A Beatle's Song & A Warm Place

Jude watched as Connor's eyes went wide as the hat was pulled from his head. His eyes found Jude's and Jude gave his friend a reassuring smile. Connor nodded before moving to join the other Slytherins.

"Sucks," he heard from beside him. Jude turned his eyes toward Maddie who had sat beside him when she was sorted. Jude furrowed his eyebrows at her. "That you're not in the same House with Connor. It's funny both our friend's were put in the same House and we were put in practically the opposite one of their's," Maddie explained.

Jude nodded. "Well, Connor and I promised each other we'd be friends no matter what, so it's not entirely an issue. Though it is gonna suck not being able to see him all the time," Jude answered, his nervousness of not having anyone he knew in his House gone from earlier. This Maddie girl seemed nice enough, maybe they could be friends.

Maddie smiled. "Yeah, that's true. Hey, I'm sure we'll have plenty of classes with Slytherin, and until then, we can hang out," Maddie told him with a smile. Jude smiled back.

"Yeah," he answered. Then, he felt a tap on his shoulder. He turned his attention toward a third year girl. He recognized her instantly.

"You're Jude, Mariana's little brother, right?" Lexi asked, pushing her dark hair behind her ear.

"Yeah," Jude answered with a smile. He heard Maddie behind him start talking to another one of the Hufflepuff girls. "And you're Mariana's friend, Lexi," he told her, remembering her coming over a lot the past few summers.

"That's right I am!" Lexi assured.

"Hey, Lexi," came a voice from the other side of the girl.

"One second Jude," she told the younger boy, then turned toward the boy who had called her name. "Yes, Zachary, what would you like?"

"I told you not to call me Zachary," the boy answered with a glare. American accent, Jude commented in his head.

Lexi laughed and nodded. "Sorry, Zac, what's up?" she asked. Zac leaned over the table, raising an eyebrow toward Jude.

"Who's your friend?" he asked. Lexi raised an eyebrow in return.

"This is Jude, the youngest of the Adams Fosters," Lexi introduced. Jude smiled at the boy and lifted his hand and gave the boy a half-wave.

"Hi," he greeted with a smile.

"Mariana's your older sister?" Zac asked, tilting his head.

"Uh, yeah," Jude answered. Was this how he was going to be known around the school? Zac nodded gently, seeming to become lost in his own thoughts. Lexi turned back toward Jude and he talked with her for another moment. Then the Sorting was finished, and the feast began. As they ate, Jude chattered with Maddie and the girl she had been talking to earlier, Daria.

"Wait, Jude, that's your name?" Daria asked with a grin on her lips.

"Uh... yeah," the boy mumbled, his eyebrows furrowed, exchanging a look with Maddie.

"As in, Hey Jude by the Beatles?" she asked, her eyes lighting. Jude laughed.

"Yeah, just like that," he answered. Connor had pointed out the song to Jude years ago after Adam, Connor's father, had showed his son the band. They had laughed about it for weeks, and small jokes were still made between them and anyone else who got the reference.

After the name recognition, Jude, Daria, and Maddie got along great. The feast came to an end soon and the three first years followed after a boy Jude recognized as Brandon's friend, Mat, and a girl with blonde hair. The two were calling for the first years to follow them to the common room. Jude could hear both Callie and Brandon doing the same with their Houses. Jude payed close attention as they went down the stairs and then down a corridor. They reached a stack of barrels and Mat and the blonde girl spotted in front of it.

"Now," Mat started, pulling his wand from his robes, looking around the first years. "To get into the Hufflepuff basement, you have to tap the barrel two from the bottom, in the middle of the second row to the rhythm of Helga Hufflepuff," Mat explained, pointing his wand at said barrel.

The blonde girl spoke up. "But, the catch is, if you tap the wrong rhythm or the wrong barrel, you'll be doused in vinegar. So, if you're not sure, wait for someone else to come and help you," she explained.

"Alright, let's head in!" Mat told them and then turned toward the barrel and tapped the lid. It flipped open, and one by one, the two prefects and the first years crawled through the passageway and into the Hufflepuff common room.

"Cool!" Jude whispered toward Maddie as his eyes shifted around the yellow and black room. It reminded him much of his home, warm and open. His eyes shifted from the plants on the tables, to the soft-looking couches, to the picture of Helga Hufflepuff hanging on the wall.

"I think I'm gonna like being a Hufflepuff," Maddie commented. Jude nodded in agreement, his eyes continuing to wander.

"Okay! Boys dorm is through here, and the girls through there," the blonde girl explained, coming to two tunnels and pointing toward them. Jude bid his goodbyes to Maddie and Daria, and then followed Mat and the other first year Hufflepuff boys through the tunnel. Jude followed the boys into a dorm labeled 'first years'. There were four other first year Hufflepuff boys. Jude found his trunk on the four poster bed closest to the door. He picked up the black and yellow tie, then folded it up and placed it on the bedside table. After getting settled in, the four other boys and him did introductions. Jude remembered Jason from the Sorting, who was in the bed closest to him. He had dark brown hair and light blue eyes. He said wanted to be called Jace. The other three boys were named Luke, Gabe, and Jordan. Luke was a tall, lanky boy, with dark skin, hair, and eyes. Gabe was about Jude's height, pale, and blonde with green eyes. Jordan reminded Jude a lot of his brother, Jesus, with the same tanned skin and dark hair and eyes, but he wore glasses and had a much different facial structure.

Jude found he liked Gabe and Jace the most. Gabe seemed a lot like Connor, sporty and confident, but awfully kind. Once the boys were through introductions and talking, they prepared for bed. Jude turned out his light, thinking to himself that maybe it wouldn't be so bad being in Hufflepuff without anyone he knew.

My God this chapter sucks. I'm so sorry, this is kind of just a filler chapter. We'll really start getting into things the next chapter. Also, btw, I used the wikia description of the Hufflepuff common room to get me through this, so it might not be entirely accurate, so don't quote me on any of this.

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I do not own The Fosters, Harry Potter or anything you may recognize.

-HJ