The First Night

Hufflepuff's common room.

This was a large underground room with a low, round ceiling. Facing the passage was a roaring fireplace, warming the entire room, and the surrounding walls were carved with round windows, from which bright moonlight shone in.

Already, people were sitting on the sofas in the common room, warming themselves by the fire and basking in the starlight. The first-year students who had arrived earlier were all gathered in the common room, still unsure of where their dormitories were.

Li Mu continued to observe the common room, guessing that it was probably a large, round pit dug outside the castle, most likely adjacent to the greenhouses used for Herbology classes, as he could see many flowers and plants through the round windows.

A gentle breeze rustled the leaves, and the starlight shone on the lush greenery, creating an exceptionally tranquil scene.

This scenery was completely different from the deep, dark night scenes of the old forests, leaving him momentarily lost in thought.

"Oww... make way!" Unfortunately, the shout from behind quickly broke the silence.

Li Mu reacted to the sound, dodging to the side and narrowly avoiding Justin Finch-Fletchley, who slid down the passage. He then watched as Justin fell into the dirt with a thud. Laughter erupted from the common room.

"S-sorry," the sharp-faced boy said, scrambling up from the dirt and frantically brushing off the dust.

"It's okay." Li Mu turned back, but was taken aback. He saw two dark openings behind him. Justin was standing at the left passage entrance, so what was the opening on the right...?

"The slope isn't that steep, Finch-Fletchley," Cedric's voice came from the barrel passage behind Justin. "You can control your speed as you slide down, just keep a steady mind."

As he spoke, Cedric slid out of the passage, landing steadily on the ground. He patted Justin on the shoulder and then pointed behind him, continuing to explain to the group of first-year students, "You all see, there are actually two passages here—if you want to go out, climb up from the opening on the right, it connects to another barrel. Left in, right out, don't get it wrong."

The first-year students responded with a chorus of "okay," and Cedric finally relaxed.

"Now, look at the two doors on the wall of the common room. The boys' dormitory is on the left, and the girls' dormitory is on the right..."

"Wow..." The first-year students gasped softly. With Cedric's reminder, they noticed that the round walls on the left and right sides of the common room each had a stone round door embedded in them—both doors were brownish-yellow, and could not be seen without careful observation. The words "Boys" and "Girls" were engraved in the doors, and could only be seen up close.

"Your names have already been posted on the doors, and your luggage has been placed in the dormitories in advance. If you want to have a good performance on the first day of school, then go to bed early," Cedric said with a smile at the end.

The first-year students, tired from their day's journey, split into two groups and dispersed.

Perhaps because it was located underground, the Hufflepuff dormitory was slightly smaller than Gryffindor's—or perhaps it was even more comfortable. Li Mu was surprised to find that all the Hufflepuff rooms were for three people.

He happened to be in the same room as Ernie Macmillan and Justin Finch-Fletchley.

The room contained three four-poster beds with curtains, each covered with a quilt of mixed colors. A copper lamp stood at the head of each bed, emitting a warm, soft light when turned on. Li Mu was pleasantly surprised to find that the beds even had solid wood desks, like the computer desks he used before he transmigrated. When flipped over, he could sit on the bed to read and write.

He thought he should send a letter to the old man Li Jianmin, reporting on the situation in Britain. A sense of guilt welled up in his heart again. He had failed the old man's expectations by giving up the path of cultivation that was rumored to be miraculous throughout the Celestial Dynasty. Was this choice too rash, or even wrong?

Then he remembered that he didn't have an owl, so he could only send the letter to the public post office.

How far could those weak owls in the public post office fly? ...He was very doubtful. How great would it be if there were text messages or even the internet in this era?

Li Mu sat on the bed, his thoughts drifting as he looked up at the opposite wall. The cold light shone in through the round window, which was in the same style as those in the common room, and was diluted by the warm light of the copper lamp.

The air in the dormitory was still full of the smell of earth. He never expected to be assigned to Hufflepuff. From now on, he was completely a "native."

In any case, the most important thing to do now was to get some sleep.

After a long journey, even he felt a little tired. In the dormitory, Justin was already lying on the bed, looking at the ceiling. Ernie Macmillan was also not in the mood to talk, and was organizing his pajamas with drooping eyelids.

Li Mu said to his roommates, "Okay, then, good night, everyone."

"Good night," Justin and Macmillan said together.

Today, at least, there was a good night. Hopefully, tomorrow would also be a good day. Li Mu quietly closed his eyes, not caring that he hadn't completed his pre-sleep meditation.

He quickly fell asleep, sleeping soundly.

Unfortunately, it turned out that Li Mu was destined to greet the first day of school with frustration.

(End of this chapter)