dungbombs and dances (s.b)

01 - do you like badgers?

The Hufflepuff common room was located at the same corridor as the kitchens. The entrance was riddled with all sorts of pretty flowers and plants, and a pile of large barrels was stacked in a shadowy-stone recess on the right side of the corridor.

Hovering at the stack of barrels, Luette tried her hardest to remember the prefects' words from the night before.

Was it the barrel two from the bottom, middle of the second row? Or was it the third barrel at the bottom row?

The girl threw her arms up in utter despair. Well, she didn't have anything left to lose, did she? Hesitantly, she rapped on a particular barrel, in a rather off-tune rhythm of 'Helga Hufflepuff', and held her breath in trepidation.

To her utmost relief, the barrel opened, revealing a sloping, earthly passage travelling upwards. Bingo. She crawled through the passage, until a cosy, round, low-ceiling room was revealed, reminiscent of a badger's sett.

The cheerful, bee-like colors of yellow and black, emphasized by the the use of highly-polished honey wood for the tables and the round doors which lead to the boys' and girls' dormitories, never failed to take Luette's breath away.

She clambered out of the passage and skipped towards her dormitory, admiring the colorful profusion of plants and flowers that seemed to relish the atmosphere of the vibrant common room. The various cactii standing on wooden circular shelves waved and danced at her, while copper-bottomed plant holders dangling amid the ceiling caused tendrils of ferns and ivies to brush her hair as she passed them.

The portrait of Helga Hufflepuff over the wooden mantelpiece carved with intricate badgers seemed to be observing Luette intently as she slipped into the dormitory she shared with four other girls.

She especially liked how homely and comforting her sleeping space at the far end of the left corner of the chamber was; the wooden bedstead, covered with a honey-yellow patchwork quilt, constantly reminded her of her own room back home.

Dorcus Meadowes and Amelia Bones looked up from their animated chatter at the sound of the door opening and gave a friendly wave as Luette bounded to her bed. She liked them, as well as most of the Hufflepuffs; they were so kind and amiable!

The bright-eyed brunette on the bed beside Luette's did not bother to lift her head from the thick first year potions book she was reading.

"Welcome back, Banana Bread," Pandora's bizarre food nicknames were only understood by her close friend and partner in crime. "Sneaked off to the kitchens to fill that round tummy of yours even more, didn't you?"

"Sheesh, you nosy little frittata," Luette shook her head mockingly as she snuggled under the warm covers of her blanket.

Dorcus snickered at the girls' conversation from the other side of the room, whilst poor Amelia looked extremely confused at the muggle jibberish she would never be able to comprehend.

"Begone, you wretched almond tofu!" Pandora waved her book threateningly at Luette, her twinkling sapphire eyes giving her away.

"So funny, my dearest eggnog." Luette smirked suggestively at the clueless brunette, feeling her eyelids droop slowly as exhaustion engulfed her.

At that moment, Luette felt so at home and serene.