So where were all her fellow Hufflepuffs? Maddie decided to venture back into her own little Hogwarts home, aka the common room, and get to know some of her fellow badgers a little better. She was bound and determined to get our more this year, especially seeing as she was now a teenager and not just some little kid anymore.

Walking into the common room, she discovered it to be...empty of people. Well, except for her. "How exciting," she mumbled to herself, but she plopped down on one of the couches anyway. Maybe somebody would come along sooner or later. For now, though, she might just close her eyes and rest for a bit. Not actually sleep or anything, but just relax...

ZZZZZzzzzzz.....

Lex had had a long day. At least, that's how it felt. After grabbing a snack from the kitchens, she'd found herself exhausted. She made her way clumsily into the common room, tripping over her own feet, of course, before she stood up hastily and caught her reflection in one of the windows.

Dear Merlin. She was a mess. Had she looked like this for all of her lessons and everything? Her wavy blonde hair was now a wild, frizzy mess, falling wherever it wanted and some strands just hopelessly sticking out. There was a bit of something stuck on her robes. Was it food? A bit of potion? Owl droppings? Lex removed the robes and stuffed them in her bag, before pulling out a brush and fixing her hair.

It was then that she noticed a girl on the couch. She seemed to be dozing off. Oh. Lex hoped that she hadn't made a lot of noise entering the common room and straightening herself out. She didn't want to disturb the girl.

"Sorry," she said quietly, no more than a whisper, not sure if the other Hufflepuff was awake or not. "I hope I've not bothered you!"

Maddie had drifted up. She was straight up sleeping, even though that hadn't been her intention. She just wasn't used to waking up so early, seeing as all summer long she'd slept in. Well, except the week she went to Disney World. There'd literally been no sleep at all that week. Okay, yeah there had...just not a lot. Anyway, it wasn't until she heard a voice that she came to and sat up.

"Oh, you didn't bother me! I was...studying!" she said, embarrassed that she'd fallen asleep. Never mind the fact that there were no textbooks, quills, or parchment nearby. She blushed then admitted, "Okay, so I fell asleep. I'm not used to getting up early yet!" She followed that with a laugh.

She knew Lex, but not well. She'd seen her around the common room and in some classes, but they weren't in the same year, so their paths didn't cross a whole lot. "So what's up? How was your summer break?" she asked.

"You were sleeping, weren't you?" asked Lex with an amused smile. "That's alright. It's always great to have a little nap. But I'm so sorry to have woken you."

She plopped down in a chair near Maddie. "My summer was alright," she said in response to Maddie's question. "I was thrilled to finally get my Hogwarts letter, but after that, the rest of the summer seemed to drag on forever. I just couldn't wait to get here! I must've driven my parents mad." She giggled. "What about you? How was your summer?"

Daisy had managed to get a tiny bit of sleep but she looked a bit gaunt as she made her way to the common room from her dormitory. She spotted Maddie and Lex in conversation and made her way over.

"Hello. May I sit with you?" Daisy asked in a small voice.

*Pop!*

Nimma was here! She smiled up at the Puff studentsies and bowed to each of them. She usually came late at night to tidy the dorms, but she was also interested in making sure the studentsies had everything they were needing!

"Would Misses care for something to eats or drinks?" she asked happily.

Daisy smiled softly at the house-elf. "I would love some pumpkin juice and maybe a sandwich, please, Nimma."

Nimma smiled brightly. "Yes Miss! Right away Miss!" And with another *Pop!* she was gone. It was approximately a minute later that the house elf reappeared carrying a tray with two glasses of pumpkin juice and three sandwiches. Perhaps Miss was really hungry, or maybe other studentsies would be happy to have one? Anything they wanted of course! She gave a deep bow, nose almost touching the floor as she presented the refreshments.

Daisy grabbed a glass of juice and a sandwich. "Thank you, Nimma," she thanked the house-elf as she took a bite out of her sandwich. She really needed the sandwich as she hadn't had anything to eat for quite a while.

Maddie still couldn't believe she'd dozed off on the common room couch. Good thing she was a Hufflepuff and not a Slytherin. The snakes would probably have no mercy at all on an unsuspecting housemate. "Yeah, I guess I was," she answered Lex. "I'm glad you woke me up, though. Falling asleep on the common room couch is kind of embarrassing." What would Derf or Bel have said? They were some of the house leaders. Derf would have probably left her alone, but what about Bel? Maddie was trying out for Quidditch. She didn't want the captain to think she was lazy.

"My summer was awesome!" she said. "My parents surprised us with a trip to Disney World. People kept saying it's one of the most magical places in the world, but I don't remember seeing any magic." She shrugged. "There was a lot of awesome rides, though!" Just then, Daisy came in, and the third year nodded when the girl asked to join them. "How are you, Daisy?" she asked. She hated to bring up the girl's father, but she hated to not bring it up, too.

With a pop, a house elf appeared in the room, asking if they wanted something to eat or drink. "Oh, really? That's so nice of you! Do you have any chocolate?" she asked. Maybe chocolate would perk her up!

Daisy finished her sandwich and took a large mouthful of pumpkin juice. "I feel sad and angry. I didn't get to say goodbye to my father when he died which is something I deeply regret." She wiped away a single tear that had fallen down her cheek.

"Yes, Miss, of course, Miss!" Nimma said happily. Nimma popped out quickly and returned after gathering a plate of chocolates. There were a few with a raspberry center, some that were solid milk or dark chocolate, and some with peanut butter stripes. "Nimma hopes you will like the selection, Miss! Else, Nimma can bring more!" Nimma offered the assortment with a deep bow to the young Miss.



Nimma did not mean to overhear Miss Daisy, but she had. Poor Miss! Nimma wished to comfort her, but she knew where her limits were with the studentsies. She looked at the young Miss and decided something. Yes. She would be back!

The house elf gave one more bow to the Misses before *Pop!*

Daisy had to admit that the assortment of chocolates that Nimma had delivered to Maddie looked very tempting. Maybe Maddie would offer her some? "No, Daisy. Think of your Quidditch aspirations!" Daisy thought to herself

Maddie looked at Daisy with a startled expression. She hadn't expected the girl to reply back by saying she was sad and angry. She kept watching and waiting, trying to figure out why someone would be so emotional. "Oh," she finally said, not expecting the second sentence out of the girl's mouth. Her dad had died? That was so sad! "I'm sorry to hear that." Maddie didn't want to ask how the man had died, but the question was out of her mouth before she realized it. "May I ask what happened?"

The awkward moment was slightly interrupted by Nimma, who apparently did have some chocolate. That was awesome! Chocolate could always make most people feel better. "Whoa! What a selection!" she exclaimed. "Thank you, Nimma!" Maddie accepted the plate and sunk her teeth into some solid milk chocolate. "You want some, Daisy? Lex?"

Daisy looked at Maddie and answered with, "He died of a heart attack. He was a fit and healthy person so this was very unexpected." She grabbed a piece of the peanut butter chocolate and popped it into her mouth. It did comfort her slightly.

As excited as Maddie was about her chocolate, she suddenly felt very upset for Daisy. Maybe she shouldn't have offered her chocolate right now. Maybe it just wasn't the time for something like that. The third year popped a piece of chocolate in her own mouth, but she chewed slowly as she tried to find the words to say to her housemate.

"I'm...I'm sorry to hear about your dad," she said. But then she felt a little better when Daisy accepted a piece of the chocolate. Chocolate always made people feel better, even if it was just for a little while. "I know you're really sad about your father, but I just bet he's thinking about you right now and wanting you to do well in school. I bet you're going to make him proud!"

"Thanks, Maddie. I really appreciate you being there for me. I know dad would be proud of me," Daisy smiled a small smile at Maddie.

Maddie smiled. "You're welcome, Daisy," she said, and on that note, she grabbed two pieces of the chocolate and stood up. "You can have the rest if you want. I should get going." She'd finish that off by telling the girl to have a good day, but that didn't really seem like the right thing to say right now. So instead, she opted for "I'll see ya later," before heading off.

When Maddie offered Daisy the rest of the chocolate, Daisy smiled and thanked her. "I'll share the chocolates because I don't want to get a huge sugar rush. I'll see you later, Maddie." Daisy grabbed a piece of chocolate from the plate and ate it, stretching herself out on the sofa.

The common room was one of her favourite places to be in the school. It was so lovely and relaxing, and comfy. She could escape from everything and just have some time to herself. She was currently sat in her favourite chair, right by the fire. It such a snuggly arm chair, and it was right next to the fire, which was nice during these winter months. Sometime she would sit here and paint, or draw. That was her favourite past time, and she loved doing it. But today she was going to do some reading. Reading was something else she liked to do. It was relaxing, and allowed her to disappear, to escape this world and go to a new place.

That was something she needed to do. It was getting stressful at school now, and she just wanted to have some down time. So she was snuggled up, a nice hufflepuff blanket tucked around her legs as she read. Ahh. Nothing could beat this right now

The walk from the broom cupboard to the Hufflepuff Common Room was a short one. Her eyes were still a bit puffy and red from the crying, but her spirits were up. With the plate of cookies in one hand, given to her from Schmoop by way of Tippin, she entered the room and spotted one of the Prefects, Hattie. The seventh year was sitting by the fire, the same area of the room that called to Emmalyn.

She tried to put a smile on her face as she approached Hattie and held out the tray "Hi, Hattie, would you like a fresh baked chocolate chip cookie? Schmoop made them." As she held the tray out, she looked around the room, hoping to find Daisy. She needed to see her friend and to refocus herself on why she was at Hogwarts.

Daisy had noticed that Emmalyn hadn't been her usual bright self. She entered the Common Room and spotted Emmalyn approaching Hattie with a tray of cookies. She headed over to the two girls with a smile on her face. "Hello there. Those cookies look yummy."

He should've been organizing his things and preparing for classes. But why break his streak of procrastination now? The chairs were pretty much begging for people to sit in them.

The fireplace seemed as good a place as any. The way the flames rolled was enough to hypnotize him and help focus on something.

Heaving a heavy sigh, he sank down into a particularly large armchair, and put his feet up on a small table nearby.

A smile instantly spread across her face when she heard Daisy's voice. She turned, plate of cookies in hand, and offered one to her friend. "Would you like a cookie? Schmoop made them, chocolate chip!" The cookies were huge, and were still warm from the oven. The buttery chocolaty smell was almost too much and she grabbed another cookie for herself. She knew she would most likely have a stomachache that night, but it was worth it.

After swallowing her too large of bite, she sat the plate down on the table and flopped back into the overstuffed couch. It was still close enough to the fire for warmth, but not so close as to make her fall asleep. It was one of her favorite places to sit in the common room.