Chapter 26: The Hufflepuff Common Room
"Sean," Justin began, his voice hesitant but kind. He pressed the parchment and the light-blue notebook back into Sean's hands. "This might be a bit forward, but… are you planning to practice Potions on your own?"
"Yes," Sean nodded. If he couldn't practice and gain proficiency through the Panel, his natural talent—or lack thereof—meant he would be lucky to even pass the class. Achieving an 'Outstanding' would be a gamble with impossibly low odds.
"And you're looking for ingredients? For the Boil-Cure Potion?"
When Sean nodded again, a look of relief washed over Justin's face, followed by a warm, perfectly measured smile.
"Perhaps I can help with that. Come on, there's somewhere I need to take you."
With that, he led the bewildered Sean out of the Great Hall.
They walked down a staircase that led to the basement level, directly beneath the Great Hall. The stone-walled corridor was brightly lit with torches. Sean looked around, a growing suspicion forming in his mind.
"Oh, we're about to pass the Hogwarts kitchens," Justin said with a conspiratorial grin. "I have to let you in on the secret…"
He stopped in front of a large painting of a bowl of fruit and gently tickled the green pear. To Sean's astonishment, the pear giggled and transformed into a green, brass doorknob. The painting swung open, revealing the entrance to the kitchens.
Side quest unlocked: Food, Sean thought.
"As long as you're polite, the house-elves will give you any food you ask for," Justin explained with great seriousness. "There's just one rule: you must never, ever bring Peeves in here. But that's not our destination today. Look, we're almost there. The Hufflepuff common room."
He led Sean to a stack of large barrels in a nook to the right of the kitchen corridor. He then tapped a rhythm on the lid of the barrel two from the bottom, in the middle of the second row. The lid swung open, revealing an earthy, upward-sloping passage lit by magical lanterns.
It opened into a cozy, round room that felt wonderfully snug, like a badger's sett. The room was decorated in cheerful, bee-like shades of yellow and black, with gleaming, honey-coloured wooden tables and round, hobbit-like doors. Various cacti sat on circular wooden shelves, many of which waved and danced as students passed by. From the ceiling, copper-bottomed planters overflowed with trailing ferns and ivy that gently brushed Sean's hair as he walked beneath them.
A wooden mantelpiece at the far end of the room was carved with dancing badgers, and above it hung a portrait of Helga Hufflepuff, one of the four founders of Hogwarts. She was holding a two-handled golden cup, toasting her students. Small, circular windows were set near the ceiling, level with the ground outside, offering a charming view of waving grass and dandelions, and the occasional passing pair of feet. Despite being in the basement, the room was perpetually bathed in cheerful sunlight.
"Welcome to the Hufflepuff common room!" Justin announced proudly.
He then walked over to one of the plush, overstuffed sofas and pulled out an expensive-looking trunk. When he opened it, Sean was momentarily blinded.
The first thing he saw was a glittering pile of gold Galleons. Next to that was a scattering of letters and postcards, and beside them, a neatly organized array of jars and crystal phials. Sean instantly recognized the containers for venomous snake fangs, dried nettles, and more.
His suspicion was confirmed, but he was still stunned. A student actually bought his own supply of these ridiculously expensive Potion ingredients?
"I don't really have a use for these," Justin said, his smile radiating warmth. "But I thought, perhaps, you might."
"Could I… could I buy some from you?"
Justin's offer was a welcome surprise, but Sean knew he had to pay his own way. A bundle of nettles was a Galleon, enough for thirty attempts. A jar of horned slugs was also a Galleon, good for forty. The snake fangs and porcupine quills were two Galleons each. Six Galleons in total. A necessary expense. If I can brew an acceptable potion, he calculated, maybe I can sell it and make the money back.
"Sean, what are you talking about?" Justin looked genuinely taken aback. "If you want to brew potions, then this is my support for you. I can't believe I've finally found a way to help. To be honest, it's always been a bit embarrassing to ask for your help all the time…"
Sean was at a loss for words as Justin began placing the crystal phials and jars into his bag.
"But…"
Before Sean could protest, Justin spoke again, his voice soft but firm. "I believe you'll succeed. And if you fail, I have another set right here."
As they left the Hufflepuff common room, Justin's steps were noticeably lighter. His mother's words echoed in his ears: "My dearest Justin, remember, everyone has different strengths. The children of our family have always excelled at bringing those strengths together."
In the end, Sean couldn't refuse the gift. The gentle Justin could be more stubborn than a donkey.
"If you're allowed to help me with Herbology and my History of Magic essay, but I'm not allowed to offer you this insignificant support in return, then what kind of friends are we?"
Alright, Sean said to himself. It's really nice to have a Hufflepuff for a friend.
At lunch in the Great Hall, Sean ate with his usual whirlwind efficiency. His most pressing problem was solved. All that was left was to find a place to secretly practice brewing, to master the feel of the heat and the rhythm of the stirring.
Beside him, Justin was poring over a new set of notes—Sean's advanced notes for Defence Against the Dark Arts, Transfiguration, and their other classes. They were practically a cheat sheet.
Hermione, sitting nearby, noticed the unusual dynamic between the two. Justin was eating faster and with more gusto than usual. She suspected Sean was a bad influence.
As they parted ways after the meal, Justin spoke quietly. "Sean, I just wanted you to know… if you ever run into trouble, you can come to me. We're friends, remember?"
Justin's sincere, grey-blue eyes reflected the firelight from the hearths. Sean nodded.
The fires of Hogwarts were warmer than he had ever imagined.
And so were the Hufflepuffs.
I want to be a Hufflepuff! he thought, a familiar wave of annoyance at the Sorting Hat washing over him.
That afternoon, in the humid air of the greenhouse, Sean expertly processed a batch of dried nettles. They were common plants, but after being soaked in a special blue liquid, they became a key magical ingredient for Swelling Solutions and Boil-Cure Potions. Professor Sprout had also added that the essence of nettle could be used to create sleeping draughts, but that required a completely different handling technique.
Compared to the clumsy fumbling of the other first-years—who were adding the wrong amount of liquid, cutting the nettles improperly, and misjudging the soaking time—Sean's work was the model of professionalism. At Professor Sprout's direction, a small group of struggling Ravenclaws and Slytherins had even gathered around his bench to learn from him.
And all the while, the notifications from the Panel chimed in a steady, satisfying rhythm.