InsaneJournal

PATRONUS: Fully formed it's a dove
BOGGART/WORST FEAR: falling from a great height
SPECIAL ABILITIES: nah
EDUCATION: Gryffindor 91-98

LIKES: all types of plants, both magical and muggle, puns, dueling [for fun!], nature, wildlife, teaching, coffee, travel - but not to like ~tropical destinations necessarily. More like, state parks. Mountains, etc.
DISLIKES: Death Eaters, lingering Purism (that's rly not what his parents went insane 4 k thanks), seeing his parents in the states they are in, Augusta's voice (though he does honestly love her, it's just complicated), flying in any capacity, heights
FIRST IMPRESSIONS:
OVERALL PERSONALITY:
Ah, Neville Longbottom. The Almost Chosen One. The Unlikely Hero. Honestly.. he’s kind of pleased the former didn’t end up being him, sorry Harry. One would think that a lot changed for Nev after the final battle, but unfortunately or fortunately, considering how you look at it, most of his personality was pretty ground in there. Neville has an almost shy sort of courage that doesn’t seem like it’s there, but bubbling beneath the surface is truly the heart of a lion. His selflessness and bravery is well known, and he would do anything for his friends, or remaining family, however, that doesn't mean he's as gung ho to go diving into danger the way some of his friends and classmates were. Right now, he prefers trying to play it smart in their current climate, because this is entirely unprecedented. And he can't help anyone from Azkaban.

He is also always someone you can count on, somehow. He's bound and determined never to make anyone feel like they're on their own, because he knows all too well how that feels himself after growing up with Augusta Longbottom as his primary caregiver. Which is also probably why Neville is still quite the nervous, forgetful individual that he is. After so many years of getting yelled at during his developmental stages and told how much of a disappointment he was in comparison to his father, he can't quite shake his negative thoughts, anxiety, and somewhat jumpy nature. Thankfully, he's learned some healthy outlets, which has made him seem like a much more together, calmer individual on the surface.

Neville also never quite grew out of that... awkward, dorky phase either. He’s got a serious passion for terrible puns, only half funny jokes, and stumbles over his own words a lot when intensely into something. But hey, that's passion baby, and that is a respectable quality in a man. Neville loves what he loves without apology, especially when it comes to Herbology. He will never outgrow that, if only because it was his first taste of truly being good at something. Plus, knowledge like that is actually invaluable, especially in times of... unrest.

Nev is always happy to be that shoulder to cry on, or an ear to listen, even if sometimes he has no idea what to say and gets tongue tied, which usually results in him saying something embarrassing. He also does that outside of serious situations too.. But you know, he'll probably make you laugh. With him, at him, whatever. Laughter is laughter, right?

And though some would argue it, he is intelligent. Sure, in school, he might not have demonstrated that so well, but Nev also had a lot of shit he was working through. Mainly his confidence and believing in himself, after being berated and made fun of his whole life. But damn, the boy has a mind. His endless knowledge of botany at this point rivals even that of his Mentor, Professor Sprout, and he certainly hasn't gotten lazy at his Defensive skills. Those have only amplified. But just in case, he always wants to be prepared. Call it it paranoia. Anxiety. PTSD, what have you, but he's not about to be caught with his pants down. Well, figuratively. It might have happened in reality a time or two, and he's not going to talk about that, okay?

HISTORY:
Neville was probably the happiest damn baby there could be. Always laughing, cooing, barely ever fussed. But his life wasn't going to be a charmed one for long, because no matter how much his parents loved him, it didn't stop the Death Eaters from torturing them into insanity, leaving Neville in the hands of his... only semi capable grandmother. To be fair, it wasn't entirely her fault. She was hurting, grieving the loss of her son and that was a terrible thing to bare, but unfortunately, she took it out on her grandson in all the wrong ways.

Obviously he doesn't remember the super early years too much, but around the time he was five or six, the most prominent thing he remembered is how often his grandmother expressed disappointment in the things he did. His drawings, his lack of piano playing abilities, hell, the way he spoke. By the time he was seven, he had been dropped off of Blackpool Pier in a sick attempt to get him to show magic. In most civilized society, such things would be attempted murder. But to his family it was just good old magical experimentation. His only real time of peace was when he would visit his mum and da in the hospital. Of course, he knew from an early age they would never be coming back to him, Augusta made that perfectly clear as soon as he could comprehend words, but that didn't stop him from talking to his nearly vegetable like father, and his off in another realm mother. He told them about the things he did, the people he knew, the new skills he learned. He was constantly drawing them pictures, and writing them letters, even if neither of them knew who he was or what was going on. It was an odd comfort thing for him over the years. He vented to his mother as he got older, telling her all about how Augusta kept calling him a squib. How he would never be as good as his father, how he felt so utterly alone... it was therapeutic at first. Helpful, even. Because it wasn't as though he had many childhood friends.

As his eleventh birthday began to creep closer, Augusta was truly having a meltdown over his lack of magic. The single worst thing in her mind, was to have such a promising, perfect, talented son who produced a worthless squib as an offspring. On his tenth birthday she was proven wrong when Great Uncle Algie hung him out a window, trying to scare him into producing some sort of magic, and got distracted by dessert, therefore letting him go. Apparently, he was right, since the fall forced some sort of magical response out of the young boy to save his life, and he bounced right to safety. Augusta rejoiced, the entire extended family rejoiced, and Neville could barely comprehend the fact his Uncle seriously almost killed him, yet no one seemed to care... Again. Again.

But hey, school. You know the drill here. First year, bullied, constantly getting lost, broken bones, backfiring spells, trolls in the dungeon. He could go on and on. But hey, that was the first year Neville got the sweet taste of what it felt like to be something other than a worthless disappointment when he managed to score those last few, sweet points for the house cup. From there, it was a struggle to become a man that had any confidence, but he managed through surviving the constant barrage of shit his school years threw at him. From petrified classmates, to more bullying, to Dementors, and then the Triwizard Tournament. When Cedric came back dead and Harry claimed the Dark Lord's return, Neville believed him immediately. And not only that, but he was ready to fight. Anger had been building up for a while, and while it was still suppressed in a lot of ways, the DA finally gave Neville a chance to shine and he grew in an environment of supportive, caring, good peers. Big god damn surprise and all that.

Sure, he certainly wasn't perfect. But he had the confidence to stand by his friend's side in the Department of Mysteries, and he was a rallying force behind the DA in their last year, alongside Ginny and Luna, who he considers closer than family. It's strange, bonding during formative years during a full blown war, and they will always have a place in his heart.

Neville further proved his growth during the final battle, when Harry was presented as dead by Voldemort, and he refused to stand down even in the face of ridicule. Harry Potter may have been the chosen one, but he wasn't the only one. They all had a hand in their own fates and futures. It was something he felt so strongly that he had no hesitation in beheading Nagini, finally evening the playing field.

The aftermath seemed like such a win. And for a while, riding the high of their victory, Neville decided to follow in the footsteps of Frank and immediately joined the Aurors at the DMLE. The high was short lived though, as rumors of a curse falling over magical folk quickly took hold. Neville kept his ears to the ground, eventually given the full information alongside the rest of the world: whatever this was affected their reproduction. And the Ministry was going to put their hands in that. Something about it just didn't sit right with Neville, and he began to realize that the Auror life just wasn't for him. So he accepted the position of Professor of Herbology at Hogwarts. It was an exciting change, followed by a dreadful one. When the Ministry unveiled its plan, Neville's name was right there on that list. He was nearly sick, but there wasn't much he could do and by the end of the year he found himself with a wife.

His first wife was pleasant enough, but they truly had nothing in common. She hated living in the country. She hated the dirt he tracked in after visiting his greenhouse. She tended to have plenty of things to say about his clothing, hair, everything and then some. He remained cordial though, how could he not? He didn't blame her, she was in a far worse position than her.

After two years, he tended to spend more and more time at the school with his students, namely because they were quite panicked for their own futures. He knew he couldn't do this forever, and eventually he'd have to address things with his wife, but the meddlesome Ministry had different plans. In another turn of events, he was re-paired. When he heard the news, it was a most epic relief, quickly followed by sheer horror when he saw the name of his new betrothed. This had to be some kind of cruel joke. Pansy Parkinson?

He had so many things he wanted to say, but instead he did the only thing he could: he forgave their past the best he could. Or was trying, anyway. Because if he didn't, then the war wasn't really over was it? It was just another form of fighting, and he was tired of fighting in that way.

Hopefully they can manage to see it through.

PLAYED BY: Jason Ralph
CONTACT: discord or email
TIMEZONE: EST