Title: Attraction To A Hufflepuff

By: Smurf

Pairing: Nedric (duh! My favorite!)

Disclaimer: I don't own Harry Potter or any related trademarks. I don't make any money from writing these works. No infringement is intended.

Summary: Nedric. Neville's POV. Companion piece to Attraction To A Wallflower.

Note: Enjoy the Nedric-ness! You can read this by itself, but I think it would be nice if you read ATAW as well (if you haven't already that is).

Attrraction To A Hufflepuff
Part I

When Neville Longbottom had received his letter of admission to Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, he had not been excited, as one would expect a young wizarding child to be. No, instead he had been shocked. He had been absolutely positive that he would be made to attend one of the less exclusive schools for children of limited aptitude for the magical arts… or perhaps sent to a muggle school of sorts, as he wasn't all that much of a talent with his magic.

His grandmother on the other hand had been over the moon. She had spent the whole rest of that summer telling him stories of his parents, and their time at Hogwarts. Neville didn't mind the stories really. It was rather nice to be able to have something of his parents, other than the candy wrappers his mother often gave him when he visited them at St. Mungo's Hospital. Still, he couldn't help but wish that his formidable witch of a grandmother would stop comparing him to his father. It was actually sort of depressing; the young boy could never quite manage to live up to the memory of his dad, or at least that's what he thought.

Neville knew that his grandmother loved him, but he still couldn't shake the feeling that he was nothing short of a disappointment to her, and her constant comparisons between father and son weren't very helpful in making him think otherwise. So, it was no surprise that when it came time for young Neville to make his first journey to his new school, that he was a bundle of nerves. All of the stories about his father and his good grades, and popularity, and athleticism, combined with Neville's seemingly perpetual lack of self-confidence had come together all at once leaving the boy with a horrible queasy feeling in his stomach.

The sandy blonde boy's first year at Hogwarts was full of surprises to say the least. There had been the trip across the lake, and then the sorting ceremony. After hearing about the houses, Neville had been sure he'd be turned out of the school, for lack of a decent fit. However, the more logical part of his brain told him that he was just being silly. Of course he'd be sorted to a house. Not Ravenclaw, for he lacked the brains and the talent, and definitely not Gryffindor, for though he thought he was a fairly loyal sort of a person he was lacking in the courage department. He knew for a fact that he wouldn't be placed in Slytherin, the mere thought of it was both horrifying and ridiculous. That left Hufflepuff; from what he'd heard that was the house for duffers like him. At least that was what he had heard a group of older children saying when he had passed them on the train. All and all, Hufflepuff didn't seem so bad, from what he could see from those already sorted and sitting at the Hufflepuff table, they seemed a nice sort of people.

When it was his turn to be sorted Neville took a seat and waited for the Sorting Hat to proclaim him a Hufflepuff, and be done with it. However, that wasn't what happened at all. The Hat sat on his head a moment, and made some hemming and hawing noises- it was rather odd… as if it were looking in side of his brain- before announcing very clearly, and loudly that Neville Longbottom was a Gryffindor. Now that had been a surprise to everybody, though it wouldn't be the last.

Through out the rest of the year several other surprises arose. Such as the time he got locked out of the Gryffindor dorms along with Harry Potter, Hermione Granger, and Ronald Weasley. Or the time he had to go into the forest with Harry, and the others for detention, or the time a Mountain Troll was let loose in the school, or Harry Potter's (along with his two best friends Ron and Hermione) retrieval of the Philosopher's Stone, and most memorable, for Neville, was how he had managed to earn his house the last few points it needed to edge out Slytherin for the House Cup, and for courage of all things!

So, even though Neville was clumsy, and often blew up his potions assignments, which meant he spent a lot of money on replacement cauldrons, he could say that his first year at Hogwarts wasn't so bad at all.

Okay people, this is just to keep you happy while you wait for the rest of this particular piece to be completed. Its nowhere near done.