But She's A Hufflepuff // d.h. x reader

Chapter Four

  Hello again hoomans, aliens, or anyone reading this.  

"Okay first year Hufflepuffs, common rooms' this way," Prefects yelled. I jumped up behind Louise, as she was the only girl Hufflepuff I knew. We followed an older prefect with darker hair and skin who seemed to know where she was going. She turned to us and smiled, it must have been obvious we were first years.

"Hello, girls," she introduced. "You must be two of the first years. I'm Safiya, but my friends call me Saf, so you can too! You'll have a wonderful time here at Hogwarts," she promised, "it really is a wonderful school. The professors are all super friendly and helpful, even Professor Snape." I nodded along without really listening as I marveled the sight of the moving staircases. I mean, how do you get stairs to do that? Oh, right, magic. Still, what spell would you use to get stairs to do that? Will they teach us said spell? Thoughts swirled as I tried to follow the fast-paced Safiya and the over enthusiastic Louise. We passed the kitchen, where Safiya explained that you have to tickle the pear on the portrait door to enter. How high was the person who thought of that? Just wondering. And why can't they just have normal doors? Why portraits? I mean, it's cool and all, truly aesthetically pleasing, but not so much so practical. We reached the entry barrels on the right side of the corridor soon enough, and Safiya described how to enter.

"It's easy enough," she promised, "just tap the barrel second from the bottom to the tune of Helga Hufflepuff. Watch out, though, if you tap the wrong barrel or to the wrong tune, one of the other barrels will bust open and drench you in vinegar. Just a precaution, so non-Hufflepuffs don't try to break in." Vinegar? Possibly spilled on me? As a goddamn precaution? Nopity nope nope nope.

"Wouldn't that be bad if a Hufflepuff was, say, tone deaf as its badger mascot?" I asked worriedly. "What if your so tired you tap the wrong barrel?" Safiya giggled and nodded towards the highest barrel.

"Sploosh," She explained through the noise that would occur if one of those things came to pass. I got the gist of what she meant and cringed inwardly. This was going to be a long year.

~Time Skip to the Next Day~

"Wake up!" Safiya's cheerful voice shouted from the doorway. I sat up lazily and pushed the patchwork quilt that adorned every bed in the room, and no doubt all the others. The wooden bed stand was actually quite comfortable, exceeding my expectations. Artamiel seemed to enjoy it quite well, also. There was a window in between my bed and Louise's, who was assigned the bed next to me with odd coincidence. It was sprinkled with morning dew and surrounded by plants, like all of Hufflepuff house. Not the dewy part, but the plant piece. It was like the whole of Hufflepuff house had an unspoken plant fetish or something. They were everywhere. On the mantle in the common room? Plants next to the dancing badgers. Cacti on every table and lamp stand, which will definitely be a cause of pain this year. Hanging tendrils of ferns and ivies were going to bug me when I walked through them and suddenly feel the need to sneeze while holding loads of work and books.

"Is it morning already?" One of the other girls groaned, making everyone else laugh. I took out my earbuds, which I used to sleep at night. Dani California by the Red Hot Chili Peppers seeped through the mini speakers at the chorus.

California, rest in peace

Simultaneous release

California, show your teeth

She's my priestess

I'm her priest

I shut the music off before the second verse could start, so I wouldn't waste my time to get ready for breakfast sitting on top of the quilt listening and humming along.