Professor Neville Longbottom

Professor Neville Longbottom (b. 30 July 1980) was a British pure-blood wizard, the only child and son of Frank and Alice Longbottom. Neville's parents were well-respected Aurors and members of the original Order of the Phoenix until they were tortured into insanity by Bellatrix Lestrange and three other Death Eaters with the Cruciatus Curse when he was about sixteen months old. They were placed in the Janus Thickey Ward at St Mungo's Hospital for Magical Maladies and Injuries, leaving Neville to be raised by his paternal grandmother, Augusta Longbottom.At the time of his birth, Neville was marked by a prophecy as being one of two children with the potential to defeat Lord Voldemort, the most powerful and feared Dark wizard in the world. However, Voldemort's first attempt to circumvent the prophecy by killing Neville's later friend and classmate Harry Potter, ultimately established Harry as Voldemort's nemesis. Neville began school at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry in 1991 and was sorted into Gryffindor House, along with Harry Potter, Hermione Granger, and Ronald Weasley. Throughout his school years, he was mostly a shy, clumsy, introverted boy who was constantly being told by his grandmother that he was not good enough or living up to his parents' accomplishments. However, in his later years, he showed that he possessed great courage and perseverance: he became an important member of Dumbledore's Army, an organisation taught and led by Harry Potter with the goal of helping other students learn spells to attack and defend themselves. Neville would later fight in the Battle of the Department of Mysteries (1996), the Battle of the Astronomy Tower (1997), and the Battle of Hogwarts (1998). During the Battle of Hogwarts, having refused Voldemort's invitation to join the Death Eaters, he destroyed the seventh and final Horcrux when he beheaded the snake Nagini. He also co-led the D.A. during his final year in opposition to the Death Eater professors. After the end of the Second Wizarding War, Neville briefly served as an Auror, before becoming the Herbology professor and the Head of Gryffindor House at Hogwarts and marrying Hannah Abbott from Hufflepuff. He was also the godfather of Harry and Ginny's second son, Albus Potter. 
==Biography==
===Early life ===
Neville Longbottom was born on 30 July 1980 to Frank and Alice Longbottom, a pair of Aurors. Moments after his birth, Neville was able to adjust his blankets so that he was swaddled more snugly, but no one witnessed this unusually precocious display of underage magic. The midwife who attended the birth assumed that his father had tucked him in more tightly. Neville was born "several hours" before his classmate, Harry. As a pure-blood wizard, he was likely related to other wizarding families such as the Weasleys, Crouches, Potters, and the Blacks. Neville's parents were members of the Order of the Phoenix and in these roles, they defied Lord Voldemort at least three times. Neville was one of two infants referred to in a prophecy made by Sybill Trelawney about the person with the power to defeat the Dark Lord. The other was Harry Potter, and it was Harry whom Voldemort targeted on 31 October 1981 making Harry his equal and leading to his first defeat.Shortly after, a handful of Voldemort's most loyal followers attacked the Longbottoms. Frank and Alice were tortured into insanity with the Cruciatus Curse by Death Eaters Bellatrix Lestrange, her husband Rodolphus Lestrange, her brother-in-law Rabastan Lestrange, and Barty Crouch Jnr. The four Death Eaters were all sentenced to Azkaban for their crimes, while Frank and Alice were sent to St Mungo's Hospital, where they would live the rest of their lives, not being able to recognise their own son. Neville was subsequently raised by his paternal grandmother, Augusta Longbottom. At some point early in his life, he also witnessed the death of his grandfather.Neville's grandmother was a stern and formidable woman who was concerned when her grandson did not exhibit early signs of magic (Neville did, however, show faint signs of magic in him throughout his early years, something which his family persistently missed — the first such sign took place moments after birth, when Neville managed to magically shift his blankets more snugly over himself, something which went unnoticed by midwife who attended his mother). She often chided Neville for not living up to his family's honour and was partly the reason for Neville's lack of self-confidence early in his school years. His relatives feared that Neville might be a Squib, though this was disproved when his great-uncle Algie was holding him out of a window by his feet when he was offered some lemon meringue and let go. Miraculously, Neville bounced. Previous to this, there were various attempts to make him show signs of magic, including dropping him off Blackpool pier, where, according to Neville, he nearly drowned. Neville inherited his father's wand at the age of eleven when he started to attend Hogwarts. This wand was later broken during the Battle of the Department of Mysteries.During a Christmas season in the 1980s, Neville travelled with his grandmother to St Mungos to visit his parents for the holidays. However, he soon became separated from her and ended up lost in the hospital. Fortunately, Neville encountered Jacob's sibling, who was searching for the Janus Thickey Ward in order to deliver Wizard Crackers to the patients there on behalf of Rubeus Hagrid. After explaining his situation to Jacob's sibling and introducing himself to them, Jacob's sibling recalled that two patients with the last name "Longbottom" resided in the Janus Thickey Ward and was able to help Neville locate them, to Neville's great relief. Neville offered to let Jacob's sibling meet his parents, informing them of their status as respected aurors who fought evildoers until the end. He stated that he was proud to be their son and knew that they loved him, even if they couldn't recognise him.Neville asserted that he wanted to grow up to be just like his parents one day, but was afraid he would simply be a disappointment due to Augusta previously claiming that he had a lot to live up to. With some encouragement from Jacob's sibling, however, Neville promised to practise hard until he made his family proud. Jacob's sibling offered Neville a Wizard Cracker, which the boy happily accepted. However, he decided to wait to open it until Christmas morning so that his parents and grandmother could all see and to allow him to hold on to the happy feeling of the present just a little bit longer. Neville assured Jacob's sibling that he would be alright now and that his grandmother should be arriving at the ward soon, although he worried she would be upset at him for getting lost. Jacob's sibling reassured Neville that Augusta would simply be happy to see Neville again before the two wished each other a happy Christmas and went their separate ways.
===Hogwarts years ===
====First year====
Neville began attending Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry on 1 September 1991. While with his grandmother at platform 9¾, he lost his toad Trevor. Once on the train, he met Hermione Granger, who agreed to help him find his lost toad, and then Harry Potter and Ron Weasley when he entered their compartment tearfully looking for Trevor. After arriving at Hogsmeade station, Neville managed to retrieve his toad from Rubeus Hagrid.Neville felt intimidated by Gryffindor's reputation for bravery. During the Sorting Ceremony, he silently argued for a long time to be placed in Hufflepuff, but the Sorting Hat won in the end, and Sorted him into Gryffindor. Neville was so nervous that when the Sorting Hat shouted out his house, he ran across the Great Hall with the Hat still on his head; he had to return to the stool to hand the Hat to the next student. On the way to Gryffindor Tower after the Welcoming Feast, Neville had a bundle of walking sticks dropped on his head by Peeves the Poltergeist.Much of his first year was plagued by similar mishaps. In his first Potions lesson, Neville melted Seamus Finnigan's cauldron, and was subsequently drenched in the boil-curing potion they had been brewing. The following week, in his first flying lesson with Madam Hooch, Neville accidentally broke his wrist after falling off his broom from a great height; afraid of being left behind on the ground, he had pushed off too early. He was taken to the hospital wing and his wrist was healed. Several hours later, he ended up heading to the Hogwarts Trophy Room with Harry, Ron, and Hermione for Harry's duel with Draco Malfoy. Nearly getting caught by Filch, they end up in the forbidden third floor corridor, where Neville drew Harry's attention to a giant three-headed dog. They manage to escape and safely return to Gryffindor Tower.That year, Neville received a Remembrall from his grandmother as a gift which was flown in by an owl. This particular gift later allowed Harry Potter to become Gryffindor seeker. Draco Malfoy threw the small sphere into the air, and Harry flew to grab it, standing up for Neville. Minerva McGonagall saw how easily Harry retrieved the ball and asked him to join the team.Shortly after the Christmas holidays, Neville was the target of a cruel prank by Draco Malfoy, in which his legs were stuck together with the Leg-Locker Curse. Neville had to bunny-hop all the way to Gryffindor Tower so someone could perform the counter-curse. When Harry, Ron, and Hermione urged him to report Malfoy, Neville replied that he didn't want more trouble. Harry gave Neville his last Chocolate Frog from Christmas and consoled him by telling that he was worth twelve Malfoys, and that the Sorting Hat chose him for Gryffindor, while Malfoy was in "stinking Slytherin". Several seconds later, Neville inadvertently helped the trio identify Nicolas Flamel when he gave Harry Dumbledore's collectible card from the Chocolate Frog.The night Quirinus Quirrell attempted to steal the Philosopher's Stone, Neville followed Harry's advice and attempted to stop Harry, Ron, and Hermione from sneaking out, though he did not know what they were trying to do. However, he thought that they should not be breaking rules and risking that Gryffindor would lose more points, and blocked the portrait hole, willing to fight them to make them stay. Hermione apologised and struck Neville with a Full Body-Bind Curse so that she, Harry, and Ron could leave. This was another early instance where Neville showed bravery, standing up to his only friends.For standing up to the trio, Neville won ten points for Gryffindor at the end-of-term feast. Having moments before, tied Slytherin for the House Cup, this pushed Gryffindor into undisputed first place. In the final exams, he scored well in Herbology, making up for his poor marks in Potions.
====Second year====
In 1992, after the Start-of-Term Feast, he applauded Harry and Ron for flying a car to Hogwarts. The following morning when Ron received a Howler from his mother, Neville warned him to open it quickly.In Gilderoy Lockhart's first Defence Against the Dark Arts class, a pair of "freshly caught" Cornish pixies picked Neville up by the ears and hung him, by his cloak, from a chandelier. Moments later, he crashed back to the ground when the chandelier collapsed.After the Basilisk attack on Colin Creevey. Neville attended the first (and only) meeting of Lockhart's Duelling Club. To practise the Disarming Charm, Neville was paired with Justin Finch-Fletchley. When Lockhart suggested the pair to volunteer spell blocking, Snape shot this down, claiming that Neville had difficulty with the simplest spells, and they would have to send what was left of Justin to the hospital wing in a matchbox.Neville would have been present at the end of term feast that year, having thankfully not been attacked or petrified by the Basilisk, and would have been present when all his classmates who had been petrified returned to full health after being cured by Mandrake Restorative Draughts, and would have been there to greet Rubeus Hagrid following his release from Azkaban. 
==Physical description==
Neville was said to strongly resemble his mother. He was round-faced, short, chubby, and had brown nor black hair. He was also somewhat buck-toothed. Pansy Parkinson had once called him "fat", but this may have been an exaggeration, as she frequently made disparaging comments about Gryffindor students.
==Personality and traits==
When he was younger, Neville was clumsy, forgetful, shy, and many considered him ill-suited for Gryffindor house because he seemed timid. However, Neville proved that the Sorting Hat had seen the bravery beneath his insecurity, as he stood up to his only friends as a first-year and later became one of the D.A.'s most courageous members. Part of Neville's problem seems to have been poor self-esteem, as he referred to himself as a "nobody" and "almost a Squib" at times. This was likely caused by his grandmother's belief that he was not living up to his parents' accomplishments, and browbeating from fellow students and people like Professor Snape. Though he came from a pure-blood family, he held no prejudice against half-bloods or Muggle-borns.
Neville appeared to suffer from a degree of post-traumatic stress disorder, as the torture of a spider via the cruciatus curse by Barty Crouch Junior in disguise as Alastor Moody was enough to cause him a severe anxiety attack. This was likely due to his own experience with his parents being subjected to the curse's worst possible outcome: the onset of permanent and complete insanity. This familiarity of what the Cruciatus Curse could do in skilled enough hands was more than enough to terrify him.With the support of his friends, the encouragement of Professor Lupin to face his fears, and the motivation of knowing his parents' torturers were on the loose, Neville became braver, more self-assured, and dedicated to the fight against Lord Voldemort and his Death Eaters. This was proven by his participation in many battles and his revival of the D.A. in the face of threats and torture at the hands of the Carrows in his seventh year, as well as his defiance of Voldemort himself during the final battle.Throughout the trials he faced over his seven years at Hogwarts, Neville blossomed from a timid, self-deprecating, and generally nervous student into a stalwart soldier possessed of an ironclad will, courage of outstanding merit, and a nobility of spirit, despite still having a comical and shy but at the same time courageous and fierce personality. In many ways, Neville's transformation allowed him to change from a scaredy-cat into a lordly lion, becoming a ferocious defender of his fellow students during Voldemort's reign. Suffice it to say, Neville's appointment to Gryffindor House was well-deserved.
==Magical abilities and skills==
Neville was not an academically strong student in his early years, often requiring Hermione's help in class and with school-work. However (as confirmed by McGonagall), part of this was likely caused by his use of another's wand, poor self-esteem, and anxiety caused by the incessant bullying from many of his peers and Snape. When he found both courage and self-confidence in his later years, Neville's magical skills as a wizard grew and he proved to be a powerful wizard in his own right.
*Herbology: As confirmed by Professor Sprout, who taught Herbology at Hogwarts, Neville was particularly gifted at Herbology, with him seemingly being on par with Hermione Granger in this subject. In his first year, Neville's Herbology score was so good that it even compensated for his abysmal Potions grade, and he was the fastest worker in class: in 1996, he was the first to extract a pod from a Snargaluff plant. He later scored an "Outstanding" on his O.W.L. exam, helped Professor Sprout with organising the defences around Hogwarts with Devil's Snare, employed Mandrakes into the Battle of Hogwarts to attack the Death Eaters, and even worked as the Hogwarts Professor of this subject himself after the Second Wizarding War. Neville's skills in Herbology would later serve him well in his brief career as an Auror. Neville would improve his already considerable skills in the field to the extent that he was eventually hired on as the new Herbology professor at Hogwarts, succeeding his mentor, Pomona Sprout.
*'Defence Against the Dark Arts: Once properly motivated by Harry Potter during Dumbledore's Army meeting, and made more confident, Neville proved to be proficient in Defence Against the Dark Arts. Indeed, Neville even achieved an Exceeds Expectations' on his O.W.L. exam. This allowed him to advance to N.E.W.T.-level. Neville's talent with defensive spells and Counter-curses was also proven in the Second Wizarding War (which he survived), as well as his brief post-war work as an Auror.
*Duelling: Neville proved to be a surprisingly skilled and competent duellist after gaining the required confidence and motivation from his time in Dumbledore's Army: he survived both the Battle of the Department of Mysteries and the Battle of the Astronomy Tower without any serious injuries, and in the former, was notably the last person — apart from Harry Potter — standing until the Order of the Phoenix arrived to rescue them. During the Battle of Hogwarts he defeated Fenrir Greyback, along with Ron and was one of the survivors. It was also highly likely that, due to his hands-on experience from serving as Auror, Neville's skills in martial magic later increased considerably even further.
*Charms: Neville proved to be proficient in charm-work. He earned an 'Exceeds Expectations' in the subject on his O.W.L. exam and progressed to N.EW.T.-level. Apart from Hermione, he mastered the Shield Charm more quickly than anyone in Dumbledore's Army. He could also effectively perform simpler charms, such as the Locking Spell, and the Banishing Charm (though his aim was initially imperfect with this spell). Neville could even produce a non-corporeal Patronus Charm, proving of his superior magical ability given the immense difficulty required with casting such an advanced and powerful protective charm. It was likely that he eventually managed to produce a full, corporeal Patronus, and also improved his general Charms work during his work as an Auror.
*Transfiguration: Though not excellent in this subject, Professor McGonagall stated that Neville's work only lacked confidence. With that said, Neville managed to score an 'Acceptable' on his Transfiguration O.W.L. However, he was unable to continue into the N.E.W.T.-level. However, it was likely that Neville's skills in the subject improved to some extent after his serving as an Auror, given how Transfiguration is commonly used in the job, and therefore he would have had more experience using it.
*Leadership skills: During the 1997–1998 school year, Neville co-led Dumbledore's Army along side Ginny and Luna. His leadership proved to be so efficient, that the Death Eaters were forced to resort to attempting to control Neville through his grandmother, and he was forced to go into hiding in the Room of Requirement. Neville's leadership skills would later aid him in his career as the Herbology professor at Hogwarts in his later life.
*Resourcefulness: Neville was quite resourceful during a serious situation as during the 1997–1998 school year, he was able to use the Room of Requirement as a hideout for himself when the Carrow's cornered him and later for the other members of Dumbledore's Army. He was also knowledgeable enough to use it in a way to prevent Snape and the Carrow's from entering the room which ensured that they were safe until the Battle of Hogwarts.
*Teaching skills: Neville developed good teaching skills as he grew older as he took over leading Dumbledore's Army alongside Ginny and Luna while Harry, Ron and Hermione were hunting for Voldemort's Horcruxes and presumably continued Harry's teaching of defensive spells alongside standing up to the Carrow's and Snape. Later on in life, he was eventually given a teaching position in the Herbology department at Hogwarts, and eventually succeeded his mentor Pomona Sprout as the main Herbology professor, suggesting that his teaching skills had improved by then.
*Indomitable willpower: Despite his early lack of self confidence and difficulties with the bullying from Draco Malfoy, Severus Snape and most of the Slytherin students, Neville was shown to have quite a strong willpower and an unbreakable spirit. This was first shown at the end of his first year, when he stood up to the trio and attempted to prevent them from sneaking out to the Underground Chambers as he didn't want to risk losing any more House points due to their disobedience. This courage grew as he gained self confidence over time. Later, during the Battle of the Department of Mysteries he stood up to Bellatrix Lestrange despite being tortured by her in response when she callously remarked that she had the pleasure of meeting and torturing both his parents, even though she was one of Voldemort's most powerful and loyal Death Eaters and was also the last person standing alongside Harry before the Order of the Phoenix arrived to rescue them. He again showed his indomitable willpower when the Death Eaters took control of Hogwarts, standing up to the Carrow's and Snape (unaware Snape was secretly still on their side) along with reforming Dumbledore's Army, despite the torturous punishments he and many of the students received for opposing the Death Eater's regime. Neville later fought against the Death Eaters in the Battle of Hogwarts and stood up to Voldemort himself upon Harry's alleged death by refusing his offer to join him and the Death Eaters even when it appeared all was lost with Harry's supposed death, showing how much he had transformed since his earlier years. His defiance of Voldemort allowed him to destroy Voldemort's last remaining Horcrux Nagini and also allowed Harry to defeat Voldemort for the final time.
==Possessions==
*First wand: Neville's first wand was inherited from his father, Frank Longbottom. Its length, wood, and core material were unknown, and it was destroyed by Antonin Dolohov during the Battle of the Department of Mysteries.
*Second wand: Neville's second wand was 13" long, made of cherry wood, and had a unicorn hair core. This wand was manufactured by Garrick Ollivander sometime in or before 1996, and purchased from his wand shop Ollivanders in Diagon Alley.
*Bedroom: Neville's bedroom was located in Augusta Longbottom's house. Augusta once joked that he had been given enough wrappers by his mother to paper his bedroom.
*Trevor: Trevor was Neville's pet toad. He was given to Neville by his Great-Uncle Algie upon Neville's gaining admission to Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry.
*Remembrall: Neville was gifted one these magical items by his grandmother for the 1991–1992 school year, in an attempt to help him remember things, to counter his frequent absent-mindedness. His Remembrall would turn red in colour whenever he forgot something; the only trouble being, he could often not remember what he had even forgotten.
130px|thumb|Mimbulus Mimbletonia
*Mimbulus mimbletonia: Neville was gifted a pot of this very rare magical plant for his birthday before the start of the 1995–1996 school year, due to his love and talent for Herbology. He was skilled in caring for this plant, and had knowledge of its species, including its Stinksap.
*Magical Mediterranean Water-Plants and Their Properties: Neville was gifted a copy of this Herbology book by Professor Bartemius Crouch Junior (then disguised as Alastor Moody) in 1994, in an attempt for him to inform Harry Potter about Gillyweed for the Triwizard Tournament.
*Winogrand's Wondrous Water Plants: Neville owned a copy of this Herbology book, at least since 1994, and kept it with him while hiding in the Room of Requirement in 1998 with Dumbledore's Army.
*Pointed purple crystal: Neville purchased one of these supposedly protective items during the 1992–1993 school year, when the Chamber of Secrets was re-opened, to protect himself from the "monster" within that was attacking Muggle-born students. It was most likely completely useless and would have been of little utility to Neville, given that his status as a pure-blood made him a unlikely target. When this was pointed out to to him, he replied that Mrs Norris had also been a victim and believed that his (perceived) lack of ability made him little better than a squib.
==Relationships==
===Family===
====Parents====
As Neville's parents, Alice and Frank Longbottom, had been permanent residents of St Mungo's Hospital for Magical Maladies and Injuries since Neville's infancy, he never knew them as the popular and talented Aurors they were reputed to be. Nevertheless, he held them in high esteem, much like his friend Harry looked up to the parents he never knew.
====Uncle Algie====
Neville appeared to be fairly close to his great-uncle Algie, who tried to "scare" magic into him when he was younger; he once accidentally dropped Neville out of a window while reaching for a meringue, and when Neville bounced, his family was pleased to discover that he was not, in fact, a Squib. Algie later rewarded him with his pet toad Trevor for getting into Hogwarts. Algie and Neville appear to have shared an interest in Herbology, as Algie gave Neville his very rare Mimbulus mimbletonia plant, which at one point was the password to the Gryffindor common room. However, as Algie was willing to risk Neville's life to reveal his magic, such as pushing him into a lake and dangling him from a window, Algie more then likely cares for Neville's magic more than the boy himself.
===Trevor===
Trevor was Neville's pet toad. He was given to Neville by his Uncle Algie upon Neville's gaining admission to Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. Neville often lost Trevor, as he did the first time he rode the Hogwarts Express and Hermione Granger met Harry Potter and Ron Weasley as she helped him search. In Neville's third year, Professor Snape made him test his Shrinking Solution on the toad; though Neville's dubious potion-making skills could have resulted in the toad's death, Trevor was successfully transformed into a tadpole, much to the Gryffindors' delight.
At some point, Trevor escaped into the Hogwarts Lake. Both pet and owner felt a sense of relief.
===Harry Potter===
Neville first met Harry Potter in 1991, while Neville was looking for his toad, Trevor, on the Hogwarts Express. They became classmates and room-mates after they were both sorted into the Gryffindor house, and came to be good friends over the years. In 1994, Harry learned that Neville's parents were tortured into insanity by Barty Crouch Jnr, Bellatrix, Rodolphus, and Rabastan Lestrange. Harry felt that Neville was far more deserving of pity than he, though he promised Dumbledore not to tell anyone what he knew, as it was Neville's decision whether or not to reveal his past to his friends.
===Hermione Granger===
Neville met Hermione Granger on the Hogwarts Express when she helped him find Trevor, his toad. During their years at Hogwarts, they became closer as Hermione encouraged him to stand up for himself when Draco Malfoy and his friends played pranks on him, or made jokes at his expense.
===Ron Weasley===
Neville met Ron Weasley on the Hogwarts Express at the start of their first year. As both were sorted into Gryffindor house, they became room-mates. Over time, Neville became good friends with Ron, who, like Hermione and Harry, encouraged Neville not to let the Slytherins get to him.
===Ginny Weasley===
After asking Hermione to the Yule Ball in his fourth year and being turned down because she had already agreed to attend with Viktor Krum, Neville asked Ginny Weasley. She agreed to go with him as a friend, being too young to attend otherwise.
===Draco Malfoy===
Initially shy and clumsy, Neville regularly found himself on the receiving end of insults from Draco and his gang, and was often the butt of their jokes and pranks — a fact which served only to make Neville clumsier and less confident. When encouraged by Hermione, Ron, and Harry to stand up for himself, Neville replied with "how I can barely stand at all" but, despite this previous mind set Neville grew to be someone who was much more difficult to bully by his later years at Hogwarts.
He started resisting against not only the Slytherin students, but also Alecto and Amycus Carrow and Severus Snape. During the Battle of Hogwarts, Neville proved to have made an impressive and complete turn around from his earlier years of crumbling under Draco's bullying, when he openly defied Lord Voldemort and beheaded Nagini, effectively destroying Voldemort's final Horcrux.
===Bellatrix Lestrange===
Bellatrix Lestrange led fellow Death Eaters; Rodolphus Lestrange, Rabastan Lestrange, and Barty Crouch Jnr in the torture Neville's parents by means of the Cruciatus Curse, leaving them permanently incapacitated in St Mungo's. When Bellatrix escaped from Azkaban prison in January 1996, Neville was heavily affected.
His performance in Dumbledore's Army increased to the point where he managed to master the Shield Charm before everyone but Hermione. When he went to the Ministry of Magic later that year, Bellatrix taunted him about his parents, but Neville fought back, much to Bellatrix's surprise. Neville also saw Bellatrix murder Sirius Black, and expressed his condolences to Harry. Neville met Bellatrix again in 1998, during the Battle of Hogwarts, where she was eventually killed in a duel by Molly Weasley.
===Severus Snape===
During his years at school, Neville was terrified of Professor Severus Snape, and the poor boy managed to earn the Potions Master's ire in almost every lesson. Snape regularly and unnecessarily targeted Neville with verbal taunts, threats, sarcasm, and malice, which put an extremely nervous Neville even more on edge. Snape went so far as to feed a few drops of Neville's Shrinking Solution to Neville's pet, Trevor, so as to humiliate him for doing badly on the potion and almost kill Neville's toad. Thanks to Hermione, Neville was able to fix his potion so that his toad wasn't harmed.
Neville admitted in 1993 that Snape scared him more than anything else in the world, and was the form his boggart took. When Professor Lupin asked the Defence Against the Dark Arts class what frightened them the most, Neville at first mumbled inaudibly; when Professor Lupin asked Neville to say it clearly, Neville (after wildly looking around) whispered "Professor Snape." Nearly everyone laughed at that, and then Professor Lupin replied thoughtfully, "Professor Snape."
When he sat his Potions O.W.L. in 1996, Harry noted that Neville looked happier than usual without Snape around. Neville also co-led the second Dumbledore's Army and wrote slogans on the walls, in order to oppose Snape and the Carrows. Snape was killed by Nagini during the Battle of Hogwarts. Though Neville was present when Harry informed Voldemort of Snape's true allegiance, it is unknown how Neville reacted. It is possible Snape hated Neville so much because if Voldemort had chosen to go after him rather than Harry, Lily would still be alive.
===Albus Dumbledore===
Neville thought Albus Dumbledore was the greatest wizard of all time. He met Dumbledore in 1991, when he was the headmaster of Hogwarts. At the end of Neville's first year, Dumbledore awarded Gryffindor the ten points they needed to win the House cup because Neville had the courage to try and stop Harry, Hermione, and Ron from leaving the Gryffindor tower after hours. Dumbledore also knew about Neville's parents, and told Harry not to say anything, leaving Neville the right to choose when he revealed his past to his friends.
Dumbledore and Neville also fought together at the Battle of the Department of Mysteries, and the Battle of the Astronomy Tower, where Dumbledore was killed by Severus Snape. Neville was devastated by his death. Neville despised professor Dolores Umbridge, the Ministry-appointed Defence Against the Dark Arts professor for the 1995–1996 school year. Like nearly everyone else at Hogwarts, with the possible exception of some of the Slytherin students and Argus Filch, Neville hated Umbridge for her sadistic punishments and attempts to control the school. He became a member of Dumbledore's Army partially in order to oppose her. Umbridge left the school in 1996 after paying the price for verbally assaulting a herd of centaurs and attempting to flee; she was discovered by Peeves, who led the students in chasing her away from the school.
Death Eaters Alecto and Amycus Carrow were appointed professors at Hogwarts in 1997, after Dumbledore's death. Amycus taught Defence Against the Dark Arts, which he changed to the Dark Arts, and Alecto taught Muggle Studies with an obvious anti-Muggle slant. Amycus and Alecto liked to punish the students with the use of torture, and ordered students to practise the Cruciatus Curse on other students who had been detained. Neville helped re-form Dumbledore's Army, along with Ginny and Luna, and maintained a steady opposition against the Carrows throughout the course of the year. In an attempt to control Neville, Ministry Auror John Dawlish was sent to take Neville's grandmother hostage; unfortunately for Dawlish, the tenacious Augusta Longbottom fought back, apparently putting Dawlish in St Mungo's and going on the run. As the Carrows no longer had hope of finding any real leverage to use against Neville, and had no reason not to simply kill him, Neville went into hiding in the Room of Requirement, where he was soon joined by a number of other Gryffindor, Hufflepuff and Ravenclaw students who saw fit to do the same.
===Hogwarts staff===
Minerva McGonagall was Neville's Head of House and Transfiguration professor during his years at Hogwarts. She often scolded Neville for his clumsiness and incompetence, though it was more likely his lack of confidence that frustrated her. McGonagall knew that Neville was capable of more than he seemed and saw that he was actually brave, and thus encouraged him to work to his potential. She was also a friend of Neville's grandmother, and had known his parents in their days as Aurors. Neville and McGonagall both fought in the Battle of the Astronomy Tower and the Battle of Hogwarts, and both survived the war. Years after the war, Neville was given the position of Herbology professor at Hogwarts, although it is unknown if McGonagall was still teaching there.Professor Sprout was Neville's Herbology professor, and as Neville proved to be quite adept at Herbology, possibly the best in the year, she was undoubtedly the Professor he got along with best. At one point, Sprout even spoke of Neville's strength in the subject to Barty Crouch Jnr, while he was disguised as Professor Moody. Neville helped Sprout use Devil's Snare, Mandrakes, Venomous Tentacula, and Snargaluff pods to attack the Death Eaters during the Battle of Hogwarts, and they both survived the war. It is likely that Sprout had retired by the time Neville was appointed the new Herbology Professor, though they may have taught the class together.
===Lord Voldemort===
Neville was one of the two boys possibly referred to in the prophecy as being destined to bring about Voldemort's end. However, Voldemort chose to target the Potters based on the simple concept that Harry was a half-blood like himself, thus marking Harry, and not Neville, as his equal. After Lord Voldemort's first defeat, four fanatically loyal Death Eaters tortured Neville's parents, Frank and Alice Longbottom, to the point of insanity, using the Cruciatus Curse, in an attempt to force Voldemort's whereabouts out of them; this fact initially haunted Neville, but eventually spurred him to rise to his full potential.
After honing his skills and steadily acquiring self-confidence through training with Dumbledore's Army, Neville fought against Voldemort's Death Eaters countless times during the Second Wizarding War. Near the end of the Battle of Hogwarts, Neville actually attempted to charge directly at Voldemort, presumably aiming to slay Nagini, as Harry had told him she had to die at all costs. Voldemort offered Neville the chance to join him, commending his "spirit and bravery"; Neville declined, and instead, drew the Sword of Gryffindor from the Sorting Hat and succeeded in beheading Nagini. As Nagini had been Voldemort's last remaining Horcrux, Neville's incredible display of bravery allowed Harry to defeat Voldemort once and for all.
In addition to this, Neville also indirectly fulfilled his role in the prophecy by destroying Voldemort's last remaining Horcrux as it was this act which rendered Voldemort mortal and allowed Harry to finally defeat Voldemort. Although Voldemort chose to mark Harry as his target based on the prophecy, Neville proved by standing up to him and destroying his final Horcrux that he was capable of being the other boy to meet the prophecy's requirements. It is unknown whether Voldemort recognised Neville as the other boy which the prophecy referred to and it is also unknown if Neville ever learnt this himself after Voldemort's final defeat.
==Etymology==
*Neville is an English name originally derived from Norman French for "new town". It was the surname of a noble and a powerful warrior lineage family prominent in England in the medieval period, as well as the given name of a Prime Minister of Britain, Neville Chamberlain, whose role in history is controversial. Neville Chamberlain is infamous for his policy of appeasing dictator Adolf Hitler just prior to World War II, which is ironic, considering that Neville Longbottom never faltered in his defiance of Lord Voldemort.
*Longbottom is the name of one of the Hobbits' villages at the Shire, known for its best pipe-weed.
*Longbottom is a family name around Bristol, where JK Rowling spent part of her childhood.
==Behind the scenes==
*Neville's initial lack of magical power could be deemed the result of his grandmother's overbearing presence as he acknowledges that she is constantly telling both him and others that he is not as talented as his parents and Dumbledore states that misery and lack of confidence can sap a wizard of his or her powers.
*On 18 February, Neville Longbottom's check-out of from the Hogwarts Library ends.
*Neville never took N.E.W.T. level Transfiguration, since he only earned an Acceptable. However, like Harry and Ron, he was still recruited by Kingsley Shacklebolt into the Auror department after the battle to help track down any remaining Death Eaters. It is likely that Kingsley made the requirements less advanced, since Harry and Ron also did not complete their N.E.W.T.s, but displayed outstanding bravery and duelling skills in the Second Wizarding War.
*It is possible Severus Snape's hatred for Neville was due to him being the second boy in the prophecy, which means if Voldemort had chosen to go after Neville rather than Harry, Lily would still be alive.
*There is a feature named "Neville Longbottom, a true Gryffindor" on .
*Rowling has revealed that the original last name for Neville's character was "Puff."
*In J. K. Rowling's sketches of the five Gryffindor boys in Harry Potter's year, Neville is shown as being the shortest, but in the films, Neville is the tallest, aside from Dean Thomas. Rowling also described Neville as blond, but this was never printed in the novels, and in the films, he has brown hair.
**Furthermore, it's unknown if his appearance changed as he matured over the years, but it should be noted that the film Neville grew from a short, chubby boy into a lean young man taller than even Harry.
*Neville is a playable character in . In the game, Neville deflects a curse sent from Voldemort using the Sword of Gryffindor, causing it to hit Bellatrix Lestrange in the leg. This could have been to allow Neville payback towards Bellatrix for torturing his parents.
===In films===
*Neville is portrayed by British actor Matthew Lewis in the film adaptations of Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone, Chamber of Secrets, Prisoner of Azkaban, Goblet of Fire, Order of the Phoenix, Half-Blood Prince and Deathly Hallows: Part 1 and Part 2 and so is one of the 14 characters to appear in all 8 film adaptations.
**Neville is portrayed to be left-handed. He is seen writing with this hand in a publicity photo for and he also holds the Sword of Gryffindor in his left hand in publicity photos for . He is seen holding his wand in his left hand several times in the film series.
**Since Matthew Lewis is from Leeds, West Yorkshire, he portrays Neville with a Yorkshire accent.
**In a game of Mastermind, Matthew Lewis commented that he has been wearing a fat suit for most the films but in Deathly Hallows, he isn't going to be wearing it any longer (though the Neville character has been noticeably slimmer from the fourth film onward (except for Order of the Phoenix) which most likely is attributed to Neville's transition from shy and clumsy to a more hands-on supporting leader-like figure.)
**Matthew Lewis' favourite line is "why is it always me?" from the Chamber of Secrets.
**Matthew Lewis had to wear fake teeth for the fourth film.
==Appearances==
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==External links==
*Harry Potter Lexicon page
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