Heart of a Hufflepuff

Part 1, Chapter 1

Part 1, Chapter 1

I stared out my old wooden window at the fields below me. The overgrown grass moved with the slight breeze of the wind, and butterflies scattered throughout the air. There was no other sign of human life for miles. I turned my attention to my white cat, Artemis. He laid at the edge of my bed, his eyes darting back and forth with the butterflies. I sighed and started petting him, ready for anything else to happen.

Life outside of Hogwarts was boring. Thank goodness tomorrow was the day we go back, because this summer was absolutely awful. My brother Xavier and I usually went to the lake a mile or so away from our cottage and spent our days there. Or, we'll go on a day trip to the village candy store and eat all the sweets we could muster. However, this summer was different. Xavier had graduated from Hogwarts this year, so the whole summer he was devoted to being my father's apprentice at the family office. My younger sister Evangeline was no help either, she just sat in her room all day doing lord-knows-what. She was only twelve, but she sometimes tried to act older than she was. She longed to be taken seriously, and swimming in the dirty lake all day was not serious.

My father's side consisted of Healers, and our last name is Healer, so you could only imagine how many medics were in the family. It was a very long and boring bloodline. A boring bloodline that I knew Xavier did not want to be a part of.

Xavier was a wild child, one who stood out in the crowd and wasn't meant to be tied back by a boring job. But as the oldest, and the first son, it was his "birthright" to join my Grandfather, father, and Uncle in the Healer profession.

Xavier was also a Slytherin. In a family full of mostly Ravenclaws, the shock was unsurprising. The eldest son was always a Ravenclaw, and the fact that my brother broke the formula hurt my father in the most way.

He had hope for me, but I failed him as well. I was a Hufflepuff. A loyal, kind-hearted, daydreamer Hufflepuff. Not one suited to be a Healer. I was also the only Hufflepuff, out of my Aunts, Uncles, and cousins; except for my Grandmother, whom the whole family considered to be a nutcase.

My younger sister Evangeline however, was my father's pride and joy. The last of his children was a Ravenclaw, just how he wanted all of us to be.

A sharp tap, tap, tap on my window pulled me out of my reverie. I looked to the window, excited to see my best friend Zelda's raven in the window, holding a piece of rolled up parchment in his mouth. I smiled and opened my window.

"Hello, Hopkins!" I greeted the bird. Artemis let out a small meow behind me. "Artemis says hello, too. I see you have yet another letter for me?" I reached Hopkin's mouth and took the letter. "You stay right there a second, I have a treat for you!" I stretched my arm over to my nightstand, where I kept a jar of peanuts just for Hopkins. Zelda and I exchanged hundreds of letters to each other each summer, so I have to make sure Hopkins is happy he made the trip each time. I held a handful of peanuts in the palm of my hand and Hopkins quickly pecked at them. "Well Hopkins, it was lovely seeing you as always. See you tomorrow!" As soon as the peanuts were gone, he took off. I stuck my head out the window and watched his beautiful black wings fly until he was the smallest dot.

I turned my attention to the letter, eager to open it. What else could Zelda possibly have to say?

Dearest Bea,

Well, pretty soon it'll be the day! The day when we will finally be reunited! It's going to be glorious, I know it.

My dear Hufflepuff best friend, this year is going to be amazing! I can feel it. I can just see it's going to be an eventful year. Maybe I'm a seer, eh? Nah, I already got too much on my plate, if you know what I mean.