17

Harry has a connection with the darklord. That connection comes down to Voldemort picking Harry over Neville after hearing the prophesy. Harry and Voldemort share wand cores.

Would Harry's wand have picked him if he hadn't been scarred by its twin (Voledmorts wand)? Would it have picked Neville instead? Or are there too many factors involved for one difference to change which wand picks which wizard?

Edit:

I'm primarily interested form a wandlore perspective, so I'm assuming everything but the wand's choice has led the newly bescarred Neville to Ollivander's where he is now trying out wands...

Improve this question
2
  • 8
    In my view, the wand chose Harry because it was reacting to the piece of Voldemort left behind in Harry. So I think it would have chosen Neville if Voldemort had (and Neville had survived in the same way, protected by a parent's love). But I've got no evidence to back this up :)
    – hairboat
    Commented Oct 21, 2012 at 19:13
  • Other question: if Neville had grown up with his grandma being "The Boy Who Lived" would the fame have caused his personality to be different than the one he had first year?
    – childcat15
    Commented Oct 30, 2013 at 18:55

1 Answer 1

Reset to default
15

Definitely a complicated question.

Neville's first wand was a hand-me-down, which was broken in the Battle of the Department of Mysteries. It was only then that his Gran bought him a brand new wand. I presume it would be from Ollivanders. By that time we're at Half-Blood Prince, so I can't see how the holly and Phoenix feather wand could have chosen Neville, because by that time Harry already had it.

My point is that Augusta Longbottom, Neville's grandmother, was an incredibly domineering woman -- regardless of the status of the prophecy, I think would have made Neville take the used wand (I believe it was his father's wand) to Hogwarts during his first year. So I'm not sure he would have had the opportunity to be chosen by the holly wand before Harry.

Events would not have unfolded in exactly the same way if the prophecy had named Neville, I don't think. He might not have survived Avada Kedavra like Harry did. Harry's and Neville's gumption manifested in completely disparate ways. Would Alice Longbottom (Neville's mother) have put herself in between Neville and Voldemort? I'd like to think so. And this aspect is essential to the connection between Harry and Voldemort -- Lily's sacrifice.

The canon answer seems to be: It can't be known whether or not Neville would have been had Harry's experience as The Boy Who Lived. Thus, it can't be known whether the twin to Voldemort's wand (the holly/Phoenix feather wand) would have chosen Neville.

Neville’s childhood had been blighted by Voldemort just as much as Harry’s had, but Neville had no idea how close he had come to having Harry’s destiny. The prophecy could have referred to either of them, yet, for his own inscrutable reasons, Voldemort had chosen to believe that Harry was the one meant.

Had Voldemort chosen Neville, it would be Neville sitting opposite Harry bearing the lightning-shaped scar and the weight of the prophecy ... or would it? Would Neville’s mother have died to save him, as Lily had died for Harry? Surely she would ... but what if she had been unable to stand between her son and Voldemort? Would there, then, have been no ‘Chosen One’ at all? An empty seat where Neville now sat and a scarless Harry who would have been kissed goodbye by his own mother, not Ron’s?

Half-Blood Prince - pages 133-134 - Bloomsbury - chapter 7, The Slug Club

ETA: A related question maybe: Would Neville Longbottom have survived if Voldemort had marked him for death?

Improve this answer
9
  • 3
    @Pureferret -- I think if Neville had survived in exactly the same way as Harry does in the series that there would be a high chance the holly/Phoenix feather wand would have chosen him, because it is the aspects of Lord Voldemort's presence and the piece of his soul within Harry that exacerbates the continual occurrences of coincidental similarities between Harry and Voldemort. But that would be only if Neville survived in exactly the same way as Harry did. $0.02 :)
    – Slytherincess
    Commented Oct 21, 2012 at 20:16
  • 3
    In other words, I totally agree with Abby T. Miller, who said it first and much more succinctly than I did. :)
    – Slytherincess
    Commented Oct 21, 2012 at 20:38
  • 2
    Isn't there some JKR quote somewhere about how Neville could have done it too if he was in Harry's shoes? Shoes being "protected by his mother the same way Harry was".
    – Gorchestopher H
    Commented Oct 21, 2012 at 21:08
  • 2
    @Abby go to a Quidditch match where Harry wins, gatecrash to the celebration party after it with large quantities of strong booze, and while Harry is drunk convince him to give you the shoes he's worn on the match. Just don't mention autographed photos, that might annoy him.
    – b_jonas
    Commented Oct 22, 2012 at 12:32
  • 1
    The LINK to the interview with JKR where she discussed Neville, Harry and the prophecy. :)
    – Slytherincess
    Commented Oct 22, 2012 at 15:20

Your Answer

By clicking “Post Your Answer”, you agree to our terms of service and acknowledge you have read our privacy policy.

Not the answer you're looking for? Browse other questions tagged or ask your own question.