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Would Neville Longbottom Have Survived If Voldemort Had Marked Neville For Death Rather Than Harry?


If Voldemort had marked Neville Longbottom as his equal, instead of Harry Potter, would Neville have survived the Killing Curse as Harry did? Neville and Harry are both inherently brave; however, their personalities are quite opposite. What would have happened if Voldemort had marked the Longbottoms for death instead of the Potters? How would history have been different? Here are a couple relevant passages from Order of the Phoenix:


Sybill Trelawney's prophecy:



"The one with the power to vanquish the Dark Lord approaches. Born to those who have thrice defied him, born as the seventh month dies. And the Dark Lord will mark him as his equal, but he will have power the Dark Lord knows not. And either must die at the hand of the other, for neither can live while the other survives. The one with the power to vanquish the Dark Lord will be born as the seventh month dies . . ."



Order of the Phoenix - Page 841 - US Hardcover



After relating the prophecy to Harry, Dumbledore says:



"You are forgetting the next part of the prophecy, the final identifying feature of the boy who could vanquish Voldemort. . . . Voldemort himself would 'mark him as his equal.' And so he did, Harry. He chose you, not Neville. He gave you the scar that has proved both blessing and curse."


Order of the Phoenix - Page 842 - US Hardcover




Answer



In short, I think not.


There are two potential factors here, the Neville that we know, and how he would have been changed if Voldemort had killed his parents. We'll assume his mother died for him as Harry's did for Harry, and so he survived.



First, Neville as we know him. I think, as brave and nice as he is, he does not have the initiative, ability, or deep friendship with Hermione and Ron to destroy Voldemort as Harry did. I don't think Neville would have been able to get out of all the scrapes Harry did (although I suspect he wouldn't have gotten into as many to begin with, and that alone could have prevented him from having the opportunity to destroy Voldemort). I don't think he could have taught Dumbledore's army. And, most importantly, I don't think he would have left school to track down all the horcruxes. He just wasn't that sort of person.


And second, what would change if Voldemort had "mark[ed] him as his equal." Neville grew up being raised by his grandmother. That probably wouldn't have changed. He wouldn't be able to see his parents over holidays, and if anything I think that would make him less confident, with more anger and, therefore, less control. I don't think Voldemort destroying his family directly would have made him a more able wizard, and I think the prophecy would not have been fulfilled because I don't think Voldemort attacking him would have made him his equal.


For the timeline with Neville's parents, we go to book 4, inside Dumbledore's memories. Four people (Barty Crouch Jr, Bellatrix and her husband are not explicitly named but are two of them, and the fourth is Rabastan Lestrange):



The four of you stand accused of capturing an Auror - Frank Longbottom - and subjecting him to the Cruciatus Curse, believing him to have knowledge of the present whereabouts of your exiled master, He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named
...
You are further accused... of using the Cruciatus Curse on Frank Longbottom's wife, when she would not give you information.



Shortly thereafter, Dumbledore pulls Harry out and explains:




The Longbottoms were very popular... The attacks on them came after Voldemort's fall from power, just when everyone thought they were safe.



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