"This way. Watch your step."
Cedric Diggory's voice echoed through the stone corridor.
Rove stuck close to the middle of the group, his right hand buried in his robe pocket, nervously clutching his wand.
They had left the main marble staircase behind, descending a broad flight of stone steps deep into the bowels of the castle. The chill in the air gradually faded, replaced by a faint, reassuring warmth, and...
Rove sniffed the air.
"Is that... toast?" he murmured to himself. "And cream of mushroom soup? Butter? Honey?"
"You've got a sharp nose, Baggins." Justin Finch-Fletchley, who was walking ahead of him, looked back with a grin. "The kitchens are right next to this corridor. I heard you just have to tickle a pear on a painting to get in."
"Don't do anything stupid," Rove warned seriously. "Barging into a dragon's hoard—even a food hoard—usually comes with a price. Unless you have an invisibility cloak."
Justin rolled his eyes and decided to ignore the weirdo.
The group stopped before a pile of large wooden barrels at the end of the corridor.
There were no doors, nor were there portrait guards; just oak barrels stacked in the shadows.
"This is the entrance to the Hufflepuff Common Room," Cedric turned and explained to the first-years with a smile. "It is the only entrance in the school with a defense mechanism. If you tap the wrong barrel, or if the rhythm is incorrect..."
He pointed to a large barrel above: "You'll be doused in vinegar."
A ripple of unease went through the new students.
"Don't worry, it's simple." Cedric raised his wand and tapped the bottom of the second barrel in the middle of the second row.
Tap, tap, tap-tap-tap.
The rhythm was distinct, carrying a cheerful cadence, almost like...
Rove's pupils constricted violently.
In his vision, the ordinary stack of oak barrels was undergoing a startling transformation.
> [Detected Specific Sound Frequency: Shire Folk Song]
> [Scene Reconstruction in Progress...]
The rough wood grain became smooth and polished. The dull barrel lid took on an emerald green sheen, and a brass circular knob surfaced in the center. The surrounding stone walls vanished, replaced by red brick walls covered in ivy and blooming flowers.
It was no longer a barrel lid.
It was a round, green door. There was even a faint scratch on the paint—a mark left by Gandalf many years ago.
> [Location Confirmed: Bag End]
> [Security Level: Absolutely Safe]
With a soft squeak, the round green door swung inward. A wide, circular tunnel paved with carpet was revealed, warm yellow light spilling out from within, enveloping every student like a hug.
"Welcome home." Cedric stepped aside.
The first-years filed in, gasping in wonder.
Rove didn't move.
He stood frozen at the doorway, staring at the tapestries on the walls, the massive pumpkins in the corners, and the copper lamps hanging from the ceiling.
"Baggins?" Susan Bones gave him a gentle nudge from behind. "What's wrong? Aren't you going in?"
Rove snapped out of it. He took a deep breath, but his voice still trembled slightly.
"No... I'm going in."
He stepped across the threshold.
In that moment, the System notification sound became gentle:
> [Quest Complete: Finding Sanctuary]
> [Reward: Constitution +1 (Nourishment of the Shire)]
> [Current Status: The Hobbit Comes Home]
...
The Hufflepuff Common Room was round, with a low ceiling, but it didn't feel oppressive; instead, it offered a sense of enveloping safety.
The room was filled with deep yellow, squishy armchairs and sofas. Round windows were level with the grassy ground outside.
A fire was roaring in the fireplace, a copper kettle suspended above it, bubbling and steaming merrily.
But what attracted Rove's attention most was the long table in the center of the room.
Despite just having finished the Start-of-Term Feast, this table was laden with food: fresh-out-of-the-oven cookies, sliced fruit, steaming hot cocoa, and a small mountain of baked potatoes.
"It's a Hufflepuff tradition," a senior prefect greeted them warmly. "Always good to have a bite before bed, right? It's a long night, after all."
"That's it!" Rove shouted, his eyes shining with light. "That's it right there! This is why I came to Hufflepuff!"
He rushed to the table, grabbed a baked potato, and took a bite without even peeling it.
"Second Supper!" he praised through a mouthful of food. "This is the mark of a civilized world! Eating only three meals a day is the barbarism of Orcs!"
The surrounding Hufflepuff students laughed. They thought this new kid was interesting; he talked weird, but his love for food was definitely born for Hufflepuff.
"Here." Susan walked over and handed him a mug of hot cocoa. "Slow down. Didn't you get enough in the Great Hall?"
"That was different," Rove took the mug, his face serious. "That was eating for survival. This is tasting for life. This is comfort for the soul."
He took a sip of the hot cocoa. The rich sweetness melted on his tongue, dispelling all the chill and fear he had picked up on the Black Lake.
> [High Calorie Intake Detected]
> [Sanity Restoring...]
> [Current Sanity: 85/100 (Safe)]
Rove let out a long breath and collapsed into a fluffy armchair.
"Susan," he said suddenly, staring at the greenery hanging from the ceiling. "If only we could stay here forever. Lock the door and see no one."
"How could we do that?" Susan sat in the chair next to him, hugging a cushion. "We have classes tomorrow. I heard we have Transfiguration, Charms..."
"Those are all illusions." Rove shook his head. "Only baked potatoes and fireplaces are real. The outside world is too dangerous, full of Dark Lords, Death Eaters..."
"This is Hogwarts! There's no place safer!" Susan laughed. "And we have Headmaster Dumbledore!"
"Right, right!" Rove shrank into his chair. "Gandalf is still here. Even if a Balrog comes, he won't be afraid!"
Just then, a new golden pop-up appeared in Rove's vision.
> [Hidden Achievement Triggered: The Glutton]
> [You have consumed twice the amount of food as a normal person in a short time and displayed extreme protectiveness over food.]
> [Reward Acquired: Fragment of Hobbit Recipe (Part 1)]
> [Skill Unlocked: Basic Cooking Lv1]
> [Description: You can now process ingredients perfectly and instinctively know the optimal cooking time for any food. This might help you dissect... ahem, process potion ingredients more precisely.]
Rove paused, then nodded with satisfaction.
This was the kind of reward a proper System should give. Who cares about "Expelliarmus" or "Avada Kedavra"? None of that was as practical as "How to roast the perfect crispy chicken."
...
Late at night.
Boys' Dormitory.
The Hufflepuff dormitory was also circular and located underground. Five students shared a room, sleeping in ancient four-poster beds draped with thick patchwork quilts.
Rove's bed was against the wall.
Justin and the other two roommates were already tucked in and asleep, emitting soft snores.
But Rove wasn't sleeping.
By the dim light of a copper lamp, he was crouching by the door, carefully sprinkling something fine and crumbly onto the floorboards.
"What are you doing?"
Ernie Macmillan poked his head out from the top bunk, asking sleepily.
"Flour," Rove whispered without looking back. "And some crushed dry noodles."
"...Why?"
"Perimeter alarm." Rove dusted off his hands and stood up. "If anything sneaks in—whether it's an invisible assassin or a shrunken spider—they'll leave footprints or make a crunching sound."
Ernie opened his mouth to say something, but eventually just rolled over, muttering, "Weirdo..."
Rove ignored him.
He climbed into his bed, pulled the heavy curtains tight, and wrapped himself in the quilt.
He shoved his wand under his pillow and hung the frying pan on the headboard, within easy reach.
> [Security Check Complete.]
> [Current Environment: Hufflepuff Dormitory (The Shire Burrow).]
> [Defense Level: Moderate (Physical alarms deployed).]
> [Advice: Rest as soon as possible to recover stamina.]
Rove closed his eyes.
Here, he couldn't hear the waves of the Black Lake, nor could he feel the evil aura from the third-floor corridor. There was only the scent of earth and the rhythmic snoring of his roommates.
Even though that unlucky Harry Potter had gone to Gryffindor and was now on the front lines against the Dark Lord (the Tower); even though the dungeon of Slytherin housed the White Robed Saruman (Snape); even though Ravenclaw Tower was full of condescending Elven scholars.
At least for now, deep underground...
"I am safe."
Rove rolled over and fell into a deep sleep.
And in his dreams, there was no Voldemort, no Sauron, only hills covered in blooming golden flowers, and an endless supply of roasted sausages.