 |
|
|---|---|
| Full Name | Neville Atticus Longbottom |
| Avatar | M. Ward |
| Sex | Male |
| Birthdate | July 30, 1980 |
| Blood Status | Pureblood |
| Occupation | TBD |
| Wand | 11" cherry, unicorn hair core |
| Alumni | Gryffindor |
| Affiliation | Outer York/Borderlands |
| Player | Gwen |
| Journal | [http://last-flowers.insanejournal.com ] |
Home Life
Mother: Alice Longbottom, deceased.
Father: Francis (Frank) Longbottom, deceased.
Siblings: None.
Home: Will begin play in Outer York. Comes from London.
Personal Life
Personality: Oddly stoic and strongly determined though neither is an attribute most people would recognize in him. Is shy & introverted by nature (for him, he could die quite happily if he never saw anything but plants for the rest of his life). Has learned, however, to work with other people and to be (somewhat) more graceful with his interactions.
He’s genuinely kind to people and extremely patient with a paternal, if absentminded, demeanor. He can be very understanding, yet not always insightful about the needs and feelings of others. Does have leadership qualities when put under pressure although it’s not something that he has needed to express much, typically being in the presence of others who had established leadership roles. He has forcefully taken on that position, however, when it comes to a fight that truly matters to him. It takes a lot to anger Neville but when he is angered, it is a calm, white-hot fire that doesn’t stop burning until its cause has been extinguished. He feels that same anger towards certain circumstances in his life- the loss of his good friends, the loss of his family, and, on occasion, the way that people have treated him. Once Neville takes a stand on something, he is not easily moved from it.
Neville's driving trait, however, is curiosity. His insatiable, yet quiet, interest in the world in which he lives has gotten him into trouble throughout his life. During school, for instance, it wasn't uncommon for Neville to drop things into cauldrons just to see what would happen - it was easily blamed on his clumsiness but the fact is that he more often just wanted to know. Shyness and genuine curiosity about the environment are contradictory traits, however, and often enough, his natural inquisitiveness is not noticed or recognized, even by those who know him.
Quirks/Habits:
- Still loves plants. Will often stop randomly to untangle a plant or pull a weed, even in public places.
- Blushes easily, particularly when discussing anything physical, and as a result, often has a faintly pink nose from mild embarrassment
- Often chews gum when he's feeling lonely, not because he likes it (he doesn't) but because it makes him feel loved.
- Carries a notebook with him to write things down. Neville has an exceptionally poor memory and relies heavily on notes to assist him in this.
Marital status: Single.
Strengths: Extremely inquisitive, endlessly patient, kind, strong-willed, compassionate, beautiful singing voice and sound musical ability, strong talents with elemental magic- working with plants, somewhat familiar with muggle living, extremely accepting of other people and their choices (this acceptance does not extend to his own), honest, loyal, courageous, willing to stand up for the weak.
Weaknesses: Extremely inquisitive, low self-confidence, internalized sense of guilt, stubborn, compassionate, shy, somewhat clumsy, poor memory, dislikes urban environments, weakness for nature, daydreamer, over-accepting of others, somewhat naive at points.
Fears and Philias: Political extremists, the deaths of those close to him. Mildly afraid of strangers although he's learned to overcome it for the most part. He often ducks crowds for that reason, frequently making quiet exits for brief periods of time when forced to take part in public festivities. He's also extremely afraid of waking up one morning to find that he's lost his memory completely.
Hobbies/Interests:
- Gardening. Neville always has a garden somewhere. He moves in plants before he starts opening boxes.
- Writing in his journal. Sometimes he dreams of publishing something under his own name, something about the good in people rather than the bad.
- Moving. While it's not really apparent, Neville does have a mild case of wanderlust. Whether this is general or circumstantial, he couldn't tell you.
- Hiking. He's done a lot of forced hiking through forests and on mountains - Nev grew up in a tourist town and finds deep forest and remote locales entrancing.
- Ballroom dancing. It was one of the very few things he was good at at school.
Favourite Belongings: Neville isn't a terribly possession-oriented person.
Of the things that he now owns, he prizes the following the most:
- His notes - Neville has trouble with his memory and relies heavily on them. His journal is important for the same reason.
- A collection of gum wrappers kept crumpled up in an old cigar box in his pocket.
- His battered baseball cap
- His Remembrall from school (though it never really has helped)
Boggart: His father
Patronus: Turtle
Mirror of Erised: A solitary island of river and forest.
Amortentia Potion: earth, green & growing things, moss, old books, newsprint and ink. Strangely, this potion shifts often for him - right now, it is more concentrated with the latter, things that he feels he's left behind.
Aesthetics
Appearance: Neville never grew much after school and remained a short 5'4" in height. He is still somewhat round of face as he was when younger but he has lost some weight from the stresses of war and his long hours spent in the field. He's not typically attractive- his skin has a tendency to occasionally blotch and his complexion is somewhat uneven. Has black hair that is naturally curly (and that he never remembers to cut), dark brown eyes and a snub nose. Tends to shove a baseball cap over his hair to attempt to keep it in some kind of control but wisps of the hair still curl out from the sides and the back. Generally clean-shaven because he has some difficulty growing facial hair. He hasn't aged quite as well as some of his counterparts - he's beginning to gray slightly, something that he doesn't think on much.
Although Nev isn't as chubby as he used to be, he still has difficulty remembering that and tends to dress as if he still were in shirts that are a bit too big and baggy clothing as if he's hiding himself. He always slouches to hide weight that doesn't exist and frequently ducks his head to avoid the gaze of others. He's learned to force a strange sort of grace when needed - to do this, he tends to move somewhat slowly, mimicking a gracefulness that doesn't come naturally. When he gets comfortable with someone, he tends to revert back to his old self, constantly breaking, spilling and knocking things over.
Neville also has a strong Lancastrian accent, something that has been an issue for him.
Height: 5'4"
Hair: Black
Eyes: Brown
History
((This is in outline form - to be fleshed in.))
Neville was born in London, England. Lived with his parents until they were attacked when he was a toddler. At the same time, he was Cruciatused to the point where he developed severe memory problems and physical issues. He moved with his grandparents away from the city and into the wizarding village of Nether Kellet in Lancashire. He spent years relearning physical skills - from walking to talking - and it took a long time for him to catch up with other children. As a result, Neville developed a painfully shy awareness of his own incapabilities and a devotion to the grandparents who gave their lives to keep him from ending as his parents had.
When he was nine, his grandfather died and his grandmother moved them both to Blackpool to be near his childless Uncle Algie and Aunt Enid who owned an ice cream parlor in the wizarding sector. She had in mind that they would help rear Neville - which vaguely happened - but not necessarily in positive ways.
((insert canon history here))
After the end of the war, Neville suddenly was put in the position of being perceived as a hero because of his actions. The reality was, he couldn't live up to this myth either, just as he'd been unable to live up to the myth of his father. His grandmother served as a constant reminder of it and he found himself deliberately sabotaging opportunities, rather than fighting a battle he could never win. It was a quiet but persistent rebellion and one that ultimately hurt no one other than himself.
He ended up taking a job as a guard at Azkaban. He gave a number of reasons to his friends but the reality was that he wanted two things - escape and revenge. Bellatrix's death at Molly's hands impacted Neville in ways that he could never fully express. He had expected to be the one to revenge his parents - it was the one action that he actively longed for. Strangely, while he's never been able to tell anyone, using the Sword of Gryffindor was no substitute at all. He thinks that he can get this out of his system at the prison but the reality ends up far different.
About six months into his tenure, his grandmother died and what was meant to be a temporary rebellion became a permanent one. He needed stability and income - once again, Neville was drawn into a life dictated by the needs of others. His parents needed his financial support and he couldn't afford to leave the prison system.
But during this time, he also began to change. He came to the conclusion that the "system" was irretrievably broken and in fact, the Death Eaters were products of a stagnant wizarding culture and an environment that in no way encouraged rehabilitation. Neville slowly began to argue in writings sent outside the North Sea for legal and prison reforms. This didn't make him popular among a population that had been through two wizarding wars - he was derided by many for his arguments, including Harry, Ron, and Hermione. If anything, he stirred up a radical, somewhat rabid sentiment amongst wizardkind that caused him harm in the long run.
Despite this, the DMLE didn't fire Neville, for a number of reasons. First, because to fire him would be to give truth to his arguments. In many ways, he became an unwilling figurehead. The Ministry pointed to the fact that he was employed still as a way of saying that their employees had freedom of speech and that conditions weren't that bad if he was able to speak and yet, was the only one doing so.
After this happens, the prison begins to introduce harsher measures, eventually culminating in the reintroduction of dementors as a way of combating rising budget shortfalls and staffing cuts. The public appears not to notice or care.
His mother died during this time and he took the occasion to go take care of business and leave the job. At this time, he got involved again with the Trio. This gave him the impetus to start championing the anti-secrecy petitions. His involvement with the group was a little odd. He did a lot of the legwork and helped with research but didn't take any credit. It was the monotonous tasks that Harry wanted him for - not his mind or any sort of insight. The relationship between them tipped back to the one that they had at school. He was close to leaving the situation when Harry and co. died.
When things did go bad in London finally, Neville took his father and hid. After a time, he worked with a small group of muggles and wizards trying to fight back, as he had at school. Most of them died but it wasn't until his father died of dysentery that he decided to try and leave the city.
