CHAPTER 3

The other houses didn't make being a Hufflepuff easy. They teased her as she left for her dorm.

"Hey Potter, I see you've made it into the house of the goody gum drops," yelled one Gryffindor.

"We should call you Lily peachy keen," a Slytherin shouted.

"Ignore them, they do this every year," said Jane. "Hufflepuffs are heckled like there's no tomorrow by the other houses."

Lily looked back at the Gryffindors. "Even Gryffindor?" she asked.

"Definitely, we helped them in the 2nd war and and they repaid us by saying we're being too soft towards other houses." "Hufflepuff is the house that everyone can laugh at." "We don't get any respect," Jane finished

Lily thought about that. It was true that Hufflepuff hadn't had many accomplishments, but they didn't deserve this.

Soon they stopped at the entrance to the Hufflepuff basement. It was in a nook on the right side of the kitchen corridor. The entrance was concealed by a stack of barrels. A prefect tapped a code on the barrels and the door opened. "Remember the code, if you get it wrong you're locked out and doused in vinegar," Jane informed.

Lily really liked Jane. She seemed to know her way around the school well for a second year. Then they walked into the common room. Lily was impressed. While it had less glamour then the Great hall it had a nice, relaxing, homey feeling. The windows had a beautiful view. She wished she could sit down on the couch with her dad and a cup of warm pumpkin juice.

Jane snapped her out of it. "Wanna play Wizard's chess?" Jane asked.

"I'm the champ." she said. Lily smiled. "Not once you've played me," Lily said. And for the first time since the sorting hat had sorted her to Hufflepuff she felt like part of a family.

/

It had been a week since the sorting and classes were okay for Lily. She thought her teachers were okay and was doing fairly well. The only problem was Klara Chang, a nasty Ravenclaw who was one of her chief tormentors. She would cast a trip jinx and as soon as Lily got back up she would cast it again. Since being sorted to Hufflepuff, her relatives at school had been distant. The whole school had also been abuzz. A Potter child in Hufflepuff? This was a surprise for sure. All in all this made her an outsider.

The only kids who wanted to associate with her were Jane and Seth. Jane was very in the know about everything and everyone. She also had a great sense of humor. Seth was very smart and would always share random facts with her.

"Do you know that the record for longest Quidditch match was six months?" he asked her.

"No I didn't, that's interesting" she responded. He was the only one in another house that gave her respect.

As she thought about it she realized she was a lot like the Hufflepuff house. The ugly duckling. The disrespected one in the bunch. Lily had always been the baby of the family. While she loved spending time with her parents, especially her father, she wanted more respect. James had always been the tough guy, Albus the smart guy. She was just sweet, little Lily, no one to do anything but play kid games with. Even though she could be just as tough and smart as Albus and James. And what she didn't know was that she was a far more powerful witch.