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cares about him, but she’s also strict and fussy, expecting him to fall short of his own parents. Frank Longbottom was an Auror at one time, but was later rendered insane by Death Eaters along with his wife Alice, whom we see in a poignant scene with Neville at St. Mungo’s Hospital in OotP. So Neville is a survivor and has a lot to overcome as he grows up, from facing his scary Boggart, Professor Snape the Potions Master in PoA, to fighting the evil Bellatrix Lestrange, torturer of his parents, in OotP. He also isn’t afraid to cross his own friends as we first see in SS when Neville tries to stop the Trio from sneaking around and losing points (which later helps Gryffindor win the house cup). In DH, Neville could have played it safe and used his pureblood status as protection since Voldemort wants to preserve the purest wizards while killing off those with what he thinks is tainted blood. Instead, Neville stands up to the Death Eater Carrows who torture him, he keeps Dumbledore’s Army going, and he tells Voldemort that hell will freeze over before he will become a Death Eater.

Neville is like a brave knight of old who doesn’t know if he can win all his battles but keeps trying anyway. With his kind nature and love of plants, he could have been a Hufflepuff all the way, yet in DH he has his finest moment when he pulls the Sword of Gryffindor out of the Sorting Hat to slay Voldemort’s giant serpent Horcrux Nagini. The books are Neville’s hero tale as much as Harry’s, and perhaps his story is even more important because he had to do things on his own and find his own style of courage without help.

Verdict

Luna Lovegood is not afraid to be herself and she teaches Harry to look beyond appearances. Neville has a different role—he has to live in Harry’s shadow, but follow his own path to greatness. And in the end, Harry trusts Neville to keep up the fight and do the right thing. Both of these characters are crucial to Harry’s success, but the verdict is: Neville is the one who plays the best supporting role.

Which duel is the best in the series?

Harry and Voldemort in the Graveyard (GoF)

Most of the duels in HP are over within the blink of an eye, but the graveyard duel in GoF is lengthy and action-packed, so it is the best of the series. It occurs after Harry and Cedric Diggory have been tricked into using the Triwizard Tournament Cup as a Portkey, which takes them into the clutches of Peter Pettigrew and Lord Voldemort in the graveyard where Tom Riddle’s father is buried. Not only does Harry see his friend Cedric killed in cold blood, Harry is then tied to a headstone, traumatized, bleeding and mentally calling out for the police. He doesn’t seem to stand a chance against the newly arisen Voldemort. And, of course, the Noseless One has to laugh at the poor kid, taunting him about his dead parents, and he forces Harry to bow against his will, making a farce of the rules of dueling learned in CoS. Voldemort also cheats by knocking Harry down with a painful Crucio first, while the Death Eaters stand around and chuckle. But from the minute the real dueling action begins, the grins are wiped from their sadistic faces.

How great to see the usually boring Expelliarmus spell, which makes wands fly from someone’s hand, become something truly magical. It is the only spell Harry knows for dueling at this point in the series, and he just wants to knock Voldemort’s wand away and make a run for the Portkey so he can get back to Hogwarts. Instead, something amazing happens when Harry’s wand connects with Voldemort’s: He and the Dark Lord are lifted up like floating cage fighters in a dome of bright light. Harry begins to hear music that reminds him of the song of the phoenix, always a hopeful sound, and that seems to cause Voldemort to freak out as he is clueless about what is happening. To the surprise of the Death Eater crowd, their fearless leader is at the mercy of his own wand, which connects with Harry’s because they both have phoenix feathers inside them (as explained by Mr. Ollivander in SS). No other duel in the series