Chapter 26: Hufflepuff Common Room

“Wizard Sean, oh, this might be a bit forward, but… are you planning to practice potion-making alone?”

Justin placed the parchment and pale blue notes into Wizard Sean’s hands, his tone gentle, carrying an almost imperceptible concern.

“Mm.”

Wizard Sean nodded. If he couldn’t improve his proficiency through practice,

with his potion talent, he’d barely scrape by.

As for achieving excellence, the odds were too low—even Wizard Sean wouldn’t gamble on it.

Are you looking for ingredients? I mean, the four components for the scabies remedy?

Seeing Wizard Sean nod again, Justin seemed to exhale in relief,

his face lighting up with a warm, perfectly measured smile.

“Perhaps I can help a little… come on, I need to take you somewhere.”

He said this, then led the puzzled Wizard Sean through the Great Hall.

They passed beneath the center of Hogwarts Hall, ascending the stairs toward the Hufflepuff dungeons.

The stone underground corridor was brightly lit.

Wizard Sean glanced around curiously, sensing something faintly familiar.

“Oh, we’re passing the Hogwarts kitchen—I have to whisper this secret to you…”

Justin smiled as he walked toward the wall,

stopping before a painting of a bowl of fruit, then gently tickling a pear inside the frame.

Wizard Sean watched in surprise as the pear giggled, then transformed into a green doorknob,

revealing the entrance to the Hogwarts kitchen.

Triggered the food side quest.

Wizard Sean thought.

“As long as you’re polite, the house-elves will gladly give you food,

but one rule—never bring Peeves in…”

Justin warned seriously,

“but today’s destination isn’t here. Look, we’re almost there—Hufflepuff common room.”

They arrived before a stack of large barrels in the corner of the kitchen corridor,

and Justin tapped the bottom lids of the two middle barrels in the second row with a distinctive rhythm.

The lids rotated open automatically, revealing an upward-sloping passage lined with magical lanterns.

It led to a cozy, warm circular room, reminiscent of a badger’s den.

The entire room was decorated in lively, bee-like black-and-yellow hues,

adorned with polished honey-colored wooden tables and round wooden doors.

Various cacti sat on circular wooden shelves, many of which waved and swayed toward students.

Copper-bottomed hanging pots from the ceiling grew curled ferns and vines,

which gently combed through Wizard Sean’s hair as he passed beneath them.

At the far end, the wooden fireplace was carved with dancing badgers, above which hung a portrait of Helga Hufflepuff,

one of Hogwarts’ four founders, raising a golden cup with double handles to toast her students.

Around Hufflepuff, small round windows aligned perfectly with the castle’s ground level,

revealing beautiful scenes of swaying grasses and dandelions, sometimes catching the glimpse of passing feet.

Though these windows were quite low, the room remained sunlit year-round.

“Welcome to the Hufflepuff common room!”

Wizard Sean heard Justin say,

then watched as Justin smoothly pulled a seemingly expensive suitcase from beside a thick, cushioned sofa.

The moment it opened, Wizard Sean was blinded by glitter.

First came a pile of gleaming Galleons, then scattered letters and postcards,

beside them, various jars and crystal vials.

Wizard Sean immediately recognized ingredients: venomous fangs, dried nettles, and more.

His suspicions were confirmed, yet he still felt surprised—

Did actual young wizards really buy such outrageously expensive potion ingredients?

“These ingredients… I don’t need them, but I thought you might.”

Justin beamed with warmth.

“I… could I buy some?”

Justin had indeed given him a surprise, but Wizard Sean needed the funds to afford it.

A bundle of nettles cost one Galleon—enough for over thirty practice sessions;

a jar of horned slugs also cost one Galleon—enough for over forty sessions;

a vial of venomous fangs and a bundle of porcupine quills each had similar usage,

but both cost two Galleons each.

Total: six Galleons—a necessary expense…

Wizard Sean thought.

If he could brew potions good enough to sell, maybe he could earn it back?

“Wizard Sean, what are you talking about?”

Justin looked genuinely startled,

“If you want to brew potions, this is my support.

I can hardly believe I’m still able to offer you anything—I’ve always wanted to say, constantly asking for your help makes me feel awkward…”

Wizard Sean was stunned, then watched as Justin placed the crystal vials and jars into his bag.

Wizard Sean was momentarily baffled, then saw Jia Jia Siting placing the crystal bottle and jars into his bag.

Before Wizard Sean could speak, Justin whispered softly:

“I believe you’ll succeed. If you fail, I’ve got another set ready.”

“I believe you’ll succeed; if you fail, I have another one here.”

As they left the Hufflepuff common room,

Justin’s steps were noticeably lighter, and his mother’s words echoed again in his mind:

“My dear Filius, remember? Everyone has different strengths,

and Filius children always excel at combining everyone’s strengths together.”

Wizard Sean ultimately didn’t refuse the help—gentle Justin could be as stubborn as a donkey.

“If you only let me help you with Herbology and History of Magic homework,

but won’t let me offer you even a tiny bit of support in return, what kind of friends are we?”

“Yet I cannot offer you even the smallest support—what kind of friends are we?”

Wizard Sean told himself,

having a Hufflepuff friend is nice.

At noon,

in the Great Hall.

Wizard Sean devoured his meal as usual.

The most troubling problem was solved; now he just needed to secretly brew potions and master heat control and stirring.

Beside him, Justin held several notebooks—Wizard Sean’s notes from Defense Against the Dark Arts, Transfiguration, and more.

His progress far outpaced the classroom curriculum, so these notes were essentially cheat sheets for Justin.

Hermione, sitting nearby, sensed an unusual atmosphere today.

Strange—Justin was eating faster and more than ever.

Hermione suspected Wizard Sean was setting the trend.

When they parted in the Great Hall, Wizard Sean heard Justin murmur:

“Yeah, Wizard Sean, no matter what, I just want you to know—

if you run into trouble, come find me. Remember, we’re friends.”

Justin’s sincere pale gray eyes reflected the hearth’s firelight; Wizard Sean nodded.

Hogwarts’ hearths were warmer than he’d imagined,

and so was Hufflepuff.

I want to be a Hufflepuff too!

Damn Sorting Hat!

In the afternoon Herbology class,

in the greenhouses.

Wizard Sean skillfully handled the dried nettles,

ordinary plants soaked in a special blue potion,

They were ordinary plants, but soaked in a special blue liquid,

It can be used as a magical ingredient for brewing Swelling Potion and Cure for Boils Potion.

Oh,

Professor Sprout added:

Nettle essence can be used to brew sleeping draughts or sedatives, but the wizard’s handling method must change.

Compared to the frantic fumbling of young witches and wizards—

incorrect potion dosage, improper cutting of dried nettles, incorrect steeping time…

Wizard Sean’s handling appeared far more professional; under Professor Sprout’s guidance, several troubled Ravenclaws and Slytherins gathered around Wizard Sean to learn from him.

Meanwhile,

the panel’s prompts kept sounding.