General The Hufflepuff Table 2019-2020

Clifton smiled at her outburst. He hoped she knew that she didn't need to feel nervous. After all, he was the one who made a complete fool of himself on the train.

"Yeah, it would be cool. I bet we have a few."

Clifton laughed at what she said about the Alexa. He had actually thought of those voice-listening things when he'd learned her name, but hadn't ever said anything. That would get confusing.

"You come from a farm?" Clifton's usual curiosity perked up. It sounded like a completely different lifestyle than his own. He lived in a small, beach town with parents that would commute to the big cities. He wasn't even sure if he'd seen a horse in real life, let alone rode one. "Did you have lots of chores?"

In answer to her question, he shrugged. "Lots of stuff, I guess. Soccer, swimming, video games. We live in a pretty safe area so my parents let me explore a lot too. And sometimes I hang out with my dad playing board games and stuff."

"Of course, I guess none of that really comes in handy here. Except maybe the exploring." And idea suddenly came to him and he finished swallowing another bite of his food before turning to her.

"Hey. Maybe that's how we can hang out with Clay. Do you want to walk around the castle sometime? Might help with finding classes."

@Clifton Troublefield

Alexa smiled at Clifton. “Yes, we – I mean my family and I – have a really small form. Just enough for us.”

When he asked her about chores, she laughed ruefully. “Lots and lots!” She exclaimed, and then went on to explain. “We had a couple of cows, a pig, and some chickens, besides the old retired horse I rode. Her name is Blossom,” Alexa smiled, her eyes growing distant the memory of her horse. Then she turned her gaze back to Clifton. “But it takes a lot to take care of them, and to get what you need from them, like milk and eggs and bacon.” She was surprised how easy it was to talk to the other boy, and made her smile. She had trouble meeting new people, but this fellow and Clay seemed capital.

She nodded encouragement when he answered her question regarding what he liked to do, smiling when he mentioned swimming. That was something she had enjoyed, as well. “I explored a lot, where I lived, as well! Where did you explore? Were you in a city or the country?”

Alexa immediately brightened at his idea. “That sounds like a great plan! Maybe we can find Clay before we leave and ask her…” She looked around at the Gryffindor table again. There were just so many people, it was hard to see anyone specific!

Interacting with @Clifton Troublefield @Alexa Mackenzie

Lindsey looked at the boy and girl sitting near her. She learned that the girl was called Alexa and the boy named Clifton from their conversation.
“Hi! I’m Lindsey, first year Hufflepuff too!” Lindsey smiled to them. “Are you looking for someone in Gryffindor? My brother’s in there and he’s really brave and chivalrous!”
“He’s in the third grade.” Lindsey added, “and…well, I guess he’s a little disappointed for me not joining him in the Gryffindor tower. Actually my family considered that cause I’m not that smart and a bit hot-headed. But, Hufflepuff’s a great house isn’t it? I’m proud to be on of them!” She looked towards the Gryffindor table. A handsome boy who had dark blonde hair and grey eyes waved at her. Lindsey waved back with smile on her face.
She randomly picked an ice-cream from the table. Chocolate. She thought. My favorite flavor and…delicious. Hogwarts is a great place. “I’ll sure to find life-long friends here.” She told herself.
“Well anyway, what are your names? And…you knew each other before?” She asked them. She would like to ask again despite knowing it from their conversation.
Lindsey smiled to the two students. They looked really friendly to her. “Hope we could become friends!”

Alina had just hopped up to the table when she heard the one girl ask “Well anyway, what are your names? And…you knew each other before?”

Did she interrupt? She really didn't want to be rude but she couldn't help not being a little loud. Not in volume, but in wanting to be seen. It was her nature. Maybe from so many days being ignored back home. "Alina. Hi. Alina Rosier," and she came onto the long wooden bench of the Hufflepuff Table to sit right next to Clifton and smiled to him. "Mr. Troublefield, a pleasure as always," she flashed a smile to him. Then she looked to the red haired girl and smiled to her as well as the new one that just joined them.

"There are so many students at this school that I feel like I'm meeting new people every day. I was going to start calling all the girls Olivia and all the boys Oliver," because they were some of the top names in England. And then she paused to look at the two girls, hoping either of their names weren't Olivia. She doubted it. It seemed that everyone there at Hogwarts either had an elegant traditional name or a super clever name. Well, everyone with the exception of her.

"Hey, Lindsey," Clifton smiled at what would likely become another friend. The girl seemed really nice. And confident, the way she easily introduced herself.

He decided that one of the nice things about Hogwarts was that you had an entire class of new kids. There was no awkwardly standing up in front of a classroom of eyeballs trying to explain why you were here and suddenly wishing that you weren't. It made it a lot easier to meet people when everyone was new.

"I'm Clifton. And this is Alexa." Then, in between bites of various finger foods, he added: "She's probably the nicest person at Hogwarts."

It was an abrupt way to introduce a friend, but he'd meant it. He didn't know her that well yet, but just sitting by her made him want to be less skeptical about this place. Her optimism was contagious.

"We met on the train. I...sort of crashed the entire snack trolley and Alexa still let me sit with her and her other friends. Where are you from?"

He thought about what else Lindsey had said. He found it interesting how invested the kids around him--and their families--got about the decision of that weird, talking hat. Clifton was trying to take all of this newness in stride, but he was still a little hung up on that one.

He guessed it was because it was supposed to say something about you were as a person. Just like how she'd described it: her brother was brave and chivalrous and so he was in Gryffindor. But she was not, so therefore she wasn't as brave or chivalrous. Even though she clearly was, from what he could tell.

No one had directly filled him in on what a Hufflepuff was yet, but he'd gathered it had something to do with being nice. Fine by him. He could use a school year without jerks. But Clifton was pretty certain he didn't need a wrinkly hat to tell him who he was. He already knew. He was Clifton before they'd placed it on his head and he'd be Clifton long after. Paint it red, green, blue, or yellow, he'd still be the terminally-curious, spastic klutz he always was.

Besides, stupid thing had made some wisecrack about his knocking over the stool on his way up.

But he didn't say anything about his thoughts on it all. Clearly, he was in for a steep learning curve in this new world.

Plus, he was sitting by Alexa. Who had her own horse named Blossom. The way she described her family farm sounded so peaceful. And Lindsey sounded so excited to be here. For now, at least, he'd enjoy making new friends.

"Alina. Hi. Alina Rosier."

Clifton turned at the familiar voice.

"Hey!" he grinned, making room for her on the bench. She, of course, jumped right into the conversation.

He laughed about what she said about the names. "Our friendship might've gone a different direction if you'd started off by calling me Oliver. Not a bad idea, though."

And his parents had worried he'd end up going to classes alone.

Disclaimer: Character's opinions about the sorting are very different from the author's. We argued over it a bit. This time, the eleven-year-old won.

Interacting with @Clifton Troublefield @Alexa Mackenzie @Alina Rosier

“Hey really nice to meet you guys!” Lindsey grinned.
She had been afraid of not having a friend at Hogwarts, since the Springhalls rarely took their children to meet friends. She spent the whole trip on the train sitting with a bunch of Gryffindor 3rd years pranking each other——her brother believed she’ll be sorted into the same house with them.
Lindsey had a noisy trip, and kept thinking if everyone in Hogwarts would be like this. And, she now realized, that’s a shortcoming of the Gryffindors. She’s bubbly, that’s true, but it didn’t achieve the Gryffindor type of noisy. The sorting hat had been hesitated for sorting her into Gryffindor. But, it said Hufflepuff would be her right place.
In Lindsey’s opinion, Hufflepuff is where the most difficult to determine a student’s personality. You could be courageous, or smart, or ambitious, cause all of them don’t contradicted with being loyal and hard-working.
——————
“Well we live in Kensington, surrounded by muggle houses. I don’t know why my grandparents had chosen this place, but maybe they just want to annoy some pure-blood families that believed in blood-purity theory in the past times.” Lindsey shrugged her shoulders.
“But it’s beautiful and peaceful there, not large——like Alexa’s farm, but quite cozy” She smiled, as thinking her childhood.
“The farm must be cool! And having your own horse!” Lindsey said. She had been wanting to have a little pony before——but it’s weird to have a horse in the city, isn’t it?
Lindsey laughed for Alina’s opinion on names.
“I won’t mind you calling me Olivia, Alina! Only, I’ve already thinking of the Professor’s face when learning the student Olivia Springhall’s given name is actually Lindsey! I’ll immediately tell her that you give the wrong name to her!” She laughed again.
——Such a great feeling of having friends, Lindsey thought.

"Oh getting confused by the wrong name is certainly not the way to start things off," she agreed and looked across The Great Hall from the Hufflepuff table all the way over to the Slytherin table where she could see her identical twin sister talking to her new house mates. Bella was talking with some of them and laughing. This was something that initially bothered Alina quite a lot, having been MISsorted and all, but she was growing pretty comfortable with it these days. Bella could have her friends in Slytherin and she just wanted her to be happy.

Plus, Hufflepuff couldn't be all that bad because it had Clifton Troublefield in it. She looked over at him and took his hand in hers and squeezed it before smiling. It had kind of become their little way of telling the other they were there for them, or just to reach out and get that extra little bit of comfort or security when they needed it and in that moment she needed it.

"I've heard horses are a lot of work but they've got to be worth it," Alina agreed that it would be neat to own one. "They're very beautiful creatures."

September 1st, 2019

Interacting with @Clifton Troublefield, @Alina Rosier, and @Lindsey Springhall

Alexa smiled at Lindsey as the girl introduced herself. She seemed bright and happy, and very friendly. She was struggling to think of a way to introduce herself (just saying her name seemed weird, since she was so shy), and as she was thinking about it, Clifton beat her to the punch, introducing her to Lindsey. He said that she was probably the nicest person at Hogwarts! Alexa blushed crimson with embarrassment, but was also a little pleased. She could see Clifton being a good friend, and hoped that it stayed that way.

Lindsey started talking about where she was from, and Alexa realized she was another magical born child, as opposed to a Muggle-born. What must that have been like, she wondered? Wouldn’t you have to hide everything you did, being a wizard or witch living among non-magical people? That probably had to be difficult.

Alexa smiled brightly at Lindsey when the girl mentioned her farm and her horse. “She’s just an old plow horse, but I love her very much,” Alexa said quietly.

Then a new girl arrived at the table, immediately introducing herself and sitting next to Clifton. She seemed very confident, and knew Clifton from somewhere. She started talking about Olivia and Oliver, and Alexa wondered if the girl felt just as overwhelmed as she did by all of the new people. Lindsey mentioned being called Olivia by the new girl, Alina, and how it would confuse professors. Alexa chuckled.

She noticed Alina take Clifton’s hand and give it a squeeze. Her brow furrowed slightly, but then smoothed out. They must know each other pretty well from somewhere. She looked into the girl’s eyes when Alina spoke of hard work and horses. “They are definitely worth it,” Alexa said, nodding and smiling slightly. “Blossom isn’t as beautiful as she used to be, since she’s getting older, but she still pretty magnificent!”

Her attention stayed on Alina. “I’m sorry, I didn’t introduce myself. I’m Alexa,” the redheaded girl said, feeling awkward. She had jumped right into the conversation without even telling Alina who she was! But still, she was talking to new people, and that was a great improvement for her.

“Alina, where are you from?” Alexa asked politely.

"Hi, Alexa," she smiled to the girl, thinking that not only must it be great to have something like a horse but that Alexa's horse Blossom seemed lucky to have her. "I'm originally from France," she knew she had the slightest bit of accent still lingering on. Her father had one as did her grandmother and many of the staff. "Moved though when I was younger to Surrey so that's where I've been since. Surrey. 2 and a half hours from Rye.

"I don't even remember everything of my home back in France but it's probably better that way. And Surrey's nice...we're in the Windlesham Village area though. Houses are spaced out so much that I don't even know a single neighbor." It was fascinating how everyone came from such varied backgrounds.

She liked this, being at this Hufflepuff Table. Alexa seemed nice, Lindsey seemed nice, and she already knew Clive was absolutely amazing in every way. "I've never been to a farm. I've only seen them in passing when traveling." But she liked to be outdoors and in nature, so that part didn't seem bad to her at all. But man, she never even got to have a goldfish to help take care of growing up, let alone BIG animals.