neville longbottom (_longbottom) wrote, @ 2013-01-29 17:44:00 |
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Basics FULL NAME: Neville Algernon Longbottom. NICKNAMES: Nev AGE: 23 BIRTHDAY: 30th July, 1980 BLOOD STATUS: Pureblood HOUSE/YEAR: Gryffindor, 1998 LOCATION: Halifax, West Yorkshire CURRENT RESIDENCE: Neville lives in a two bedroom cottage with just less than an acre of land, a couple of miles away from his grandmother. The garden isn't as developed as he'd like and the greenhouse needs fixing, but when he has time, he's always outside. He's not too far from a sleepy Muggle village, so he makes sure to keep up Muggle appearances with an old car in his driveway though he has no idea how to turn it on. PREVIOUS OCCUPATION(S): Trainee Auror CURRENT OCCUPATION: Auror CLASS: Middle class. The Longbottoms are well off, always have been due to a frugality that exists in all it's family members. His grandmother has drilled it into Neville to save, save, save, and his Gringott's vault isn't at all empty as a result. His grandmother has authority over his parents' vaults, and he's never stepped inside them. Family/Relationships PARENTS: MOTHER: Alice Longbottom (nee [Open to Pureblood connections]). St. Mungo's resident.SIBLINGS: None EXTENDED FAMILY: His grandmother, Augusta Longbottom. Her husband, his grandfather, died when Neville was young, witnessed by Neville allowing him to see Thestrals. His great-uncle Algie, or Algernon Ogden as he doesn't like to be called, and his wife Enid make up the remaining members of his closest family. He is distantly related to most pureblood families, but his childhood birthdays mostly comprised of parties with his elderly relatives' friends or visits to the Janus Thickey ward. FRIENDS: Harry Potter, Luna Lovegood, Ginny Weasley, Hermione Granger, Ron Weasley, Seamus Finnigan, Dean Thomas, Hannah Abbott, Ernie Macmillan, Lavender Brown, Parvati Patil, Padma Patil, George Weasley, most ex-Dumbledore's Army members. SEXUALITY: Heterosexual SIGNIFICANT OTHER: None CHILDREN: None Politics LOYALTY/ALLIANCE: Dumbledore's Army, Order of the Phoenix ROLE IN THE WAR: Neville was one of the leaders in the rebellion at Hogwarts against Snape and the Carrows. He challenged the anti-Muggle propaganda, stood up to the Carrows and protected the younger students as best he could. He also fought in numerous battles against the Death Eaters, demonstrating his capabilities in duelling and defensive/offensive spells, as well as assisting in the rebuilding efforts after the war. POLITICAL VIEWS: Neville, though he's a pureblood, was never brought up to think Muggles were beneath him. He doesn't consider muggle/wizard relationships wrong in any sense, as he doesn't see much difference between the two. Magical ability is only one aspect to a person, and shouldn't define who they are. He thinks blood purity has caused infinitely more problems than it could ever solve, and he often wishes he wasn't pureblood because of the often negative connotations. His parents married for love, and he's sure his grandparents did too; there was no determination to keep the blood pure. As for werewolves and half-bloods and other magical beings, Neville has met many examples of good and bad of both, and realises there is no benefit from generalising an entire category based on the actions of one individual. He judges a person on their actions, not their label, and believes that if a person is good, that is all that matters. Appearance OVERVIEW: Neville is often surprised by his reflection after a shower lately, the gawky chubby boy he remembers doesn't stare disappointedly back anymore. His face has slimmed off considerably from his school years, the round cheeks that reminded everyone so much of his mother have become more defined, enhanced by an almost permanent shadow of stubble. His brown eyes are framed by straight thick eyebrows, often stuck in an expression of uncertainty, and he has a light tan. The tan extends to his forearms, from his time spent gardening in the summer, elsewhere he is quite pale. His midsection is solid, no real definition but he's quietly proud that his stomach is relatively flat. And his height no longer makes him feel lanky and awkward, though he is still rather clumsy, standing at around 6'2", but he's hardly ever truly this tall due to his somewhat poor posture from bending over paperwork or weeding or some sort of silent rebellion against Gran (but never when she's around). He keeps his hair quite short and neat, a 'short on the sides, longer on top' job at the barber's, and often checks to see if he's not inheriting the bald spot and receding hairline from his dad. He has his assortment of scars and burn marks, from the war, and he does scratch at them occasionally though he knows he shouldn't, but they don't hurt and have mostly faded to pale silvery marks on his skin. His dress sense is largely motivated by necessity, and presents from friends. He has trousers and jeans he's owned for years, slightly worn but kept neat enough, and his gardening trousers with the telltale green tint to the knees. And Neville is often found wearing a jumper, always in the darker, earthy colours, though he is known to break out that reindeer jumper for Christmas parties. He's still a clumsy guy, something Neville has accepted he will probably never grow out of, and he's used to catching himself or picking up whatever he's dropped with a resigned sigh. Personality WAND: 13 inches, Cherry, unicorn tail hair, supple. BOGGART: Being forced to take the Dark Mark by Voldemort PATRONUS: Lion DETAILED PERSONALITY: The Sorting Hat considered Neville a true Gryffindor, and he does show the qualities; bravery, chivalry, courage. He is bravest when he's tackling something he's not comfortable with, but dives head first into it anyway - Neville stood up to his friends, despite worrying that they might not like him for it, when he was eleven, and he continues to do these things even now. Though he has the temptation to shy away from tough situations or intimidation, he perseveres and shows determination in dealing with them. This particularly comes out when he's doing something for someone else; he has strong morals and often stubbornly sticks to what he believes is right, standing up for someone who might need it. It makes him better in his job as an Auror, channeling the confidence he gets from doing something good into being more forthright when faced with criminals. He has an authority when he's wearing his Auror robes, and is very hard-working. Neville makes sure to do all of his paperwork, and would make Hermione proud with how studious he can be if he concentrates very hard, researching cases and chasing up leads. He can get lost in his work though, determined to do things right rather than quickly - he can get impatient with himself if he messes up, and gets stressed quite easily, though a cup of tea and a bit of fresh air puts everything back into perspective and he can think clearly again. When not at work, Neville is much more mild-mannered. Though he's much more relaxed around nature and his plants than people, he can overcome his innate shyness when he's with his friends. He is kind, thoughtful and generous, and has a quiet unsuspecting humour, but never at the expense of someone else. Neville is very aware of the pain a person can feel when being laughed at or when made to feel small, and is careful to never make anyone feel that way. Even if they are not there, he would never make fun of them. And he is not the type to demand recognition, preferring to be the person welcome in the crowd rather than the one with all eyes on him. As a friend, he can show quite a few Hufflepuff traits, and he sometimes considers how different life would have been if the Hat had made the other decision it had been weighing. He is loyal and trustworthy and sweet, considerate of other's feelings though he may be sometimes oblivious to others being passive and subtle, in that typical boy way. In some circumstances, Neville's friends may have to explicitly spell something out for him to realise, because he is not very intuitive. He can be easily persuaded and talked into doing something, and though is still a little tentative and overly critical of himself at times, Neville has grown more confident. The shyness, anxiety and clumsiness increases when he's around people he doesn't know too well or trust, but he's learning to assert himself a little more. History CHILDHOOD. Neville Longbottom was born less than a day before Harry Potter on the 30th July, 1980, to Frank and Alice Longbottom. His parents, strong wizards, worked as Aurors and had managed to thrice defy Lord Voldemort before Neville came along. They were also part of the Order of the Phoenix, along with Harry's parents. He was referred to in a prophecy by Sybil Trelawney, but it would go no further than that. One decision saved Neville from the fate of being targeted by Voldemort, a decision that he was not the boy in the prophecy, could not possibly be the boy with the power to defeat the Dark Lord, because he was not also a halfblood. However, even though he was saved from this fate, a devastating event would occur anyway. Only days after Voldemort fell, his most loyal followers Bellatrix Lestrange, her husband and brother-in-law, Rodolphus and Rabastan Lestrange, and Barty Crouch Jr took away his parents' sanity with horrific torture. That night, ambushed on their way back to their home, Frank and Alice managed to magically conceal their infant son before trying to fight off their attackers, only to unfortunately fail. Magical Law Enforcement and Aurors arrived, in response to Alice's quick call of help via Patronus, but were too late and the damage had been done. The Death Eaters were arrested and later sentenced to Azkaban, whilst Frank and Alice were admitted to St Mungo's. The hidden baby Neville was not found until the next morning by a passing neighbour, hearing a small cry from beneath a bush after the concealment charm had worn off. Neville doesn't remember this night, or much of his first two years, and he's half-heartedly looked for a Pensieve to watch some of the memories, but he is not sure he needs the mental images to go along with his imagination of what happened. Raised by his grandparents in his father's childhood home was quite difficult, though looking back, he is incredibly grateful he had family, unlike Harry. His mother was a formidable woman, and often reminded him of Frank's achievements, something he found hard and, at times, impossible to live up to. His grandfather was always a quiet man, not speaking too much to Neville, though they would listen to the WWN together, and tend to the garden together - Neville following his grandfather as he weeded and pruned. It is from him that Neville's interest in Herbology and gardening began. The day he finally succumbed to his dragon pox was sad. Neville had snuck into the off-limits room with a small pot of dirt, a seed pushed inside. The old man had been green, Neville noticed, and he had quietly placed the pot on the bedside table. It was then he witnessed his first death, his grandfather's last breaths as he told Neville to 'Take care', a simple gentle phrase from a simple gentle man. Neville had taken his hand, and later contracted dragon pox himself, but recovered just fine. Neville never saw his Gran grieve; she seemed far more annoyed with Neville for getting ill than anything else. His relatives always muttered, often in his presence as though he couldn't hear them, about Neville's lack of magical ability. He'd not shown any signs of magic, and it was a worry to them all that he was a Squib. They would love him regardless, they said, he's our flesh and blood, they commented. But where is his magic? Gran shouted at him once or twice, but nothing happened. He was even dropped off the end of Blackpool pier despite not knowing how to swim, 'That'll get it out of him!' they cried, but he nearly drowned. It was Great-Uncle Algie, tired of waiting around, who held him out of a window by his feet, trying to scare the young boy. When offered a lemon meringue, he accidentally dropped Neville, but Neville bounced, and Algie forever after claimed he'd done it on purpose, happy to take the credit and eager to tell the story to everyone he knew. When Neville stopped bouncing and stopped crying from the scary experience, he smiled through his tears: he was a wizard. HOGWARTS. When Neville got his letter from Hogwarts, his grandmother gave him his father's wand, a great honour, he was told, and he accepted the gift gratefully, though with some anxiety at the shoes he was expected to fill. He was thankfully, though confusingly to Neville, sorted into Gryffindor, with the famous Harry Potter. Though he made new friends and enjoyed the wonders of Hogwarts and learning magic, his clumsiness and seemingly poor magical abilities made him the subject of bullying. He was terrible at flying, breaking a wrist when he tried, constantly forgot important things, and had great difficulty in many of his lessons. His year ended with a moment of praise though; standing up to his friends, despite how hard, won him house points that helped Gryffindor win the House Cup, and he allowed himself to feel quite proud. Second year gave him more confidence in his studies as he found a subject he could actually do and enjoyed, Herbology. He greatly admired Professor Sprout, her kindness allowing him to blossom in the greenhouses and he took to spending a lot of his spare time there. He was terrified by the events with the Basilisk, but never once thought Harry was responsible. He was shocked that it was Ginny Weasley, however, and felt very sorry for her. The year Sirius Black escaped Azkaban was interesting for Neville. He enjoyed Defence Against the Dark Arts lessons, and Professor Lupin, and was exceedingly happy at facing his worst fear and destroying the Boggart. His self-belief grew along with his magical skills, and though he was still forgetting things and inadvertently helped Sirius Black enter the Gryffindor common room and was still the subject of Professor Snape's torment, he felt he was coping. He spent time with the professors he liked, or time in the library, and learned to avoid Malfoy and his goons, avoided being bullied. He spent some time with Dean and Seamus in the common room, and felt a little less alone. Fourth year was much the same, though this time it was Professor Moody who took Neville under his wing, and he spent time in the professor's office, enjoying his gifts and attention. Moody's ease at using the Unforgiveables unnerved and confused him, but he trusted him. He much later discovered that Moody had actually been Barty Crouch Jr, and this news rocked him considerably; he had liked the man who had ruined his parents. He destroyed the books he'd received, but it would never wash away the dirty feeling of betrayal, and knowing the man was suffering a similar existence as his parents after the Dementor's Kiss was little comfort. The Triwizard Tournament was exciting to watch, especially with a champion in his dorm, and when the Yule Ball was announced, his grandmother instructed him to be prompt in his requests for dates. Though Hermione politely turned him down, he asked Ginny and had a lovely time with her despite his poor dancing. It was through this he became better friends with Ginny, and he admired her brightness and patience, as well as thinking she could be very funny. September 1st, 1995, he met Luna Lovegood on the train, and they would become close friends from then on. That year Neville grew "beyond all recognition". He was stronger mentally, fighting Harry's corner when anyone suggested that Voldemort had not returned, and was one of the first to sign up for Dumbledore's Army. His magical skills improved immensely under Harry's encouragement, and when there was a breakout from Azkaban, it drove Neville to push himself further than ever before and he began to master spells at an astonishing rate. It overflowed into his other subjects, and with new-found friends amongst the DA members, Neville found himself truly enjoying his time at Hogwarts for the first time. He insisted on accompanying Harry to the Ministry, and held his own in the battle against the Death Eaters they encountered there. Despite suffering injuries, as well as the same curse as his parents from the same witch, Bellatrix Lestrange, he survived. The experience gave him a target: kill Bellatrix and the others who had hurt his parents, and he would strive towards this for the next two years. Despite the battle in the Department of Mysteries, Neville's sixth year would return to relative calm. He spent more time with friends and excelled in his DADA and Herbology, as well as doing quite well in some of his other subjects. He wasn't invited to join the Slug Club, but he didn't mind too much as Luna told him about the parties. It was the end of the year that disrupted the calm, with Death Eaters in the castle, and Neville and Luna were the only members of the DA to reply to the coins' summons. He was injured in the battle, but tried to contribute. It was unbelievably sad, and took away a lot of Neville's hope that Voldemort would not win the war, when Albus Dumbledore died. He seemed like an untouchable figure that could never be defeated, and it was such a shock when he was. When Voldemort took over Wizarding Britain, Neville was initially terrified. He allowed himself a few moments of panic in his room the day Voldemort took over the Ministry and began implementing his reign of terror, before deciding that he was better than that. That there was still hope, Harry would never give up. And neither would Neville. Returning to Hogwarts was hard, but Neville was one of the oldest in the school and the students there needed a good example, a positive influence from Snape and the Carrows, and Harry, Hermione and Ron weren't there to do it instead. So he restarted the DA with Luna and Ginny and opposed the anti-Muggle propaganda in small ways. He helped protect students from the Carrows, and diverted their attentions with his own rebellion. It was difficult, but they all had each other and the Room of Requirement. When Luna was kidnapped, it damaged Neville's resolve, but he knew the younger girl would want him to persevere. When Ginny went into hiding, he was left to lead alone. Thinking back on this time, Neville isn't quite sure how he managed. The Carrows beat him and tortured him, but still he kept a brave face for the younger students. Eventually, he realised he could no longer live in the castle and be allowed to live, and so retreated to the Room of Requirement, living within and creating a safe haven for those also looking to escape the Carrow regime. When Harry, Hermione and Ron came through the portrait, Neville knew with a certainty the end was nigh. The Battle of Hogwarts began. He fought tirelessly that night, and worked throughout the ceasefire to move bodies and help the wounded. Despite news that Harry was dead, Neville was never going to give up. He stood up against Voldemort, and while they tried to humiliate him, Neville withdrew the Gryffindor sword from the burning Sorting Hat atop his head and slayed Nagini, something that Harry had said was top priority before he died. Harry lived and defeated Voldemort, and Neville had never been so relieved. POST-HOGWARTS. After the battle, Neville assisted in the rebuilding effort and spent much of the summer at Hogwarts, and then later helping in Diagon Alley and the Ministry. It was during one of his days at the Ministry that Kingsley Shacklebolt offered him a position as an Auror and he accepted without thinking about it. His parents were Aurors, and it felt good to hear the faint surprise in his grandmother's voice when he informed her that he was a trainee Auror. He survived training, when it was harder than he'd ever thought it could be; Aurors were the best of the best, and while he was proud to be part of them, a nagging idea that he was kidding himself haunted him. Until he finally became a fully-fledged Auror, began working on cases and making a difference. However, he is sure this isn't what he wants to do forever. The pace is hectic, and whilst the others in the department seem to enjoy their authority and responsibility, it doesn't completely sit right in Neville. He is much more relaxed and interested with Herbology, and in his spare time, enjoys breeding rare plants he has managed to collect or tending to the garden at home, at the house he bought less than six months ago and is still getting used to living by himself. Previously, he'd shared a flat with two other Magical Law Enforcement employees near the Ministry, but he really missed having a garden. Moving closer to Gran felt important too as lately he has noticed she has been slower and less strict with him, not good signs and he has become a little worried for her health. He is also a little worried about the impending Amesoeur potion being released. Two years ago, Neville dropped a pile of paperwork on his way down a corridor on Level Two and as he was scooping them back up again, his hands occupied, he inhaled a strange gas seeping from the air vent. The untested, volatile version of Amesoeur, and he was infected. The next few weeks or so were tense - what if his soul mate had been part of the first 100 too? After he felt no effects, it was obvious whoever it was hadn't been affected. But now that Amesoeur will be on sale, he could find himself bound to another. While it could be a pleasant prospect, Neville is nervous. He would never have bought and taken the potion of his own accord, it seems unnatural to cut out any work searching for your other half. Misc. COMMON KNOWLEDGE: - Neville was a chubby, forgetful wizard when he first came to Hogwarts - His grandmother is formidable - Neville killed the snake, Nagini - Is an Auror - Is good at Herbology - Fought in the Battle of Hogwarts - Stood up to the Carrows during his final year - His parents are permanent residents of St Mungo's SECRETS: - His greatest regret is that Molly Weasley killed Bellatrix Lestrange and not himself - He had short crushes on Hermione Granger and Ginny Weasley during fourth and fifth year - Is glad Snape is dead - Has a secret wish to be Headmaster of Hogwarts one day PARTICIPATION: Neville was part of the First 100 SOUL MATE ATTRIBUTES: Neville needs someone who can make him happy, someone gentle but pulls him slightly out of his comfort zone. Someone to make him smile and keep him on his toes. He thinks he wants a quiet life, something comfortable and normal, but he deserves more. PLOT IDEAS: I'd like him to be involved in some Auror plots, be part of some cases and do cool Auror-type things, as well as all the required paperwork. I'd also like him to consider, and take steps towards, becoming a professor at Hogwarts, still in touch with Sprout. I also thought that since his elderly relatives are getting on in years, perhaps he deals with a few deaths, particularly Gran, which would be terrible but interesting to write. And visiting, and maybe researching cures for, his parents. As well as the whole Amesoeur potion, being part of the First 100 and all. Contact Information NAME: Jo INSTANT MESSENGER: pillywickle E-MAIL ADDRESS: pillywickle@gmail.com TIMEZONE: GMT PB: Bryan Greenberg |