«.::.::.: You Neville Know; As Told By Trevor :.::.::.:»
«Chapter One - The Origin of the Toad»
When I was really little, I didn't really have anyone to hang out with. All the families nearby were too old, or didn't have any kids. I tried to keep myself occupied as best I could, but I needed a friend. Someone to play with, or talk to, or even just to sit with. So, for me, it was quite fortunate when the family who's house was behind mine brought a kid home one day. He was a little younger than me. A bit scared and kept asking for his parents. Everyone in the house, I'd seen at least two women and a man, were far too old to be parents. The old woman of the house, his grandma I found out later, told him they wouldn't be there anymore. He was only a few years old, so it was sad. It was then I decided, once and for all, that the old lady in her creepy dresses, furs and stuffed-birds was a witch.
I knew all about them. I'd heard about Hansel and Grettle, the Wizard of Oz, Sleeping Beauty, and all their evil witches. She fit the build before, but now that she had gone so far as to capture a kid- it was too much! I couldn't allow her to do that. I would save him, the first chance I got.
The new kid had been living there for a few months when I finally could talk to him. He was sitting in his backyard, at the edge of a pond. Their backyard was full of swampy water and straggly trees. Bravely, I climbed over the fence separating our yards and tip-toed through the marshland to get a better look. Extra quiet though I was, one of the frogs nearby croaked and the kid looked around for the sound. He stared straight at me. I was terrified; what if he was with the witch by choice? What if he was going to turn me in? But instead, as I stood petrified, he just waved. That was the first time I met Neville Longbottom.
We talked for a while about nothing much, just kid stuff, and after a while I picked up on something. He still wanted his parents, and to go home. Neither of us knew how to get there, but we decided that the first step would be to get him out of his current situation. And so, I told him, 'We have to save you from the wicked witch.'
At that, he stared. Then blinked, then stared again before finally speaking. 'You know Gran's a witch?' I nodded before explaining to him how I'd cleverly picked up on it. He tried not to laugh, but at the time I didn't know why.
Our first few attempts for Neville's escape were dreadful failures, but we kept at it. Over the years, we lost sight of why we were doing it, and became more obsessed with the challenge of being able to. We never got very far, but we got closer each time. About a year before Neville was set to go to Hogwarts, his Gran started to catch on to what we were doing. She found it amusing in the beginning, but her patience wore away quickly. Every time we tried something it would be magically stopped. Neville didn't want to go away for school, and I didn't want to lose my best friend. This time, whatever we did was going to have to be serious.
Since all of our typical escape plans fell through, I had decided, just a week before school was to start, we'd need something serious. Fight magic with magic, I had said. Neville didn't seem very impressed by this idea, but with some convincing I managed to get him on my side. The idea was to steal his grandmother's wand so she couldn't use it against us. Not to mention how much I wanted to try to use it.
So one night, we stayed up extra late. We hid in the swamp until it was dark, and all the lights in the Longbottom house had gone out. When we were sure everyone had to be asleep, we snuck inside and into his Gran's room. Despite the dark, I was certain it was decorated just as eerily as the woman's wardrobe. Neville went to his room to get some of his things, while I tried to maneuver around the unfamiliar room. I was nearly at her night stand when there was a horrible sound. One of the frogs from the swamp had managed to get stuck in the hood of my sweater and gave a hideously ill-time croak.
The old woman sat bolt upright. Both she and I reached for the wand, but she got it first.
'Uh oh...' Was all I could manage to whisper before she said a bunch of gibberish. Slowly, the room appeared to grow. The ceiling got higher and the walls all farther away. Then I realized, with what could ironically only be called a sinking feeling, I was shrinking.
It was bad enough when I thought the old woman had made me miniature, when I finally tried to move it was difficult. I couldn't get my legs to work right. Had she frozen me as well? Made me into a lawn- gnome perhaps? I fought at it until finally something happened. I hopped. It was then I found out that, worse than being shrunk, or a gnome, she had turned me into a toad.
Actually, I'd thought I was a frog at the time, but close enough.
It was a long, hard night. I couldn't get out of the woman's room and she slept like a rock. A noisy rock. Neville peaked in to see where I was, but of course didn't notice me, a two inch high lump on the floor. I couldn't get comfy and couldn't sleep. Not to mention how worried I was. What would my parents do when they noticed I was gone? And Neville, stuck here. And what if I never got back?
When she finally awake at sunrise, the next morning, Mrs. Longbottom didn't seem to quite remember the events of the previous night. She opened her eyes, and stared at me, and thought, and stared some more but didn't have a clue. She knew there was some reason a toad was sitting on her bedroom floor, but it took a good two hours for her to realize it was me, the 'little, bothersome boy from the house behind' theirs. And even then, she didn't remember what spell she'd used to turn me into one, and couldn't turn me back. She'd even told me it was my fault I was a toad, that I shouldn't have been sneaking around all the time!
Neville, of course, was sad. He didn't know what happened, and just thought I'd left, or was ignoring him, like I didn't want to be his friend anymore because of something his Gran had done. He was partially right, but...
I'd been a toad for nearly a week when his grandmother decided, if anyone could turn me back, they'd be at Hogwarts. Of course, that made no sense to me at the time, but I'd find out soon enough.
She gave me to a man called -I kid you not- 'Algie', who pretended to have bought me as a gift. The next thing I knew, I was being given to my best friend as a pet to be taken away to boarding school lord-only-knows how far away. His Gran found it ironic that we always hung out in the swamp like toads, and now I was one. To add insult to transformation, Neville even named me, his new best friend, 'Trevor' after his old one.
His Gran told me, while I was at the school, I'd better look out for Neville. I'd have done it anyway, but I never suspected just how hard it would be. He had a lot of potential, but a lot of problems too. Staying with him I learned more than I'd ever imagined, let a lone thought possible.
So, from that day on, I was Neville's loyal and watchful pet; Trevor the Toad.
«.::.::.: Author's Notes .::.::.:»
I finally got around to writing a story about Neville, although it's not really what I originally had in mind. Still, both Neville and Trevor are largely over looked characters. Hopefully, I can still tie in a few ideas from the original. This may end up being a one-shot, just to explain the real Trevor, but I think I'd like to continue it. I mean, they aren't even at Hogwarts yet!
I'd like to apologize to anyone I confused in the first chapter by not clearly mentioning Trevor was a boy in the beginning. There are two very good reasons for it. The first being that Trevor is telling the story, and to him it makes perfect sense that he was a kid. The second is that I wanted it to be a surprise, for you not to expect the runaway-toad was more than he appeared. After all, you Neville know. (Bad pun, I'm sorry)
«.::.::.: Disclaimer .::.::.:»
Although I'm sure Ms Rowling hasn't given us any clear hints that Trevor is anything more than a toad, I still don't own any of this. However, if Trevor turns out to be a kid under a spell, or an animagus; I so called it!