Hufflepuff's Enigmatic Dream: Conversations with a Legendary Witch

The common room of Hufflepuff doesn't have anything special about it, except for its large space. Jon heard from older students that the Hufflepuff common room is twice as big as the common rooms of other houses, but he couldn't understand what there was to be proud of about it.

The common room of Hufflepuff is located on the basement level, close to the kitchen, and the entrance to the Slytherin common room is nearby. It is said that badgers are natural enemies of snakes, but now it doesn't seem so true.

"Don't be afraid of Slytherin; badgers will never be afraid of snakes!"

As Jon passed by the Slytherin team, he heard the prefect of Hufflepuff say, and he could only respond with a smile. It's true that they're not afraid, but it's usually the Gryffindors who have more fights with snakes. Hufflepuff doesn't have much presence in the original story.

The entrance to the common room is a still life painting above the corridor. To enter the common room, you need to tap the correct barrel in the rhythm of "Helga Hufflepuff."

Once inside, it's a circular room with a low ceiling that exudes a faint earthy fragrance. The room is adorned with yellow curtains and filled with many cushioned sofas and chairs.

The passage from the common room to the dormitories consists of barrel-shaped ornaments, fourteen in total, arranged on both sides of the fireplace. They lead to the boys' and girls' dormitories. Above the fireplace hangs a portrait of a smiling middle-aged witch, underneath which is a silver plaque engraved with three lines of decorative text.

"Helga Hufflepuff"

"One of the greatest witches in British magical history"

"I will teach many and treat them all impartially."

Jon stood in front of the portrait, looking at this legendary witch. Her eyes were green, just like Jon's, which made him feel a strange sense of familiarity.

It's as if it should have always been this way.

Very strange.

"Jon, aren't you going to rest? Tomorrow is the weekend, and I think you should get a good night's sleep."

Cedric's voice came from behind, giving Jon a headache.

Cedric is a good person in every way, except for this inexplicable love for caring about others. It's really annoying.

But Jon couldn't say Cedric was wrong. There's an ancient Chinese saying: "Do not hit a smiling face." It's even more important to follow aristocratic etiquette in England.

"Thank you, I think I'll go find my dormitory now."

Jon nodded slightly towards the portrait, then turned and exchanged a few words with Cedric before entering the barrel on the left side of the painting.

Inside the common room, the portrait of Helga Hufflepuff continued to smile as always, just as gentle as the Hufflepuff house itself.

In Hufflepuff's student dormitories, four people share one room, but each person has their own separate space divided by thick bed curtains and drapes. It's arranged like a small tent inside the space, and the beds are somewhat similar to bunk beds from Jon's previous life, except these beds are lower, and the desk is not underneath but on the side. Below the beds are a row of storage cabinets, perfect for keeping things.

It seems that a simple enchantment has been placed on the curtains at the entrance to greatly enhance the privacy of this space, which Jon is very satisfied with.

His small trunk has already been placed next to the table under the bed. Jon opens the trunk and arranges his textbooks, clothes, and cauldron inside the storage cabinets. The small space appears particularly tranquil under the flickering candlelight.

After organizing these things and placing the quill and fountain pen in their respective places, Jon took off his clothes and climbed into bed.

Tomorrow is the weekend, and he can finally get a good night's sleep.

...

...

Jon stretched lazily, and the sunlight in front of him was slightly dazzling, making him feel a bit uncomfortable. The next moment, he quickly realized and hurriedly looked down.

He was lying on a recliner, fully dressed in a fitted robe, holding a book titled "Introduction to Basic Spells," seemingly falling asleep while reading. Everything seemed normal, except Jon felt extremely surprised. Was he... time-traveling again?

He stood up from the recliner with a serious expression, attempting to withdraw his wand from the ring on his finger. But to his dismay, there was nothing on his index finger. He then lifted his hand and realized that although the hands were young and smooth, they were not his own.

After contemplating for a while, he finally noticed an old lady sitting on the opposite sofa. Her face seemed somewhat familiar. She held a teacup and her gaze toward Jon was filled with curiosity. "I knew it, you were able to enter," she said.

Jon was taken aback for a moment, then quickly responded, trying to probe, "You are...?"

"Who am I?" the old lady calmly retorted, "If you're referring to the one hanging in the Hufflepuff common room, then you're right, it's me."

Jon's mind seemed to snap, and he awkwardly smiled, feeling that such a smile was impolite. "So, you called me here..."

"Oh, nothing much. It's been a long time since I've seen a descendant of my bloodline. I thought it was about time to have a look at you. The children of Hufflepuff always like to go to Ravenclaw and Gryffindor. Those naive little fellows even sold off the old family estate... You're the first to appear in Hufflepuff in nearly a century." The old witch, Helga Hufflepuff, talked to Jon self-absorbedly for a while, her words carrying a wealth of information. "But it seems you don't recognize me. Has the Hufflepuff family fallen to such a state? I know the old estate was sold, but you didn't even leave a portrait of me?"

...

Jon felt like he was dreaming. In fact, according to the witch Helga Hufflepuff's explanation, he was indeed dreaming. It was a bloodline enchantment. Helga Hufflepuff left a trace of her soul on all the portraits she left in Hogwarts. Unlike Voldemort's Horcruxes that split the soul, this legacy was just a remnant left after the body's death, inheriting all the memories and preserved through the unique magic of the portraits. It was an extremely profound form of magic.

"But the other three founders did not leave their souls. Salazar left the school, and Gryffindor and Ravenclaw believed that their spirits would be passed down by their descendants. However, in reality, Ravenclaw does not have any descendants either."

Helga poured Jon a cup of tea. It had been a long time since anyone came into the painting space to talk to her. This legendary witch seemed a bit talkative.

Jon displayed the most qualified quality of a listener, silently listening to the old lady's words, as if he were accompanying his own grandmother, occasionally smiling and adding a few words of agreement.

He was quite adept at pleasing the old lady.

Of course, his mind was also thinking about something else, such as publishing a book after waking up. Since that charlatan Lockhart's books sold so well, his book about a legendary witch should sell even better. What should he name it? How about "Hogwarts: A Dream Journey"?