Extra Credit Post - Long Live Longbottom!

After reading the final book again, I have come to the conclusion that Neville is by far my favorite character besides the trio. He shows great growth since the beginning f this adventure and we finally get to see his true colors. After things just go from bad to worse, when the world is falling to its knees at the hands of Voldemort and his army, the trio must find and destroy the horcruxes. But then that leaves the question of what is becoming of Hogwarts while they are gone? Who will the students look to for leadership and rally with to defeat the 'bad thing' this time? Surprisingly, Neville is the one to step up and take over. When we finally run into him again, we see that he's taken the role that Harry once had and he is helping students to fight back and take back the school, little by little. He even participates in the fight and killing the snake with the Sword of Gryffindor. This is totally backwards from what we have seen of him before. Back in his first year, he was meek and he really didn't pose any sort of threat. Now, he has proven to everyone that he is a force to be reckoned with. By the time the book ends, I saw him in a whole new light. He's not weak and he's not a coward. He's smart and brave, and he is the underdog. Thinking of him and how his character developed in the last book, it reminds me of a phrase said to me plenty of times, "Be careful of the quiet ones. They'll be the ones to surprise you."