The Hufflepuff common room is located in the underground levels of Hogwarts Castle, with the entrance situated in the corner of the kitchen corridor, hidden among a pile of large wooden barrels. Getting in is simple: you just need to knock on the second barrel from the bottom, second in line, in the rhythm of Helga Hufflepuff. When done correctly, the lid will spin open to reveal a passage large enough for someone to crawl through into the common room.
Unlike the ever-changing passwords or the riddles that are updated each time, Hufflepuff is the only house at Hogwarts that uses a fixed password to open the door. Once you learn it, you can use it for seven years, which is quite convenient.
"Remember, it's 'Helga Hufflepuff,' and the sequence must not be mistaken," Hufflepuff Prefect Karen Harris said, standing in front of the new students. She slowed her voice down to three times its normal speed and demonstrated the correct knocking sequence.
One of the younger boys raised his hand nervously, asking, "Um… what if I knock it wrong?" He fidgeted and added, "I... I have a bad memory. If I knock wrong, will I still be able to get into the dorm?"
"Worse than that!" Harris quickly moved to the barrel, knocked on it a couple of times, and then stepped back. Almost instantly, a strong vinegar smell poured out from the lid and splashed over the spot she had just vacated.
"As you can see," Harris continued, waving her wand to clean the mess, "if you mess up the sequence, the other lid will burst open and pour vinegar all over you. If you don't want to smell like vinegar all day, make sure you get the order right. It's not that hard."
She then demonstrated the sequence twice more and led the group into the passage.
At the end of the passage was a simple, circular room – the Hufflepuff common room. Compared to the vastness of the Great Hall, the ceiling here seemed much lower, barely three meters high. The room was furnished with black and yellow couches, and the walls were decorated with an assortment of interesting plants.
Kyle looked around with interest. In addition to the common decorative plants, he noticed several rare and valuable ones. Some of them, like the Rue, White Ash, Golden Lace Hydrangea, Wind-Talker Grass, and Bellflower Sunflowers, were quite familiar to him. The Bellflower Sunflower in the center of the room was particularly noteworthy. If Kyle wasn't mistaken, it should cost around 300 Galleons on the market, though it was extremely hard to find. The Golden Lace Hydrangea was a bit cheaper, available at Diagon Alley for about 279 Galleons.
Having rare plants worth hundreds of Galleons as decor was a true testament to Professor Sprout's skill as a herbologist and her understated luxury. Kyle had to force himself not to take them all and carry them off. He turned his attention away with an iron will.
Along one wall was a large, honey-colored wooden fireplace, intricately carved with a badger motif, with several jars placed on top. According to Prefect Harris, the jars contained various candies and snacks that the students could help themselves to.
Above the fireplace was a portrait of Helga Hufflepuff, a cheerful witch holding a golden cup and smiling brightly.
At that moment, other students from Hufflepuff's upper years began to trickle in. They greeted the new students warmly and offered a variety of snacks as gifts. Kyle was given plenty, and his robe pockets were soon filled with colorful candies and dried fruits—enough to last him for over a month.
"How do you like the Hufflepuff common room?" Cedric Diggory came over, clapping Kyle on the shoulder. "No other house has such a comfortable place."
"Ah, it's you, Mr. Diggory," Kyle said, flicking Cedric's hand off his shoulder with a look of mild distaste. "What, afraid Professor Snape will misunderstand now?"
"Don't be like that, Kyle. That's just for show," Cedric replied, giving a sheepish grin. "Our friendship is unbreakable, I swear."
Kyle only felt more disgusted and quickly stepped a little further away from Cedric. However, he knew Cedric was just joking, so he wasn't truly angry—though those words were a little too much.
He thought to himself, 'Does Cedric really think he's Harry Potter, always in Snape's line of sight? What is he thinking...'
Kyle sneered, though something about Cedric's behavior seemed oddly familiar—especially that shameless, opportunistic style of deflecting blame. 'Who does that remind me of?'
He thought for a moment but couldn't put his finger on it. In the end, he gave up. Maybe... possibly... it was the Weasley twins?
As more students filled the common room, Harris called the new students to take a seat on the sofas, explaining that, at the professor's request, she'd go over some of the Hogwarts rules and also help everyone get to know one another.
She and another Prefect went to the nearby kitchen to fetch some biscuits and large cups of fresh juice. This was one of the perks of being near the kitchen—the other houses didn't get this kind of treatment.
Before long, the tables in the common room were piled high with snacks.
"Welcome to Hufflepuff," Harris said enthusiastically. "Hogwarts has very few rules. As long as you remember the following points, you'll be fine. First..."
While Harris was speaking, Kyle glanced around the room, quickly spotting Canna at the far edge of the crowd. He quietly moved over to her.
"I was too much before," Kyle whispered. "I'm sorry."
Conna was visibly startled. She looked up at him and then whispered back, "No, no. It's my fault, really. I should have guessed you were joking. Hogwarts would never... never use... that Curse."
Kyle shook his head seriously. "It's not the same. Joking requires both people to think it's funny. If I really scared you, that's on me, so I have to apologize."
Seeing how earnest Kyle was, Canna hesitated for a moment before looking up and saying seriously, "Okay, I accept your apology."
With that, she lightly punched him on the arm.
"Now we're even," she said.
Kyle raised an eyebrow. The punch was so weak, it wouldn't even be enough to flick off dust.
"Not quite yet. Wait a minute," Kyle chuckled, pulling out the prettiest wrapped brown candies from his pocket and handing them over. "This is my peace offering. We're only even when you take these."
"Mm, alright..." Canna took the candies, popped one in her mouth in front of him, and then reached out with the other hand, smiling as she said, "Let me treat you to some candy."
"No, no," Kyle quickly shook his head, muttering under his breath, "Who eats licorice candy? Even a tail-wagging dog wouldn't eat this."
*Crunch!*
(End of Chapter)
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