Neville Longbottom was born to Alice and Frank Longbottom on July 30. His parents were engaged in the battle against Lord Voldemort and his Death Eater's. During the first year of his life, his parents were kidnapped and tortured by means of the Cruciatus Curse - a group of Death Eaters led by Bellatrix Lestange used this curse and drove his parents insane. Neville's parents were sent to St. Mungo's Hospital for Magical Maladies and Injuries. Neville was raised by his grandmother, Augusta Longbottom, who he calls Gran. She was very strict on him - everyone around him was really strict. They were all so much older than him, they'd all already raised their children. As a result, they'd forgotten what it was like to be a child. This made Neville's childhood rather dull and harsh. This is not to say that he doesn't love his Gran. She's amazing and Neville respects her for all that she did for him. However, he has a good strong sense of fear where she is concerned.
His family is one of the few remaining completely pureblood wizarding families. Neville however, never showed any type of magical ability. His family was worried for years that he was a Squib - a nonmagical member of a magical family. His Great Uncle Algie was the person that seemed to be most bothered by this. For years he tried to trick Neville into showing some kind of ability - usually by means of something that would lead to his death. He once pushed him off of the end of Blackpool Pier and Neville nearly drowned. The first time that Neville actually showed that he was magical, Uncle Algie dropped him out of a window. He's still not sure how he did it or how it happened, but he found himself bouncing like a ball down the garden and into the road. It is a rare family that finds joy and cause for celebration in an event that could have killed a child - but Neville's family isn't normal.
All of this occured during the year that Neville was ten years old. The summer before his eleventh birthday, Neville received a letter in the post granting him admission to Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. This was a big deal to Neville's family - everyone in his family had attended Hogwarts for their magical training. So, needless to say, this was a huge accomplishment for Neville. His Uncle Algie bought him his pet for school - a toad that Neville named Trevor. Trevor was Neville's constant companion, his friend during the rough years that Neville was almost too shy to truly befriend anyone.
His first year at Hogwarts was one of adjustment for Neville. One of his biggest problems was his memory. He tends to forget and lose things that are rather important. He can't even tell you how many times he lost Trevor that first year - because it was so many and because he really just can't remember. He also finally began to make some friends during this year. Harry Potter, Hermione Granger and Ron Weasley were becoming three people that he felt he could call a friend. However, he wasn't really close to them. There was one person that he found himself growing close to. A fellow first year student in Gryffindor, Michelle Moon. He also was able to better expand on a passion he'd had as a young child - Herbology.
The following years at Hogwarts were full of challeneges - not just to himself but to everyone around him. His friends faced the hassle of dealing with Lord Voldemort and his followers. Neville kept it to himself what happened to his parents, Michelle being the only person that he talked to about any of it. That was one of the good things that occurred during his first few years at school. He became very close to Michelle - she is still to this day his best friend. Neville also passed the time in the greenhouses, quickly becoming one of the top students in the school.
During his fifth year, Harry and his crew established an organization that they called Dumbledore's Army. This group was created to train their fellow students in Defense Against the Dark Arts because their new teacher, Professor Umbridge, wasn't teaching them anything practical. Neville was a proud member, catching on rather quickly to everything. Near the end of the year, there was a battle at the Department of Mysteries and Neville (along with five other students) took part in this. Of all the students, only Neville and Harry were left standing at the end of the battle. This occassion marked the first time that Neville had actually laid eyes on the person that he considered to blame for everything - Bellatrizx Lestrange.
This battle marked a turning point for Neville. He found a new sense of self-confidence from this. After all, he'd faced down some of the most powerful dark wizards there were and managed to survive. During his sixth year Neville kept up his practice with defense, but wasn't as stressed out as he had been. When the Death Eaters infiltrated the castle, Neville once again, helped to fight them off. He was truly amazed that he was once again able to help defeat these people that were trying to destroy his world.
It was his seventh year that found Neville being a leader in a way that he'd never been before. Harry, Ron, and Hermione left school to find the only true way to defeat Lord Voldemort. This meant that Neville was the only one left - in his mind, at least - to watch out for the younger students. He created a hide out for all of them in the Room of Requirement and eventually found himself living there while he was in hiding from the new rule of the school - Death Eater's everywhere.
During the very final battle, Neville held his own. In fact, it was Neville who actually cast the final blow to defeat Lord Voldemort. In a final act of defiance, he drew Gryfindor's Sword from the Sorting Hat and slew Nagini - Voldemort's snake and final horcrux. This act, this chance to defeat the man who ordered the destruction of his parents, was one that changed Neville forever. Still a little shy, Neville is now much more confident with himself.
The summer after the battle, Neville was at a loss. He needed to get away. He needed to find a way to grow and become his own person - away from the stigma of the war. He wanted a chance to finally figure out who he was. During this summer, he spent a lot of time talking to Michelle. She was going through a lot herself and so, the two of them decided that whereever they were going, they'd go together. There were a lot of options - the world was at their feet. However, for Neville, the decision was made with a phonecall from St. Mungo's to his Gran.
His parents - the two people that he wanted to know more than anyone on the face of the planet - were back. Well, kind of. They'd woken up from their stupor, but remembered nothing of the last year before they'd been attacked. This meant that they didn't remember Neville at all. There was no way to describe this pain, the pain of having your parents not even know who you are. Gran sat him down and had a long talk with him, explaining the things that the healers had told her. If he told his parents who he was, it could cause them to relapse and forget everything again, this time with no chance of recovery. Neville couldn't have that. So, he agreed to keep this little tidbit to themselves. He requested that he be able to at least get to know them. This was when Gran informed him that his parents were moving to America - a place called Kansas City to get away from everything. For him, his decision as to what to do was made. He was moving to Kansas City. Along with his Gran and Michelle, he hatched a plan. He would claim to be a cousin of Frank's - thus explaining the last name. He also learned that his parents would be opening a shop dealing with plants and flowers - he would go and apply for a job and tell them that Gran had sent him.
This was how he found himself attending college in the muggle world. Neville had been raised completely in the wizarding world. He knew nothing about the muggle world at all. So, this will be an experience that he'll never forget. He's a little angry about not being able to use his magic for everything - after all, that's why he'd attended Hogwarts all those years. As far as he's concerned, he'll use his magic for everything and just try to be careful that no muggles see him. His biggest concern is getting to know his parents. And of course, Michelle is here - along with several of their other friends - so he's not too worried.
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