Chapter 16
Chapter 16
As the saying went, once the belly was full and the body warm, the mind turned to… other things.
Long train journeys were exhausting. Now that Suer had eaten and drunk his fill, he wanted nothing more than to fall face-first into a warm bed and sleep.
Unfortunately, the start-of-term feast still had one traditional performance left.
Headmaster Dumbledore appeared to make several announcements. Something about part of the fourth floor being forbidden, and students not casting spells in the corridors.
Then came the school song.
“…until our heads have rotted away…”
Another scattering of applause followed.
At last, Suer heard the words he had been waiting for.
“Off you trot to bed.”
Thank heaven!
Suer came fully awake.
“First-years, follow me!”
A boy wearing a yellow-backed badge stood and called loudly.
The Hufflepuff first-years followed their prefect through the noisy crowd and out of the Great Hall. Amid the confusion, Suer slipped over to the Gryffindor line and tapped Hermione on the shoulder.
“What are you doing here?”
“I came to say good night.” Suer grinned. “See you tomorrow.”
A smile appeared on Hermione’s face. Her disappointment at Suer being Sorted into Hufflepuff immediately vanished.
“Good night,” she said softly.
Neville, who had seen Suer approaching and expected a greeting, watched the exchange in baffled silence.
“Hello, Neville. Congratulations on getting into Gryffindor.”
Suer only had time to clap him on the shoulder before hurrying after the Hufflepuff group.
Neville blinked after him. Was that all?
The Hufflepuff and Slytherin groups headed in the same direction, since both Houses occupied underground sections of the castle. They separated at a junction.
“Welcome to Hufflepuff. My name is Gabriel Truman, and I’m one of this year’s prefects.”
Gabriel was a rugged-looking boy with an open, cheerful smile. He led the children past a painting of a bowl of fruit and into a corner on the right side of the corridor.
A disorderly heap of barrels stood there.
“Remember this, first-years.”
Gabriel drew his wand and spoke clearly.
“Tap the second-largest barrel in the second row to the rhythm of *Helga Hufflepuff*.”
Every gaze immediately moved to the second row, where two barrels appeared almost identical in size.
“These look alike, but there is a difference if you examine them carefully.”
Gabriel pointed his wand at one.
“This is the second largest. A badger is carved into its third stave from the end.”
The children nodded and crowded closer to memorize the subtle distinction.
Gabriel waited, then said, “Good. Remember this rhythm.”
He tapped the bottom of the barrel several times. The circular lid rotated open, revealing a large passage.
“That is how you enter. I should also warn you of something.”
Gabriel looked proud.
“Hufflepuff is the only House whose entrance is protected by magic that actively repels intruders.”
“If you get the tapping pattern wrong, a full barrel of vinegar will pour over you. Believe me, you do not want to experience it.”
His expression suggested painful personal knowledge.
“Now, climb through one at a time.”
When Suer entered the opening, he discovered a small tunnel large enough to walk upright. The ground beneath his feet felt as soft as soil, and no matter how often he looked, he could find no candle or other source of light.
“It’s luminous moss,” said a girl behind him. “It absorbs light by itself and glows at night.”
Suer looked back.
Hannah. If he remembered correctly, she would one day become Neville’s wife.
“Thank you.”
“You’re welcome.” Hannah smiled. “Susan told me. Her whole family has been in Hufflepuff. Oh–I remember you. You’re a Bones too.”
Susan peered curiously from behind Hannah.
“My name is Suer.”
Suer smiled and continued along the tunnel.
It opened into the Hufflepuff common room.
The Scottish Highlands experienced sharp differences between day and night. Though August had not yet ended, the evening air already carried a chill. The common room, however, was wonderfully warm.
It was a low-ceilinged circular room with a faint, pleasant fragrance. Despite its height, it did not feel cramped. Cushioned sofas stood across a large patchwork carpet, while bright light made the copper fittings set into the walls and beside the fireplace gleam.
“That is a portrait of Helga Hufflepuff,” Gabriel said after entering last. “Some of you may not know that Madam Hufflepuff was one of the founders of Hogwarts.”
“But it’s empty,” one child observed.
“Perhaps she’s visiting another portrait.” Gabriel shrugged. “In truth, I very rarely see her here.”
“All right, first-years. Girls to the right, boys to the left. Your dormitories have been assigned, and your luggage has already arrived.”
“Do not be late for your first lesson tomorrow. If you get lost, ask one of the portraits. They have lived at Hogwarts for hundreds of years. Remember to be humble and polite, or else…”
Gabriel left the sentence unfinished, but everyone understood.
“One more thing. If you are lucky enough to encounter Hufflepuff’s ghost when you need help–the plump friar you saw earlier–ask him politely. He will be delighted to assist.”
“Finally, my sincere congratulations. Welcome to Hogwarts, and welcome to the friendliest, kindest, and strongest of the four Houses.”
His words earned enthusiastic applause. Many children’s eyes shone with anticipation for the future.
The dormitory doors resembled round barrel lids. Suer quickly found his room.
Inside stood four four-poster beds. Yellow-and-black curtains were neatly tied to the brass posts. The brass lamps held no flames, yet cast a warm amber glow.
“Yaaaaawn.”
After exchanging introductions with the boys who would share his room for the next seven years, Suer collapsed onto a soft bed that smelled of sunshine without even changing into his pyjamas.
He stared at the lifelike badger woven into the yellow-and-black canopy and closed his eyes.
In his sleep, Suer found himself drifting through a valley of luminous white. Pale wooden houses appeared and vanished in the distance.
Eleven years had passed, yet he recognised it at once.
This was the place he had visited when he first came to this world.
“It has been a long time.”
A light, ethereal voice came from above.
Suer looked up. A girl sat on a branch overhead, her legs dangling and swinging back and forth.
It was Ariana Dumbledore.
“Did you die again?” Ariana asked curiously.
Suer found himself wondering the same thing.
“I don’t know. I arrived here as soon as I reached Hogwarts, so I probably… haven’t died?”
At the word *Hogwarts*, Ariana’s eyes lit up.
“Hogwarts? The school in the Scottish Highlands?”
She floated down from the branch, landed before him, and tilted her head.
“You know it?” Suer asked.
The girl nodded.
“My brother attends Hogwarts. I have always wanted to study there.”
Longing passed through Ariana’s eyes before she sighed in disappointment.
“That is a shame,” Suer said gently.
She recovered quickly.
“Which House were you Sorted into?”
“Hufflepuff.”
“How wonderful… My brother is a Gryffindor.”
They talked for some time, though Ariana did most of the talking. Suer had only just arrived at Hogwarts and could answer few of her questions.
Ariana invited him to see her home, a tall three-story house with a lawn. Here, even grass that should have been green shone luminous white.
Suer did not know how long he stayed, but he never saw another figure.
Then someone called again from far away.
“Suer…”
“It seems I’m still alive,” Suer told Ariana, whose mood had abruptly fallen. “The next time I come here, I promise I’ll tell you all about Hogwarts.”