Hufflepuff Common Room

By the time the welcome feast ended, Adam had gotten to know all the new first-years and several older students who were seated nearby.

Could it be said that a love for food was a common trait of Hufflepuff?

He felt like he could open a chain of French restaurants and Chinese taverns in the wizarding world in the future.

As the food vanished from the tables, Professor Dumbledore stood up and addressed everyone:

"At the beginning of the new term, I must remind you of the following points: First-year students, please note that the forest behind the school is off-limits to all students—and some older students would do well to remember this as well."

Professor Dumbledore's gaze swept over the Gryffindor table.

"Mr. Filch, our caretaker, has asked me to remind you all not to cast spells in the corridors between classes. Quidditch player tryouts will be held in the second week of this term. Students interested in joining the house team should contact Madam Hooch."

At this point, Professor Dumbledore paused and emphasized:

"Finally, I must tell you all, do not go near the corridor on the right-hand side of the fourth floor of the library, unless you want to bleed from all seven orifices and die a miserable death."

As his voice fell, the Great Hall was silent for a few seconds.

The new students looked at each other in confusion, while the older students frowned, pondering this additional warning compared to previous years.

"Well, that's all I have to say. Finally, let us all sing the school song together. You may choose your own tune."

After a chaotic rendition of the school song, Professor Dumbledore instructed the prefects to lead the students back to their respective dormitories.

The four houses separated at the staircase after leaving the Great Hall—Ravenclaw and Gryffindor went up, while Hufflepuff and Slytherin went down.

"The good thing about having our dormitories underground is that our staircases don't move around on their own, and even during a storm, we can enjoy a quiet and comfortable sleep in our dorms."

An older student, whom Adam had met at the welcome feast, introduced.

"Besides that, although our dorms and Slytherin's are both underground, our dorms are much warmer. And also… ah, here we are!"

The Hufflepuff group stopped in front of a large oil painting depicting a fruit bowl. Bruce, the prefect, turned to face everyone:

"Ahead are the Hufflepuff common room and dormitories, but please allow me to stop here to introduce you to what's in front of you: the Hogwarts kitchen—yes, right next to our dormitories."

Faced with the excited whispers of the new students, Bruce smiled and walked up to the painting:

"See, just reach out and tickle this pear—"

The pear seemed to be tickled, and after a series of tremors, it turned into a green doorknob.

"It will turn into a doorknob. Pull it open to enter the kitchen. I believe some people's stomachs always rumble late at night, just like mine."

Patting his own little belly, Bruce sighed:

"When the weather turns cold at night, who can resist a steaming cup of pumpkin juice with a large plate of grilled sausages?"

"Come on, in the summer you want iced Butterbeer and fries!"

An older female student, who seemed to be very familiar with Bruce, retorted, drawing laughter from the badger cubs.

"Oh, Vivian, don't spoil my act at a time like this… but you have to admit they go well with the hot summer days, don't they?"

Bruce shrugged, seemingly not minding the older student's teasing.

"There's Butterbeer at school?"

Adam looked at the older student who had introduced him earlier.

"Not at school, but there is in Hogsmeade. Once you're in your third year, you can go to Hogsmeade, buy Butterbeer, and then entrust the house-elves in the kitchen to keep it safe for you."

The older student explained:

"They'll be very happy if you're willing to leave the keg with them after you've finished drinking."

After introducing the kitchen, the group continued forward. Not far from the kitchen entrance on the right was a pile of huge oak barrels. The entrance to the Hufflepuff common room was located here.

"Remember the method for entering: knock on the bottom lid of the two middle barrels in the second row in the rhythm of 'Helga Hufflepuff,' and the lid will automatically swing open."

Bruce demonstrated to the new students as he spoke:

"Don't knock on the wrong one, or you'll be doused in vinegar. Also, although we don't exclude students from other houses, please keep the method of entering the common room a secret. I think everyone needs some relatively private space, right?"

As he spoke, the lid of the oak barrel had already opened. Adam and the others followed the passage forward and entered the Hufflepuff common room—a circular, low-ceilinged room with a faint earthy fragrance.

The earthy, copper-toned yellow and the green of the plants formed the main color scheme of the Hufflepuff common room. There was a ring of circular windows near the ceiling, and a warm fire burned in the fireplace.

Above the fireplace, there was a large picture frame decorated with several dancing badgers. Helga Hufflepuff in the frame saw the students enter and smiled, raising a golden cup to greet everyone.

"The passage on this side leads to the boys' dormitory, and the one on this side leads to the girls' dormitory—by the way, although I trust everyone's morals, to avoid any unnecessary trouble, boys are not allowed to enter the girls' dormitory area."

Bruce clapped his hands:

"Alright, let's split up. Older students can go back to their dorms. New boys, follow me. New girls, follow in Vivian's footsteps, she's your female prefect."

Led by Bruce to the dormitory door, which resembled an oak barrel lid, Adam bid farewell to the enthusiastic prefect and entered the dormitory with his future roommates.

His roommates included Uther Ramses and Bernard Lancelot, who had been sitting next to Adam at the welcome feast, as well as two other students:

Eugene Crowell, a big guy who was taller than most of his peers, didn't say much at the welcome feast, mostly listening to everyone else. Adam's understanding of him was limited to the fact that he liked to eat fish.

Well, because in his few times of actively speaking, twice he had asked if Adam's family's restaurant had fish and what kinds of dishes they made.

Colon Palmier, a very lively young man, gave a very enthusiastic and comprehensive self-introduction, with hobbies including Quidditch, Wizard's Chess, Gobstones, and various other games.

Adam also learned that his family was in the business of raising magical creatures and ran a store called Magical Menagerie in Hogsmeade.

Under the warm glow of the copper lamp, five black and yellow four-poster beds were displayed before the five of them, each bedpost labeled with a name, so there was no fear of mistaking them. Bernard was the first to walk over to his four-poster bed and sit down:

"Wow~ This dorm is even bigger than I imagined."

Looking around, Bernard was startled by the pile of packages next to Adam's bed, which nearly reached the ceiling:

"Wow! What are all these?"

Adam, who had also sat down on his bed and was checking his luggage, got up and took a look when he heard this:

"Oh, these are the books I bought at Flourish and Blotts. Looks like they've already been delivered."

"Books?!"

Colon, who turned his head, opened his mouth wide:

"So many? Did you empty out Flourish and Blotts?"

"Actually, almost. I did buy a copy of most of the books in Flourish and Blotts."

Adam stroked his chin and thought for a moment, then nodded:

"I quite like reading."

"...I can see that."

That mountain of books was a horror story for Colon, who loved games and hated studying. He shuddered and stopped looking, turning instead to say:

"Is everyone going to shower? Shall we go together? I just saw a map in the common room."