Scarves and Secrets- Phan AU

Chapter Four- The Hufflepuff

"WAKE UP PHIL!"

Phil jerks awake, bolting upright. PJ bounces on Phil's mattress, head grazing the canopy suspended above his wooden four-poster bed. Phil groans and rips off his patchwork quilt, shoving PJ playfully. PJ laughs and slides off.

"I hate you," Phil groans. PJ pokes him.

"No you don't," he says. Phil rolls his eyes in defeat. He stretches and slips on his robes.

Phil rubs his eyes and blinks slowly. Five beds were placed evenly around the circular room. Copper lamps emit warm light, illuminating all of the yellow and gold throughout the dorm. Bed warmers hung on the walls, in case anyone got cold feet in the night. Overall, it was the coziest place Phil has ever seen.

An Australian boy with caramel wavy hair stretches in his bed, moaning and raising his arms. He forces his icy eyes open and makes eye contact with Phil. Phil nods, acknowledging the boy.

"Hey Troye," he says. "Comfy sleep?"

Troye nods, rolling out of bed. Joe and Caspar mumble and wake up from all the commotion.

Joe is Zoe's younger brother. He is a year younger than them, as is Caspar and Troye. Phil is still unsure as to how he and PJ ended up in a fourth year dormitory. Oh well, they were nice enough.

Phil slides his suitcase out from under his bed and flips it open, revealing the mess of rumpled clothes, books, and school supplies. Phil was never one much for perfect symmetry.

He pulls out his pile of books, some old and ragged, some shiny with spines still perfectly intact. PJ crouches next to him and stacks his own supplies.

"So, what classes do you have this year?" the curly haired boy asks him.

Phil takes out his schedule and glances down at the parchment. "Well, the usual. Let me see your schedule..." Phil scanned the two pieces of paper, searching for any similarities. "We have Defense Against the Dark Arts, Charms, Astronomy, and Runes together," he says, handing PJ back his schedule. Hopefully Dan will be in some of his classes, too.

The boys all change and Phil rushes to his first class: Herbology. He clutches his books to his chest, his wand tucked safely away in his pocket. As cliche as it is for a Hufflepuff, Phil actually really enjoys Herbology. But not as much as Care and Keeping of Magical Creatures. He snakes his way through the thickening hoards of students, each one itching to begin their first day. Phil catches sight of a familiar head of dark brown hair and runs to catch up.

"Dan!" he calls, exiting the castle, sneakers slapping against the damp lawn. Dan stops in his steps and turns around to wait for Phil, a grin forming on his lips.

Phil jogs over to his friend, panting for breath. He is so horribly out of shape; he's not fat or lazy, he just is extremely unfit. Luckily, walking through Hogwarts Castle's neverending corridors and everchanging stairways was a pretty good way to work out.

Dan and Phil enter the greenhouse, navigating their way through the disarray of flora. A group of fifth years are all crowding around the professor, who is shielded by all of the kids. They stop in the back of the mob, craning their necks to see what was happening.

"What the bloody hell is he saying? I can't hear anything..." Dan whispers. Phil shrugs and stands on his tip toes, but even then he was just at Dan's height. The professor mumbles something and the crowd breaks apart, each student taking a flower pot filled with dirt from a stack in the corner. The professor strides towards them, and Phil's jaw drops.

"Phil! Nice to see you, boy!" Neville throws him arms out and gives Phil a constricting hug. Dan shoots him a puzzling look. Phil strains against Neville's grip. He can't help but smile into his arms.