The Hufflepuff common room is located in the basement of Hogwarts Castle, its entrance concealed among a stack of large barrels in the right corner of the kitchen corridor.
The entry method is straightforward — tap the bottom of the second barrel from the bottom in the middle row to the rhythm of "Helga Hufflepuff", and the lid will swing open, revealing a passageway to the common room.
Unlike the other houses with their ever-changing passwords and riddles, Hufflepuff uses a fixed entry code. Learn it once, and you can use it for all seven years — quite convenient.
"Remember, it's 'Helga Hufflepuff' — the sequence must be exact."
Hufflepuff prefect Karin Harris stood before the new students, demonstrating the correct tapping sequence at one-third speed.
"Um... what happens if we get it wrong?" A small boy in the crowd asked timidly, "I... I have a terrible memory. If I tap it wrong, will I be locked out?"
"It's worse than that!" Karin walked over to the barrels, casually tapped them a couple of times, then quickly jumped back.
Almost instantly, a stream of vinegar with a sharp acidic smell poured down, drenching the spot where she had just been standing.
"As you can see…" He said, waving her wand to clean up the vinegar on the floor, "If you get the tapping sequence wrong, another barrel lid will burst open and douse the intruder with vinegar. If you don't want to smell like vinegar all day, make sure to remember the correct sequence — it's not that difficult."
After that, he demonstrated the correct sequence two more times before leading them through the passage.
At the end of the tunnel lay a simple round room — the Hufflepuff common room.
The ceiling was quite low compared to the Great Hall, barely three meters high, with black and yellow plush sofas lining the perimeter and various interesting plants adorning the walls.
Kyle looked around with interest.
Among the common ornamental plants stood several valuable rare specimens. He recognized rue, dittany, golden orchids, whispering grass, and bell sunflowers.
The bell sunflower pot in the center of the common room caught his eye — if Kyle remembered correctly, it was worth about 300 Galleons and was difficult to obtain. The golden orchid beside it was slightly less expensive, available in Diagon Alley for 279 Galleons.
Using rare plants worth hundreds of Galleons as decorations — Professor Sprout truly lived up to her reputation as a renowned Herbology master. This was true understated luxury.
Kyle resisted the urge to take them all and, with iron willpower, turned his attention elsewhere.
Against the wall stood a large honey-colored wooden mantelpiece carved with badgers, decorated with various jars on top. According to Prefect Harris, these jars contained sweets and snacks for young wizards to help themselves.
Above the fireplace hung a portrait of Helga Hufflepuff — a witch with a bright, cheerful smile, holding a golden cup.
Soon, Hufflepuff students from other years began filing in. They warmly greeted the first years, offering welcome gifts of various snacks.
Kyle's robe pockets quickly filled with colorful candies and preserved fruits — enough to last over a month.
"How do you like the Hufflepuff common room?" Cedric appeared beside him, patting his shoulder, "The other houses don't have such comfortable surroundings."
"Oh, if it isn't Mr. Diggory." Kyle brushed off the hand with obvious distaste, "What, not worried about Professor Snape getting the wrong idea now?"
"Don't be like that, Kyle. That was just for show." Cedric said with an awkward smile, "Our friendship is unbreakable, I swear."
Kyle was even more disgusted by this explanation and quickly moved away. Though he knew Cedric had been joking earlier, so he wasn't truly angry.
Still, those words were annoying. All this talk about putting on a show — did Cedric think he was Harry Potter, constantly under Snape's scrutiny?
What was he thinking...
Kyle curled his lip in disdain, yet he couldn't shake the feeling that Cedric's behavior seemed familiar — especially that shameless way of following the wind and shifting blame. He'd seen it somewhere before.
But where? He pondered hard but couldn't place it, and finally gave up.
Perhaps... maybe... possibly... it was the Weasley twins?
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As the common room filled, Karin invited the first years to sit on the sofas. At the professors' request, he needed to review Hogwarts' rules with them — a perfect opportunity for everyone to get acquainted.
He and another female prefect soon returned from the adjacent kitchen with cookies and several large glasses of fresh juice.
This was a unique Hufflepuff privilege, thanks to their proximity to the kitchens — the other three houses weren't so fortunate.
Soon the common room tables overflowed with snacks.
Karin smiled warmly, "Welcome to Hufflepuff. Hogwarts doesn't have many rules — you just need to remember these few. First..."
While he spoke, Kyle spotted Kanna at the crowd's edge and casually made his way over.
"I went too far earlier." Kyle said quietly, "I apologize."
Kanna was startled, but when she looked up and saw it was him, she said softly, "No, don't worry, it was partly my fault too. I'm just being silly — I should have realized you were joking. How could Hogwarts possibly use... use... that curse for sorting?"
Kyle shook his head firmly, "That's different. A joke is only funny when both people enjoy it. If I really scared you, that's my fault, and I need to apologize."
Seeing his serious expression, Kanna bit her lip and looked up earnestly, "Then I accept your apology."
She reached out and gave him a light punch, "Now we're even."
The punch was so gentle it could barely dust off clothes.
"Not quite yet, wait a moment." Kyle smiled and picked out all the most beautifully wrapped brown candies from his pocket, "This is my peace offering. We'll be even once you accept these."
"Mm, okay..." Kanna took the candies and popped one in her mouth right in front of him, then extended her small hand holding the candies toward him with a smile, "Here, have some candy."
"No, no thanks." Kyle shook his head vigorously, muttering under his breath, "Who in their right mind eats licorice candy? Even a hungry dog wouldn't eat this stuff."
Crunch!
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