With November, besides the chilling cold, came the start of the Quidditch season.
The first game was Gryffindor vs Slytherin, which made Gardenia get ready to spend the first Saturday of the month in the stands, cheering for the red and gold house.
She'd been looking for her favorite set of twins before the match began, wanting to talk with them about the situation she'd requested their help with, and as Gardenia didn't want any prying ears, it was best to talk before the game when they wouldn't be busy with either celebrations or a pity party.
To her pleasure, they found her first.
"Ah, look who it is Forge, our little badger." One arm was draped around her shoulders, and a familiar redhead appeared on her right side.
"I see Gred, I heard she was planning a little prank that requires our help."
Smiling as Fred appeared on her other side. "I take it you two got my note?"
Fred smirked at her. "We did indeed. Let me tell you, we're very proud of you for finally surrounding to our superior ways, and of course, we'll help you prank a few of those slimy snakes."
"I'm curious, what did they do to spark your anger?" George inquired.
"They're harassing a friend of mine, and I want to make sure they know not to do that ever again."
"Classic case of snake preying on badger, but we'll get to see the much more satisfying badger on snake." Realizing they thought she meant the Slytherins were harassing another Hufflepuff, Gardenia shook her head.
"My friend is also in Slytherin, so it's a case of cannibalism, really."
Both the redheads stopped, Gardenia continued walking before realizing no one was walking with her and then turned around to look at them. They had confused and rather alarmed expressions.
"You're friends with a snake?" Fred sounded incredulous, and Gardenia rolled her eyes.
"Yes, I met her on the train, and no matter her sorting, I like her." There was a challenge in her eyes, daring either of them to have a problem with this friendship.
George was the first one to snap out of it, not looking very enthused, but smiling nonetheless. "Right, we'll have to avoid catching her in the prank as well then."
Fred looked a bit hesitant still, and Gardenia sighed. "Look, I get they have a bad reputation, but not everyone in that house is automatically evil. You just have to trust me on this if you don't agree, and if it ever happens you're proven right about whatever ridiculous misconception you have, I promise you can tell me 'I told you so' and I won't even get vexed."
That seemed to do it, and they were back on track. Gardenia would address this particular issue in the future if needed, but for now, she didn't worry too much. Eleven-year-olds probably got easily caught up in the house rivalry, and hopefully, the two would grow out of it before long.
"So, do you have any ideas?" She asked.
Fred and George looked at each other with identical mischievous smiles, before looking at her and speaking in unison. "Oh, plenty."
Sitting in the stands surrounded by the Hufflepuff Quidditch team, Gardenia was dragged by Mackenzie to sit between her and Beauregard.
"I want you to pay attention to the Gryffindor Keeper during this match," he told her as she settled herself. It was rather nice to be between the two teenagers, Beauregard was sitting in a way that blocked the wind, and Ward, being on Mackenzie's other side, effectively created a vacuum that shielded the two girls.
The object of study in question was Oliver Wood, the Quidditch crazy Keeper that would eventually be captain. Gardenia didn't know a whole lot about him other than things concerning Quidditch, and if she remembered right, he'd been a little more concerned with a lost match than Harry falling off a broom.
"Is he any good?"
Beauregard nodded but didn't elaborate.
"What about the Slytherin Keeper?"
Mackenzie laughed. "Don't even bother with that one honey, his tactic consists of standing in front of a hoop and hoping his massive frame will block the shots."
"Doesn't that make it easy to score?"
"Yep, but only if the Chasers let anyone get close enough to try, " she explained. "All three of them are pretty good, a match with Slytherin is one of the only things that manage to get under Phil's skin, they're a challenging bunch."
The match began, and with it, the cheering coming from mostly the red and gold, and the silver and green stands.
Gardenia, as much as she was tempted to let her eyes follow the quaffle, kept her gaze on Wood, analyzing his movements. She found he was focusing on the Chasers, flying around the three hoops, not staying still.
"If you're already moving when the rival team approaches to take a shot, you have an easier time maneuvering to where you think they're aiming for," Beauregard said, and Gardenia was startled by his comment. She didn't think he was going to explain things to her, but it made it easier to study Wood if he told her what was important to look for.
It felt a little weird, zeroing in on only one player, but it was interesting. As a Keeper you had to watch the match as well as play in it and make a judgment of when to act and, watching that specific player, you got to see the moments where he'd become alert just to slide right back into relaxing, as well as how he'd attentively watch the plays between the Chasers. Gardenia was mesmerized, and suddenly she couldn't wait to finally be allowed to play a match.
Wood was a good player, and she wasn't exactly surprised by this, having heard from both Charlie and Beauregard, the latter not giving praise often. He was still just a third year, but Gardenia had little trouble seeing how he'd eventually make it into a professional team.
A downside to not looking at the rest of the players was that she missed Charlie catching the snitch, winning the game for Gryffindor.
"Weasley is unfairly good, seriously, both he and his brother that graduated are awesome players," Mackenzie grumbled. "Why couldn't I have been born in the gifted ginger family instead of the physically uncoordinated one?"
"Because then you'd bring down their reputation as good players," Ward piped in, receiving a smack on the back of the head.
"Percy is not very good at Quidditch," Gardenia commented.
"Ah, you're friends with the twins, right?" Gardenia nodded, making Ward laugh. "They're a rambunctious bunch."
"That's one way to put it."
"Do they play as well?"
"Both are Beaters."
Mackenzie groaned. "You can practically make a Quidditch team out of that family."
Considering what Gardenia knew about the two that had yet to attend Hogwarts, she wasn't off the mark with that one.
Leaving the stands, the excited cheer coming from the Gryffindors not far ahead, and the grumbling of the Slytherins behind them, Gardenia spotted the congregation of redheads just outside the pitch, one of them still in his sweaty Quidditch uniform.
"I'll meet up with you later," Gardenia told Heidi, who was hounding Chiara about something and barely acknowledged her beyond a nod.
Chiara smiled at her, a silent reassurance she'd tell Heidi where she'd gone when the girl eventually asked, this interaction a complete blank in her mind.
Avoiding being elbowed in the face was harder than she thought it would be, and she managed to reach her destination just after barely escaping an accidental blow on the nose.
"Congratulations on your win!" She said to Charlie, smiling up at him. "Hope you're prepared to be destroyed by us in your next match."
Charlie laughed, ruffling her hair. "Thanks, and that's not even a possibility."
"Don't underestimate us, Mackenzie's pretty determined to make you eat dust."
"Mack's been trying that for four years."
"Well, I have a feeling this year she'll succeed."
Fred and George were using her as a support for their elbows, one on each shoulder, and she swiped their arms away, grabbing them and crossing her own arms through them to prevent them from attempting that again.
"Want to join the celebration?" They asked in unison, which was deeply unsettling to Gardenia. And they knew it.
"Is it allowed?" She asked, looking at Percy and Charlie, the future prefect and the Quidditch captain.
Charlie nodded, smiling. "Yeah, there's no discussion of strategies, and other Houses are allowed. It's not a big celebration since it's still the first game of the season, but we'll take pretty much any opportunity to have fun."
She wasn't about to pass up a chance to see the Gryffindor common room, so as the four Weasleys headed back to the castle, Charlie being engulfed by his Quidditch team, Gardenia followed.
Instead of going down to the basement as she was used, they ascended the stairs, going up to the seventh floor. Gardenia had plenty of exercise due to practice and moving around the castle for classes, but she was rather glad that after a meal she needed only to go down a little bit before arriving at her common room, instead of having to go up so many steps.
They reached the portrait of the Fat Lady, and without missing a beat, Fred and George put their hands on her ears, effectively keeping her from hearing Percy utter the password.
"It's not like I'm going to break in here," Gardenia commented.
Fred shrugged, crossing her arm through his again as they made their way inside. "It's the principle of it."
Having been used to the Hufflepuff common room, Gardenia was taken aback by how similar yet so different the Gryffindor one was. There was no centerpiece like the fireplace and portrait of Helga Hufflepuff, the hearth being in a cozy corner, and the lack of plants made her a bit uncomfortable. The colors were more dark and vivid, all in tones of red and gold, and the furniture was heavier, but it fit Gryffindor rather well. For all she had seen of this place from the eyes of Harry once upon a time, it felt foreign to Gardenia, and it didn't make her feel as her own common room did.
"Welcome to the Gryffindor common room, Gardenia."
"Thanks, Percy." She smiled at the Weasley, who gave the twins a warning not to cause ruckus before leaving to join his friends.
George scoffed as Percy left. "It's like he doesn't know us."
Fred nodded in agreement. "He should know by now wanting us to behave is a guarantee we won't."
Gardenia rolled her eyes at them but had a small smile on her lips. "Try not causing Percy to apoplexy, please. Your mother would be devastated."
"It's not our fault he's so uptight, we're not sure he wasn't switched at birth yet," Fred said, now leading Gardenia to a corner where she could see Lee Jordan, while George trailed behind.
"Charlie is older, and instead of tattling on us when we prank him, he just pranks us right back," complemented George.
"Oh, talking about that, did he get you back for the hair thing?"
Fred grimaced. "We might've woken up in the common in our underwear."
Gardenia couldn't help the laughter that bubbled out, and George poked her in her side.
"Nice to see you reveling in our embarrassment."
"It was well deserved and you know it," she responded, smiling back at him.
"Maybe, but as our best friend you should find it outrageous simply on principle," Fred said, grinning down at her.
"Are they whining about the underwear thing again?" Lee asked as they sat down, him already being sat in an armchair.
Gardenia nodded. "They're awfully dramatic, aren't they?"
"Hey!" They exclaimed in unison, and Gardenia hit them on the arm.
"Don't to the creepy twin thing."
Tilting their heads in perfect synchrony, they made confused faces at her. "What creepy twin thing?"
Groaning, Gardenia got up from the couch where the three of them had sat and made her way to sit on the arm of Lee's chair, while Fred and George chuckled.
"It is unsettling, isn't it?" Lee commented, and Gardenia nodded.
"Very."
"We're not doing anything wrong."
She got shivers down her arms and made a face at them. "I'm going to get some butterbeer." Gardenia started heading toward the table across the room, filled with food and drinks. "Lee, please exorcise them while I'm gone."
"On it."
The common room was filled with excited Gryffindors, along with some Hufflepuffs and a few Ravenclaws, and unsurprisingly, no Slytherins.
Reaching the table, Gardenia grabbed a butterbeer for her and one for Fred, and as she began to try and balance a pumpkin juice for George along with them, a hand reached and grabbed it, leaving her with just two cups.
"I can help," Sebastian told her, and she smiled appreciatively.
"Thanks." She nodded her head toward where the twins and Lee were. "Want to join us?"
Sebastian followed her gaze and raised his brows. "You're friends with the twins?"
"Yeah, I've known them pretty much all my life," she responded and an incredulous look formed on his face. "Why the question?"
"You don't seem as... loud?" Sebastian responded, hesitant on the last word. "I don't mean to be rude, it's just—"
"They're trouble in human form, trust me, I know." Gardenia chuckled and nudged him with her shoulder. "Someone has to keep them in check, otherwise they'd be blowing up toilets and setting drapes on fire," she elaborated, and Sebastian smiled halfheartedly. "So, wanna join us?"
He still looked a bit hesitant but nodded and followed her back.
"Are they normal again, Lee?"
Lee looked at her solemnly. "I'm afraid it's a lost cause, we should find another pair of redheads, this time not twins just in case."
"Is that for us?" Fred and George asked, adding unison movements to it, each of them pointing at one of the cups she was holding.
"It is, when you become separate entities."
They looked at each other, had what looked like a silent conversation, and nodded. Fred then smiled at her and extended a hand. "Butterbeer, please?"
Gardenia handed him his cup, and when George did the same, she pointed to Sebastian. "He has your juice. I only have two hands, after all."
Sebastian, having been staying a bit further behind her, gave George his cup, and then looked painfully always standing there.
Gardenia, who reclaimed her spot on the arm of Lee's chair, gestured to the free place on the sofa where the twins were. "You can sit, Sebastian."
He looked startled at her words but quickly sat down. Gardenia narrowed her eyes at Fred and George, and then at Lee.
"Did any of you prank him?"
By the look on their faces, the answer was yes. Gardenia was about to scold them when Sebastian waved his hands, nervously shaking his head.
"It wasn't anything bad," he said, but Gardenia wasn't fooled.
"We did it to everyone on the first day, the first years, that is," Fred said.
At her raised brow, George elaborated. "Just a nice welcome, some exploding snaps triggered to go off when they opened their trunks."
That actually didn't sound too bad, considering Fred and George. But of course, that wasn't all.
"And Grayson here might've gotten a bit too startled," Fred continued, and Sebastian blushed.
"I fainted," he murmured, his gaze not leaving his cup.
Gardenia's heart went out to him, and she glared at the twins. Sebastian was already a bit self-conscious about not fitting in, and that must've made him horribly embarrassed. No wonder he hadn't bonded with his dorm mates.
At her silent reprimand, George looked abashed. "About that, I've been meaning to apologize, we didn't mean to startle you so much. It was just supposed to be a bit of scare."
"We did something similar to Charlie when he first got home from Hogwarts, he not only fainted but also screamed like a banshee beforehand," Fred mentioned, something that while did happen, was probably also his way of apologizing.
"The burly Quidditch captain?" Sebastian asked, raising his head to look at Fred with wide eyes.
"Yep, at the time he was more of a scrawny fella, but he fell like a ton of bricks, we could hear it all the way down from the living room."
And with that reassurance, Gardenia saw Sebastian flourish as he had when talking with her in Astronomy class. The kid needed a bit of prodding to feel comfortable, but nothing could hold him back after he was.
As he started to question Fred about the prank and the mechanisms behind it, fascinated with how they made the magical trigger and that it wasn't a mechanical one based on the opening of the trunk, all the while suggesting muggle things to help them improve the prank, Gardenia began to regret building a bridge between Sebastian and the twins.
"What have I done?" She murmured, despair creeping in her voice.
"You've given the twins a valuable resource," Lee answered, as he patted her on the shoulder.
"We're doomed."
Lee nodded. "Yep."
The tutoring sessions with her dear cousin hadn't been all that bad, considering Sawyer's attitude toward her.
That said, she hadn't exactly been improving either, and he was starting to get frustrated.
"You need to stop thinking about this like a muggle," Sawyer said, closing the transfiguration book. "Don't think about the actual changing from wood to metal, think about the final product. If you get too caught up on the mechanics, you end up not managing to do anything."
"How do you know I'm doing that?"
He sighed. "It's a guess, but I'd say a pretty good one."
Of course, it was. Gardenia held herself back from rolling her eyes.
"Close your eyes," he said, glaring at her when she didn't immediately comply. "Imagine a needle in your head, think about its size, material, weight. Think about it's sharp point and how it feels when you gently press the tip of your finger to it, or how small it is in you hands as you hold it to embroider," Sawyer continued, and she started doing as he said, creating a mental image. "Detail it as much as you can, do you have it pictured?" She nodded. "Good, now open your eyes, and do the spell with it still on your mind."
She did so, and as the match turned into a perfectly pointy and shiny needle, Gardenia grinned.
"I did it!" She was practically jumping in excitement while sitting.
Sawyer raised an eyebrow. "Yes, you finally, after two months since the task was first given, managed to produced a decent attempt."
Her smiled wilted, and she narrowed her eyes at him. "Why didn't you explain it to me like that before?"
He shrugged. "I didn't think you needed such a basic explanation, but it seems I overestimated your capabilities."
Gardenia gaped, aware she was probably looking like a fish, but how dare he?
"Now the Switching Spell," Sawyer continued, ignoring her astonishment. "You should still practice that one in your own time because one success doesn't mean mastery, but there's no need for me to supervise."
She buried her annoyance, taking a deep breath. There was no use blowing a fuse on him, she needed to get to the root of the problem, which didn't start with the both of them at all. Of course, Sawyer was a prickly person in it of itself, and their added family issues exacerbated his sour personality. Gardenia was starting to second guess whether it'd be worth it at all to try, but she didn't want to give up before doing so.
So, trying her best to be the bigger person(she might never be that physically but nothing was stopping her in the moral ground), Gardenia opened the chapter on her Transfiguration book about the Switching Spell and did her best to learn it.
Helga Hufflepuff was an angel, or at least, the closest a human could've been.
Sitting in the common room of her House, you had the presence of her portrait, and with that, the possibility for conversations with the founder, and that was particularly fascinating to the first years.
Apparently with time people got used to her presence and stopped being awed at every word the portrait spoke, but Gardenia didn't think she'd ever stop being amazed by the witch. To her knowledge, she was the only of the four founders to have a portrait, not to mention one that was put in a place she'd have constant interaction with the members of her House, and if that didn't speak to her morals, Gardenia didn't know what did.
She wasn't always around, and not always available for a chat, and when she was, students clamored for a chance to have a word with her.
Today, a lazy Sunday which found most people outside enjoying the rare appearance of a sunny day, there were barely any people in the common room, and Gardenia was the only one sitting on the corner in front of the fireplace, which house the portrait on top of it.
She was reading a Potions book, wanting a break from Transfiguration, and she was distracted by the movement above, where Helga Hufflepuff returned to her portrait.
"Oh, hello dear," the witch greeted. "Enjoying your Sunday?"
Gardenia was a bit awestruck, this might not be the real deal, but it was an imprint of Helga's whole personality and knowledge, still around a thousand years later.
"Yeah," she responded, suddenly feeling a bit shy. Gardenia had never managed to be here when other people talked with her, but Heidi had once come to the dorm room, sullen Caroline trailing behind, raving about how cool their House founder was, while Caroline grumbled about not managing to ask many things because of Heidi's incessant talking.
"And how are you settling in here at Hogwarts?" Helga's kind smile and coaxing tone made her feel more relaxed.
"Alright, I think," Gardenia answered. "It was a bit hard to find my way around during the first few weeks, but I've gotten the hang of it now." And a certain map helps.
"It is a big castle," she remarked, a glint in her eyes. "But there is much to be housed here, so the space is necessary."
Gardenia, although still feeling a bit nervous, decided to ask some questions to sate her curiosity. "Did you plan for Hogwarts to be as big as it is now in terms of teaching?"
The founder shook her head. "We started with just a few dozen, all varying ages. But we did hope for more students in the future, and with time, we got them."
By this point, her book was forgotten on her lap, and Gardenia's attention was solely on the portrait. "And did you plan the Houses from the beginning?"
"Yes, at first as a way of dividing the students so each of us would teach one group, but as the numbers rose, and we gathered more wizards to be professors, the Houses turned into what they are today." Helga held a fond expression, remembering the events from long ago. "After about a decade we had built the separate common rooms, and each of us gave our touches to the school."
Curious, Gardenia questioned the founder more. "What do you mean by that?"
"Godric used his hat so it'd sort the students, placing on it a spell to give it a form of sentience," Helga explained. "He also enchanted his sword to be pulled out of it for a student of his House that showed true bravery in a time of need."
Realizing that Helga had been talking about legacies left by each founder, she became even more alert. One of those was bound to cause trouble in the near future, and she was eager to know anything there was to know about it. Not to mention, Gardenia had no idea what Rowena or Helga could've left behind at Hogwarts.
"And you and the others?"
"Salazar created a chamber where he hid treasures and secrets and left behind what he said to be a guardian." Helga sighed, a tired look on her face. "He made sure only an heir of his could ever open it, and did not divulge to me or the others where it was."
So, Helga knew little more than the rest of the wizard population, and less than what Gardenia knew.
"Rowena created a library that would only open to those that demonstrated an unending thirst of knowledge, and inside she placed many of her private journals along with precious copies of her own collection," Helga continued, and the information made Gardenia's eyes widen. She had no idea about that.
"Where is it?"
"It moves around, but I know there is a permanent door hidden in the Ravenclaw common room."
That was unexpected, but somehow, not surprising. "Is it only for Ravenclaws?"
Helga shook her head. "Anyone that shows promise, although, from what I've seen it is primarily Ravenclaws. There is a test to pass to gain access, and Hogwarts chooses the candidates."
That sounded like a Ravenclaw thing. "And you?"
The founder smiled, and the corners of her eyes crinkled. "I created a room that would provide assistance to anyone that needed it, and would appear to anyone, regardless of house, heritage, knowledge, or bravery."
Gardenia furrowed her brows and tilted her head. That sounded familiar. Could it be...?
"How do you access it?"
"If you walk by the right wall three times, what you need in mind, a door will appear."
The Room of Requirement. Helga Hufflepuff had been behind that? Gardenia was astounded. It was not only an incredible feat of magic, but also something that would aid students in the future, and had probably already done so as well.
"That was you?" The words slipped before she could hold them.
"Oh? You've been in it?"
Gardenia froze a bit, unsure if she should lie or not. She could say someone told her about it, but she wasn't sure she could sell it. "Uh, yes."
"I'm glad it's been useful, then," Helga said, a brightness in her eyes.
She didn't pry, and for that, Gardenia was thankful.
In truth, it made sense that it was Helga that created it, giving the nature of what the Room of Requirement did. Each of the founders left something behind that spoke to their values and who they were, and given Hufflepuff and Helga herself, Gardenia though it fit.
Maybe it was time to make her words true and pay a visit to the legacy of her House's founder.
this one is a bit shorter then the last few, I actually wanted to ask you all if you prefer the bigger 6-7k chapters, or something like this around 4k
please let me know in the comments
this story now has a wattpad version as well! mostly because of the aesthetics and the fact I made a cover, since I don't really like the platform
if anyone wants to have a look at the face claims I chose for some of the characters, or just prefers to read in wattpad, the story is published under my other username bluewoceans
thank you for reading and until next time!