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**Wilber Winterbottom** · #1 (**permalink**) 12-27-2022, 12:45 AM

For those who belong in Hufflepuff House, in the middle of the Great Hall is where your table awaits. Gold banners containing an embroidered black badger float above the polished table in honour of the loyal Helga Hufflepuff. Already placed on the tables are silver plates with accompanying cutlery and goblets. All that is missing right now are the mountains of food and pitchers containing your favourite beverages.

Though your stomach might be growling as you take a seat on one of the long benches next to the table, it is important to not get hangry -- gnawing your arm away or jabbing your fork repeatedly on the surface of the table will do no good whatsoever. Give everyone some time to get settled in and wait for Headmaster Winterbottom to deliver his speech. Keep yourself preoccupied by catching up with your fellow housemates or those who are visiting from the other tables until it is time to sink your teeth into the hearty and delicious meal prepared by the house-elves.

*Nordic Witch* · 09-10-2025, 06:38 PM

OWL yeaaaaaaaaar...

Ariadne was a fifth year now. A senior student, supposed to help guide the young badgers of her house. Right now though she was trying to not show exactly how hungry she was, but it was probably useless since her stomach growled very LOUDLy where the dark haired badgerette sat at the middle of the hufflepuff house table, and it wasn't going to go unnoticed.

Could Headmaster Winterbottom get on with his speech so she could get some food to eat and then be social?

WhittyBitty · 09-10-2025, 07:54 PM

It had definitely been a fun and eventful summer, but Aurora was happy to be back at Hogwarts. Though it was her OWL year, she was quite confident that she would do well enough on her exams. Even Ancient Runes, since Iris had started helping her with the subject. Something that she really appreciated.

Heading towards the Hufflepuff table, she heard Ariadne‘s stomach grumbling loudly. Aurora decided to ignore it. She herself had eaten not too long ago while on the train, so she wasn’t too hungry. Though she still was ready for dinner. She took her seat and sent Ariadne a smile. ”Hey!” Aurora waited for the others to join them. Including Idris, who she knew would want to sit with Paul.

sweetpinkpixie · 09-11-2025, 05:37 AM

Nyle slipped into the Hufflepuff section of the Great Hall like someone trying to make themself part of the shadows rather than a student returning for another year. The sight of the floating candles and glittering plates should’ve felt comforting and exciting, but all he could think about was how many people might be staring. How many people should be blaming. How many people were remembering. Remembering how the plants in their own common room had turned against them. Remembering Marion Burbage forced into retirement as their Head of House because of something he had brought inside. He tugged his hood a little lower, completely hiding his blonde locks and hiding his face, like fabric could make him disappear and tried to make himself as small as possible on the bench. Maybe if he hunched enough... his robes would take pity and become an Invisibility Cloak. His stomach twisted so tightly he half-expected to throw up the lunch he hadn’t even been able to eat - a proper waste since mum had made him his favorite for the journey to Hogsmeade.

The summer should have been a reprieve. Helping Aurora with her greenhouse had been the kind of work that usually lit him up inside. But every leaf he touched felt like a reminder: he didn't deserve this trust. She shouldn’t trust him. Nobody should.

On the train, he'd made himself small in a seat near Iris since she was absorbed enough in a book (or trading chatter with that Slytherin boy) that she didn't demand anything of him. It was exactly what he needed - no questions and no space for him to trip over explanations. But now in the echo of the Great Hall’s chatter, Nyle sat stiff with hands pulling on the front of his hood so it touched the table, willing the floor to just open up beneath him.

Real courage isn’t about never failing. It’s about showing up, even when you’d rather hide.

Sorry, dad, but how could he show up when he wanted to crawl out of his own skin? How could he accept such encouragement when every bone in his body whispered that the others were right not to trust him anymore?

Nyle’s breath snagged in his chest like roots searching blindly through dry soil. His heart thudded with the frantic pulse of hummingbird wings and the edges of the hall blurred as though overgrown with choking vines. Vines that tangled in his head like they had in overtaking the common room. He pressed his palms together against his eyes until he could see flashes of muddy color in a fervent hope of grounding himself, but it only felt like clutching handfuls of nettles. Aurora's voice cut through the darkness, sharp as sunlight breaking through a canopy, and though it should have been comforting...it pierced too deep. He stood, suddenly, nearly knocking his knees against the underside of the table, to make his early escape. If anyone asked, he was just going to use the bathroom.

WhittyBitty · 09-11-2025, 08:15 AM

Even though Nyle was trying his hardest to not be seen, Aurora noticed him. And seeing him like this filled her with worry. She knew that he blamed everything that had happened on himself even though it wasn’t his fault. Neither of them had known that his plants would have caused so much destruction. As far as they knew, they were harmless. The person at fault was the one who had given the plants to him.

And because he didn’t want to talk about it, Aurora showed her support for him as best as she could in other ways.

Being back at school was clearly too much for him right now.

Aurora watched as he suddenly got up and made his escape from the Great Hall. She wasted no time getting up from her seat and following after him. Not to talk, but to just be there for him. To show that he wasn’t alone even if he felt like he was. She would always be there.

ArianaBlack · 09-12-2025, 07:39 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Nordic Witch

OWL yeaaaaaaaaar...

Ariadne was a fifth year now. A senior student, supposed to help guide the young badgers of her house. Right now though she was trying to not show exactly how hungry she was, but it was probably useless since her stomach growled very LOUDLy where the dark haired badgerette sat at the middle of the hufflepuff house table, and it wasn't going to go unnoticed.

Could Headmaster Winterbottom get on with his speech so she could get some food to eat and then be social?

Alfie tugged on his jumper as if hoping it'd swallow him whole (spoiler alert: it did not). It was truly a wonder how his jumpers stayed in tact with the amount of tugging and pulling he did. Unfortunately, as efforts to disappear did not work, Alfie instead found a place to sit at his house table.

"Hi Ariadne," he offered her a small (but warm!!) smile. "How was your summer?" In asking, he kept himself very focused on her, avoiding looking over at the Gryffindor table where Brooks was surely chatting up Billie. Not that he had anything against Billie! But ... Yeah. It was a really weird summer and he wished he could be sat at Ravenclaw with Ember or Slytherin with Aria or ... anywhere but here by himself.

NOT that he was by himself. He was talking to Ariadne!!! Yes. And that's where all of his attentions were... NOT on other things. Like music festivals. Or boat houses. Or ... unplanted friendship trees.

Could they go to their dormitories now?

*Nordic Witch* · 09-13-2025, 06:22 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by WhittyBitty

Heading towards the Hufflepuff table, she heard Ariadne‘s stomach grumbling loudly. Aurora decided to ignore it. She herself had eaten not too long ago while on the train, so she wasn’t too hungry. Though she still was ready for dinner. She took her seat and sent Ariadne a smile. ”Hey!” Aurora waited for the others to join them. Including Idris, who she knew would want to sit with Paul.

Ariadne was stretching her neck high to see above the heads over to the snake table to see if she could pinpoint where Tiff was sitting. Her sister was still being awfully secretive, and weird. Was it because of a boy in her house Ariadne wondered. Luckily Aurora arrived to distract her thoughts from wandering. Smiling up broadly at her friend she beamed "Hey Aurora! Did you have a good last few weeks of summer?" Since they had seen each other in Diagon a month ago. "I miss the fencing lessons, and winged horses races think we can ask Headmaster Winterbottom if he can borrow some horses, and fencing equipment from Beauxbatons?"

Quote:

Originally Posted by sweetpinkpixie

He stood, suddenly, nearly knocking his knees against the underside of the table, to make his early escape. If anyone asked, he was just going to use the bathroom.

It was Nyle that sat under the hood right? Ariadne wasn't exactly 100% sure, but she at least thought she had seen a glimpse of his face when Aurora had said 'Hey' to everyone seated at the table. "Hi Nyle," Ariadne greeted in a low, and kind voice. She somehow got the instinct feeling that he wasn't exactly chipper. Moments later Ariadne watched with an open mouth as Nyle bolted for the Great Hall door, and she didn't even have time to get up the nerve to ask 'Are you all right?'. Should somebody run after him? Ariadne wasn't a prefect so she should hail one of them, but she couldn't remember who that was, right now.

Quote:

Originally Posted by ArianaBlack

Alfie tugged on his jumper as if hoping it'd swallow him whole (spoiler alert: it did not). It was truly a wonder how his jumpers stayed in tact with the amount of tugging and pulling he did. Unfortunately, as efforts to disappear did not work, Alfie instead found a place to sit at his house table.

"Hi Ariadne," he offered her a small (but warm!!) smile. "How was your summer?" In asking, he kept himself very focused on her, avoiding looking over at the Gryffindor table where Brooks was surely chatting up Billie. Not that he had anything against Billie! But ... Yeah. It was a really weird summer and he wished he could be sat at Ravenclaw with Ember or Slytherin with Aria or ... anywhere but here by himself.

NOT that he was by himself. He was talking to Ariadne!!! Yes. And that's where all of his attentions were... NOT on other things. Like music festivals. Or boat houses. Or ... unplanted friendship trees.

Could they go to their dormitories now?

Turnering her head, and attention to Alfie as the only one year older and very cute boy sat down at the badger table right in front of her. "Hi Alfie," Ariadne beamed warmly. "Is your jumper itchy?" Because why else tug, and pull at it constantly? "My summer was good. I got to go to gobstones summer camp. It was fun, especially when we won almost all our matches. You play gobstones too right?" Or had Ariadne mixed that up with someone else in the big badger house? "We also got to visit Greece. Tiffany still nags me for learning some greek words quicker than her.... But enough about me...How was your summer Alfie?"

sweetpinkpixie · 09-14-2025, 01:44 AM

The echo of footsteps behind him sent Nyle's mind skittering faster than his feet could manage. He hadn't even stuck around, mentally, long enough to hear anyone greet him. Oh Merlin. What if the vines hadn't been totally destroyed and managed to weave their way through the cracks in stone and chasing him down for revenge? What if there was some rogue potted plant thumping after him down the corridor? Or worse...what if three potted plants, stacked on top of each other in a trench coat, were stomping along like some absurd leafy monster? His imagination was both too quick and far too ridiculous, but worst of all betraying his passions.

His shoe caught against the flagstones in his scramble and he lurched forward, barely saving himself by smacking shoulder-first into the wall just adjacent to his portal out of here. He winced, clutching shoulder, and dared a glance back—

—and his stomach dropped.

It wasn’t a murderous vine or hopping monstera. It was Aurora. Aurora, who had been laughing at the feast, surrounded by people who actually deserved her company. And now here she was chasing after him. The guilt sank its teeth in sharp and fast. She shouldn’t have to waste her evening trailing after a coward who couldn’t even sit through supper without bolting. Nyle tried for a smile, but it trembled into something smaller and apologetic. "Uuuuuuuh...someone's got to make sure the benches outside are still upright. Very important job."

PhoenixRising · 09-14-2025, 03:16 AM

This was it. Seventh year. Emma still wasn't quite sure how she'd gotten here, as it seemed only yesterday that she was a small, doe-eyed eleven year old waiting to be sorted. Innocence not yet broken by reality. She was grateful that Justus had decided to not quit on her in their last year.

Sometimes though, she really wished she could go back to the simplicity of it all. The naivety. Before she knew things. That people weren't as nice as she always tried to be.

It was in her lost thoughts that she nearly bumped into a Nyle trying to escape? Going for fresh air? Who knew? But Aurora was right behind him. And that showing right there was everything and nothing. It was the purest representation of what it meant to be Hufflepuff, without warning her heart felt so full, tears welling up in the corners of her eyes. It wasn't even June 2118 and here she was already feeling all the emotions. She was going to be a wreck come June.

ArianaBlack · 09-14-2025, 05:06 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Nordic Witch

Turnering her head, and attention to Alfie as the only one year older and very cute boy sat down at the badger table right in front of her. "Hi Alfie," Ariadne beamed warmly. "Is your jumper itchy?" Because why else tug, and pull at it constantly? "My summer was good. I got to go to gobstones summer camp. It was fun, especially when we won almost all our matches. You play gobstones too right?" Or had Ariadne mixed that up with someone else in the big badger house? "We also got to visit Greece. Tiffany still nags me for learning some greek words quicker than her.... But enough about me...How was your summer Alfie?"

Was his jumper itchy? "Uh ... No, sorry?" He didn't know why he was apologizing, but it?? Felt like??? The right thing?? To do?? Maybe???? He wasn't sure where the question came from, but the concern was appreciated? Uh. Yeah. Anyway. Her summer. "That sounds lovely," and it really did.

"I-I don't play gobstones, no. But my dad did a bit, I think. Back in his day," he laughed awkwardly. Back in his day? Alfie, you sound like an old man!! What's wrong with you!? "I mean- You must be really good if you won almost all the matches?" It was..... an attempt at a save, if nothing else. And as far as his summer went... "My summer was alright, yeah. I went to the book signing for the newest Vesperwood novel a few weeks ago. Have you read any?" He hadn't yet found any other Vespies outside of Aria, but he did try to keep an ear to the ground for them. In case anyone else wanted to join their bookclub of 2.

WhittyBitty · 09-15-2025, 06:48 AM

Aurora was relieved that it didn’t take her too long to catch up to Nyle. Now she wouldn’t have to search for him while he was all by himself. Though the way that he clutched his arm made her wonder if he had done something to himself. He didn’t seem hurt, which was a relief. He was already dealing with so much as it was.

And there was Emma. Aurora sent her a small smile, but she was too focused on what was happening to Nyle to give the other girl much thought.

Nodding at what he said her her, she made her way over to him. ”Let’s get started on that then.” She was more than ready to do what he needed.

SilverTiger · 09-15-2025, 11:36 PM

Knowing she’d made it all the way to seventh year was both a surprising fact and quite the opposite to Arienne. She’d been confident enough about exams two terms before, and knowing what she wanted to do after graduation did also help the smallest bit. It was everything else that had gone on over the past six terms that made it even the tiniest bit surprising. The Halloween parties and such. Extracurriculars, so to speak, yet she also felt oddly behind when it came to getting her first kiss too. It just felt like something people didn’t think of when they thought of her.

The blonde had let her eyes scan the hall for her younger cousins before she’d properly arrived at the Hufflepuff table, minus Taliesin as she figured she’d see him soon enough. Fellow badger and all.

Speaking of, she had seen Nyle’s escape from their house table, followed by Aurora, only to smack into the wall near the door and she had winced a little. Contemplating changing direction to check on them, but it seemed things were okay. Sort of. No injuries to speak of anyway, and besides, Aurora was there. Hopefully the younger girl could help with whatever was wrong.

But back to the table, as she slipped an arm through Emma’s as her dormmate made her own way to wherever they’d sit. “Everything good with you?”, she asked, concerned by the tears threatening to fall from her friend’s eyes. Between Nyle and then Alfie’s awkwardness on the bench with Ariadne, she was starting to think the Puffs were falling apart.

*Nordic Witch* · 09-16-2025, 02:51 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by ArianaBlack

Was his jumper itchy? "Uh ... No, sorry?" He didn't know why he was apologizing, but it?? Felt like??? The right thing?? To do?? Maybe???? He wasn't sure where the question came from, but the concern was appreciated? Uh. Yeah. Anyway. Her summer. "That sounds lovely," and it really did.

"I-I don't play gobstones, no. But my dad did a bit, I think. Back in his day," he laughed awkwardly. Back in his day? Alfie, you sound like an old man!! What's wrong with you!? "I mean- You must be really good if you won almost all the matches?" It was..... an attempt at a save, if nothing else. And as far as his summer went... "My summer was alright, yeah. I went to the book signing for the newest Vesperwood novel a few weeks ago. Have you read any?" He hadn't yet found any other Vespies outside of Aria, but he did try to keep an ear to the ground for them. In case anyone else wanted to join their bookclub of 2.

Why was Alfie apologizing to her? Confuzzling, she had just asked him about his jumper out of friendly concern, so lets just change the subject, right erm. Ariadne just smiled, and blushed a little. " Thanks, I'm not an expert gobstones player yet, but its fun. Maybe you can come watch one of our house matches sometime?" Then Alfie could see her play. "What sports do you like Alfie? Quidditch?" Did wizard chess count as a sport or even collecting wizard cards?

"Vesperwood novels? No, I don't think I've read any of those books yet. What are those novel's about? Think I can borrow one in the school library?" Ariadne never said no to reading a new book if what Alfie told her about it sounded interesting and worth a read. With Aurora going after Nyle it seemed like she had that situation handled. Turning to the senior girl's that had just sat down at the table Ariadne beamed in greetings "Hi Emma, Hi Arienne! Did you two have good summers?" It was best not ask about last year feelings she got the impression since Emma looked close to tears and Arienne didn't seem super chipper either.

Granger Danger · 09-17-2025, 09:51 PM

Yami wasn't the one for celebrations, he seen enough of those in the street of Egypt when he lived there, he seen enough to last a lifetime. Besides, all he wanted to do was eat and go to sleep, was that so much to ask? The third year was exhausted and just wanted to relax and have so peaceful and quiet, and the Great Hall full of chattering wasn't helping at all. He didn't know being a big brother to a new born baby would be so hard, but his summer was filled with waking up and helping his parents or doing it himself when they were too exhausted. He was glad to be back, although he was going to miss HiKari he grew attached to her over the summer.

His amethyst eyes looking around, he spotted his friend Joey and Seth at the lions table and waved at them but didn't see Gabby. Oh well... she's probably still in the crowd somewhere trying to get in. He kept wondering how Hogwarts took so many students, but then again it was a magical place. Biting his lip and laying his head down he closed his eyes trying to get rid of the headache he had.

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