The learning atmosphere at Hogwarts is very relaxed most of the time, which is especially reflected when the students are dining. Amid everyone's laughter, this lively welcome dinner finally came to an end.
After Maka picked out a few desserts from the second batch and wiped them out, the plates on the table were cleared by magic and looked as smooth and new as when they first started.
At this time, Professor Dumbledore stood up again, and the silence in the restaurant immediately returned.
"Oh, now that everyone has eaten and drank enough, I think I want to say a few more words to everyone. At the beginning of the semester, I want to put forward some precautions to everyone." Dumbledore paused. His eyes glanced at the Weasley twins at the Gryffindor table, "First-year students, please note that the woods on campus are strictly prohibited for students. Some of our classmates from the old class should also remember this."
"Furthermore, the administrator, Mr. Filch, also asked me to remind everyone not to cast magic in the corridors between classes."
"The review of Quidditch players will be held in the second week of this semester. Students who are interested in joining the college team please contact Mrs. Huo Qi."
"Finally, I must tell everyone that anyone who does not want to suffer an accident and die in pain should not enter the corridor on the right side of the fourth floor."
Hearing this sentence, a few people laughed, seeming to think that this was Dumbledore's humor again. But most people didn't laugh. Professor Dumbledore never joked about danger.
Maka thought to himself that this was probably related to the magic stone. As for the specific layout, how could he remember it clearly? Besides, what does this have to do with him? He was obviously more interested in the Sorcerer's Stone itself than in those game levels where he didn't know whether he was defending Voldemort or training Harry.
Of course, he basically didn't want to think about that thing. He didn't want Dumbledore to rub it on the ground with his little finger.
Generally speaking, Maka didn't want to participate in the events of this school year. He also felt that the time for studying was too little and not enough at all! It would be nice if he didn't cause any trouble for the three little lions.
"Now, before everyone goes to bed, let's sing the school song together!" Dumbledore said loudly, and almost all the teachers' faces froze.
Dumbledore flicked his wand, and a long golden ribbon flew out of the wand, twisting and coiling like a snake above the high dining table, forming lines of text.
"Everyone chooses the tune he likes." Dumbledore said, "Get ready and sing!"
All the teachers and students, well, I mean most of them, sang at the top of their lungs. Maka then opened her mouth, realizing that she couldn't do such an embarrassing thing at all, so she had to open and close her lips like a fool, and mingled with everyone's messy singing.
Maka finally breathed a sigh of relief when Dumbledore announced that it was bedtime. But when he thought that he would have to do this 6 times in the future, he felt that his eyes seemed to be a little moist.
"Okay, let's go! Follow me, the first-year students, and I'll lead you the way." Next to Maka, the senior who was chatting with him suddenly stood up and said loudly with a gentle smile.
Is this Cedric? Although Maka only remembered his first name and couldn't even remember his last name, he had a vague impression of that handsome prefect who was outstanding and had a sense of justice.
"But it doesn't look as handsome as expected." Maka muttered in a voice that only she could hear.
"What's the matter? Little Maka, what are you looking at?" The senior Charlotte who just walked up to him and said softly, "That's senior Darren Criss. He is in sixth grade this year. He started from last year. Prefect of boys at Hufflepuff."
"Uh," Maka was stunned. This seemed to be somewhat inconsistent with her memory, "... I was wondering, who is Senior Cedric? I heard about him before enrolling, and he seems to be a very good person."
Charlotte nodded as if she had a sudden realization, and then said with a smile: "Cedric? Indeed, in another two years, he will definitely be the popular candidate for prefect."
Maka looked in the direction Charlotte pointed, and a handsome boy immediately came into his sight. Just now at the dining table, Cedric was sitting at the other end of the long table. No wonder Maka didn't notice.
Oh, I see, there are grade restrictions for the selection of prefects. At the moment, Cedric has not become Hufflepuff’s boys prefect!
"What about...the girls' prefect?" Looking at the lonely figure of Prefect Darren in front of her, Maka couldn't help but ask.
"Oh, that's me!" Charlotte patted Maka on the shoulder with a smile, and then whispered, "I'm not used to leading others, so I usually leave things to Darren, and he seems to be happy to do these things. "
Maka looked at the beautiful and shapeless senior next to her and shook her head helplessly.
The new Hufflepuff students passed by the easy-going senior Darren through the side corridor on the first floor, and then went all the way down to the basement directly below Hogwarts.
"Behind that is the Hogwarts kitchen. If you are hungry at night, you can go there to get something to eat. The house elves will welcome you." Charlotte said while passing by a fruit still life painting Pointing with his chin, he said, "Just scratch the pear on it, it will smile sometimes, it's very cute."
The entrance to the Hufflepuff common room was not far away, but Maka was a little confused when she looked at the iron-hooped barrels that almost covered the entire wall.
"Everyone must have seen it, this is a bunch of messy big barrels," Darren said with a smile, "And the entrance to our Hufflepuff common room is in these barrels."
"Of course, I'm not asking everyone to open the lid and climb in. Ernie, the bucket you picked is too small." Darren stopped Ernie's attempt on a suspicious barrel, and then continued, "Please pay attention. , the entrance to our common room in Hufflepuff House is the only entrance to the common room in Hogwarts that is enchanted to repel intruders."
"The way to turn it on is very simple, you just need to take out your wand and tap the bottom lids of the two large barrels in the middle of the second row in the rhythm of 'Helga Hufflepuff', and the lids will automatically rotate open .”
As Darren spoke, he took out his wand and tapped back and forth on the bottom lids of two barrels. Immediately, the two bottom covers automatically rotated and opened in different directions. Then, the entire pile of barrels moved, and an irregular doorway immediately appeared in front of the new students.
Darren looked at everyone's commotion and exclamation, with a proud smile on his face. He waited for a while before continuing.
"However, please pay attention to one thing! The entrance to the common room of our Hufflepuff House is the only entrance to the common room in Hogwarts that is equipped with magic to repel intruders. If you knock the wrong lid, or Knock at the wrong tempo, and trespassers will be doused with enchanted vinegar from the buckets above.”
At this point, Darren shrugged and said: "Believe me, you will never be willing to try that feeling. The smell of vinegar is difficult to wash off, and you can smell it from two hundred meters away." A sour taste that makes your teeth weak.”
When Ernie heard this, he immediately trembled all over and felt extremely grateful to Senior Darren who had just stopped him from "self-destructing".
"Senior Charlotte, if this method is known to others, wouldn't it be useless?" Maka asked a little doubtfully.
"This is one of our Hufflepuff's biggest secrets. No one wants to tell it." Charlotte spread her hands. It has never been seen by outsiders. We know how to hide it—how to protect ourselves, just like our emblem."
Maka raised her head and looked at the emblem on the wall of the common room. The badger on it was emitting a dim light, looking low-key and calm.
"Hufflepuff, upright and loyal, persevering and honest, and not afraid of hardships." Maka chewed the words on the nameplate under the house emblem, and the look of confusion when he was sorted returned to his face, "If it were me, I would Will you disclose the method of entering here if necessary?"
He himself felt unsure about this issue.
The Hufflepuff common room is a round, low-ceilinged room with a faint earthy fragrance.
This place is magically illuminated by sunshine during the day and lit up with fluorescent lights at night.
Swaying grass and dandelions can be seen through the circular windows. There are smooth and shiny copper decorations in many places, and there are many plants hanging from the ceiling or placed on the windowsill. The dean, Professor Pomona Sprout, is responsible for teaching herbal medicine classes. She always brings the most interesting Specimens are used to decorate this small but warm room.
Everyone sits or stands here, relaxing and casual as if they are at home. Hufflepuff is the house with the largest population in Hogwarts, but it is also the most united house within it. There has been almost no change for thousands of years, which has to surprise other houses.
After a while, the freshmen went to the dormitories to rest one after another. They had been busy all day today, and these little badgers were already exhausted.
At night, Maka leaned on his bed, opened the textbook again, and started reading. Several of his roommates had fallen asleep, but he was not very sleepy yet.
Over the past two months, he has basically adapted to a normal schedule, but today he was a little unable to sleep. His mind kept repeating everything he saw today. Although he appeared calm, it did not mean that his heart was equally stable.
Although he held the book in his hand and read it line by line, he hardly remembered it in his heart. He didn't sleep quietly with his coat on until late at night.