Neville Longbottom

**Neville Francisco Longbottom** is the Heir Presumptive of House Longbottom in the same year group as Harry Black and Jim Potter. He is one of Harry Black's close friends.

## Biography

### Family Lineage

Neville is a member of the Ancient and Noble House of Longbottom, which came to England before the Fall of Rome. Cantankerous Nott listed House Longbottom in the Sacred 28, and it has held Wizengamot seats since the body’s establishment. The House of Longbottom is exceedingly wealthy, earning the bulk of their income from their extensive land holdings, where they grow and sell magical herbs and plants. Aside from the family’s ancestral home, Longbottom Manor in Lancashire, they also hold a summer home in Wales and a Mandrake Farm in the Australian Outback.

### Early Life

Neville Longbottom was born the first son of Alice and Frank Longbottom on July 30, 1980. He lived with his parents until November of 1981, when a group of Death Eaters attacked Longbottom Manor seeking revenge for the death of the Dark Lord Voldemort. The group’s leader, Bellatrix Lestrange, used the Cruciatus Curse to torture Neville’s parents into insanity. They were admitted into the Permanent Spell Damage Ward at St. Mungo’s Hospital for Magical Maladies and Injuries. This left Neville in the custody of his paternal grandmother, Augusta Longbottom. Meanwhile his great-uncle Algernon “Algie" Longbottom became Lord Regent of the House of Longbottom until Neville could come of age.

Algie Longbottom resented Neville’s position as his parents’ heir, and repeatedly attempted to suppress his magic in order to prevent him from becoming the Heir Presumptive to House Longbottom. After Neville’s first expression of accidental magic — summoning his toy bear over a distance of 50 miles at the young age of two —Algie wiped his nephew’s memory of all his accidental magic events from that point forward. When these efforts to dampen Neville’s magic failed to take, Algie escalated to attempted murder, first dropping him off a pier and then throwing him out a window. Fortunately, the latter event - in which Neville bounced out of the third-story window - was witnessed by both Neville’s grandmother and Wizengamot member Griselda Marchbanks, conclusively proving Neville’s status as Heir Presumptive and his ability to attend Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry.

### Book 1 - Prince of Slytherin

Neville sets off for Hogwarts on the Hogwarts Express, where Hermione Granger helps him find his toad, Trevor. After being Sorted into Gryffindor House, Neville makes an effort to maintain his friendship with Harry Potter, while clashing with Jim Potter and Ron Weasley. Despite his good grasp of magical theory, Neville initially struggles in his classes, relying heavily on Hermione’s inter-House study group for help. After Jim steals his Rememberall, a gift from his grandmother, Neville lashes out at his friends and retreats into the bathrooms, where he is attacked by a rampaging troll. After Harry and Hermione help him fight it off, Theo Nott helps Neville use the Rememberall to access his memories of Algernon’s abuse. Algernon is sent to the Longbottom Mandrake farm in the Australian Outback as a form of forced retirement and punishment with the condition that he will be arrested and sent to Azkaban should he return to the British Isles, and Neville bonds with his friends over the experience. Harry is impressed by Neville’s poise in handling the situation, and asks him act as his moral compass.

After the Rememberall incident, Neville stumbles on the Cerberus in the third floor corridor with Hermione, Ron and Jim. Though he sensibly tries to stay out of the group’s interest in the Philosopher’s Stone, he is still drawn into the possessed Quirrell’s scheme to steal it. He, Hermione, Jim and Ron are kidnapped and held in the Mirror of Erised room, which is surrounded by flames. While Harry, Theo Nott, and Blaise Zabini help untie the group, Neville casts a powerful Aguamenti spell to dampen the flames, securing their escape. He finishes the school year by topping their year’s Herbology ranking, returning to his grandmother for the summer holidays.

### Book 2 - The Secret Enemy

When Harry is attacked by doxies, Neville and his grandmother cut short their vacation in the Amazon jungle to take Harry into their home for the summer. Neville helps Harry recover from the ill-fated Potter birthday party, and spends the rest of his summer taking private lessons in Transfiguration and Potions. Later, he takes Harry to Diagon Alley to shop for school supplies, where they meet the new Defense Against the Dark Arts professor, Gilderoy Lockhart. Upon arriving at Hogwarts, Neville becomes one of the youngest students to qualify for one of Lockhart’s research teams, Team Protector, where he studies the Patronus Charm. Despite his age, he is one of the first members of the group to successfully produce a misty patronus.

Neville and his grandmother also accompany Harry to Potter Manor for the winter break, during which he takes Harry to St. Mungo’s to meet his parents. When they return to Hogwarts, Neville is stunned by Lockhart’s confession and dramatic escape from the castle, as he’d viewed him as a mentor figure. Just after that event, he is caught with Harry and Fred and George Weasley inside one of the greenhouses, where an explosive ward scheme has been carved onto the floor. Though Neville escapes unscathed, Harry is injured and sent to the Hospital Wing. While Neville is walking Harry back to the Slytherin dorms, Harry receives Lockhart’s message about the Basilisk, and sends Neville ahead to warn the Hogwarts staff. Though he is caught in the possessed Ron’s ambush, and summarily petrified, Neville uses the patronus spell to cast a fully corporeal bear patronus, warning Harry of the impending danger.

Neville is released from the Basilisk’s spell in time to head back home on the Hogwarts Express with his classmates and friends. When the train arrives at Platform 9 9¾, he is horrified to realize Theo will be heading home with his abusive father Tiberius Nott, instead of spending the summer with the Malfoy family. Neville begs Harry to find a way to help Theo, foreshadowing difficulties in the summer ahead.

## Physical Appearance

Neville is initially described as being chubby, with blond hair. Later, as he grows older, he is said to have lost a lot of baby fat, and by the time third year starts, he is described as very handsome, with the last traces of his baby fat gone, and a rakish mop of hair that “the girls in their class would love”, as quoted by Harry Potter.

## Personality & Traits

Neville is characterized by his strong sense of morals and his loyalty to his friends. Though he initially lacks self-confidence as a result of his uncle’s abuse and his perceived inability to perform magic, he is able to develop himself into a confident Gryffindor wizard and a strong spellcaster. Building on his foundational love of Herbology, Neville emerges as a strong student in his Potions class and masters increasingly difficult spells, culminating in his development of a fully corporeal patronus at the young age of 12.

Neville is honest, dependable and fiercely protective of those he considers to be his friends. However, as a result of his pureblood upbringing, he is increasingly susceptible to outside influences. His characteristic loyalty is fiercely tested throughout his years at Hogwarts.

## Magical Abilities & Skills

Due to his plant-centric upbringing, Neville excels in Herbology, ranking first in his year. However, he is also a strong wizard, mastering increasingly difficult spells, especially charms. By his second year, Neville becomes the youngest wizard to cast a fully corporeal patronus, indicating that in spite of his difficult upbringing, he is a young wizard in command of his full magical potential.

In spite of his mastery of his emotions, Neville is not trained in Occlumency. However, his Heir ring allows him a limited protection from mental attacks.

## Behind the Scenes

No casting description has been given for Neville.

## Canon Divergence

In Prince of Slytherin, Neville's relationship to Enid Longbottom is changed from that in canon. Rather than being his great-aunt, she is his first cousin once removed. Neville also uses a different wand in POS, trading in his father’s wand for a new one from Ollivander. Finally, while Canon-Neville is unable to produce a corporeal patronus by his fifth year, POS-Neville is able to produce his bear patronus, Elby, during his second year.

## References

Book 3 - HP&DEM - Ch. 136 - The Fall of the House of Potter (Pt 2),

"Now you listen to me, Neville Francisco Longbottom,".
Book 3 - HP&DEM - Ch. 90 - Reactions & Overreactions (Pt 1),

The Wizengamot scene includes a brief description of the history of Ancient and Noble Houses and the Sacred 28..
Book 2 - HP&TSE - Ch. 42 - The Birthday Party (Pt 1),

Harry briefly discusses the Longbottom family's growing business, describing them as "[having] magical plant nurseries and farms on three continents.".
Book 2 - HP&TSE - Ch. 83 - Prelude (Theodore Nott),

Theo takes the Knight Bus to Longbottom Manor.
Book 2 - HP&TSE - Ch. 74 - Endgame (Pt 1),

Neville excuses his competency with Mandrakes by referencing his family's farm in Australia..
Book 1 - HP&PoS - Ch. 7 - Potions and Process,

Neville briefly describes the Death Eater attack..
Book 1 - HP&PoS - Ch. 15 - Meet the Longbottoms (Pt 1),

Algernon Longbottom describes the aftermath of the attack on Neville's parents, Frank and Alice Longbottom, and his subsequent efforts to suppress Neville's accidental magic..
Book 1 - HP&PoS - Ch. 15 - Meet the Longbottoms (Pt 1),

Algernon Longbottom describes the aftermath of the attack on Neville's parents, Frank and Alice Longbottom, and his subsequent efforts to suppress Neville's accidental magic..
Book 1 - HP&PoS - Ch. 16 - Meet the Longbottoms (Pt 2),

Algernon's attacks on Neville are shown in flashback..
Book 1 - HP&PoS - Ch. 11 - Halloween 1991 (Pt 1),

Neville considers stepping down as the Longbottom heir.
Book 1 - HP&PoS - Ch. 3 - The Reunion,

Harry, Hermione, Theo, and Neville defeat a troll.
Book 1 - HP&PoS - Ch. 17 - Interlude by the Lake Shore,

Harry and Neville discuss the events of the last several days.
Book 1 - HP&PoS - Ch. 33 - The End of the Beginning (Pt 1),

The class ranks are discussed..
Book 2 - HP&TSE - Ch. 69 - Petrifications, Patronuses & Picnics,

During a Team Protector meeting, Neville casts a fully corporeal patronus, becoming the youngest wizard to ever do so..