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The Hufflepuff Basement serves as the common room for students in Hufflepuff house at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. In general, it sports several motifs, such as circles, nature and the colour yellow (all associated with the house of Huffepuff). It also emphasises comfort, said to be "the cosiest common room of them all"; it is at ground level (just) and is very sheltered from the elements, generally allowing students to sleep easier than those in the towers (like Gryffindor and Ravenclaw).[1]
Entrance
The entrance to the common room is 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 is required. Instead, one must tap the barrel two from the bottom, middle of the second row, in the rhythm of ‘Helga Hufflepuff’, which will make the lid will swing open, exposing a passageway that will lead to the basement when crawled through. If either the rhythm of tapping or the lid tapped is wrong then the intruder will be doused in vinegar and barred access.[1].
Common Room
The actual basement itself is round, earthy and low-ceilinged, with a sunny atmosphere; very warm and welcoming. There are lots of yellow hangings, fat armchairs[2] and circular windows that provide a vista of "rippling grass and dandelions"[1]. It also houses many plants and flowers, making it the only Common Room to do so[3].
Dormitories
The Hufflepuffs' dormitories are also located in the cellar, with lots of little underground tunnels leading off from the common room and have perfectly circular doors[2]. One of them leads to the girls' dormitory, the other to the boys. In each dormitory there are five beds, presumably decorated with yellow hangings and the Hufflepuff crest (the badger).
Behind the scenes
- The Hufflepuff Basement was the only common room that Harry Potter did not enter at some point.
- JK Rowling had previously described the entrance to the Hufflepuff common room as being behind a still-life painting of some fruit[2]. This is consistent with Lego Harry Potter: Years 1-4, however, this may conflict with the description of the Hufflepuff common room on Pottermore, which describes the basement as being accessed through a fake barrel[1]. However, Pottermore also states that the barrel reveals a passageway—through which one may crawl to the common room—so it may be that the still life painting rests at the end of that corridor, acting as the common room door.
- The many flowers and plants seen in Hufflepuff Basement in Lego Harry Potter: Years 1-4 is probably a reference to the Head of Hufflepuff House, Pomona Sprout, who also occupied the post of Herbology.
- On Pottermore.com, if a player gets sorted into Hufflepuff, a new chapter, written by J.K. Rowling will be unlocked and enabled to read, describing the common room in full detail.
- Hufflepuff is the only house that also employs a repelling device against intruders as opposed to simply barring access.[1]
Appearances
- Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire (First mentioned)
- Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows (Mentioned only)
- Lego Harry Potter: Years 1-4 (First appearance)
- Pottermore (First described)
Notes and references
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 1.4 Transciption of new Pottermore information
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 Bloomsbury - Webchat with J.K. Rowling, 30 July 2007
- ↑ Lego Harry Potter: Years 1-4