The early autumn chill slipped through the gap when Amy the cat burrowed into the blankets. Adam curled up in his bed, unwilling to wake, his face still tingling with a faint, phantom pain.
"Adam, get up! Our first class this morning is Potions with Professor Snape!"
An excited voice broke through, followed by a gentle pat at the foot of his bed.
Adam fought free of the blanket's grip, his hair a messy nest atop his head. He rubbed Amy, still nestled in the warm covers, and glanced blearily at the brass clock on the wall.
The ticking hands took a moment to register as he squinted. He hadn't misread it.
"It's not even eight yet. I bet the common room's still empty…" he mumbled.
"No way! This is our first day at Hogwarts!"
His roommate, Aiden Carlson, pushed open the door. He was a thin, delicate-looking boy with freckles dotting his face, his freshly combed blond hair catching the light. His pale eyes sparkled with excitement as he looked at Adam and declared loudly.
Adam rubbed his forehead, remembering last night when he first stepped into the dorm and thought he'd wandered into the girls' side by mistake. Aiden, with his faint trace of Asian heritage, had such a deceivingly soft appearance that Cedric, helping with Adam's sacks, had grabbed him and bolted for the door.
"But last night, you spent nearly half an hour just talking about getting your owl letter at the bank entrance, never mind your first trip to Diagon Alley," Adam pointed out.
"Oh, right! I don't think I told you—my dad's a Brit working in Korea. That's where he met my mum…" Aiden's eyes lit up as he clutched his textbooks, rambling at the dorm room door.
"Stop. I need some quiet right now," Adam said, exasperated, rubbing his temples again. He glanced at the round window on the other side of the dorm. Warm sunlight spilled onto the desk where Amy was yawning, paws tucked in, basking in the glow.
Hufflepuff's dorms, part of Hogwarts' underground structure, had round windows level with the castle's ground. They were a bit low, but sunlight poured in year-round. Outside, swaying grass and dandelions danced in the breeze. Cedric had mentioned you could sometimes spot passing shoes through the common room's windows.
Aiden was still muttering, eyeing Adam's sluggish demeanor with concern. "There's less than five years until the O.W.L.s. How can you sleep at this age?"
"Let's see if you're still saying that in two weeks," Adam tossed back, hurrying to wash up before grabbing his books and heading to the common room.
As expected, the common room was deserted. Every Hufflepuff badger kept a solid sleep schedule. Since the kitchens were nearby, some older students even had house-elves deliver breakfast to their dorms.
The two crossed the passage, passed through the entrance hall, and reached the Great Hall, just above the kitchens, taking seats at the Hufflepuff table.
It wasn't even eight, but the hall was already bustling, mostly with Ravenclaws. They sat with books in hand, flipping through pages, lost in a sea of knowledge, many with steaming black coffee in front of them.
Clearly, the badgers weren't the only ones who'd stayed up late. The difference was, Ravenclaws were reviewing old material, while Hufflepuffs were just scrambling to finish homework.
Of course, some Ravenclaws were also rushing assignments, quills scratching furiously. They were the odd ones out, like Cedric, who always finished his work early.
Last night, Cedric had explained that the kitchen below mirrored the Great Hall's layout, with four long tables. House-elves placed food at corresponding spots, but if you slipped a note with a special request on your table, they'd happily oblige.
Adam tore off a piece of parchment, his wand guiding an auto-quill to scribble quickly. Soon, a plate of smoked veal steak appeared, looking just like the one in last night's portrait, alongside fragrant fried chicken legs and a glass of chilled watermelon juice.
Under Aiden's astonished gaze, Adam demolished the meal at an alarming speed. Aiden glanced down at his own half-eaten bread, then back up as Adam pulled out more parchment, scribbling again.
"You can eat that much? If I had your appetite at home, my gran wouldn't lecture me," Aiden said, staring at his barely touched milk with a sigh.
"It's alright. I'm only six-tenths full. A roll and another steak should do it," Adam replied, wiping his hands with a napkin. Ever since that Gryffindor slap, his appetite had only grown.
Tina once worried it was some psychological issue tied to his orphanage days of going hungry. Later, she realized he just loved to eat.
"Are you Adam?" a shy voice asked from behind. Adam paused mid-bite of a chicken leg and turned.
It was a fellow first-year from last night's Sorting. She nervously asked if he had any of those special quills, wanting to buy a few for her sister.
"Of course! Hang on—one quill's four Galleons. If you buy five at once, I can do eighteen Galleons, and if you—" Adam waved his wand, turning the leftover parchment into a fancy gift bag.
The price made the little witch freeze, her expression stunned. She took a half-step back, looking ready to bolt. Adam's towering presence from yesterday, plus the wand casually waving in front of her, made her legs tremble. Her eyes welled up with tears.
Nearby Ravenclaws frowned, whispering about whether this counted as bullying.
"Wait, don't cry! I'm just selling quills, not trying to cause trouble. Since we're both first-years…" Adam said, sensing the stares and quickly pulling her to sit down, speaking gently.
"How many Galleons do you have?"
"I… I only have five," she stammered, head bowed, hands clutching her robe's hem.
Adam's brow furrowed as he noticed the patches she tried to hide on her robe. The stitching was meticulous, clearly done with care to blend into the fabric.
"Is your sister at Hogwarts too?" he asked.
"No, she works at St. Mungo's. But ever since Mum was admitted there, she hasn't written much," the girl said, her voice still shaky, unsure if it was the quills or her sister worrying her.
Aiden piped up from the side, "How about I pay for her? You gave me a quill last night, and I feel kind of bad."
Adam shot him a look before turning back to the girl, his tone oddly neutral. "What's your name?"
"I… I'm Gina Hunter."
"You need to know, not everyone's going to help you out. Softies like Aiden are rare," Adam said. "And I don't do bad deals."
His words dimmed Gina's expression. She fumbled for her few Galleons, but Adam's gaze lingered on her face.
Terror flickered across Gina's features as she whispered, "No… that's not okay…"
…
As Betty sat at the Hufflepuff table eating breakfast, she suddenly noticed Professor McGonagall standing frozen at the Great Hall's entrance.
The scene felt oddly familiar. Before McGonagall could speak, Betty blurted out, surprising even herself, "Sorry, Professor, I'm not sure what's going on, but it seems tied to the quill-selling over there."
McGonagall glanced at her, surprised. "Thank you, Miss Haliya."
She strode through the crowd. The students, who'd been jostling moments before, froze like mice spotting a cat, scurrying back to their seats.
McGonagall adjusted her glasses, peering through the crowd at a figure wearing a blue-and-white scarf, standing on a chair and shouting, "Any quill can be customized with a family crest for just three Sickles!"
When she saw who it was, her usual "Two points from Ravenclaw" got stuck in her throat.
"Adam Morgan!" she called.
At her voice, the students scattered like startled birds, returning to their house tables, casting pitying glances at the small figure on the chair and the two others helping him take orders.
"Good morning, Professor McGonagall! Need a custom quill?" Adam conjured a sleek, dark green gift box, slipping a quill inside and tying it with a ribbon.
McGonagall's lips pursed tightly. Her worst fears had come true—not even twelve hours after last night's talk, Adam was already teaming up with those two redheaded troublemakers. They blinked at her, eagerly holding out the gift box.
"Try it, Professor. It's really good," one of them said.
"You…" McGonagall started.
To everyone's shock, Adam somehow managed to sweet-talk her into buying the quill.
After that, word spread like wildfire through Hogwarts.
Hufflepuff had a new badger who loved wearing a blue-and-white scarf.
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