Boys Will Be Bugs

Chapter 6: First Day

Remus had always had a habit of sleeping in. He assumed it stemmed from his almost permanent exhaustion, brought on by his monthly transformations and the plain anxiety that kept him up way past midnight. Waking up in the morning, therefore, was as hard for him as going to sleep at night. However, on his first proper day of school, Remus woke up unusually early. His mind must have subconsciously— and fretfully— ensured that there was no way he could be late, and he was rather glad he was awake before the rest of the dormitory, as it meant that he could get dressed in peace. It also meant he could use the bathroom without worrying about the other boys; he'd never used a boys' bathroom before, because he'd never had to, what with having spent the majority of his life in his house. As a result, he was slightly fearful, and embarrassed, since he couldn't use the urinals. He decided he'd only use the bathroom when no one else was around, and hoped that there'd be no outstanding emergency to compromise this plan.

The Great Hall was sparsely filled, mainly with first and second years who were still very much trying to make a good impression and arrive early to everything, something that the older students no longer really bothered with. Remus walked to the front of the Gryffindor table where he'd sat last night. The tables were already laden with food, this time of the more breakfast sort: bacon, eggs, toast, cereal and a number of different drinks. Lily was there too, eating a slice of toast and talking to her friend Severus, who hadn't actually sat down. As Remus approached, Severus stared at him as unsmiling as ever.

"Morning," greeted Remus.

"Oh hi Remus!" Lily smiled at him, and he noted with vague surprise that she had managed to remember his name. She shifted over a little and patted the wooden bench with her palm. "Sit down!" Remus quickly obliged, then turned to Severus.

"Don't you want to sit down?" he asked. Severus looked at him like he'd asked something stupid.

"This isn't my table. I'm only here to say hello to Lily."

"You don't have to sit at your table, Sev," said Lily. "It's not a rule... at least I don't think it is."

"It's my first day. If I'm seen sitting at the Gryffindor table instead of the Slytherin table I'll be considered a traitor."

"A traitor? Bit harsh isn't it? It's just breakfast," remarked Remus, who was now buttering his own slice of toast. Severus scoffed.

"You clearly don't understand house dynamics." Remus raised an eyebrow, but didn't reply. Severus turned back to Lily. "I'll see you after class." Lily nodded in agreement, as Severus turned away and walked back to the Slytherins.

"He's a bit... fierce, isn't he?" observed Remus, once Severus was out of earshot. Lily just smiled.

"He's not very good with people, but he's alright once you get to know him."

"Is that possible?"

"Yes. I did, and he's nice to me." Remus dropped the conversation as more students began to filter into the Hall. The next boy he saw from his dormitory was Owain, who was carrying a rather significant pile of books. Owain sat near them, near enough for conversation.

"Why do you have so many books?" asked Lily.

"I didn't know which one I'd need, so I brought all of them."

"You only need Magical Theory for the first lesson," said Remus, who had the book sitting next to him on the table. Other than that, he only had his wand. Anything else he needed he could fetch between classes, and he already had his timetable memorised, so it wouldn't take long. Owain sighed and pulled out a book from the bottom of the pile.

"Thanks. I lost my timetable."

Peter joined them next, walking slightly haphazardly as he struggled with his tie, nearly bumping into an oncoming student. He soon succeeded in his task and flopped down next to the three of them.