Chương 14: Night on the lonely mountain

Sitting at their table with a full belly, Dudley and Jenna let their stomachs rest after eating the dishes and desserts served. Dudley had enjoyed the food without moderation and had absolutely no regrets.

The standing ovation from the Hufflepuff house reanimated the hearts of its members. Their performance even received a discreet applause from the Director, whom Dudley swore he had winked at him. After this masterful homecoming, Hufflepuff's students celebrated their first day of classes, more motivated than ever.

Dudley enjoyed the atmosphere while petting his full belly just like Jenna next to him. As for Terry, the young girl was sipping a ginger tea calmly after finishing her lemon meringue tart. Dinner was thus concluded for the young wizards, some of whom were beginning to have heavy eyes ready to be cuddled in the arms of Morpheus.

At least, the last desserts vanished from their plates and Albus Dumbledore, Headmaster of Hogwarts, stood from his seat again and imposed the silence by his mere presence.

"Ahem — just a few more words now that we are all fed and watered. I have a few start-of-term notices to give you. First years should note that the forest on the grounds is forbidden to all pupils. And a few of our older students would do well to remember that as well." began to say Professor Dumbledore, his twinkling eyes flashing in the direction of the Weasley twins.

"I have also been asked by Mr. Filch, the caretaker, to remind you all that no magic should be used between classes in the corridors. Quidditch trials will be held in the second week of the term. Anyone interested in playing for their House teams should contact Madam Hooch. And finally, I must tell you that this year, the third-floor corridor on the right-hand side is out of bounds to everyone who does not wish to die a very painful death."

A silence dropped in the hall, except from some student who laughed inadvertently. Dudley frowned at the Headmaster. Something telling him that the old wasn't joking about it.

"What is there on the third-floor?" asked Dudely to his neighbor, the black Hufflepuff.

"I don't know honestly… This castle is magic in itself so maybe some stuff happened during summer. What I don't understand it's why he didn't give us a reason? " he responded.

Dudley squinted his eyes not sure what to think about it. Something told him that whatever was on that third floor didn't bode well. And one of the things he could boast about, besides being a handsome and gorgeous young man, was that he had an unfailing instinct for foreseeing trouble.

"And now, before we go to bed, let us sing the school song!" cried Dumbledore making the others teachers tensely smile.

"Everyone pick their favorite tune...1...2...3 and off we go" exclaimed Dumbeldore giving his wand a little flick, as if he was trying to get a fly off the end, and a long golden ribbon flew out of it, which rose high above the tables and twisted itself, snakelike, into words

The all school then began to sing an awful song for Dudley's taste who merely stayed stiff with a cramped smile. Jenna on the other hand, sang the lyrics with fervor while Terry tried to follow but her pace was surprisingly unbalanced. Everybody finished the song at different times. In the end, only the Weasley twins were left singing along to a very slow funeral march. Dumbledore conducted their last few lines with his wand and when they had finished, he was one of those who clapped loudest.

"Ah, music, a magic beyond all we do here! And now, bedtime. Off you trot!" concluded Dumbledore.

It was time for the students to head to their respective common rooms. The older ones already began to leave the hall, while the first years were gathered together by the prefects of each house. A rather tall boy with a slender figure, wearing the Hufflepuff emblem on his uniform as well as a prefect's badge, made grand gestures to attract the young newcomers.

"Come first years! Right here! Good. First off! Congratulations! I'm perfect Gabriel Truman, and I'm delighted to welcome you to HUFFLEPUFF HOUSE." said the prefect cheerfully.

"Now follow me, and try to not lose yourself. The castle can become a real maze if you're not focused. Oh! and be careful when you take the stairs, they usually do as they please, so watch out!"

Dudley, Terry, Jenna and the rest of the new Hufflepuff's members followed Gabriel and passed through more corridors and back doors than the boy could count. The prefect was right, the castle was a real labyrinth. After descending yet another staircase to a long corridor lit by torches, Duldey began to smell a rich and fragrant odour as they continued on their way.

The group finally reached a broad corridor which was brightly lit with torches. On the left side were several cheerful paintings depicting, mostly, food. There was a suit of armour in or near this corridor. A few barrels were stacked against the wall in a nook on the right side.

"This is the kitchen corridor, behind one of these paintings is located the kitchen. If one day you're angry and want to eat some sweets, check the painting with the big silver fruit bowl. If somebody asks you questions about it, don't tell them it comes from me. Also, stay nice with the elves, would you…" said the prefect winking at them.

"Now, for our common room…"

Approaching on of the barrels, the barrel two from the bottom, middle of the second row, the prefect topped on it in a certain rhythm and then the lid opened revealing a passageway that one needed to crawl if he wanted to pass.

"This is as simple as this, tap on this barrel in the rhythm of 'Helga Hufflepuff' and 'open sesame'! But just be carefull to don't tap incorrectly or else you will be sprinkled with vinegar." said Gabriel.

Entering through the passageway one behind the other, the new students finally arrived at their common room. The first word that came to Dudley's mind as he entered, cozy. The common room itself was round, earthy, low-ceilinged, welcoming, warm, and sunny. There were a lot of yellow hangings, burnished copper, and overstuffed sofas and armchairs upholstered in yellow and black. There were also small circular windows that provide a panorama of rippling grass and dandelions. Many plants of all kinds were scattered all over the room, some even hanging from the ceiling.There was also a large, honey coloured, wooden mantelpiece with carvings of badgers on it, that was just located underneath a portrait of a woman dressed in yellow, a little plumped up, whose lips were painted with a broad smile.

"Welcome to the Hufflepuff's common room! This is a place of leisure and recreation for our only good care, and to answer your questions in advance, the plants come from our dear head of the house, Madam Sprout, who is also our botany teacher. As for the portrait, the most diligent will of course have recognised our founder, Helga Hufflepuff! Any further questions? Oh, I almost forgot, no need to look for your rooms, they are above the staircase at the back of the room. Left for boys, right for girls. Make no mistake about it. Your suitcases should already be in your room. I hope I've given you all the information you need." said Gabriel Turnman at his audience.

No further questions were asked after the prefect finished. Most of the first years were already half asleep and only wanted one thing, a comfy bed.

"Perfect then! Have a good first night at Hogwarts! And while we're at it... Ahem... To Hufflepuff, the house for those with a loyal heart." exclaimed Gabriel winking in the direction of Dudley.

The tall blonde boy simply grinned and nodded to his prefect as a sign of acknowledgement. Gabriel nodded in return then turned back to sit in an armchair close to the fireplace before closing his eyes peacefully. The first years looked at him for a moment then walked towards the stairs after Dudley already went on. The boy said goodnight to Terry and Jenna then climbed up before he found his room, a circular bedroom with three other beds.His suitcase was placed right in front of one of the beds, large four-poster beds which seemed very comfortable. Dudley, with smile onn his face, could judge it by simple eye-contact at his cat, Lady, who had magically found out before him where the two were going to sleep. Dudley's two roommates soon arrived, one a child of asian descent and the other a taller, dark-skinned child. The two greeted Dudley before putting on their pyjamas and getting into bed.

Dudley did the same. He dressed in his pyjamas and moved closer to his bed before tenderly caressing Lady, who purred delightfully. Taking the cat gently, Dudley placed her next to his pillow and covered himself with the blanket to go to sleep. The young man laid down on his back and looked up at the ceiling, remembering the series of events that had brought him to this place. Although tired, Dudley found it difficult to calm his mind. He had managed to hide it from Terry and Jenna, but the truth is that he was very unsettled. The words of the Sorting Hat were still running through his head. Because of this, he had got into a fight with the damn cap, putting on a pitiful performance for the whole school. Turning sideways, Dudley looked at Lady who was sleeping peacefully, dark thoughts lurking in his mind. Eventually, slumber overtook the young boy, who finally fell asleep, accompanied by the words of the hat.

'Leave Hogwarts! You do not belong here'

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A mantle of snow covered the landscape.

Black trees all around swayed in a threatening rhythm. Farther back, a mountain blacker than night was standing, its shadow dominating all those below.

Dudley looked at the scene facing him, not understanding where he was. He looked up at the mountain, uncertain, a feeling of disgust running up his throat.

"This is your Fate" said a soft, familiar voice.

Dudley turned to the sound of the voice and saw Terry standing beside him. The girl was blurred, her features appeared cloudy as if someone was constantly painting her. Dudley didn't know why, but Terry seemed different.

"Fate is absolute. No one can escape it. Facing Fate is pure foolishness."

Dudley wanted to say something, but he found himself incapable of. It was like no words could leave his mouth. Terry looked at him and a tear appeared at the corner of her eyes.

"All we can do is accept our role. As painful as it is. This is why you must go." continued Terry a tear rolling down her cheek before falling.

Dudley, confused, tried to grab the crying girl but the moment the tear touched the snowy ground, she vanished. More perturbed than ever Duldey looked all around him in search of the young girl, but all he could find was nothing. He tried to call her but his voice was still mute.

Then he saw something. In the corner of his eye, a silhouette took shape in the semi-darkness of the trees. Gradually the shape of a cat appeared in front of Dudley. Very similar to Lady, the cat looked towards Dudley with its golden eyes, a collar around its neck from which a pendant was attached. On the medal, Dudley thought he saw a strange but familiar symbol, but the obscurity was far too dark to see clearly. The cat stared at Dudley for a moment before turning around.

'Wait' tried to say Dudley without success

Dudley started to run after the cat as fast as he could. As he went into the black forest, Dudley could barely discern the cat's shape. He ran as fast as he could, unable to say how long. Eventually, in the distance, he saw a light piercing through the darkness of the forest. The cat moved towards this light and ran into it. Dudley rushed after it and entered the light as well. As soon as he crossed it, he almost fell from the edge of a cliff at a dizzying height. Dudley stopped in time and looked around. There was no more forest, only a rock formation.

Dudley observed his surroundings, as well as the bottom of the cliff. He doesn't know how, but he was at the summit of a mountain with black rock. Looking closer, Duldey noticed that he was on the same mountain he saw below. Only this time he was on top of it. He couldn't find the cat anywhere. Completely lost Dudley looked towards the horizon stunned by what had just happened.

"Fate is cruel" said a voice behind him.

The moment he heard the voice, Dudley immediately looked at it. This time he saw Jenna walking slowly towards him. Like Terry before, Jenna's features were blurred and she also seemed to be behaving differently than usual.

"Fate turns loved one against each other, burns their hope in the flames, laughs at their misery, and in the end nothing remains but ashes.", continued Jenna who was now facing Dudley.

Dudley didn't understand what Jenna was saying. He looked at her confused and tried as hard as he could to speak but he couldn't.

"And the lives of those who defy it is even worse" continued Jenna.

The moment she finished her sentence, a violent wind followed by a snowstorm fell on them. Dudley tried to catch Jenna, but she disappeared just like Terry. A whirlwind of snow engulfed Dudley and he was trapped in a frigid blizzard. The storm was so strong that he couldn't stand upright and fell to his knees. Using all the strength he had left, the youngster raised his head straight up to find a way to save himself. It was at that moment that a gigantic noise was heard, and the whole mountain shook. Rocks fell down beside Dudley, and he clutched onto whatever he could to keep from falling. A powerful cracking sound exploded in front of the youngster and the cliff in front of him fractured into a diagonal crevice. Then suddenly the crevice opened, releasing in front of the terrified young man a gigantic blood-red eye with a slit pupil. The bloody eye looked straight at Dudley, piercing his soul from side to side without the terrified young man being able to do anything. Then came the voice.

"This is our Fate"

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Dudley got up from his bed in sweat. It took him a while to recover his senses and remember that he was in his bed in the Hufflepuff's common room. He looked around and saw his room-mates still asleep. Next to him Lady was awake and gave her master a judging glance, the cat being visibly displeased to have been awakened. Dudley apologised with an affectionate petting before getting back into his bed and attempted to calm his thoughts. Lady snuggled up next to him, not losing a second before falling asleep. Dudley couldn't help but be jealous of his adorable feline. Closing his eyes, Dudley calmed his emotions, ready to go back to sleep.

"What a shitty dream…" thought Dudley, sinking back into slumber.