ashes of worship, h.p

02. classes

━ TWO.

     year one, 1991

     The following day dawned dimly, glimmering through the circular stained-glass window of the Slytherin dormitory and through the murky lake. Kallias, already used to rising early from his life before Hogwarts, gently shifted out of his bed, taking care not to wake the others. Catching that Blaise's bed was already neatly made and empty, he guessed that he had woken up even earlier. Turning to Theodore, still nestled deeply under his covers, Kallias went over and gently shook his shoulder. "Theo, time to get up."

With a little grunt, Theodore pulled the covers closer to him. "Five more minutes," he said, the pillow muffling his voice.

"Come on, Theo, you don't want to be late on the first day."

Theodore sighed heavily, but after a moment, he reluctantly pushed the covers down and sat up, blinking groggily in the dim light. "Alright, alright," he muttered, rubbing the sleep from his eyes. "I'm up."

As he dressed, Kallias went to the common room, where the fire crackled warmly in the fireplace. Blaise was seated in one of the armchairs, reading a book.

"Morning," Blaise greeted without looking up from his book, he smiled slightly.

"Morning, Blaise," Kallias replied, sitting opposite him. "You were up early."

Blaise finally looked up, closing his book. "Old habits."

     Not long after, Theodore joined them, looking more awake and ready for the day. The three of them spent a few quiet moments in the common room. The tranquillity was soon interrupted by the arrival of Miles, who shuffled into the room looking decidedly out of it. His hair was tousled, and his eyes were half-closed as he limped over to join them, plopping down into an empty chair with a groan.

"Morning," Miles mumbled, his voice thick with sleep.

"Morning," Kallias replied with a slight grin, watching Miles struggle to fully wake up. "Rough night?"

"Rough morning," Miles corrected, leaning back in the chair with a sigh. "Why does it have to be so cold in here? I could barely get out of bed."

Blaise chuckled softly, still holding his book. "You'll warm up once we get moving. Besides, breakfast is waiting."

The mention of breakfast did the trick, as Miles perked up slightly. "Alright, fine. Let's go before I nod off again."

     After getting up, the four left the Slytherin common room. The cold stone walls of the dungeons were a stark contrast to the warmth they had just left behind. The corridors were still relatively quiet, with only a few students about. When they arrived, the Great Hall was as grand and welcoming as ever, with long tables loaded with food and an enchanted ceiling showing the clear morning sky.

The smells of heated porridge, sizzling bacon, and freshly baked bread filled the air as they sat at the Slytherin table. Still looking half-asleep, Miles wasted no time piling his plate high with food while the others followed suit.

Kallias pulled out the timetable they had been given the previous night and spread it on the table. The neatly printed schedule detailed their classes for the day, and Kallias's eyes quickly scanned the list before settling on their first class.

"Looks like we're kicking off with Potions, huh? With Snape and the Gryffindors."

     Kallias sat motionless, thinking about the upcoming Potions classes. A glimmer of excitement flashed through his eyes; not only would he be able to learn more about brewing, but he would also be interacting with Ron regularly. Kallias frowned, his mind wandering. It felt strange not being around Ron much. He was used to spending most of his rare free time at the burrow. Now, he was separated even more because of their house affiliations and classes.