Author's note: All information about the Hufflepuff common room is from the HP wiki.. I'm sorry if anything in general in this fic is wrong when it comes to the Harry Potter universe.
Cress stepped out off the boat and onto land. Not wanting to be alone, she craned her neck and started looking for Thorne. Eventually she found him in the crowd. "How was the boat ride?" Cress asked eagerly. "Did you think it was fun too?" she asked. "It was okay," Thorne shrugged. "Oh, I thought it was very fun," she said, trying to calm her excitement. They started talking about which houses they would get sorted into as they made their way towards the castle. Cress still could not believe that she was a witch, and that she was going to Hogwarts. She was so excited! Thorne didn't seem as excited as Cress, however that was probably because he had known he was a wizard his whole life. When they reached the castle they were led into the great hall. In the great hall there was a raggedy hat on top of a chair. After everyone had gathered, the doors were closed. They started calling out names. First year after first year went up and got sorted into their houses, the hat seemed to use more time on some than others. "Crescent Moon Darnel!" the principal called out. Cress sat down on the chair, and the hat slipped over her eyes when it was placed on her head. "You have a lot of potential as a Ravenclaw, you have a big brain," the hat mumbled in her ear. "But you could also be a Hufflepuff," the hat said. The sorting hat considered between the two houses for a while and then it shouted. "HUFFLEPUFF!" the hat was removed from her head. All the Hufflepuffs were cheering when Cress made her way towards them, she glanced at Thorne on her way. Thorne looked a bit upset, she didn't understand why. She joined the hufflepuffs and watched as more people got sorted into their houses, but Cress wasn't really paying attention to what was happening. "Carswell Thorne!" the principal called out, this caught her attention. She crossed her fingers. "Please say hufflepuff, please say hufflepuff," Cress whispered to herself. Although her fingers were crossed it didn't help. "SLYTHERIN!" the hat shouted. Thorne looked satisfied, but when he saw Cress his satisfaction faltered. He gave her a shrug and went to join the Slytherins. When everyone had been sorted into their houses, an older student -a prefect, Cress had learned- led them to the entrance to the common room. It was located in a nook on the right hand side of the kitchen corridor, concealed behind a stack of barrels. The prefect started tapping the barrels and started explaining how it all worked. "One must tap the barrel two from the bottom, middle of the second row, in the rhythm of 'Helga Hufflepuff', which will make the lid swing open," the lid swung open. It exposed a passageway. "If the wrong lid is tapped or the wrong rhythm is used, the intruder will be doused in vinegar and barred access," he explained. "Come on," he made a gesture with his hand for them to follow him, and then they crawled through one by one. The room Cress found herself standing in was round and it was earthy. It had a low ceiling and circular windows, she could see grass and dandelions peeking up outside the window. There were plants all over the place, some of them on the windowsills and some hanging from the ceiling. In addition to the plants all over the place, there were also overstuffed chairs and couches in yellow and black. Cress went to her assigned dormitory. Although she didn't mind sharing a room, it did make her very anxious. Which caused her to start playing with her long blonde hair. "Hi! I'm Iko!" her roommate announced very energetically. "I am Winter," her other roommate said. "Crescent," said Cress. They looked at her confused. "I mean... My name is Crescent, nice to meet you. You can call me Cress though, please don't call me Crescent," she told them and attacked her hair, taking all her anxiety out on it. "Nice to meet you Cress," Iko smiled.
Author's note: If you haven't already noticed I've made all the characters the same age.