The Hufflepuff Common Room — Night
The Hufflepuff common room was alive that night,many student was there to hang out
Near the hearth, a group of second-years were roasting apples on enchanted skewers, the skins blistering and popping softly. Someone else was passing around mugs of warm milk and honey, while a pair of first-years sat cross-legged on the carpet playing wizard chess with pieces that politely apologized every time they were taken. Laughter floated everywhere—soft, friendly, never sharp.
In a quieter corner near one of the round windows, Leo, Cedric, Maribel, Tobias, Elowen, and Rowan claimed a low table surrounded by overstuffed yellow cushions.
"Alright," Maribel announced, unrolling a long piece of parchment. "History of Magic homework. Topic: The Early Wizarding Councils and the Formation of the Wizengamot."
Rowan groaned dramatically and slumped over the table.
"Why does everything important in wizard history happen in meetings?"
Leo chuckled but leaned forward, genuinely interested. He and Cedric already knew the basics—Orion had drilled Leo on this more than once—but they stayed quiet, letting Maribel take the lead since he knew maribel loves history.
Maribel's eyes lit up.
"So," she began, gesturing with her quill, "before the Wizengamot was formalized in the 1700s, magical Britain was governed by rotating councils—mostly clan leaders and powerful witches and wizards. The problem was that none of them agreed on anything. Ever."
"That sounds familiar," Leo murmured.
Maribel continued enthusiastically.
"One council even dissolved because half the members believed goblins should have full wand rights, and the other half tried to ban goblins from wizarding villages entirely. It caused three minor rebellions and one very awkward peace banquet."
Elowen leaned in, fascinated.
"Oh! Is that when the Silver Charter was written?"
"Yes!" Maribel pointed at her like she'd won a prize. "That charter was the first attempt at compromise but it failed because it didn't account for magical law enforcement."
Leo listened closely, impressed. She doesn't just memorize dates, he thought. She understands why things happened. History suddenly felt alive when compare to professor Binn.
Cedric smiled at Leo.
"This is way easier than reading Binns' notes."
"And significantly less likely to put us to sleep," Tobias added.
By the time they finished, the essay practically wrote itself.
Winding Down
Homework done, they stayed put.
Rowan wandered off to grab treacle tart, Tobias joined a group who in a middle of a heated debate about whether Chocolate Frogs tasted better slightly melted, and Cedric stood to speak with an older Hufflepuff—his sister—who ruffled his hair and warned him not to let Fred and George drag him into trouble.
Leo stayed behind, pulling out his sketchbook.
A fourth-year Hufflepuff approached, her arms full of rolled canvases.
"Oh—sorry," she said kindly. "Mind if I sit? I'm Iris Fenwick fourth year."
Leo's eyes lit up. "You paint?"
"Moving portraits, mostly," Iris replied, settling beside him. "I saw your sketch earlier. You frame motion beautifully."
That single sentence made Leo's chest warm.
They talked quietly—about charm layering, memory anchors, and how movement in paintings wasn't about realism but intention. Iris showed him a charm that allowed subtle shifts: a blink, a breath, a drifting cloud.
"You don't capture the moment," Iris said softly. "You capture how it felt."
Leo and Iris began to talk about art and what type of art they want to capture and by the time the common room began to empty, exhaustion finally settled in.
Potions — The Next Morning
The next day, the six of them slipped into the dungeons early and took a spot far from the front, far from Professor Snape peripheral vision.
They were prepared. Mentally. Emotionally. Spiritually.
Once every student of Hufflepuff and Slytherin were settle into their own seat, The dungeon door swept open.
Professor Snape glided in like a final villan, robes billowing, eyes already narrowed as if disappointed by their existence Leo reminded his robes swaying and his dementor look like the poor version of batman.
"You are here," he drawled, "to learn the subtle science and exact art of potion-making. Not to wave your wands like incompetent baboons."
Tobias mouthed baboon in disbelief.
Snape's gaze snapped to the Hufflepuff table.
"Ingredients for the Cure for Boils. You. Yellow tie."
Rowan jumped. "Uh—snake fangs, horned slugs, and porcupine quills, sir."
"Wrong order. One point from Hufflepuff."
A Slytherin answered next—incorrectly.
Snape sighed indulgently. "Do try to focus next time."
No points lost.
This happen for a few more times until Leo answered correctly and in the end he didn't get any point at all. Leo saw this and immediately wanted to embarrassed professor snape by morphing into him dancing like a monkey in front of everyone just to satisfied himself with this sheer absurdity. But he stopped he know better to cross Somone on the first day.
Leo felt his jaw tighten.
Afterward, snape demonstrate, wrote the ingrediency and immediately ask the student to wrote down, and find partner to make the potion.
Before the class started, during earlier morning both Leo and Cedric went to the Hufflepuff shared bathroom and they were talking mundane stuff at first but then the topic regarding potion came up and both stated that they have read the book and have experience brewing simple potion simply by helping their family, Cedric put his hand on Leo shoulder and immediately ask him to be his partner, Leo agree enthusiastically. Although they felt bad that their friend might suffer, but the taught that they will possibly might avoid comment by a greasy haired professor assured them that this is a good decision.
When Leo and Cedric worked together, they decided to followed Snape's board instructions exactly—not like in the textbook. Since this sickly looking kind of men was criticizing potion ingredient , then they just have to follow exactly what he wanted so that they do no get snarky comment from a middle age men.
Their potion turned the exact sickly pink Snape demonstrated.
Snape saw the potion
He paused.
"Acceptable," Snape said flatly. "Proceed."
And walk away, Cedric and Leo sighed that at least it was over.
Lunch break
At dinner, the frustration spilled out.
"That was completely unfair," Elowen huffed.
"we lose points just for breathing," Rowan said, stabbing his chicken. "We could cure dragon pox and still get nothing." Maribel chimmed in, Tobias however dont have much appetite and was silent since duirng potion class he was dry heaving because one of the ingredient smelt bad.
Leo sighed. "Ced and I did everything right. Still nothing."
Cedric shrugged mildly. "It's unfair, but… he's still our professor."
Tobias snorted. "Goody two shoes."
After the complaints poured out across the Hufflepuff table in the Great Hall, the six of them finally gathered their bags and headed toward their afternoon class: Defence Against the Dark Arts.
They chose seats at the middle not far and not to close from the professor. When Professor Alaric Crowe entered the classroom, the chatter slowly died down.
He was a very tall, thin man with neatly combed dark hair and robes that looked a size too large, hanging off his narrow frame. Everything about him felt… gentle. His posture was slightly hunched, his hands clasped together as if he were afraid of taking up too much space. Leo couldn't help thinking that Crowe looked more like someone who would teach advanced arithmetic than how to fend off Dark creatures.
When Professor Crowe began teaching, his voice was soft—so soft that instead of eyes facing the front, students leaned forward, ears straining to catch his words. He didn't ask for names, didn't call on anyone directly, and flinched slightly whenever a chair scraped too loudly against the floor.
Still, despite his shy demeanour, it quickly became clear that he knew this subject.
That day's lesson covered the basic classification of Dark creatures and low-level defensive charms, and although Crowe spoke quietly, his explanations were clear and structured. Leo found himself actually understanding the material, and judging by Cedric's focused expression, he wasn't the only one.
The class ended without incident, students beginning to pack their bags—until—
"W-wait!"
Professor Crowe's voice suddenly rang out, louder than anyone expected.
The entire classroom froze.
"S-sorry," he said quickly, cheeks turning red. "I—I forgot to take attendance. And… to award house points."
A ripple of surprise went through the room as students slowly sat back down.
"I'll… I'll need your names, please," he said, clearing his throat. "And, ah—since I forgot my duty earlier, I believe that deserves compensation."
By the time attendance was finished, both Hufflepuff and Ravenclaw had earned ten points each, simply because Professor Crowe had forgotten.
As they left the classroom, the six of them burst into quiet laughter.
On their way to the library, Cedric shook his head.
"He's… not bad," he said carefully. "Just—terrified of us."
"He jumped when Tobias dropped his quill," Rowan added.
"I feel kind of bad for him," Elowen said. "At least he actually explains things."
Mirabel sighed. "I don't care how shy he is, as long as he's better than Snape."
Leo smiled faintly. "Compared to this morning, that class felt… kind."
The Hogwarts library was a different world entirely.
Towering shelves stretched impossibly high, packed with ancient tomes, glowing spines, and floating ladders that moved on their own. The air smelled of parchment, ink, and something faintly magical—old spells settling into the stone and wood. Soft golden lamps hovered above long wooden tables, casting warm light over stacks of books.
For Leo, Tobias, Cedric, and Rowan, it was their first time inside.
"Blimey…" Cedric whispered, eyes wide.
Rowan spun slowly in place. "You could get lost in here forever."
Tobias stared upward. "There are more books here than the library that I always go to."
They were so distracted that they didn't notice their voices rising, Mirabel and Elowen try to shush them but it was too late
"Ahem."
Madam Pince appeared beside them like a summoned curse.
She laid out the rules sharply:
No loud talking
No running
No food
No touching books without permission
And absolutely no access to the Restricted Section without a signed note from a professor
"if you don't obey the rules you will be banned for life!!!"
All six nodded in unison, suddenly very well-behaved.
They settled into their homework quickly. Once Leo finished his Potions and DADA assignments, he reached for something extra, unable to resist.
He spent the remaining time flipping through:
An Introduction to Ancient Runes and Magical SymbolsIntroduction to fungi for magical maladies Basic spell across wizarding Europe
Around him, his friends did much the same—reading, whispering, occasionally exchanging notes—until dinner called them back to the Great Hall and, later, to the warm safety of the Hufflepuff common room, where another long Hogwarts day finally came to a close.
The next day brought what every first-year in every house had been waiting for
Charms class.
The Hufflepuff students were practically buzzing as they made their way through the corridors. For the first time since arriving at Hogwarts, they would finally be casting real spells—not just listening, reading, or watching a spell.
Leo swung his wand hand dramatically as they walked.
"Finally, we get to use our wand," he declared. "My baby's been crying from neglect."
Tobias snorted. "Your wand does not have feelings."
"It does," Leo said solemnly. "It told me last night."
Cedric smiled. "If it starts demanding attention, I'm switching seats."
Rowan laughed. "Imagine getting detention because Leo's wand feels ignored."
By the time they reached the classroom, all six of were excited.
A few minutes after they took their seats, a tiny squeak came from the doorway.
Professor Filius Flitwick entered the room, barely taller than the desk he stopped beside. His pointed hat bobbed as he climbed onto a stack of books so he could see the class properly.
"Good morning!" he chirped brightly. "I am Professor Flitwick, and I shall be teaching you Charms—arguably one of the most useful and elegant branches of magic."
He clasped his hands together, eyes sparkling.
"Charms, you see, is not about brute force. It is about precision, intent, and a very careful flick of the wrist."
With a quick motion of his wand, the classroom transformed. Feathers rose into the air, desks shimmered briefly silver, and glowing ribbons of light spiraled above their heads like floating calligraphy.
Gasps filled the room.
"Magic," Professor Flitwick said warmly, "is meant to be felt."
He flicked his wand again, and the room returned to normal.
"Today," he announced, "we shall begin with a classic—Lumos."
He explained the incantation, the wrist movement, and the importance of intent. Then he raised his wand.
"Lumos."
A soft white glow bloomed from the tip, gentle but steady.
"Now then," Flitwick said cheerfully. "why don't you try ?"
Everyone after that immediately do a hand motion and said the incantation
, most of the student wand flickered while some didn't even produce light,
Observing this Leo stood up, his mind concentrate on a single goal, took a deep breath, raised his wand and yelled
"Lumos."
Light burst forth instantly—bright, clean, and unwavering.
"Well done!" Professor Flitwick clapped his hands. "Excellent control!"
Cedric followed next, his spell just as steady, though slightly softer. One by one, the rest of the class succeeded, the room slowly filling with floating points of light like captured stars.
Flitwick's eyes shone.
"Now, just because you can cast Lumos does not mean you have mastered it. A spell's power can vary—brightness, duration, even color—with enough practice."
He waved his wand again.
"Lumos Maxima."
The glow expanded dramatically, flooding the classroom with radiant white light. For a moment, it looked like a miniature sun hovered in the air.
Leo stared, completely awestruck.
Homework was assigned—practice wand movement and write a short reflection on spell intent—and class ended to loud, excited chatter.
"That was amazing," Elowen said as they left.
"I didn't know magic could feel like that," Rowan added.
Tobias shook his head. "Charms is officially my favorite class."
Leo and Cedric exchanged a look—both smiling.
Afterward,
They spent the afternoon enjoying the free time with themselves. Leo and Cedric lean by the window read a library books they lented, Mirabel and Tobias played Gobstones, while Elowen and Rowan argued loudly over Exploding Snap.
That night came Astronomy, held atop the highest tower.
Sleepy but excited, the first-years listened as Professor Sinistra explained the basics star charts, planetary motion, and how magic subtly shifted celestial observation.
Each student learned to identify major constellations through their telescopes and record their findings.
Leo however barely needed the book.
He adjusted his telescope quickly, calling out accurate readings with ease. Professor Sinistra paused, clearly impressed.
"Ten points to Hufflepuff," she said calmly. "For exceptional accuracy."
On the walk back to the dormitory, Tobias finally spoke.
"How do you get it so fast?"
Leo shrugged. "Well… look at my name. I'm literally named after a star."
He grinned. "Guess you could say… I was born to shine."
Elowen groaned. "That was awful."
Mirabel laughed anyway.
Elowen added, "Honestly, this whole week you and Cedric are good at everything. Makes the rest of us feel lazy."
Cedric laughed awkwardly. "Sorry—wasn't trying to show off."
Leo waved it off. "Hey, good-looking people have to prove we're more than just looks."
That did it.
Laughter echoed down the corridor as they disappeared into the Hufflepuff dorms, the four of them were chasing the two of them playfully.