When the students were dismissed from the Great Hall, Annette and Alice walked hand-in-hand to the Hufflepuff commonroom. Everyone was so sleepy and full.  They were the only two new Hufflepuff girls, that Annete could remember being sorted, she was just so happy she and Alice were in the same house! Only a small amount of Hufflepuffs were sorted, which was good . There were only a few of them, which made them less conspicuous, but there were only a few, so they had all their classes together. This would be a good year, so few first years were at Hogwarts this year, and most were Gryffindors.

Nette learned that a werewolf was in there house, Ollie Foley. She was expelled last year by Analiza Snark, but was brought back by Headmaster Reid. He was the reason Lexi got to go to school with them.Annette could ask Olivia about being a werewolf and how she could help Lexi feel more comfortable with her curse.  Annette loved Headmaster Reid, he was so wise, and fair, no wonder he's headmaster.

The prefects told the two first years where their dorms were. Alice and Annette walked up the stairs and opened the door to 2 fourposter beds. Fourposters with pretty yellow and black curtains. Nette and Alice's trunks laid by the bedside, Shikoba cleaned his feathers in his cage. What a great place. Annette opened the window to let the cool night air in. What a long day.

Annette and Alice walked down to the common room and watched as the fire crackled and spit and all of the upper class-men chatted in there little circles. Anni lead Alice to a table where they sat down.

 "So... what do you think so far Alice? Isn't this all great?"
                                                                                                                                                                                                                       

If any of the older Hufflepuffs would like to join in, be my guest.

Alice smiled back at Annette. "It's wonderful. I've heard things from Mark and Jane about the library! Oh the library! I heard that they have every book published ever!" Alice's heart began to race. She was excited for the upcoming year, and was so happy Annette would be her roommate.

Alice sat in a big armchair, her notebook under her arm, and her baby kitten sitting next to her. Patricia had given birth to some lovely little Tabbies, so she took one with her to school as her pet. His name was Ignatius.

She was so comfortable here and the castle already felt like home. "What do you think of the upperclassmen? Do you think they'll like us?" She asked curiously.

"Alice, buddy what ISN'T to like?" Annette replied. "They'll love us, we're so cute!" Annette threw Shikoba a treat. He caught it and swallowed it hole. Nette shuddered, "I hate it when he does that." Annette reached over and tickled Patricia's tummy. "I love it here, it's so warm and just magical, but what else would you expect? It is a magic school.

Annette opened her Defense Against the Dark Arts Textbook and started reading the first chapter. She opened a chocolate frog and popped it in her mouth. "Hey I got Queen Maeve!" Medieval witch from Ireland who trained young witches and wizards there before the establishment of Hogwarts "Cool, I don't have her" Nette said pocketing it. "Anyone have room for a chocolate frog?" Annette said holding up a large handful over her head.

Even in the girls' dorms, 16-year-old Figaro Sellaphix could be heard on the lower level.  With the Fayette twins' graduation the balance of power had shifted and Figaro was vying for some prime top-dog status in House Hufflepuff.  He was shouting now, about something to do with Three Owl Standard, his favorite band.

Just interjecting.  Providing some typical Hufflepuff ambiance of Figaro being loud in the Commonroom.  Carry on, then!

He tried to keep the grin off his face, tried to appear stern but he failed considerably.  Leopold Sandusky Sr was far to pleased with the sorting to even fake being serious.  He stepped into the common room and was, for the moment, overcome with a wave of nostalgia. 

Nothing has changed.

The stood looking around the room as the students looked at him with growing curiosity.  It wasn't until Howler stole his had and sat searching it for peanuts that Leopold laughed and addressed the students.

"Good evening and welcome to the Hufflepuff dormitories," he said in a voice loud enough to be heard without needing to shout.  "My name is professor Sandusky and I am your new Transfigurations instructor.  Additionally, I am also the head of House Hufflepuff, which means for as long as we are both here, I am responsible for your behaviour.  I expect great things from all of you, just as great things were expected of me when I was in your place.   We will be talking more soon enough but I thought it best to come and welcome you all personally, especially our three newest.  Where are Annette Lotusorder, Alice Hunter and Deidre Timkowski?  Surely they haven't gone to bed already?  On their first night here?"

Annette raised her hand over the back of the chair and stood up. "Annette Lotusorder is present Professor" Annette looked at Professor Sandusky, he had a kind, old face, the kind that reminded Annette of her late Grandpa. But of course this was school and her teachers weren't her friends, they were her elders, her mentors, though she would grow attached to the teachers over the next 7 years.

Nette walked over to Professor Sandusky and stuck out her hand, "Nice to meet you Professor Sandusky, I'm very happy to be placed in your house." Anni swallowed, all of the older kids had stopped talking and were staring at her and the Transfiguration instructor. Would the man just shake her hand  so Alice and Deidre Timkowski could introduce themselves.

Just shake the hand!

"Good evening, Miss Lotusorder,"  Leopold said, shaking her hand.  "This little fellow sitting on my shoulder is Howler.  He's a Capuchin monkey.  Did you bring a pet?"  He hadn't had a chance to read the files of the new students but he was nearly through the older ones.  He'd have a chance to finish in the morning. 

"If you are planning to get on my good side, he likes almond cookies and I am rather fond of tea."

"My mother has a wonderful recipe for Almond cookies, and I am quite fond of tea myself Sir." Annette liked him. His monkey too, the little black muzzle was adorable and his tail wrapped around his master's neck. "I have and owl, Shikoba." Nette whistled her owl tune and Shikoba came flying across the commonroom and onto her waiting forearm. She had spent a large time of her summer training her owl to eat mice, not fingers and to come to her when she whistled, he was a very well behaved owl.

It had been a marvelous feast and perhaps Obderedria had gone overboard, so with a full tank she had sluggardly tottered off to the Hufflepuff common room. Only feasting fatigue had vanished the moment she passed a dead end corridor where the student's luggage was stored until it was sent to their rooms. And there, alone in the middle, was her peach tree!! She had rushed over to it, sure that it was hers since nobody else had brought last years final Herbology project back to school. Its tag! Its tag had fallen off so it had been missed! Oh what was she to do, try to drag it to the common room when she had no energy for it? The tree had grown just taller than her now, rather cumbersome to move.

Fortunately, before she had to haul it more than one hallway a funny house elf wearing a pot was coming from the kitchens and volunteered to take it to her room after she explained where it was. It had disappeared with the potted trip with such a SNAP! she would have felt better transporting it herself the slow way.

This little detour would make her the last into the common room, she was sure, as she reached the end of the cellars[1] with the largest casks surrounded by smaller ones. She wasn't the last, Heliotrope standing in front of the casks. Sopping wet in a puddle whirling down a floor drain.

"We got you all nice and dry for the Welcoming Feast!! You've already swam across the lake once tonight, can't you wait until tomorrow before doing it again??"

"Didn't swim," Heliotrope pointed to the casks. "Blasted out."

"You didn't pay attention when the secret knock was explained again?"

"Didn't see, bathroom."

Living with Heliotrope was like living with a child! Err, younger child. Obderedria hoped she hadn't given mum this much trouble when she was younger. "I still don't see how you could have forgotten it, you always pick up on the physical tasks quicker than anybody. Now pay attention." She rapped an arrangement of casks with a steady pattern, two slow knocks then three quick ones, and the largest cask swung open to reveal the entrance.

The two roommates stooped inside, in time to hear Figaro noisily chatter about a band and a older man with a brilliant white beard and a monkey on his shoulder talked to some of the new Hufflepuffs they had seen sorted. Obderedria had to stop and blink, to make sure this was real that there was a man with a white beard and monkey on his shoulder. Memory finally reminded her that this was the new Head of House introduced in the Great Hall. Heliotrope took the initiative and walked over to the man with the monkey, one dripping webbed hand reaching for its tail.

1.	For added fun including Hufflepuff information pre-sourced from Pottermore. Also posted on AO here

Leopold had been warned about the more 'unusual' members of his house.  "Howler doesn't like having his tail pulled," he cautioned the young half-mermaid.  "I'd be quite upset if he happened to bite you."  He was beaming.  So many students! 

"I'm going to leave you all to get settled," he announced.  "That doesn't mean I will not be available to assist you.  I want to get the chance to talk to each of you, so I will be posting a list of appointments.  Please make an effort to see me at the indicated time.  It's nothing serious, just a chat, which will allow you to get to know me and allow me to get to know you.  Now, I'm going to go get out of these formal robes and relax.  We've all got a big day ahead of us tomorrow."

Figaro had mostly shut his mouth when it was clear the Head of House had entered, more or less properly raised to respect authority figures.  He seemed like an old man with a monkey.  He nodded slowly in approval.  He was going to miss Professor Fraiser, but this guy seemed alright, if a bit formal.  But huh? They had to have appointments? Despite the Head's reassurances, they didn't sound fun. 

The commonroom was filling with its weird and wacky cast of characters including their half-mermaid, half-strangebrain Heliotrope who immediately went about to grabbing monkeys. 

And over there were a few of the First Years who just got sorted.  He leaned over to say hi.

"Hey, kids.  Welcome to Hufflepuff."

Alice turned her head to see who was speaking to them. She looked and saw a blonde boy talking to them. Her eyes grew big, and her cheeks flushed red. He looked old; definitely older than her. An upperclassmen talking to me? She was quite nervous when being spoken to someone other than of her age or a teacher.

"Hi." She said quietly. "I'm Alice. Alice Hunter." She avoided eye contact.

Pax had been sitting comfortably in one of the armchairs near the fire, his cat Vesper, for once, curled tamely on his lap as he looked through his D&D player's handbook, feeling pretty much at peace with the world. The arrival of the new Hufflepuffs can gone unnoticed by him, but not the introduction of their new head of house. Pax watched with interest, and smiled a little when Professor Sandusky mentioned liking tea, and his monkey liking almond cookies. He'd need to remember to report those tidbits to Eirene, fond as she was of sending teachers fruit baskets and the like.

As Drea and Heliotrope arrived on the scene and the professor took his leave, Pax noticed Figaro piping down about his taste in music long enough to extend a welcome the new girls. Pax paused long enough to wave hello to his friend Drea, then he tucked his book under one arm, scooped up Vesper with the other, and moved closer to where Annette and Alice were. At a glance, Alice seemed to be quite shy. Pax hoped that he'd be a bit less intimidating to her than someone as senior as Figaro; Pax may have grown a little over the summer but he was still on the small side for a twelve-year-old.

'Hi Alice!' he said brightly. 'And-- Annette, right? I'm Pax. Wintergreen.' He nodded towards the sixth-year who had already offered his greetings. 'Oh, and he's Figaro. He won't bite, honest.' Grinning his usual lopsided grin, he readjusted a restless Vesper in his arms, and asked, 'D'you two know much about Hogwarts already?'

Alice smiled a sheepish smile. "Two of my older siblings went here. As will my little brother. I hope," She laughed shakily. A bit nervous with social interaction. Her face turned bright red, and she took a deep breath. Boys made her nervous. Nope, actually. People made her nervous.

"I've also read a bit about it," She smiled once again, her eyes darting around avoiding eye contact.

Wow, she was quiet.  Figaro was used to his shockingly loud little brother Frank[1] and his obnoxious swarm of wee friends.  Pax came by - he knew Pax better than some of the other younger kids because of Pax's involvement in SAWS.  He was a cool little kid.

But not too cool that Figaro didn't take the opportunity to drape his arm over Pax's shoulders and wrap his forearm around his neck lightly.  He jostled Pax around a little and said, "Pax is a liar.  I've bit plenty of people.  Not First Years - you get in trouble for that.  Plus, you're all too stringy."

Figaro had not let go of Pax by this time, holding him lightly but firmly around the neck. 

1.	Frank is a first year, but I haven't decided what house he'd be in.  Trying to leave that open.