Hufflepuff common room

Hufflepuff common room
Location information
Location	Hufflepuff Basement, Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, Scotland, Great Britain
Owner(s)	Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry
Permanent residents	Hufflepuff students (during term time)
Affiliation	Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry Hufflepuff

"It is round and earthy and low-ceilinged; it always feels sunny, and its circular windows have a view of rippling grass and dandelions. There is a lot of burnished copper about the place, and many plants, which either hang from the ceiling or sit on the windowsills. Our Head of house, Professor Pomona Sprout, is Head of Herbology, and she brings the most interesting plant specimens (some of which dance and talk) to decorate our room — one reason why Hufflepuffs are often very good at Herbology. Our overstuffed sofas and chairs are upholstered in yellow and black, and our dormitories are reached through round doors in the walls of the common room. Copper lamps cast a warm light over our four-posters, all of which are covered in patchwork quilts, and copper bed warmers hang on the walls, should you have cold feet."

— Description of the basement

The Hufflepuff common room was the common room for Hufflepuff House located in Hufflepuff Basement. In general, it sported several motifs, such as circles, nature, copper and the colours yellow and black (all associated with the house). It also emphasised comfort, said to be "the cosiest common room of them all".

It was at one floor below the ground and was very sheltered from the elements, generally allowing students to sleep easier than those in the towers (like Gryffindor and Ravenclaw).

Entrance

The barrel entrance to the Hufflepuff common room

The entrance to the common room was located "in a nook on the right hand side of the kitchen corridor", concealed behind a stack of barrels. In order to reveal the entrance, no password was required. Instead, one had to tap the barrel two from the bottom, middle of the second row, in the rhythm of "Helga Hufflepuff", which would make the lid swing open, exposing a passageway that would lead to the basement when crawled through.

However, if the wrong lid was tapped or the wrong rhythm was used, the intruder would be doused in vinegar and barred access.

Description

The Hufflepuff Common Room

The actual basement itself was round, earthy, low-ceilinged, welcoming, warm, and sunny. There were lots of yellow hangings, burnished copper, and overstuffed sofas and armchairs upholstered in yellow and black, and small circular windows that provided a vista of "rippling grass and dandelions". There was also a large, honey coloured, wooden mantelpiece with carvings of badgers on it. This was located underneath a portrait of the house's founder, Helga Hufflepuff.

Fireplace in the Common Room

The chimney of the common room led to a Yawning Gargoyle in the gardens. For students who didn't know the gargoyle was the chimney of the Hufflepuff common room, the constant smoke coming out of the gargoyle's mouth made them think the gargoyle was enchanted.

The Head of House, Pomona Sprout, also taught Herbology and as such brought many interesting plants in to decorate the common room (some of which danced, talked, and waved), placing them on the windowsills or having them hang from the ceiling, encouraging interest in Herbology (and hence part of why Hufflepuffs tended to be good at it). Various cactii stood on wooden circular shelves that were curved to fit the walls, and copper-bottomed plant holders dangled amid the ceiling with ferns and ivies.

Behind the scenes

• The Hufflepuff common room was the only common room that Harry Potter did not enter at some point, as J. K. Rowling never found a valid reason for him doing so in the story.
• Indeed, the Hufflepuff Basement is the only common room that has not been seen by non-Hufflepuffs for over a thousand years at least, making it the most secure of them all.
• The Hufflepuff common room is the only common room that is decorated with vegetation.
• In both LEGO games, the Hufflepuff common room is directly to the right of the Gryffindor common room, and instead of a barrel entrance, the entrance is behind a fruit bowl painting.
• In LEGO Harry Potter: Years 1-4, the walls are decorated with the Hufflepuff crest.

Appearances

• Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire (First mentioned)
• Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix (Mentioned only)
• Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince (Mentioned only)
• Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows (Mentioned only)
• LEGO Harry Potter: Years 1-4 (First appearance)
• Pottermore (First described)
• Wizarding World
• Harry Potter: Hogwarts Mystery
• Harry Potter: Wizards Unite (Mentioned only)
• Harry Potter: Puzzles & Spells
• Harry Potter: Magic Awakened
• Hogwarts Legacy