Disclaimer: See Prologue.

A/N: These next chapters aren't going to be in any particular order because they are happening pretty much simultaneously. Therefore, I want to know which one you want to see next, and so on, and so forth. If you haven't figured it out yet, the choices are Ron, Hermione, Draco, Susan, Neville, Ginny, and Luna, excluding whichever one is going to be in this chapter (which I am about to draw from a hat). Also, I need to know what other character I should put this under. Okay, this chapter will be about… Neville!

The Chosen Eight

Chapter Five

The Choosing - Lord Hufflepuff

Neville lay down that night in a frustrated state. His Gran had taken him to see his parents two days ago on his birthday, and it always took him some time to get over the sight. He loved them, or rather, he loved the idea of them. He didn't really know them.

He sighed before closing his eyes. Perhaps, one day, they would get better. He smiled at the thought and whispered, "Perhaps."

"Perhaps what?" a jovial feminine voice asked.

His eyes snapped open to reveal a very unfamiliar room. The walls were of white stone and it was decorated with hangings of yellow. The furniture in room was made of ebony wood, and in the doorway there stood a woman. She wasn't tall, or thin, but she was beautiful all the same. She had curly black hair that hung to the middle of her back and the most expressive brown eyes he had ever seen. Looking at her, Neville could tell she was bursting with a childlike enthusiasm and energy, but despite that she was not a woman to cross.

"Who are you?" he blurted out, and then, thinking that sounded a bit rude, added, "ma'am?"

She smiled brightly at his manner. "My dear, there is no need for such reserve. I'm sure you have many questions. As for who I am, my name is Helga Hufflepuff."

Neville's eyes widened at that. He looked around him again in confusion. "Then," he asked hesitantly, "are we at… Hogwarts?"

"Heavens, no." She looked around her with a sad sort of smile. "I suppose you wouldn't recognize this place. It was destroyed hundreds of years before you were born. This is Ebony Palace, the ancestral home of the Hufflepuff family."

Neville was quiet out of respect for her, but he was obviously full of curiosity. She laughed when she noticed his state.

"I'm sure you are wondering why you have been brought here. Get dressed and come downstairs. I'll be waiting."

Neville hesitantly got up and went to the wardrobe. Inside, he found the same kind of clothes as Harry had found, not that he knew that. He very nervously put on one of the robes, and viewed himself in the mirror very self-consciously. However, not wanting to displease one of Hogwarts Founders, he quickly went to find her downstairs.

"Ah, Neville, there you are. Please, sit down," she said as he walked into a sitting room.

He took the one she had gestured at.

"Now, to cut to the chase," she said. "I have chosen you as my Heir. Oh, don't look so surprised. You are a very hard-working and loyal boy. To tell the truth, I was shocked to learn that the Sorting Hat sorted you into Gryffindor. Yes, I've been watching you that long. However, it chose rightly. You do have an immense amount of courage when it is called for. You are exactly the kind of young man that I would trust with the kind of power and responsibility that is to be bestowed upon you."

"With all due respect, ma'am, I think you've made a mistake," Neville said quietly. "I'm not really all that great of a wizard."

She smiled softly at him. "Yes, you are Neville, and more importantly, you're a great person. That's what a wizard is defined of, in my opinion at least. Now, to get to your training."

"My training?" Neville asked, confused. "All the heirs I've ever heard of never had training."

"You and the others are the first. You will stay here a year, but don't worry, it will only be a night in your time."

OoooOoooOoooO

Neville woke up in his room a changed man, for he had become a man. Yet, he still had the qualities that had made him such a great person before, only now, he had the means to bring them out for the best. There was work to be done, but he couldn't do it alone.

Tbc…

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