2A/N: Disclaimer - The author and the twisted, messy, writhing mass of "What's this do?" that is their brain does not own any of the characters or situations in this story, or even the word "the". As such, they are not the owner of a multi-billion(?) or at the very least multi-million dollar franchise, and if they were, this would be a Deleted Scene or on Pottermore. As it is neither, it is safe to assume that the author coined as Dark Lord Duckie is neither J. K. Rowling or Warner Brothers, such as it were. DLD is also broke, so would appreciate not being sued for playing with characters.
As long as Neville could remember, his gran had taken care of him, with her red handbag being his first memory. Climbing into it and hiding, giggling as the house elf and gran searched and searched. It was a good memory. It could have been a lot better if his parents were around...Neville always wondered what happened to his grandfather. He knew what had happened to his parents, but nobody had ever deigned to tell him about his gran's husband, but somebody did know. That somebody was some toad, Trevor.
Trevor's story, so far as Neville could tell, started when his Great Uncle Algie acquired and gave Neville the pet to take to Hogwarts. "Built character, strong wizards look stronger alongside a weaker familiar," he had said. Neville was just glad that his relatives weren't trying to drop him out windows or push him off piers again.
In actuality, Trevor's story started a long time before that.
He wasn't always a toad.
He used to be a man.
An upstanding pureblood man named Trevor Longbottom, in fact.
An upstanding pureblood ... but promiscuous unfaithful man behind closed doors, in point of fact.
One day, Neville's gran walked in on Trevor sowing some wild oats with a muggle woman he had found in the nearby town. In a rage, she transfigured Trevor into a toad, and turned the woman into wild oats, which she planted in the garden. They grew tall and strong, and then they were harvested and used to make porridge. Made her feel strong after her moment of weakness giving into her rage.
But Trevor, he escaped to a pond on the Longbottom Estate and stayed there for years gathering intel from the other amphibians and picking the brains of "flies on the wall" gaining tasty morsels of gossip. He grieved for his son Frank when he heard, he mourned the loss of Alice, and he was as overjoyed as a toad could be for Neville's survival. Eventually, he spotted Algie coming down to the pond one day, and tried to get his attention, doing backflips and jumping jacks. Algie thought this was so amusing that he should give this *very* special toad to young Neville who was set to start Hogwarts soon.
Who decided, coincidentally, to name his toad Trevor in honour of the grandfather he had never known.
Trevor the Toad was ecstatic to be with his grandson off on adventures, but he always tried to get away to get the attention of a professor to turn him back. That blasted Crookshanks had known that he wasn't a toad, but had approved his punishment, and so did nothing about him. Besides, he had Pettigrew to worry about. Trevor and Pettigrew never did get along, and he was glad to see him go. All the more leg room for him!
As the years passed, Trevor's many attempts to escape never came to fruition and he was resigned to his fate, and attempted to just keep Neville safe as best he could, by ralling the amphibians of the castle to his banner of "Ribbit Bit Rib Croak Ribbit" - "Do it, Or I'll Eat You". It was very effective with the flies and vermin of the castle, and if you controlled the food, you controlled the army.
And control the army he did.
By the time the Battle for Hogwarts rolled around, Trevor led the charge against the Death Eaters, with poisonous frogs and toads alike causing havoc by leaping and hopping up pant legs, with flies and other insects getting into mouths and eyes, and other more daring acrobatic fleas drawing the Acromantulas into the fight. Many insects died in that attack, and the toads were sad to see them go... until they realized they could deal with a bit of dust and just eat them up off the floor.
Trevor himself went toe to slipperyness with Nagini, who after a long skirmish, swallowed him whole. Little known fact is Neville spotted Trevor disappearing down the overgrown worm's throat and swung the Gryffindor Sword in desperation to avenge his toad companion. The decapitated head bounced along the ground and out slid Trevor after his near death experience, to the croaking cheers of his brethren and soldiers.
For Trevor!
For Amphibians!
For Vermin!
The untold heroes of the Wizarding World!