4th September 1991

Dear Gran,

I got sorted into Gryffindor! I hope you’ll be pleased. I’m in a dormitory with four other boys, and they’re all nice. One of them is Harry Potter! He’s really nice too, but he doesn’t know much about magic, because he was brought up by Muggles. He says they’re not very nice, though. A boy called Ron Weasley is also in our dormitory. I think you know his mum. He’s quite funny, and he’s got two twin brothers called Fred and George who always get into trouble. Everyone thinks they’re really cool, though.

There’s a girl called Hermione who I’m sort of friends with. She’s a Muggle-born, but she’s really clever. She knows the answer to every question the teachers give us, and she always gets top marks on homework. She helps me a lot when I lose things or don’t understand things.

It’s a bit strange being away from home. The food’s really great - last night we had roast potatoes that melted in my mouth! I do miss you, though. And Great-uncle Algie. How is he? And how’s the garden? I hope you’re feeding the flowers I planted!

Write back to me soon.

Love,

Neville
P.S. I keep losing Trevor.

*

6th September 1991

Dear Gran,

I don’t like Potions. Professor Snape was really horrible to Harry Potter for no reason. He kept picking on him when Harry hadn’t done anything to deserve it, and it made me really nervous. That made me do everything really wrong, and I melted a boy called Seamus Finnigan’s cauldron by accident. His potion spilled all over me, and I got covered in boils which really hurt. I had to go to the hospital wing, but I think Madam Pomfrey might have sent you an owl about that. I’m ok now, but it was horrible, and I was really upset. I think Professor Snape’s my least favourite teacher.

Please write back. I want to know what’s happening at home!

Love,

Neville

*

14th September 1991

Dear Gran,

I’ve had the most horrible few days! There was a notice in the common room on Monday saying we’d be having flying lessons. You know you always said that Professor Dumbledore would go over to the dark side before you’d let me on a broomstick? Well, I told Professor McGonagall that, but she just said not to be silly, and that everyone had to learn to fly. So I had to go and do it.

What was worse was that Draco Malfoy, a boy from Slytherin, was in our class. He’s really horrible to everyone, but he’s always pointing out that I’m rubbish at magic, so I was worried that he’d laugh if I couldn’t even get the broom off the floor. When Madam Hooch counted down for us to kick off the ground, I panicked and did it too early. I couldn’t stop the broom, and then I fell off and broke my wrist. Madam Hooch took me to the hospital wing, and it’s fine now, but it hurt so much.

Madam Pomfrey’s nice, though. I think she knows who I am because I’ve been twice in two weeks.

Anyway, that night I went back to Gryffindor tower, but the Fat Lady had gone off somewhere, and I had to wait for her outside. I was really tired, and was trying to sleep on the floor when the Bloody Baron (the Slytherin ghost) kept coming over. He didn’t say anything, but he really scared me. Luckily, Harry, Ron and Hermione came out of the tower after a little while, and they let me go off with them. I think Harry was supposed to be having a duel with Malfoy. They don’t like each other very much.

Malfoy never turned up, and instead Mr Filch came with his cat, and we had to run away so we didn’t get into trouble. Then Peeves came and told Filch where we were! Luckily, we got away from him, and Hermione managed to get us into a room off the corridor. I thought we were safe, and would just have to wait for Peeves and Filch to go, but then I turned around and saw something horrible! There was this massive three-headed dog! Just sitting in the room!

No one else noticed for ages, and so I was just standing there staring at it. It was horrible! Finally, Harry noticed, and we escaped, but I don’t ever want to see it again! I’m never walking about the castle at night, ever again.

Love,

Neville
P.S. Thanks for the Remembrall! It’s really cool, and hopefully it’ll be very helpful. I don’t know whether it’ll help me find Trevor, though.

*

2nd November 1991

Dear Gran,

Thanks for your letter. I hope Uncle Algie gets better soon. Why was he trying to build his own flying carpet?

Harry Potter’s on the Quidditch team. He’s the youngest player in a century. Everyone says he must be really good. I heard someone say he’s got special powers, and that’s how he defeated You-Know-Who.

Halloween was a bit scary. We were having an amazing feast - there were more roast potatoes which’re my favourite food now. But halfway through, Professor Quirrell (that’s the Defence Against the Dark Arts teacher) ran in and shouted that there was a troll loose in the school!

Everyone was terrified: even Draco Malfoy. Most of us were fine, but Harry Potter, Ron Weasley and Hermione Granger all went looking for it! At least, that’s what I heard. They’re all fine, but I don’t think Professor McGonagall was particularly happy.

It’s the first Quidditch game of the season in a few days, and me, Dean Thomas, Seamus, Ron and Hermione are all going to make a big banner to support Harry.

Say hello to Uncle Algie for me!

Neville

*

15th November 1991

Dear Gran,

Sorry, I’m trying to remember to check the grammar in my letters before I send them. I know it should have been “Dean Thomas, Seamus, Ron, Hermione and I�. I’ll remember next time, please don’t get cross again.

I’m glad Uncle Algie’s getting better. But please try and persuade him not to keep building that carpet. I want to see him this Christmas!

The Quidditch game was so cool! But something happened to Harry’s broomstick! It was like it was trying to throw him off or something. I couldn’t watch. But then Hermione managed to stop it somehow, and he caught the snitch! Gryffindor won! Everyone was really excited.

My lessons are going ok. I think I like Herbology best. You never said how my plants are. I hope you’re looking after them. Charms is ok too, but I’m not really very good at much else. Hermione still helps me a lot, and Harry and Ron are nice about it too.

Love,

Neville
P.S. If you’re going to visit Mum and Dad any time soon, can you say hello from me? And if Mum gives you anything for me, please just take it. Don’t throw it away.

*

Gran,

Just checking, but am I actually coming home for Christmas? Only, I wondered if you wanted me to stay at school. I really want to come home!

Neville

*

13th December 1991

Dear Gran,

I can’t believe it about Uncle Algie. I though you said he was going to try and be sensible after what happened with the flying carpet! Doesn’t he know that Venomous Tentacular plants are really dangerous? How long’s he going to be in St Mungo’s this time?

It’s really nice here at the moment. There’s loads of snow, so it’s lots of fun going outside, and all the teachers are decorating the castle for Christmas. It looks really pretty. I haven’t got that much homework, either.

I’m looking forward to coming home! What kinds of things will I need to bring back? Hopefully my Remembrall will remind me if I forget anything.

See you soon,

Neville

*

4th January 1992

Dear Gran,

I got back safely. I don’t think I’ve forgotten anything, but I’ll let you know if I have. Trevor’s hiding in my room somewhere. I can’t believe I forgot to take him home! He’s still alive, just not very happy with me.

I’ll write again in a few days.

Love,

Neville

*

10th January 1992

Dear Gran,

Everything’s going well here. The castle’s quite cold because of all the snow, but I’m just about managing to get all my work done. I think Trevor’s finally forgiven me.

I asked Professor Sprout about Uncle Algie’s condition, and she said the same as the people in St Mungo’s - that he must have drunk a lot of its juice to make his skin go purple. Why did he think it might help him grow wings? Why is he so obsessed with flying?

Love,

Neville

*

28th January 1992

Dear Gran,

Malfoy’s being mean again. I was coming out of the library yesterday when he saw me, and put the Leg-Locker Curse on me. Said he needed to practise. I know you said to stand up to him, and that’s what Harry and Ron said, too. In fact, Harry said I was worth twelve of Malfoy. But it’s really hard. I can’t think of anything to say that would make any difference, and he knows I’m hopeless at magic, and wouldn’t be able to hex him.

Anyway, Hermione did the counter-curse on me so I didn’t have to go to the hospital wing again. I just don’t know what to do. How can I stop him from being so horrible?

Love,

Neville
P.S. I can’t believe you let my plants die.

*

1st March 1992

Dear Gran,

The best thing happened yesterday. It was the Gryffindor vs. Hufflepuff Quidditch match, and everyone was really nervous because Snape was refereeing. He hates Gryffindor, so no one thought we were going to win.

Malfoy and two of his friends were sitting right behind me, Ron and Hermione, and they kept being really rude. I just got so cross and fed up of him saying how stupid I am all the time that I turned around and told him that I was worth twelve of him. Ron stuck up for me, and when Malfoy was really rude about Ron’s family, Ron punched him! They started fighting, and then I thought how nice he’d been for sticking up for me, so I joined in!

I took on both Crabbe and Goyle - they’re Malfoy’s friends, and they’re massive! They knocked me out, and I had to go to the hospital wing again, but I actually stood up for myself! Please will you tell Mum and Dad? I think they’ll be really proud of me.

I’m glad Uncle Algie’s back home now, and that his skin is less purple. Hopefully he’ll stop impersonating frogs soon.

Love,

Neville

*

23rd March 1992

Gran,

I’m going to have to stay at Hogwarts for the Easter holidays. I’ve got so much work to do, and it’s all really hard. I think I need to stay and use the library.

Hope you have a nice time anyway, and that Uncle Algie’s not causing too many problems. It’s lucky he can feed himself now!

Neville

*

6th May 1992

Dear Gran,

I’m really sorry I haven’t written in ages. I’ve been really busy.

I don’t know if Professor McGonagall’s written to tell you, but I thought I should probably write anyway.

Last night I got caught out of bed at night, and had fifty points taken from Gryffindor. I’ve also got to do detention. I’m so sorry. It’s just that I’d heard Malfoy saying to one of his friends that he was going to get Harry and Hermione in trouble. He said he was going to tell on them about a dragon, and I knew that he’d be lying, and I didn’t want my friends to get into trouble. They’ve been so nice to me all year, and I was only trying to help them.

Anyway, Professor McGonagall was really cross, and I’m so sorry for what I did. I know I said I’d never do it again, and now I’ve paid for it. Everyone hates us because we lost fifty points each, and I don’t even know what our detention is. The only good thing is that Malfoy has to do it too.

I’m so sorry, Gran. I didn’t mean to do anything wrong, I was just trying to do the right thing. I hope you won’t be too angry with me.

Love,

Neville

*

15th May 1992

Dear Gran,

Thanks for being so nice about it. I thought you’d be really disappointed. We had to do detention yesterday, and it was horrible. Mr Filch met us at eleven o’clock in the evening and took us down to Hagrid’s hut. From there, we went into the Forbidden Forest. Hagrid told us that we had to look out for unicorn blood, because there’d been a badly injured unicorn in the forest, and we had to try and find it before it died.

He sent me off with Malfoy, who was being really horrible all the way, telling me there wasn’t any point in me coming, because it wasn’t like I could protect myself with magic anyway, and that maybe he’d use me as a shield against whatever was killing the unicorn. Then he jumped up behind me, and I panicked and signalled for Hagrid to come. When he did, he was really angry with Malfoy, and told him off. Then I got to go with Hagrid and Hermione, and Harry and Malfoy went off together. They did actually find a unicorn, but it was dead. Luckily, we were allowed to go back to bed after that.

Now that it’s all over, I just want to focus on passing my exams. I’m having enough trouble without having to worry about detentions. I promise I’ll work hard, and I’m going to do the best I can.

Love,

Neville
P.S. How’s Uncle Algie?

*

1st June 1992

Dear Gran,

All the exams are really hard. I’m about halfway through now, and I’m really struggling. Hermione’s being really helpful, but she still has to do her own revision, and most of the time I don’t have a clue what’s going on. I think I’m going to fail Potions. Professor Snape makes me so nervous, I can’t do anything right when he’s there.

Herbology’s the only one I think I’ll be ok in. I don’t find the practical part difficult, so I just have to learn all the theory of it.

I’m so glad Uncle Algie’s back to normal. Is he still living with you or has he gone home? Can we go back to Blackpool with him this summer? It was really fun last time, except for when he dropped me off the pier and I nearly drowned. Are you sure he’s going to be ok living alone again? How do you know he’s not going to decide to make a flying armchair next?

See you soon,

Neville

*

3rd July 1992

Dear Gran,

The most amazing thing happened at Hogwarts! Harry Potter defeated You-Know-Who again!

It turns out that Professor Quirrell was actually hiding You-Know-Who on the back of his head all year, because they were trying to get hold of some kind of magic stone. I think it’s called something like the Philosophic Stone? Anyway, Harry, Ron and Hermione worked out what was happening and managed to get past all these really complex spells the teachers had done to protect it. Ron even sacrificed himself to let Harry go on! He’s alright now, of course, but still…!

Harry met Quirrell and You-Know-Who and managed to beat them both and save the Stone. Quirrell’s dead now, and You-Know-Who’s gone. Everyone’s talking about it.

The bad thing is I was sitting up in the common room with Trevor the night they went out to save it. I heard them talking about going out, and I told them that they shouldn’t break any more rules, because it wasn’t fair to us Gryffindors if they got caught and had more points taken. Luckily, they didn’t listen to me, and Hermione put the full Body-Bind Curse on me so I couldn’t stop them. It was horrible at the time, but imagine if they’d listened to me! You-Know-Who might have come back!

No one came back for me until the next morning, so I was pretty upset. But when Professor Dumbledore explained what happened, and that what I did was perfectly right, and that I ought not to blame myself, I felt a lot better.

It’s the end-of-year feast in a few days, and then I’ll be coming home.

Can’t wait to see you again!

Love,

Neville

*

7th July 1992

Gran!

You’ll never guess what happened at the end-of-year feast! It was rubbish at first, because Slytherin had won the House Cup, and Gryffindor had come last because of my, Harry and Hermione’s punishment.

But Dumbledore said that he had some more points to give out at the feast. He gave fifty to Hermione, fifty to Ron, and sixty to Harry for their parts in saving the Stone! That meant that we were tying with Slytherin for first place!

Then, he said that it takes as much courage to stand up to our friends as it does to our enemies, and then awarded me TEN POINTS FOR GRYFFINDOR! That put us ahead of Slytherin! Because of me! I’ve never won anything for Gryffindor before, and now I get TEN POINTS that make us win the House Cup!

Everyone was so happy, and I couldn’t believe it.

Anyway, I just really wanted to tell you, even though I’ll be seeing you again next week. Hope everyone’s well (especially Uncle Algie) and see you soon!

Loads of love,

Neville
Xxx