Amethyst Rosewood and The Joys of Independence by Melissa Nichols (ebooks that read to you .TXT) 📕

When it was her turn, all Gregory had to do was point to the correct barrel and Amy basically let herself inside. The face of the barrel and the ones below and around it swung open on her first try, revealing a hole that a seventh year would barely be able to fit through at a crawl. She sighed, tucked in her skirt and crawled through the opening.

There was no light, plunging the tunnel into infinite darkness. Behind her, the closed opening. Ahead of her, out of sight, was the dimly lit common room. She had only about a foot of space on any side of her, giving her room to crawl even as she grew to her full height, but not enough to turn around. The darkness felt heavy, permanent, and unyielding. It was unnatural and she grew uneasy. She was trapped in this moment, able to see only what she could feel.

Warmth surrounded her. The carpet under her hands, lining the walls was meant to help her feel warm and safe; like a badger's set is meant to be. The carpet was a sharp contrast to the stone that made up the rest of the castle, and she knew that even when she'd be freezing and checking for frostbite, she'd never have to worry when she came home. Warmth permeated every surface, ingrained in everything. It'd be a haven in winter, and shelter in the summer when being underground protected them from the heat. One stable temperature, year-round.

Laughter drifted down the tunnel towards her, enveloping Amy in its soft caress, inviting her forward. She wanted to join the rest of the House, her family, in the common room. Where the gold, black and brown worked together to make her feel safe and at peace, where she could talk to her friends about anything and know that they won't turn her away. She could sit by the fireplace and roast marshmallows and sing old folk songs, or do her homework in the corner and know she could ask for help without judgment.

"Move along, Rosewood." Alexander urged, yanking her out of her thoughts. Behind her, the Hufflepuff Head Boy had shouted into the tunnel to let another first year through. She needed to move.

Amy lifted her hand and began the crawl home.

It started out flat but then sloped uphill gently, then to the right. All around her she could smell dirt after a rain. It should have been overpowering and dusty, but it was comforting. Like a flavored vapor compared to the real thing.

She finally came out in a cozy yet large, round, low-ceilinged room, reminding Amy of an underground den. The room is decorated in yellow and black, reminding Amy of bees - Is this a badger's set or a beehive? - emphasized by highly polished, ebony-coloured wood for the ten tables, forty or so chairs with yellow seat cushions, and the round doors which she could only assume led to the boys' and girls’ dormitories.

A colourful profusion of plants and flowers on the walls seem to relish in the atmosphere of the Hufflepuff common room, keeping the room full of fresh air with windows placed at ground level but unable to open. A portrait over the wooden mantelpiece displayed Helga Hufflepuff - the only adult in a room of children, dressed regally in yellow robes with black trim, black sash and a black hat and a kind smile on her face, toasting her students with a tiny, two-handled golden cup.

Besides the ten tables, there were also four yellow sofas with black embellishments in the shape of a square surrounding the tables. The floor was a simple, soft brown carpet that strongly reminded Amy of dirt and not a harsher brown like chocolate. All in all, it felt so cozy, warm and comforting. She liked it here.

"Well done, Amy!" Gregory congratulated her as he crawled out of the passageway. "You got in on your first try!"

"That was actually pretty easy, thanks for teaching me."

"You're welcome but it was easy because you practiced. Practice and hard work always pays off."

"What do we do now?"

"Now we wait for everyone else, and then we do the House Spell."

"House Spell?"

"Basically, we all stand in a circle and chant a spell. At the end of it, we're connected in a way. Every Hufflepuff will be able to tell what sort of mood you’re in; if your happy, sad, content or in pain. If it's severe, we can even pinpoint where you are, and we'll rush over to help. It's how we got the reputation of being protectors."

"I see. Can you teach me the words?"

"Sure. It’s pretty simple. Cognatio non finis in genus."

"Cog-nashio nawn finish in genius?"

"Close. Nohn, not nawn. Finie, not finish. Jen-oose not genius."

"Cognatio non finis in genus."

"There we go! It's Latin for 'Family doesn't end in blood'. That basically means that we don't have to be blood-related to be family. It's our house motto. Do you understand?"

"Yes. Cognatio non finish in genus."

"Very good. Oh, here comes Alexander now." Amy turned to face the passage and Alexander was indeed making his way towards them. "Circle up." He barked simply and Gregory pulled Amy to the circular wall. "This is the only way we'll all fit comfortably." He explained.

Once all the Hufflepuffs were in place, Alexander found a spot on the wall as well.

"Join hands and recite the motto."

Amy grabbed Gregory and an older Hufflepuff's hands. As one, the house recited the motto in Latin several times, eventually falling into a rhythm so the words melted together more like a poem. They started to sway, and Amy let herself relax. The moment she did, she began to feel warmth sing in her blood. Starting at her right hand - the one that held Gregory's - through her bloodstream to her legs and up, to her left hand, to her head, then heart, and around again. She surrendered herself to the magic and was rewarded with a gentle pulsing in her head.

After another few moments, the House quieted but the effects of the spell remained.

"We are now bound together as a House." Alexander spoke up, not quite as sharp and commandingly as before. "First years, what your feeling is unity. What you feel, we all feel. For the rest of the year, we will be able to sense if you're in trouble, or if you're happy, or sad, or anything else. Understand?"

"Yes." The house answered as one.

"Then it's time for bed. Face the dorms. Girls on the right, boys on the left. Goodnight."

The house moved as one. A giant throng of bodies suddenly converging on the two doorways. Amy hung back and another first year, Crystal, found her.

"How about that? Wasn't that great?!"

"So great!" Amy agreed. "But I honestly can't wait for bed."

"Yeah, me too. I wonder how the dormitories are organized."

"Every year gets their own room." An older girl approached them, having also decided to wait out the crowd of sleepy badgers. "There's a hallway beyond the door. First years get the first room on the left, while second years get the first room on the right. The second door on the left is for third years, and fourth years get the second on the right. Each door is also black wood with a bright yellow number on it, denoting the year of its occupants. And so on. I'm told it's mirrored on the boys' side of the dirt. Your beds have already been chosen, and all of your luggage is at the foot of your bed. Oh, and the doors are warded. No boys on the girls' side and no girls on the boys' side."

"Well, that is very clever."

"Yes, it is. Sorry to cut and run but I'm going to bed. Welcome to Hufflepuff and good night."

"Goodnight!" Amy and Crystal echoed each other as the older girl moved off. Amy saw that the crowd had indeed died down. Only about twenty girls remained in the common room.

"Shall we?" Amy turned to Crystal.

"Let's."

Together, they moved for their door. They stayed at the back and patiently waited their turn to pass through. As soon as they did, Amy spotted their door and turned the doorknob. She moved inside quickly. Amy closed the door securely and turned to face the dormitory.

The room was circular with fourteen yellow four-poster beds lined against the wall with the head of the bed stuck into an alcove dug into the wall. The curtains on the beds were black, double-lined to keep out the light, and tied in place at the head by a thick, yellow band of fabric. At the top of the bed, where there was a decorative piece of black wood, names were carved and painted yellow. Bold and clear, you could read each name from a reasonable distance. Each bed held the student's trunk and a small hamper at its foot. A small but organized desk with lots of drawers and shelves and plenty of flat surface area sat to the side of the bed, candles were placed strategically, tall and ready for a new year. On each chair was an older House-specific robe, a matching tie and black socks. In the center of the room, a stove and its fire cast light and heat around the bedroom.

The stove was in the center of the room, dug into the floor and surrounded by metal bars, both as a barrier to the stove as well as a hanging place for wet towels. The floor on which the stove sat was the same dark brown carpet as the tunnel, giving an overall impression of a comfy underground den. She also noticed there were slivers of windows spaced around the room that mirrored the ones in the common room. Lanterns placed around the room were also lit, giving their glow to illuminate the space.

A kitten's mewl drew Amy's attention, immediately recognizing it as Arcane's. She found her bed - her full name of Amethyst was written at the top - and her kitten begged to be let out of her cage. Amy quickly undid the latch and held out her arm to her kitten.

"How are you, Arcane?" She asked of the black and white fluffball who had clambered onto her shoulder. "I bet you're hungry, huh?" She dug around in her things and finally came up with her pajamas and underwear, which she set aside. The bowls and litterbox were still missing, even though she was positive she had put them in the bag she had already searched.

"Hmm. That's weird." As she talked, for the sake of being thorough, she went to the side of the bed and ducked down. From the shadows, she could discern two bowls and a pan. Arcane mewled happily at the sight and went straight for the litterbox. Amy chuckled, deciding she'd had enough excitement for one day.

She got changed for bed and dropped the dirty clothes into her hamper. She finally tested the mattress, and found it gave way under her hand but remained supportive, not like the old spring mattress she had in Staithes - which had been so worn she was corralled into a dent in the center. She cautiously climbed onto the bed, slid under the covers and untied each of the curtains. Once she was sure that Arcane was next to her, she turned off her lantern and let the last curtain fall back into place. Cradled by the flexible support of the mattress, sleep claimed her in a matter of minutes.