AN: The chapter titles get more sarcastic the further into the book we get. This chapter's quite short, considering the context I thought it was appropriate. Reviews are better than cake!
Chapter Seven
Of The Protected House and Being Vertically-Challenged
Lien looked up at the prefect at the head of her table as he spoke. He was a spindly sort of fellow, lank hair, sharp nose and smiling eyes.
"First years- come with me- I'll show you to the Common-Room. My name is Atticus Truman and I'm a sixth-year Prefect. If you have any questions please feel free to ask." Lien stood, cramming one last bite of the delicious chocolate mousse into her mouth before she had to leave. As soon as she stepped off the bench the food on her plate disappeared- as well as the plate. She walked over to Atticus, Molly on her heels.
"Do you know where the Hufflepuff Common-Room is?" Molly shook her head.
"I know where Gryffindor's is and I know where Ravenclaw tower is and I know where the dungeons that somewhere lead to Slytherin are but I have no idea about Hufflepuff other than it's probably close to the ground."
"Why the ground?"
"The emblem is a Badger- apparently we're docile until someone tries to attack us and then ferocious and scary. Colours are yellow and black… Makes sense that we'd be underground."
"Correct Weasley." Atticus called loudly. The group of first years all turned to them. Molly blushed as bright as her hair. "To continue on what she said," Atticus began as he started to lead them out of the Hall, "Our house ghost is the Fat Friar, the friendliest of all the ghosts. He's plump and wears monks robes- and he's really helpful if you're lost or in trouble. We have produced the fewest Dark Wizards, then Gryffindor then Ravenclaw and then Slytherin. We get along well with the Gryffindors, and relatively ok with the Slytherins but the Ravenclaws openly dislike our honourable loyalty to each other over competition between test scores. We are often underestimated by the other houses but do not let them get to you- Hufflepuff is the least boastful house, not the least intelligent."
They arrived at a long corridor from which heavenly smells assaulted their noses. "Hey. This is the corridor to the Kitchens!"
"Correct again Weasley." Molly wanted to internally combust.
"If you look to the right here you'll see a nook." He waited as the murmurs of agreement travelled across the whole group. "Now, the other houses boast of their security measures but no-one has been inside Hufflepuff Common-Room except the Hufflepuffs in the entirety of Hogwarts History."
"I seriously doubt it." Lien whispered.
"What do you mean?"
"You think that none of these Hufflepuffs have ever invited someone back to bed with them, ever?" Molly looked shocked. "Oh please don't tell me the Wizarding World has 19th Century values as well as lighting." Molly giggled.
"No- I just hadn't thought of that."
"Anyway, the way to get into our Common-Room is in that nook. There is a stack of barrels. Tap the barrel two from the bottom, in the middle of the second row, in the rhythm of 'Hel-Ga Huff-Le-Puff' and the barrel will open. If you tap the wrong barrel or to the wrong rhythm, you will be drenched in vinegar which I assume is unpleasant."
The Hufflepuffs all looked about ten times less excited now. "Once the barrel opens climb inside-"
"I'm sorry- climb inside the barrel?" One of them piped up from the back.
"I assure you it's plenty large enough."
"But very undignified." Lien muttered.
"Yes, climb inside and along the passageway. When you reach the end you will come into the cosiest Common-Room of them all. It's round, earthy and low ceilinged," Lien quickly checked around and found, sure enough, that Julian was around the tallest in the group and he was still below average height. Everyone in Hufflepuff seemed to never want to leave the ground. "It always feels sunny and the circular windows have the view of green grass and dandelions. There is a lot of burnished copper around and lots of plants as a donation from the Herbology teacher, Neville Longbottom. Our head of House is Professor Caden Rossesson who is the Charms teacher. His office is always open if you have a problem. He has also Charmed some of the plants to give helpful advice or to sing and dance. We have many large overstuffed sofas that make studying ten times easier. You reach your dormitories through the circular doors going out of the Common-Room and they're all marked with a year number. To avoid mass unwanted introduction to vinegar it would be best if you could form an orderly queue behind me." He finished warmly and Lien hastened to follow his instruction.
She and Molly ended up being quite close to the front though Julian and Henry were lost at the back. As they went under the nook Atticus stood to the side watching carefully as each of the Hufflepuffs tapped the barrel and crawled inside. Surprisingly, no-one before them made a mistake and when it was Lien's turn she managed it without getting drenched.
The Common-Room already felt warm and sunny even as the rain pelted the windows from outside. She followed the rest of the first years through the door labelled '1' and then led Molly and the girls behind her into the 'Girls' room. Six four-poster beds lined the circular room all of which were covered in warm patchwork quilts and bathed in orangey-yellow light from the copper lamps above. Coupled with the lights, copper bed warmers hung on the walls and Lien had a feeling they'd come in handy when the winter settled in. Her trunk was stood in the middle of the room.
Lien and Molly grabbed the beds closest to the adjacent bathroom and then got their trunks. On their beds rested a brand new yellow and black tie with the Hufflepuff emblem on the end. Lien smiled as she tugged it round her neck, proud to be a member of Hufflepuff house even if she still wasn't sure she was pronouncing it right.