Great Auntie Enid

Great Auntie Enid is a witch and a member of the pure-blood Longbottom family. She is the great-aunt of Neville Longbottom. Her sole appearance in the series is within a story Neville recounts about his childhood, where her reaction to his first display of accidental magic highlights the immense pressure he was under to prove he was not a Squib.

Great Auntie Enid's history is largely unknown, save for one significant family event. She was present, along with Great Uncle Algie, when Neville's family was trying to force a magical reaction from him as a young boy. After numerous failed attempts, Great Uncle Algie dangled the eight-year-old Neville by his ankles from an upstairs window, but was distracted and accidentally let go. Instead of falling to his death, Neville bounced down the garden and into the road. Rather than being horrified, the family, including Enid, was overjoyed at this proof of his magical ability. Great Auntie Enid was so pleased that she tearfully offered Great Uncle Algie a meringue. This event led to Neville receiving his pet toad, Trevor, as a celebratory gift from his great-uncle.

Her physical appearance is never described in the novels. Based on her reaction to Neville's near-fatal fall, Enid can be characterized as sharing her family's deep-seated pride in magical heritage. Her primary emotion was relief and joy that Neville was not a Squib, a sentiment that overshadowed any concern for his physical safety at that moment. Her offering of a meringue suggests a celebratory and perhaps eccentric nature, valuing the confirmation of magical bloodline above all else.

As a member of a prominent wizarding family, Enid is a witch, but the extent of her magical abilities and any specific skills are unknown.

• Meringue: While not a magical object, a meringue is the only item directly associated with Great Auntie Enid. She offered one to Great Uncle Algie in celebration of Neville's accidental magic.

• Neville Longbottom: Enid is Neville's great-aunt. Along with other relatives like Augusta Longbottom and Great Uncle Algie, she was involved in his upbringing. She shared the family's intense anxiety about his magical development.
• Great Uncle Algie: Her relationship with Algie appears to be close, as they were together during the incident with Neville. Her celebratory gesture towards him indicates she approved of his drastic, and ultimately successful, methods for provoking Neville's magic. The exact family connection (e.g., siblings, in-laws) is not specified.
• Augusta Longbottom: As Neville's grandmother and matriarch of the family, Augusta was the primary guardian. It is presumed Enid shared Augusta's worries and values regarding family honour and magical ability, though no direct interactions between them are described.

The name Enid is of Welsh origin, derived from enaid, meaning “soul” or “life.” This is potentially symbolic, as her only appearance is during an event that both threatened Neville's life and affirmed his magical “life” or “soul” as a wizard.

The anecdote involving Great Auntie Enid, Great Uncle Algie, and Neville's bouncing incident is told in the novel Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone but is omitted from its film adaptation. No further information about her character has been released by J.K. Rowling.