Chapter 24: Even the House Elf Won't Eat This
Chapter 24: Even the House Elf Won't Eat This
The Hufflepuff common room was located in the underground section of Hogwarts Castle, with its entrance hidden among the large stack of barrels in the right corner of the kitchen corridor.
Gaining entry was simple. One merely needed to knock on the bottom of the second barrel in the second row in the rhythm of Helga Hufflepuff, and the barrel lid would swivel open, revealing a passage large enough for a person to crawl through, leading to the common room.
Unlike the ever-changing passwords and regularly updated riddles of the other houses.
Hufflepuff was the only house in Hogwarts that used a fixed password to enter, and one only needed to remember it once for all seven years—a rather convenient arrangement.
..."Remember, it's Helga Hufflepuff, and the order must be correct," said Karen Harris, the Hufflepuff prefect, as she demonstrated the correct knocking sequence slowly for the benefit of the first-years.
"What...what if I get it wrong?" A small boy in the crowd asked timidly. "I...I don't have a good memory. Will I not be able to get into the dormitory if I make a mistake?"
"It's worse than that!" Harris walked over to the barrels and casually knocked twice. She then quickly stepped back.
Almost instantly, a torrent of vinegar with a pungent sour smell poured out, drenching the spot where she had been standing.
"As you can see," Harris said, waving her wand to clean up the vinegar on the ground, "if you get the knocking sequence wrong, another barrel lid will burst open and douse the intruder with vinegar. If you don't want to smell like sour vinegar all day, make sure you remember the correct order. It's not that difficult."
Harris then demonstrated the correct sequence twice more before leading them through the passage.
At the end of the tunnel was a simple yet spacious circular room—the Hufflepuff common room.
Compared to the Great Hall, the ceiling here felt much lower, probably less than three meters high. The room was furnished with black and yellow sofas, and the walls were adorned with interesting plant decorations.
Kyle surveyed the room with interest.
Among the common ornamental plants, there were quite a few valuable and rare plants, including the Rutaceae, White Herb, Golden Hydrangea, Wind Chime Sunflower, and Wind-talking Grass, all of which he recognized.
The Wind Chime Sunflower, in particular, was priced at around three hundred Galleons on the market, if Kyle recalled correctly, and it was a rare find.
The Golden Hydrangea next to it was slightly cheaper and could be purchased in Diagon Alley for two hundred and seventy-nine Galleons.
To use magical plants worth two to three hundred Galleons as decorations, Professor Sprout, the renowned Herbology master of the wizarding world, truly embodied the essence of low-key luxury.
Kyle forcefully suppressed the urge to take them all away and turned his head to the side with an iron will.
There was a large honey-colored wooden mantelpiece carved with a badger against the wall. On it were various jars containing candies and snacks that young witches and wizards could help themselves to, as Prefect Harris explained.
Above the fireplace hung a portrait of Helga Hufflepuff.
She was a cheerful-looking witch holding a golden cup.
...
At this time, students from other grades in Hufflepuff also started to arrive. They greeted the first-years warmly and offered a variety of snacks as welcome gifts.
Kyle received quite a collection, filling his robe pockets with colorful candies and dried fruits that would last him over a month.
"Mr. Diggory, if you don't mind." Kyle disdainfully brushed off the hand on his shoulder, feigning indifference. "Aren't you afraid Professor Snape will get the wrong idea?"
"Come now, Kyle, that's all for show." Cedric's smile faltered. "Our friendship is unbreakable, I swear."
Kyle's expression turned even more disdainful at this explanation, and he quickly moved further away from Cedric.
However, he knew Cedric had been joking earlier, so he wasn't truly angry.
Though what he said before was really asking for a punch...
And what was that about putting on a show for others? Surely Cedric didn't think he was Harry Potter, always under Snape's watchful eye.
What was he thinking...
Kyle scoffed inwardly, but he couldn't shake the feeling that Cedric's behavior reminded him of someone, especially the way he shifted with the wind and frantically passed the buck—that shameless style seemed familiar.
But who was it? Kyle racked his brains but couldn't pinpoint it, eventually giving up.
Perhaps... maybe... it was the Weasley brothers?
...
As more students filled the common room, Harris ushered the first-years to sit on the sofas, explaining that it was at the request of the professors to go over some school rules early and get to know each other.
He then excused himself, along with the other female prefect, to the adjacent kitchen, returning shortly with cookies and several cups of fresh juice.
This was one of the perks of being in Hufflepuff—their common room was closest to the kitchen, a luxury the other houses didn't share.
Soon, the table was piled high with snacks.
"Welcome to Hufflepuff," Harris said warmly. "There aren't many rules at Hogwarts, but it's important to keep these few in mind.
First..."
Taking advantage of Harris's focus on his speech, Kyle glanced left and right, quickly spotting Connor on the outer edge of the crowd. He subtly made his way over.
"I was out of line before," Kyle said softly. "I want to apologize."
Connor was clearly startled, but upon seeing it was Kyle, she replied in a hushed tone, "No, it's alright. I was at fault too for being too sensitive and not realizing you were joking.
How could I have thought Hogwarts would use... that curse for Sorting..."
Kyle shook his head, his expression serious. "It's different. Jokes are only funny when both parties enjoy them. If I truly scared you, then I was in the wrong, and I must apologize."
Seeing Kyle's earnest expression, Connor bit her lip before meeting his gaze resolutely. "Then I accept your apology."
She even playfully punched him on the arm.
"Now we're even."
The force behind that punch... well, it wouldn't have even knocked off dust.
"Not quite, wait a moment."
Kyle smiled and fished out all the finely wrapped brown candies from his pockets, offering them to her. "Consider this compensation. We're only even once you accept these."
"Okay, sure..."
Connor took the candies and popped one into her mouth right in front of him, then held out the handful of sweets toward Kyle. "I'm treating you to candy."
"No, no." Kyle shook his head repeatedly, whispering, "Who in their right mind eats licorice? Even a Niffler wouldn't touch this stuff."
"Crunch!"
(End of Chapter)
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