Neville did.
And Harry was famous with friends, Neville wasn’t. He barely had anyone until later in the series. But as Neville grew, so did our love for him. And that is something we should all be grateful for.
We grew to love Neville Longbottom and it is an amazing thing to see. Not only is he strong but he also is the one who defeats Nagini to help save the day. And that, in my opinion, makes Neville pretty amazing.
Next: Why July 31st is important: Happy birthday, Harry Potter
So here’s to Neville, the hero we know and love! May you have a wonderful birthday because, truly, you deserve it! Because really, without Neville Longbottom where would we be? And we could have had this entire series from Neville’s perspective as well! So Happy birthday, Neville. We hope it’s a fantastic one.