Ch. 5 The Hufflepuff common room
Warmth. That's the only thing Kira could think of when she crawled through the barrel into the Hufflepuff common room. It was so... Cozy. It was everything she had always craved from her own home but never experienced. Everyone was smiling, there were strange plants covering the walls. The round windows let in the most wonderful sunlight and you could see beautiful fields of grass and dandelions. The whole room was a circle and it made everyone feel included. The polished brass lamps and comfortable couches made the room even more inviting. Kira was engulfed in everything about her new home and she hadn't even seen her room yet.
"So?" Aana asked, "What do you think?"
"It's wonderful..." Kira whispered.
She mingled with a few more students before she headed into the round door that led to her room. She met a shaggy haired boy named Zakia. He was tall and muscular. Seemed strange to Kira since Hufflepuff's weren't really known for athleticism. But his smile is what really stood out. He had the most welcoming smile Kira had ever seen, and his eyes were deep as the ocean was blue. Another first year named Twill. She seemed a bit... Strange... But nice enough. So far, no one appeared to be intimidating and everyone was enjoying themselves. It was getting a bit late, so the elder students started to make their way to their rooms. Without having to be bossy or overbearing, the new students soon followed.
So this is where you will sleep. Kira noticed her chest next to a four poster bed with a beautiful patchwork quilt covering it. There were even copper bed warmers for each student, just in case they had cold feet. The Hufflepuff dorms weren't segregated by year like many of the others because they wanted to suggest a unity among students of all ages. Kira sat down on her bed, so overwhelmed by all the goodness of her new home and friends that at last she couldn't hold it in any longer and simply burst into tears. Aana was completely shocked and rushed over to Kira, "What in the world is the matter?" She didn't mean it to come out as blunt as it had, but she was honestly a bit frustrated that her new younger sibling seemed to be a basket case. Despite her frustrations, she hugged Kira and tried to comfort her. She understood the feeling of disappointing your family and of not living up to their expectations. Her parents were both muggl.. Non magical folk and they were not keen at all on Aana's desire to study magic. Aana tried to comfort her and said, "Honestly Kira Hufflepuff is not that bad. The past three years have been wonderful for me and..."
"No, no, it's way better than I ever could have imagined." Kira interrupted. "I've only ever heard of the dark Slytherin dungeons and everyone out to get the next person so they can be on top. But this? This is almost too good to be true. Yes, my parents are going to flip out... But I think I will actually be happy."
The rawness of emotion softened Aana a bit. She thought Kira was simply still upset about the sorting, not that she was overwhelmed with love. Maybe there was a deeper side to this girl. Aana insisted Kira get some rest and they would worry about her parents in the morning.
"So today was not completely what you expected... Most great adventures aren't." Aana wiped the tears from Kira's face and tucked her into bed.
"Aana, which house did you want to be in when you were a first year?"
"Hufflepuff," Aana replied with a smile. And she turned out the light, and went to bed.