| SERENITY |

Chapter 8- [Conception]

8th September 1997- Monday

Harry, alike every other sane person in the world, hated mornings, Monday mornings in particular. It was criminal to want to wake up, especially when it meant he would have to soon face the stares and whispers that followed him in the hallways, both aimed at his Creature status and at Harry Potter, heir of two Ancient Houses.

Which was why, despite the fact that his Charms lesson began in just fifteen minutes, he was still in bed, much to the chagrin of his mates. He cracked his eyes open grudgingly when he once again felt the nervous and irritated presence of Blaise hovering over him, grunting up at his mate who looked seconds away from snapping. "Harry, please, we're going to be late!" Blaise begged, and Harry allowed a few seconds for the words to sink in, before he grumbled and snuggled further into the warmth of the covers, closing his eyes again.

"Just leave me behind, I'm not stopping you."

Blaise clicked his tongue. "I don't have the time for this, up!" Unexpectedly, he threw the cover- large enough to cover all five of them easily- to the end of the bed, and Harry scrunched up, shouting at the offence. The cold air attacked him brutally, and goosebumps pimpled his skin seconds after the sudden exposure.

"Hey!" Harry groaned, squinting his eyes up at his mate, who stood at the side of the bed with his hands on his hips, eyebrows drawn together in impatience.

"Get dressed, we only have fourteen minutes! I will not start off this year with a detention!" Blaise then darted out of the room, and rustling could be heard in the living room, along with murmured voices.

With a huff, he pushed himself up and stared around their room with bleary eyes. The dominant colour- dark blue, so that there were no arguments about whether it should be red or green- was easy on his eyes, and the bed canopy blocked out the worst of the sunshine coming in through the open windows. Harry clambered out of the high bed with a sigh, shuffling to the edge and dropping off the last few inches. Apparently, a higher-than-average bed was a necessity for them- he, Elian, Blaise and Draco were all Creatures descended from Creatures who had originally lived in high places, so it was reasonable to suggest that they felt safer sleeping in an elevated area.

If Harry was being honest, he couldn't tell that there was a difference.

Shuffling around the room, it took him less than four minutes to get ready- one of those minutes spent sitting on the edge of his bed, reorientating himself to the wakeful world- and once done, hurried out of the room, receiving his bag to his chest the moment he entered the living room.

"Don't forget your shoes!" Blaise was already heading out of the door by the time he registered his surroundings- three amused mates sitting on the sofa, a small assortment of breakfast items covering the table in front of them- and Harry scrambled for his shoes, not bothering to tie them in his haste. He grabbed a croissant as he passed the table, and hastened after his mate.

"Wait up!"

======================

Despite Harry's protest that he was 'quite capable of finding Draco by himself, thanks', Blaise still followed him to the dungeons, guiding him to his Potions class for his own peace of mind, waving goodbye once his other mate was in sight. Harry rolled his eyes as the pair exchanged glances, and Draco swung his arm over his shoulders, an uncommon gesture that the other was beginning to grow more comfortable with, despite his protests that it was too 'casual'.

"How was your Charms lesson? Did you get there in time?"

"Fine, we got in with a couple of minutes to spare, but Flitwick didn't even start the lesson for another five."