The common room, reached through a gently sloping passage within the barrel, proved to be a spacious and cozy chamber filled with soft armchairs, small sofas, and rugs. The room itself was of an unusual circular shape, with ceilings rather low for a castle of this scale. It was decorated in cheerful, bee-like colours — black and yellow — complemented by the use of carefully polished honey-coloured wood for the tables and the round doors leading to the boys' and girls' dormitories.
Gabriel led the first-year boys into their bedroom, which would serve as their primary residence for the next five to seven years.
Richard noted that the dormitory was furnished with comfortable wooden beds, covered in patchwork quilts and arranged in alcoves resembling honeycombs. If desired, each bed could be enclosed with a canopy, creating a small private space. In addition, a modest wardrobe was set into the wall beside each bed. A wide open area remained in the centre of the room, though it was occupied by small individual desks arranged in a circle, with a slight gap left before the stove-fireplace. The stove itself occupied the central position and was clearly intended to provide warmth on cold winter evenings.
In Britain, the ground floor is counted separately, with the level above it referred to as the first floor.This can lead those unfamiliar with British conventions to assume that Hufflepuff's common room is located in a dungeon, like Slytherin's. In truth, this is not the case. By the standards of most countries, the badgers' dormitory would be considered to be on the first floor, as evidenced by the round windows above the beds opposite the door.
The Slytherin students, on the other hand, were rather less fortunate — their dormitory was indeed underground. Though Richard was certain that their sleeping quarters were positioned at approximately the same level as Hufflepuff's.
"Six," Richard remarked.
Justin gave a wide yawn and asked sleepily:
"What?"
"Six beds. Six desks. Six wardrobes… If one were to count the larger pieces of furniture separately and arrange the numbers accordingly, one would arrive at the number of the Beast. I daresay the designer possessed a sense of humour."
"And there are only four of us," Justin pointed out. "Me, you, Ernie, and Zacharias."
Ernie Macmillan, who in the future promised to become quite the handsome young man, was at present simply a charming boy with wheat-blond hair and blue eyes.
Zacharias Smith resembled Richie and Ernie only in hair colour — he too was blond. His eyes, however, were dark brown, his build stocky, his nose broad, and his lips thin. He looked rather frightened and somewhat lost.
"Three blondes and yourself, Jus," Richard said with a faint smile. "We appear to have the smallest number of first-years. And among the girls, it's just Susan and Hannah. You know, guys, if the other Houses' dormitories are set up for all the boys as well, then we've lucked out the most—two whole beds going spare."
"Oh, my things are already here!" Zacharias exclaimed in a tired, thin voice.
"So are mine," said Ernie, approaching the central bed near the window.
"Oh — and my case as well," Justin added, heading for the bed next to Ernie's.
"If no one minds, I think I'll take this one."
Richie picked up his case from the bed near the door and claimed one of the side beds. He reasoned that it would be free from drafts both from the door and the windows, while benefiting most from the warmth of the stove. It's a clever move, but that's how it always goes in the dorm—first come, first served. And although Richard was wealthy in this life, during his university years in his previous one, the transmigrator had to live in a student dormitory for quite some time. He could not help but note that the comfort of this dormitory differed little from those of the future. If anything, it was rather better — the room was nearly twice as spacious.
In the morning, the boys were awakened by an alarm clock Richard had set the night before. A dissatisfied mutter came from Ernie's bed. Justin pulled the covers over his head, curled up, and made no effort to rise. Only Zacharias managed, with difficulty, to open his eyes, sit up, and attempt not to collapse back into bed.
"Richard, are you out of your mind?!" Smith rasped, his voice rough with sleep. "It's only six in the morning. We've still got another hour or so to sleep."
"Do feel free to go back to sleep; I shan't disturb you," Richard replied calmly. "If you happen to know a more reliable way of waking on time, I'd be most interested to hear it—and I'll adopt it accordingly."
Muttering something unintelligible, Zacharias promptly collapsed back onto his pillow, wrapped himself in his blanket, and attempted to return to sleep.
Richard, accustomed to early mornings, slipped easily out of bed and switched off the alarm.
The first thing Grosvenor did was inspect the bathrooms and showers. They were shared among all the boys, though there was a respectable number of basins, lavatories, and shower cubicles. Even so, it was bound to become crowded later. But at six in the morning, not a soul was there.
Having refreshed himself, Richie set about writing his letters. He only finished at the beginning of the eighth hour, by which time the others had begun to stir and, with rather crumpled faces, make their way into the corridor.
In the common room, Richard found only a single girl, perhaps a year or two older than himself — slender, with a sharp chin and brown hair pulled tightly into a ponytail.
Adjusting the cuffs of his immaculate white shirt, Richard approached her.
"Good morning, Miss. A most elegant cardigan — the lilac shade suits you exceedingly well."
"Ah?"
The girl lowered her book and looked at Richie in surprise.
"We have not yet been introduced. Richard Grosvenor — though you may call me Richie."
"Er… Megan Jones, second year."
"A pleasure to make your acquaintance, Miss Jones."
"Oh — just call me Megan. You're making me feel as though I'm in one of Professor Snape's lessons."
(End of Chapter)
P@treon: /SadRaven
🥳Joining P@treon keeps me motivated and eager to work diligently, so please consider joining.🥰