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Hufflepuff Table - Ruby Haswell - 12-31-2025
Hufflepuff Table
![[Image: 309_openingfeast-hufflepuff.png]](https://knockturnbound.net/gallery/0/309_openingfeast-hufflepuff.png)
The Hufflepuff table is situated between Gryffindor on the right and Ravenclaw on the left, though there is a wide space between Hufflepuff and Ravenclaw due to the aisle to the Staff Table.
RE: Hufflepuff Table - Alice Ravenstone - 01-01-2026
Alice looked over at Everleigh, her brow furrowed. She didn’t want to leave her sister’s side. Yeah, being out of the house was the best thing for her at this point, but at least when they were at home she could stay with her. Alice wasn’t allowed in the Ravenclaw parts of Hogwarts, and that just made her sick to her stomach.
“I promise I’ll keep my eye on you,” she said and frowned, then watched her little sister make her way to her house’s table. Alice was able to sit directly across from the wide aisle at her own house’s table, which was a relief. She could see her sister’s face. But it still felt like there was an ocean between them.
There weren’t many others at the Hufflepuff table just yet, honestly the least populous of all of the houses this term it seemed. But that was okay. They’d done horribly with the House Cup last term, but that didn’t mean anything. One day they’d win.
Alice touched her Prefect badge and then sighed, smiling slightly as peers waved at her. But her brown eyes remained in her sister’s direction. The second it looked like Everleigh might break, Alice was going to jump over the table and rush to her side.
Time was moving slowly and Alice kept staring at her sister. It was just a moment, probably, though it felt like ages before the Hufflepuff gave up. She jumped up and rushed to Ever’s side, gripping her hand tightly.
“I can’t. You’re coming with me,” she stated and pulled Everleigh with her back to the Hufflepuff table. Once the two were sitting, Alice kept a firm grip on her sister’s hand, hoping that physical contact would keep her grounded.
RE: Hufflepuff Table - Ellen Graymere - 01-01-2026
Fifth year. The thought of it still boggled the mind.
Here she was, a whole twelve months older than she had been the year previous. That, naturally, was how time worked, marching endlessly forward. But it was strange. Only ever getting older, never younger.
On either side of her, plates filled and emptied, goblets jumped obligingly to waiting hands. The noise rose and fell like the sea at Gravenmere, waves of talk and laughter hitting the high stone walls and rolling back again. The enchanted candles floated in their usual ordered rows above her head, spilling the same warm light across the same four long tables.
All of it looked exactly as it always had, every September for the past four years. Now five. Or soon to be.
The only difference, she saw, was the space where William should have been. At the Gryffindor table, yes but beyond that too——ahead. A year in front, a year to point at and say, that is what comes next. But now, sitting here, she realised that was only how it looked in hindsight.
It made sense, too. She could not recall ever granting him the dignity of being a “role model.” He was William: irritating, familiar, reliably present. The point was not that she wished to be like him. The point was that he had been there first. Always.. first. It was only now, with O.W.L. year spread out before her and his place in the pattern gone, that she realised how much comfort that had given her.
Not being first. Perhaps it suited her.
Inside, though, the numbers would not leave her alone. Fifteen. Fifth year. Two more after this one, if all went as it ought. Each one a little box that would open and then shut behind her, and never again.
Ellen sighed, just a tad. How utterly full of sentiment she was today. "Is anyone else concerned with OWLs?" she asked. Well, to her fellow fifth years. It seemed like a well enough topic.. that was, until the Ravenstones sat down. Plural.
.. "Oh, hello there."
RE: Hufflepuff Table - Maevie Golding - 01-01-2026
Where a year ago entering the Great Hall had been nothing but fluttery excitement and anticipation, this time it weaved with a drop of unease. Not enough to dim the joy of being back at the school she had to fight to return to but nonetheless it sat there somewhere inside her chest, nested and now a part of her being. An invisible mark that reminded her the world could turn cruel and harsh in less than a heartbeat, despite the childlike naivete that exuded her anywhere she went.
But Maevie refused to let it drag her down. Happily, she let that stubborn positivity shine its light brighter than the dark memories could spread their thorny stems, and with a bright, ecstatic smile she hopped down the aisle until she found a spot at the Hufflepuff table, black robe merrily billowing behind her. This year would still be fun and interesting, no matter what had happened in the past.
She needed to learn more magic and make more friends. She needed to do all the things that she didn't get to do, explore the castle and make memories. She had missed months and she had every intent of catching up.
Promises had been made to her mother, to be careful and mindful. Maevie had sworn it up and down, solemnly and fervently, a hand over her heart and the other upheld in an earnest pledge. To respect the curfews, to keep to older students, to remain alert and to never trust too willingly.
Never mind the fact that dark magic wouldn't care, the kind that meant to harm and take, able to sweep all those intentions aside with a mere flick of a wand. Like it had already.
But her mother didn't know that. Lacked the insight into a world so different from her own. And Maevie had fibbed it. Innocently green.
"Hi, everyone!" A head of untamed locks bounced down next to Ellen as Maevie sat, folding one leg under herself and beaming brightly. "Why should we be concerned with owls? Did they do something? Oh, hi Ever!" Maevie waved happily as Alice appeared with her sister in tow, hopeful delight in her voice. "Are you gonna sit with us today?"
RE: Hufflepuff Table - Benji Laurence - 01-01-2026
There were several reasons Benji hadn't wanted to return this term, but the boy was past the point of trying to convince his mum or uncle of anything. He knew better. Regardless of everything the summer had held, his responsibilities lay in school.
Shrugging his robe on, the boy wandered through the large double-doors of the Great Hall and made his way to the Hufflepuff table, where he slid into a seat next to Maevie, hazel eyes casting lazily towards Ellen and Alice, before settling on Everleigh. She...didn't look any better than she had at the end of last term.
"Hey Marge," Benji said with a managed grin, giving the younger girl who'd become his werewolf-hunting companion over the summer an elbow nudge. "OWLs are exams." A simple answer, more subdued than he normally was when it came to Opening Feasts. His eyes drifted to the Ravenclaw table and then to the Gryffindor. He knew better, but there was always that hope - that maybe they'd thought better of everything and had come back after all.
They hadn't.
Without Rosie hovering over him, insisting he study and without Cassian offering him notes and books to review, he'd have to figure it out all on his own. Not that that was a...bad thing, necessarily. He was fifteen now and didn't need anyone babysitting him, but...
"If you want to study together Ellen," Benji couldn't believe what he was saying. The boy had never willingly studied a day in his life, "it'll probably make it easier. I'll be in the library all the time." You know. Since the regular library assistants had all but fucked off and abandoned him here.
He reached for the pitcher of pumpkin juice, pouring a goblet full for Marge, before pouring himself one. Not quite strong enough, but the sugar would at least pep him up a bit.
RE: Hufflepuff Table - Ellen Graymere - 01-01-2026
There were particular reasons Ellen refused to include last year in the many thoughts that plagued her today. For one, it was simply too atrocious. Should be unimaginable, but it wasn't. They had all lived through it. But some.. far more worse than others. Like Everleigh Ravenstone.
And she, Ellen, hadn't. She had been there, of course. But things hadn't really been bad for her. Not like little Maevie Golding, who, somehow, was still so bright as she sat down next to her. Her, Ellen. And for a moment, she was flummoxed at the girl's questioning about literal owls. Owls.
As if Maevie's throat had never produced that sound; as if her skull didn’t still remember it. Her gaze snagged, briefly, suddenly, on the far curve of the ceiling—where she remembered the shields cracking like glass, stars winking out one by one. It was smooth now. It had the nerve to be smooth. And just like that, someone was answering the question for her (maybe not for her, but it was there) saying her name—Ellen. Smooth, saving her from unease.
Looking over, she, however, was not assured. It was Benji. Asking to study together. Benji, Ruth Elliot’s Benji. She felt herself draw in by some small, automatic degree, the same faint tightening she’d begun to notice around anyone the events of the Dark Tower had actually touched. She hesitated for just a moment before she decided she was being ridiculous.
“Yes,” Ellen said at last. “That seems.. efficient. We’ll need to, in any case, if we mean to do well.”
Studying was very practical, after all.
RE: Hufflepuff Table - Maevie Golding - 01-04-2026
Benji arrived to her other side, drawing her attention. "Hi, Benji!", she beamed at him as well, the nickname he had decided to give her something she had accepted as though it was the most natural thing in the world. "Why would they be named after owls?", she wondered aloud, brows narrowing thoughtfully. Why not any other animal?
Maevie decided she didn't really care about that, not on opening feast day.
She noticed Benji's mood though, different than what she had come to know him as during last year. But even at Summer Facility he had been rather quiet, withdrawn even. She didn't know why or what had happened but she knew she hadn't been able to find Rosie at all, or Cassian. She hadn't dared ask about it though.
A quick glance around the Great Hall revealed they hadn't made it to Hogwarts either.
The realization dampened her own mood momentarily -- she had really liked them both, especially Rosie. A slim sliver of hope told her they might just be late but deep down she knew they wouldn't come back.
But Maevie didn't like the sadness that lingered with the thought and so she swept it aside, reverting back to focusing on the positive things, hoping they'd outshine the stuff that wanted to weigh heavy and leaden.
She accepted the goblet Benji filled, gulping down half of it in one go while he made plans for studying with Ellen.
A crazy thing to do on first day, in her opinion.
Setting down the goblet, Maevie wiped her mouth with the sleeve of her cloak, looking from one to the other. "Can I join?", she asked eagerly. "I promise to be quiet!"
She didn't necessarily want to partake for the sake of studying, although she'd try. She just wanted to hang out with her friends, unrelated to what the premise of meeting up entailed.
RE: Hufflepuff Table - Everleigh Ravenstone - 01-05-2026
In the blink of an eye she was at the Hufflepuff table, hand clutched in Alice’s, her breathing finally returning to normal. The process of getting from the Ravenclaw table to the Huffle’s was gone in her mind. It was like waking up in a new location. The panic attack had been setting in faster then Ever realized.
Squeezing Alice’s hand, Ever gave her sister a trembling smile. It would fool no one, but it at least showed Alice that she was there and better.
“Oh, hi Ever!" Maevie said, causing her head to whip in her friends direction. "Are you gonna sit with us today?" It dawn on Ever at that moment that they weren’t alone. It was like Mae’s voice popped a bubble letting in the outside sights and sounds. Her body started to shake, her breaths coming in faster.
Looking at the kind eyes of Mae, Ever held her gaze, not wanting to look at the others. She didn’t know them well and in all honesty, she didn’t want to see their judging glances.
Choosing not to talk, which was always a gamble with her words coming in choppy sentences, Ever nodded at Mae and smiled a small tentative smile.
The discussion moved to all things studying, OWL’s and the mundane topics that Everleigh couldn’t focus on. It was easier to let her mind wander. Laying her head on Alice’s shoulder, Ever took a deep breath, relaxed in the knowledge that Alice would keep her safe. Would hold her anchored to the ground. What she didn’t dare think about, was what would happen when they parted ways to their own dorms. Tonight was going to be a nightmare. Literally.
RE: Hufflepuff Table - Ruby Haswell - 01-06-2026
After Gideon took his seat next to her, Ruby cleared her throat and stood up, smoothing the skirt of her dress down. She smiled warmly. She felt a bit more comfortable here this term, and yet also felt unsure of herself. Mostly because of the looming trials starting at the end of the month.
But that was for then. For now, she had to welcome the students back.
“Hello, everyone. I am so happy to see so many more of you this term!” Despite the ordeal of last term, it seemed the wizarding parents felt more secure sending their students back to Hogwarts. Surely it had to do with the presence of aurors.
“For those of you who are new this term, I am Ruby Haswell, your Headmistress, and Gideon Blackwood is your Deputy Head Master. We have shaken things up a bit this term with your Heads of Houses and professors. For Gryffindor, your Head of House is Maddox Barlowe. He is also teaching Charms this term, and is leading Spellcaster’s Society. Hufflepuff’s new Head of House is Roisin Byrne, who is also teaching Defense Against the Dark Arts. Julia Laurence is still the librarian, but also teaching Potions this term and is also the Head of Ravenclaw. And Professor Blackwood is now the Head of Slytherin and will be teaching Applied Magic.”
There were always so many formalities to get out of the way before everyone could dig into the food. She felt bad taking so long, but there was a lot to go over. “We have a new Head Nurse this term, Ms. Josephine Graham (NPC). Astronomy is back, now being taught by Hatiie Finch (NPC).” Ruby continued, listing all of the other new professors for the term.
A clean house, a fresh start. With just the lingering trials hanging over their heads.
“Unfortunately, after the happenings of last term, the powers that be have decided that we once again forgo Quidditch and Duelling. But luckily I have been assured, and seen to it, that we do have real food tonight, once all of the announcements are done.”
Ruby smiled. It’d been hell when the food didn’t work right and everyone had to eat sandwiches for days. “I know that last term was quite… eventful and I wanted to reassure everyone that Hogwarts has been searched from top to bottom by the Ministry, and there should be no other magical mishaps. Also, there will be aurors patrolling throughout the day and night to ensure the safety of everyone here, so don’t be distracted by their presence.”
The Headmistress then shifted on her feet and grinned. “And now, for your Prefects and Head Boy and Head Girl! For Gryffindor, we have Matilda Nordstrom and Tulip Asquith. Hufflepuff is Benji Laurence and Alice Ravenstone. Ravenclaw is Kaitlyn Dwyer and Oilibhéar Ó Coigligh. And Slytherin is Alan McCarthy and Ruth Elliot. Our Head Boy and Head Girl this year is Ethan Rowe and Susan Whitfield! Congratulations, everyone.”
After a pause, she nodded as the food appeared on the tables. “Now, we feast! Welcome to Hogwarts!”
RE: Hufflepuff Table - Benji Laurence - 01-06-2026
“That seems.. efficient. We’ll need to, in any case, if we mean to do well.”
Efficient. Alright. Benji managed a tight smile. He and Ellen weren't exactly best friends, but she seemed less than thrilled at his offer. "Yeah," he agreed, drumming his fingertips along his goblet as he gave a slight nod. Maybe...she'd warm up when they started studying together. He'd maybe bring some snacks - his mum wouldn't find out - and they could talk about all the boring assignments they needed to complete.
He sighed slightly, glancing back at Everleigh with healthy wariness. She looked like she was trying, and after all she'd seen, he guessed he couldn't blame her for being a bit of a nutter. The two had never got on anyway, so he guessed if anyone wasn't going to be in their right mind it was better her than any of his friends.
Alice was as lively as ever.
Merlin. He remembered when the Hufflepuff table was the life of the party at Opening Feasts. Now it was full of downers. Not that he was making things much better, but he could at least manage smiles and jovial conversation for Maevie's sake. Poor little thing was practically bursting with excitement and everyone else just looked like their dog had died.
"Can I join? I promise to be quiet!"
"Always," he said with a smile, "And you don't have to be quiet. Being a library assistant has its perks. Unless Jul - Professor Laurence upped her bauble-intensity this term." He wouldn't put it past his mum. With Cass and Rosie gone, she'd need extra surveillance and help. Benji certainly wouldn't be much and he couldn't imagine Rae would be either.
He glanced at the Slytherin table, trying to catch his girlfriend's eye.
"I'm not sure why they call them OWLs, but..." he gave a slight shrug. Maybe Efficient Ellen would know.
The Headmistress - soon to be Azkaban prisoner if he were a betting man - made her speech, announcing him as prefect second year in a row. Apparently they hadn't learned their lesson from last term, but how surprising was that when they hadn't noticed Thayer being a complete psychopath?
"Our Head Boy and Head Girl this year is Ethan Rowe and Susan Whitfield!"
It should have been Cass and Rosie. He didn't even know who the other two were. The boy fingered the cigarette in his pocket. He hadn't smoked in nearly a year, but he'd managed to snag one off a sixth year on the train. A quiet rooftop smoke wouldn't hurt after this.
It was only one.