The search operation at Hogwarts made a lot of noise but achieved little in the end. Still, Dumbledore's actions helped unite the school—professors became more attentive to student safety, and students began to trust more that the faculty would protect them.
Soon, the winter holidays arrived. Every student who could return home did so. After all, since the professors had failed to find the Chamber of Secrets during their search, many students and their families remained concerned that the monster might reappear.
Slytherin, Ravenclaw, and Hufflepuff emptied out completely. Only a few students from Gryffindor stayed behind—including Harry Potter, who avoided returning to the Dursleys' at all costs.
Ron and his twin brothers also stayed, and Percy Weasley, worried they might get into trouble, remained at Hogwarts to keep an eye on them.
At the Hogwarts train platform, the older Weasley brothers were sending their Hufflepuff sister home.
"Remember to help Mum with the chores when you get back," Percy Weasley reminded.
"Don't forget to feed the chickens," Fred Weasley added.
"And feed the pigs," said George Weasley.
"And feed the cows," Ron Weasley added reluctantly after his twin brothers pinched him.
"You three are just... annoying!" Ginny was at a loss for words to describe her brothers.
"Ron lost a bet yesterday, so he was forced to play along with us," the twins chimed in together.
Carrying her small suitcase, Ginny boarded the train. After walking through several compartments, she finally found a seat.
Inside sat Regulus Black, along with Hermione and some other girls. Ginny blushed slightly but still entered the compartment.
Over the past half-semester, Ginny had interacted with Regulus Black quite frequently—all without her brothers knowing.
She remembered that after being sorted into Hufflepuff, she finally realized that apart from the much-hyped Gryffindor house her brothers always praised, the other houses had their own pride and dignity. It's just that the other three weren't as flamboyant as Gryffindor, the house of lions.
Slytherin was like a snake—coldly watching its prey, assessing its size and strength, waiting for the right moment to strike.
Ravenclaw was like an eagle—surveying the land from the sky, always observing and recording everything from a third-party perspective.
Hufflepuff was like a badger—struggling to survive in thick underbrush, but anyone daring to infringe upon its interests would be met with a sharp counterattack.
And Gryffindor was like a lion—always ruling the grasslands, constantly busy chasing prey and marking territory.
That was how Hufflepuff viewed the four houses. It gave Ginny, a child from a Gryffindor family, a new perspective.
Indeed, each of the four houses had a distinct cultural essence. It was likely that the other houses had different views as well.
After joining Hufflepuff, Ginny was surprised to discover that Hufflepuffs could freely enter the Hogwarts kitchen.
Inside, hundreds of house-elves busily worked. Each Hufflepuff student was assigned a personal house-elf to serve them—something no other house had. Many ordinary wizarding families, like the Weasleys, didn't even have a single house-elf.
When Ginny was first brought into the kitchen by the Hufflepuff girl prefect, a crowd of excited house-elves rushed over.
"Ginny! This is the Hogwarts kitchen. From now on, you can come here anytime you want something to eat. A house-elf will serve you. Each of us in Hufflepuff has our own dedicated house-elf—but they only serve you within Hogwarts," the prefect explained.
This year's Hufflepuff girl prefect was Nymphadora Tonks. Next year, she would be busy preparing for graduation and wouldn't have time to continue her prefect duties.
"Hufflepuff is especially known for excelling in food-related charms. It might be the house with the most students and the kindest hearts in all of Hogwarts. You've already received your welcome letter—take your time to read it when you're back in the dorm."
Tonks patted Ginny lightly and nudged her to step forward.
"Now, go ahead—pick a house-elf to serve you!"
Ginny looked at the crowd of house-elves and was completely overwhelmed. All those wide eyes, pointy noses, and large ears had her dazed.
"Um… is this really okay? They're Hogwarts' house-elves," Ginny asked hesitantly.
"Don't worry, it's perfectly fine. These house-elves only serve you during your time as a student and only within the school grounds. You're not burdening them—in fact, you're fulfilling their desire. Normally, house-elves serve wizarding families and see their masters every day. While many wizarding households treat them poorly, at Hogwarts, the house-elves are overwhelmed with general duties and lack that sense of serving a specific master. That's why Hufflepuff students are allowed this special arrangement—so the elves can have a focused bond again."
"How could there be such a thing!"
Ginny was completely stunned. She had never heard such an explanation before—Hogwarts' house-elves needing a temporary master? The idea was hard to believe.
"I didn't believe it at first either," said Nymphadora Tonks. "But since you've already been brought here, if you don't choose a house-elf, they'll fight over the spot after you leave. You wouldn't want them getting hurt just because you refused to make a choice, would you?"
Tonks' meaning was clear: Even if you don't kill Boren, Boren dies because of you.
"Then, if students from the other three houses find this place, would the house-elves also fight each other for the chance to serve them?"
Ginny, now fully curious, posed another question.
"Hahahaha! Of course not. Even if students from the other three houses manage to find this place, they'll only be served by a randomly assigned house-elf. This honor is reserved exclusively for Hufflepuff students."
Nymphadora Tonks spoke with great pride—after all, this was a tradition passed down by the great wizards who founded Hogwarts.
Ginny, however, breathed a quiet sigh of relief. Knowing the temperament of her Weasley brothers, even if she accidentally revealed this secret, it wouldn't cause any real harm to Hufflepuff. The real issue was that the Weasleys were struggling financially—they could never afford such a luxury anyway.
"So… how should I choose?"
As soon as Ginny confirmed that she wanted to pick a house-elf, the room erupted into chaos. A chorus of "Pick me! Pick me!" rang out from below.
"I had them each state their names and picked the one I liked," Tonks said. "Rainbow, come here!"
At her call, a house-elf who had been lingering at the edge of the crowd immediately shoved past the others and came to stand in front of Tonks.
"Miss Tonks, what would you like me to do?"
This house-elf was incredibly dirty, covered in so many splashes of paint it looked like a living 3D painting. Just watching it move made one dizzy.
"I called you here to help me come up with an idea—how can we help Miss Ginny Weasley choose the right house-elf?"
This was a difficult question for a house-elf. They were used to obeying, not thinking—orders were everything, and decision-making had long been abandoned.
But since this was an order from Mistress Tonks, Rainbow had no choice but to wrack its brains for a solution.
"What does Miss Weasley like to eat?" Rainbow asked.
Immediately, a hundred wide eyes turned to stare at Ginny Weasley.
"I like lamb chops and fish soup with mashed potatoes," Ginny replied, not knowing why she blurted out the same favorite dishes as Regulus Black.
"Who's in charge of those three dishes? Step forward!" Rainbow shouted.
At once, three house-elves pushed through the crowd and stood before Ginny.
"Miss Weasley, please choose one of us!"
Having a personal servant—what was that even like? Ginny didn't need to do anything else; the house-elf handled all the daily chores for her.
Oh, and its name? It was Goldie.
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