Following the style of the Common Room, the Hufflepuff dormitories were equally spacious and warm.
The nearly hundred-square-metre room held four beds, separated by desks and wardrobes, ensuring each student had ample personal space.
Due to an odd number of students, Wayne's dormitory only had three boys.
Their trunks had already been delivered to their beds by the House-elves. Naturally, they unpacked, freshened up, and settled in for a late-night chat.
First came the introductions.
"I'm Norman Sherlock," said the blond boy whose bed was closest to the door, introducing himself enthusiastically.
"My family are all Muggles—my dad's a schoolteacher, and my mum's an estate agent. When the acceptance letter arrived, we thought it was a prank at first. The next day, Professor Flitwick showed up. At first, my mum thought he was a disabled beggar and gave him five pounds," Norman began, his eyes gleaming as he recounted the story.
"But then, Professor Flitwick cast a spell and conjured a bison out of thin air, then made it float around our house. That's when they finally believed him."
Once he mastered that trick, his family would never run short of beef again.
"I'm not that different," interjected the dark-haired boy sleeping between Wayne and Norman—his name was Toby Brown.
"My family's half-and-half. My mum's a witch."
Norman frowned in confusion. "Wait, doesn't that make you a half-blood? How's that the same as me?"
"To keep it hidden, Mum never used magic in front of us," Toby explained.
"When the letter arrived by owl, Dad thought it was a scam, but Mum insisted it was real.
"But when Dad asked her to prove it, she hadn't used magic in so long she couldn't even remember where she'd left her wand.
"In the end, it was Professor McGonagall who convinced him."
"Cough! Cough!"
Norman burst into laughter, and Wayne, who had been drinking water, choked. What a bizarre story.
"What about you, Wayne? Half-blood or Muggle-born?" Toby asked. Wayne didn't need introductions—his dramatic Sorting and the ten-minute-long hat debate had made sure every young witch and wizard remembered his name.
"I'm from a Muggle family. My reaction to the letter wasn't much different from yours—nothing special."
Wayne gave a brief answer, skipping any details about his home life.
It was getting late, so the three agreed to meet Cedric in the Common Room the next morning for a tour before heading to bed.
His roommates seemed easy to get along with—except for one flaw: Toby snored.
But that wasn't a problem for Wayne.
Silencio.
Without even reaching for his wand, Wayne casually waved his hand, silencing Toby for the next few hours.
[Ambushing a roommate, +5 points]
'…Alright then. If the system called it an ambush, so be it. Points were points.'
...
September 2nd, the first official day of term.
Wayne woke naturally at seven, gave each of his roommates a firm shake to rouse them, and after washing up, headed to the Common Room.
They didn't have to wait long—Cedric soon appeared, rubbing sleep from his eyes. At this hour, the Common Room held only the four of them. When it came to laziness, Hufflepuff took the crown.
Most students wouldn't leave their dorms until the last minute, and those who did went straight to the Great Hall for breakfast.
"Let's grab some food first, get our timetables, then I'll show you around," Cedric said.
Emerging from the passageway, they quickly reached the Great Hall.
Living in the dungeons had its perks—close to the kitchens, with most classrooms on the lower floors, saving them time compared to Gryffindor and Ravenclaw.
It wasn't even eight yet, so the hall was nearly empty. At the Gryffindor table, Hermione was the only first-year present.
Spotting Wayne, she waved. He walked over.
"I'm heading out with Cedric to get familiar with the castle. Want to come along?"
"Sure," Hermione agreed readily. She had read Hogwarts: A History and was well aware of how troublesome the school's staircases could be. The reason she got up so early was to have time to familiarise herself with them.
After exchanging a few words, Wayne returned to the Hufflepuff table for breakfast. Compared to yesterday's lavish spread, today's meal was considerably simpler—roast potatoes, bread, sausages, bacon, eggs, beans, with drinks including milk, several types of juice, and hot chocolate.
Wayne helped himself to two slices of bread, spread them with mayonnaise, and sandwiched a few slices of bacon and egg between them, making a simple sandwich.
Shortly after sitting down, a parchment timetable appeared before him.
First-year wizards had eight subjects this year: Potions, Charms, Defence Against the Dark Arts, Transfiguration, History of Magic, Herbology, Astronomy, and Flying Class. Among these, the Astronomy and Flying classes were held only once a week, with Astronomy taking place in the evening. The remaining six subjects had two to three lessons per week, each lasting fifty minutes.
Wayne's Wednesdays and Thursdays were free in the afternoon, and with weekends included, his schedule was practically split evenly between classes and breaks—quite relaxed.
Before long, the twins arrived in the Great Hall.
After scanning the room and spotting Wayne, they immediately stormed over with an air of righteous indignation.
"Wayne, you've got some nerve showing your face!"
Glancing at the passage behind the staff table, Wayne's expression shifted slightly as he asked in confusion,
"Why wouldn't I dare? It was you and Cedric who tricked me."
Fred sneered. "We only told you. Who asked you to go blabbing to the other first-years?"
"I didn't know you were lying!"
"Cut the act, Wayne," George pulled a face. "I could tell at a glance you're no innocent.
"Fred and I have always been the ones pulling pranks—never been outsmarted like this before."
Wayne put on a frightened expression. "What are you going to do? Aren't you afraid I'll report you to Professor McGonagall?"
Fred scoffed. "What good would that do? Even if you went crying to Headmaster Dumbledore, can you prove anything?"
"Mr Lawrence might not be able to, but I can!"
An icy female voice cut in from behind them, freezing the grins on Fred and George's faces, only for one to appear on Wayne's.