Once the song was finished, Dumbledore declared the Feast over and instructed everyone to head off to bed. Penny went with the rest of the Hufflepuffs following their Prefect - though she hadn't caught his name - out of the Great Hall. Her eyes briefly followed Harry to the stairs with the other Gryffindors, but then turned back to not get lost. There was no telling what would happen if she got turned around in the castle on her first night.

It wasn't long before the group were led to a hallway leading to a single door that seemed to be perfectly ordinary...and yet she could practically smell magic on it, despite the only thing out of the ordinary being a single golden plaque with something embossed in it. As the group approached, the upper years opened the door one at a time, stepping through only for the door to immediately close behind them...and yet the flow of students through the door was far faster than that should have allowed. Once it was only the First Years, the Prefect spoke up. "Every House has its own security measures on their common room," he explained calmly, "with the intent of making sure only their own Housemates can get in...or at least, that's the case for others. Slytherin and Gryffindor use passwords, and I understand Ravenclaws have to answer a riddle. For Hufflepuff, however, all you have to do to get in is open this door." He smiled as he saw a few of the students getting upset at the seemingly lax security. "Before you complain, read the plaque." He gestured, and the words embossed in the gold became more visible.

Welcome Friend

"Those of you who speak multiple languages - if there are any-" He paused and chuckled as Penny raised and waved her hand. "Well, you probably notice the letters seeming to shift a bit under your gaze?"

"Not really!" Penny responded readily. "I recognize Rune Of The Heart when I see them. That's not written in a language that can actually be spoken, but in Runes that are imbued with magic to be understood by whoever reads them, so even someone who can't read can understand the meaning."

The prefect pulled back in surprise. "Well, didn't expect a Firstie to know about that. You're just full of surprises." He turned back to the rest. "That's right, anyone who reads the plaque will know its meaning, seeing it in whatever language comes most naturally to you to read. And the door has wards on it similar to those on the school as a whole that protect the students. The only way to get the door open is to not have any hostile intent towards anyone inside. In essence...the only way you can enter, is if you are a Friend." With that, he stepped aside and let them through one at a time.

Inside the common room was a different story. Signs of internal expansion were visible everywhere as corners, walls, and even the floor and ceiling seemed to bulge out into an altered space in random locations for a different area. In one, throw pillows and bean bag chairs filled it, and several students were relaxing on them and occasionally tossing one back and forth or at each other. In another, several tables and chairs were laid out with runes etched into them; one of the other Prefects was already laid back in one chair, which vibrated against her as she arched her back and let off soft, relaxed moans. Another alcove had enchantments on the walls that caused anything to hit them to bounce harmlessly off and around at high speed, as though it were a bounce castle. Another alcove was plainly a study space with ambient music of a genre Muggles would one day call "lo-fi" playing. The two real shockers, however, were one alcove that was an indoor - save that the walls and ceiling of the alcove were enchanted to look like the outside, just like the ceiling of the Great Hall - hot spring, and another that was a giant ball pit.

"It's a pity there isn't more interaction between Houses," the Prefect was saying as the students stared. "Helga Hufflepuff was the most...motherly and inclusive of the founders, and given that in addition to the qualities she actively sought out for her students she took in anyone who didn't quite fit with the other Founders - or fit well enough in multiple Houses that there would be conflict otherwise - she determined that the best way for Hufflepuffs to accomplish everything they needed to was to be as relaxed as possible, so she instructed her students to redecorate and reconfigure the Common Room in whatever way made them feel safe, comfortable, and relaxed." He gestured to where there were a few other extruded alcoves that seemed to be closed off. "Each generation of students since have added to it. This room's probably changed more than anywhere else in the entire castle since the founding of the school. Maybe when you're further ahead in your studies, you can add to it..." He trailed off as he realized he was talking to no one, as the students had dashed in to enjoy the amenities. Several were laid out in the cushion chamber, a couple were on the massage chairs and tables, some were dozing off to the music in the study chamber...and Penny had taken a running leap into the ball pit. Shaking his head, he gestured to a stairwell. "Dorms are that way!" he called out. "First years on the outside of the spiral, boys on the left, girls on the right!"

"What about those who are neither?" Penny asked curiously. "Or both? I've met a few like that in my parents' travels..."

The Prefect blinked in surprise, then shrugged. "Dunno. Never had anyone like that at Hogwarts, as far as I know. The castle would probably make a fix." With that, he headed off towards bed.

Some time later, Penny shifted in her bed, tugging idly at her purple otter onesie. It was her favorite pajama since she was a child, and her parents had enchanted it to grow with her so she'd never outgrow it. However, as comfy as the jammies were and the bed was...she couldn't get to sleep. She took a few moments to think about why...and the answer came rather readily.

She was worried about how well Harry was sleeping. Had she given him enough hugs to get him through the night? Would he be okay till morning?

Still, what could she do about that? While it wasn't quite curfew yet, there was no way she could get directions to the Gryffindor common room, get in, give him cuddles, and get back before it was...

...why did she need directions? She knew it was the West Tower, and there was a window right there...

Before she'd even finished the thought, pillows were bundled under her blankets to make it look like she was still there and she was out the window, claws growing from her fingertips and toes even as her tail extended to fill the otter tail on her onesie, and she began to climb the outer wall of the castle. Even in the low - almost completely gone - light, she had no trouble finding every crack, crevice, and space between the stones and making her way up. In less than a minute she'd already made it to the roof of the castle between the towers and took a moment to determine which was the West Tower. ...she'd never been that good at cardinal directions.

"Let's see..." She glanced around at the four towers. "That one has weather magic around it, so that's probably the Astronomy Tower, keeping clear weather for stargazing. That one has birds, so it's the Owlery. So it's one of the other two." She tapped her chin in thought. "The Ravenclaws went upstairs too, while the Slytherins went down...so one is Gryffindor, the other is Ravenclaw...maybe that one?" Turning to one of the two remaining towers, she raced up it fast enough that anyone who had never seen squirrels scale trees before would be stunned. Reaching a window, she took a sniff and smiled. "Peanut and Almond," she chuckled before ducking inside. The common room was empty, and it was easy enough to find the stairs to the dorms. Taking the left stair, she went up until she reached the top, where she caught Harry and Ron's scents. Smiling, she saw the door wasn't completely closed, so she slipped inside.

She could see that everyone was fast asleep...but Harry's sleep didn't look restful. Without hesitation, she dove under his covers without waking him, snuggling up to him and nuzzling him as she embraced him. There, he'd get all the cuddles he needed now...

...and it wasn't like she was "out of bed after curfew" this way, right?