Although the Hufflepuff common room, like Slytherin's, was located underground, it was much more comfortable by comparison.
It was only one floor beneath ground level, so it was neither too cold nor too warm, and unlike Gryffindor's tower, no howling wind would disturb anyone's sleep at night.
The décor was dominated by Hufflepuff's cheerful yellow, giving the place an overall warmth, and the many plants placed throughout the common room added a refreshing touch of green.
Including her, the first-year Hufflepuff girls numbered six, which was a bit more than the other houses, but this year the boys' side in Hufflepuff had one more student than the girls'.
It really proved that there weren't many young witches and wizards entering school each year in Britain. She remembered reading research in her previous life—someone had counted the students entering Hogwarts in Harry's year, and those explicitly mentioned by name and year totaled about thirty. There were still some without stated years, so the number of new students fluctuated around thirty annually.
When the Sorting happened earlier, she had paid close attention and found that it matched that analysis almost perfectly. This year there were thirty-six new students, and Hufflepuff alone had thirteen of them. Truly, it deserved its reputation as the most inclusive house.
A six-bed dormitory was nothing new to Esther—she had lived in one in her previous life—and she had no trouble adjusting. Besides, the Hufflepuff girls' dormitory was surprisingly spacious, so housing six of them didn't feel crowded at all.
Her five roommates were Annie Bailey, a half-blood witch; Donna Hunter, a Muggle-born; Cathy Walter, a pure-blood; Fiona Lane, a half-blood; and Eliana Sidney, also a Muggle-born.
Being Sorted into Hufflepuff meant that none of these girls were difficult to get along with. As they unpacked their belongings and chatted, they warmed up to each other quickly.
"To be honest," Donna began, animated as always, "when I first got the acceptance letter, my mum and dad thought it was some kind of prank and didn't take it seriously at all. They just tossed the letter aside."
Donna, lively and expressive, continued telling the story of her experience. "It wasn't until a professor came straight to my house that we realized everything was real."
Eliana, another Muggle-born, nodded with full empathy. "Same here! I mean, who wouldn't think magic was just something from fairy tales? Before term started, my parents didn't even want me to come. They thought the whole thing sounded unreliable. But I insisted. I mean, is there anything cooler in the world than learning magic?"
"Exactly!" Fiona chimed in. "My mum's a witch, but she never told us. When my letter came, she finally confessed to me and my dad. Dad was upset that she hid it for so long, but they love each other a lot, so he forgave her.
And everything I've witnessed today already goes far beyond anything I imagined. The magical world is incredible!"
"Right? At first I was terrified," Donna admitted. "I'd never touched magic before. I kept worrying—what if everyone else is talented and I can't keep up? Or what if they're hard to get along with and they exclude me? But everyone has been so kind."
"Don't worry," Cathy said reassuringly. "I'm a pure-blood, but I haven't learned anything useful before coming to school either. We're all starting at the same point. And besides, this isn't Slytherin—no one here is going to look down on a Muggle-born witch."
She added with a grin, "And Donna, you're so cute. Who would ever want to exclude you?"
Esther, whose bed was beside Donna's, laughed as she spoke.
She reached out and brushed Donna's fluffy, voluminous silver hair, feeling an unreasonable amount of envy.
Donna had said it wasn't her natural color—it was dyed—but it still suited her beautifully. Combined with her round, fair little face, she looked as lively and adorable as a doll.
Donna beamed at the praise but insisted, "If we're talking about looks, Esther, you're the prettiest. Your eyes are blue like gemstones."
The moment she said it, the entire dorm agreed unanimously, and the topic naturally shifted into a cheerful discussion about appearances.
"Speaking of looks," Eliana said dreamily, "I saw a really handsome boy at our table earlier. He was tall and slender, and his smile was so warm. Does anyone know who he is?"
Annie jumped in excitedly. "Yes! I noticed him too! He's gorgeous!"
Cathy thought for a moment and said, "You must mean Senior Cedric Diggory. There isn't a boy in Hufflepuff more handsome than him. He's three years above us, and I heard he's an amazing Quidditch player—he's Hufflepuff's Seeker."
"Wow! That sounds incredible!"
"I wonder if he has a girlfriend. He's so handsome—please let him be single!"
"No idea," Annie said. "But other houses have plenty of good-looking seniors too. It's just that in our year, we barely have any good-looking boys."
"Yes! Though we do have several pretty girls this year—like Esther, and that girl with dimples who ended up in Slytherin. Oh, and there was a red-haired girl who looked really nice too."
"Ugh, there are so many pretty girls in the world. Why couldn't the universe have made one more—and let it be me?"
Everyone chatted excitedly, their spirits sky-high, until Annie finally said, "Alright, my dear ladies, we should get to sleep. We have classes tomorrow."
It was indeed late. They exchanged goodnights, climbed into their beds, and turned in.
And just like that, Esther's first day at Hogwarts passed peacefully.
Maybe she had been too excited, because she couldn't fall asleep for the first half of the night, only drifting off deeply in the latter half.
Which was why, the next morning, she was shaken awake by a frantic roommate.
"Heavens! Esther, get up quickly! Two alarm clocks didn't wake you at all—you sleep like a rock. Hurry or we'll be late!"
When Esther opened her eyes, her roommates were already scrambling through their morning routines in a panic.
Esther immediately tumbled out of bed and joined the chaotic early-morning rush.
Because time was so tight, they couldn't afford to sit and eat breakfast. They sprinted to the Great Hall, grabbed whatever food they could reach, and ate while dashing toward their first class.
Ernie had already finished his breakfast and was heading to class. Seeing Esther's frazzled state, he said awkwardly, "I didn't mean to leave you helpless. It's just that we boys can't get into the girls' dormitory."
Esther didn't have time to blame him. Her mind was filled with one terrifying thought:
Their very first class of the year was Potions.
If she arrived late, Professor Snape might toss her straight into a cauldron and boil her alive!!
***
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