I glanced around at my fellow fourth-year students. Fawn and Courtney walked beside me, their faces alight with the familiar energy of Hogwarts. I noticed a subtle shift in height—as a recent arrival to the fourth year, I wasn’t yet accustomed to looking *down* at others. We entered the Great Hall, settling at the Hufflepuff table.
“Courtney,” I said, turning to her. “I thought you were hungry?”
She shook her head, her red hair falling forward, obscuring her bright blue eyes. She was hunched over a parchment, scribbling furiously. “No, not really. This essay is due tomorrow, and I’ve barely started it.”
“Oh, okay. Do you want my help? I finished mine already.”
“Nope, it’s fine,” she muttered. “Draught of Living Death turns green when the Valerian Sprigs are added too early, right?”
“That’s correct,” I confirmed, standing up. “I’m going to finish my Transfiguration homework. Professor McGonagall wants me to perfect the animal size-changing spell.”
“Okay, we’ll talk later.”
~~~
The Hufflepuff common room was always a sanctuary of quiet calm. The yellow walls seemed to radiate warmth and happiness, lifting even the heaviest moods.
The entrance was situated right next to the kitchens below the Great Hall, so a constant, mouthwatering scent drifted through the room. Many of the older students, and especially the prefects, were close friends with the house-elves working there. We always cleaned up after ourselves, mindful of easing their workload. The six Hufflepuff prefects routinely took on extra cleaning duties, sometimes staying late to help.
I looked up at the ceiling, a habit I’d developed since my first year as a Hufflepuff. Plants hung in pots, supported by beams and a touch of magic. The prefects maintained them meticulously, and they did a remarkable job. A pot of rosemary hung above the table, its leaves illuminated by small, glowing lights. Bushels of mint clustered in corners, and a rose bush climbed the wall near the entrance. Lillies, daisies, and petunias bloomed around the fireplace, and exotic flowers blossomed in pots suspended from the ceiling.
I glanced back at the arched entrance. It was wide and inviting, resembling the grand doors of a castle, though smaller in scale. From the outside, it blended seamlessly with the surrounding wall.
I looked down at the small porcupine nestled beneath my wand. “Heya, little guy,” I murmured, scratching its belly with my nails. The animal purred contentedly, nuzzling against my hand.
I didn’t want to harm it—even the thought of causing pain was unbearable. That was why I couldn’t get the spell right.
“Okay, buddy. This will only sting a little.”
I pointed my wand at the porcupine and whispered, “ *Fera Verto Duo*.”
The porcupine grew, swelling to half the size of my wand. My eyes widened in surprise. I’d finally done it correctly. I quickly returned it to its original size.
“Good job, little buddy.”
~~~
“What do you want, L/n?”
“Uh, I—I didn’t mean to—”
“Buzz off, Malfoy! Y/n didn’t do anything to you,” Fawn snapped, stepping protectively in front of me. Courtney stepped back, rarely engaging in confrontations. Fawn, however, would always defend her friends.
“She ran into me!”
“She didn’t mean to!”
“And why should I care? She still ran into me. I’m allowed to be upset!”
“Oh, stop whining. You’re just a pathetic excuse who can’t defend himself. You’re so weak that you get angry when someone bumps into you!” Fawn added, her voice laced with disdain.
Malfoy gripped his wand, aiming it at Fawn. “My father will hear about this.”
“Oh, yes. He’ll hear about how you’re such a whiny, pathetic mess that you got mad at someone for bumping into you—an innocent student, might I remind you.”
Malfoy rolled his eyes and climbed into a nearby tree.
I saw a group of three walking towards us. Potter stopped when he saw Malfoy in the tree.
“You know, Potter,” Malfoy sneered from his perch, “my father and I have a bet. He says you won’t last ten minutes in the tournament. I say you won’t last five.”
“Listen, Malfoy,” Harry said, marching towards him as he jumped from the tree. “I don’t give a damn about some bloody bet between you and your father. He’s a vile man. You’re just pathetic.”
Malfoy stood before him, looking down with a smug expression.
“Oh, really?” He drew his wand.
Then, in a flash of magic, he transformed into a white ferret.
I stepped back, covering my mouth with my hand. I was stunned, then a giggle escaped me.
Ferret-Malfoy scurried around, then was lifted into the air and shoved down Goyle’s trousers. Goyle had been in the wrong place at the wrong time.
Goyle started to scream, and Crabbe reached his hand down his pants, trying to get him out.
“He bit my finger!” Crabbe yelled, retracting his hand quickly.
“Get him out!” Goyle shrieked.
Ferret-Malfoy ran out of Goyle’s pant leg and started going in circles. He suddenly started bouncing up and down in midair.
“Alastor?” Professor McGonagall said, walking up behind us. “What are you doing? Is… is that a student?”
“Technically, it’s a ferret,” Professor Moody said, emerging from behind the tree.
Professor McGonagall turned Malfoy back to normal. “Alastor, you of all people should know that transfiguring a student is strictly forbidden! This will not happen again.”
Malfoy lay on the ground for a few seconds before getting up quickly, his smirk replaced by a flicker of fear.
“My father will hear about this!” he said, stepping back.
“Is that a threat?”
Silence.