𝐕𝐚𝐥𝐞𝐝𝐢𝐜𝐭𝐨𝐫𝐢𝐚𝐧 ─ ᴛʜᴇ ᴍᴀʀᴀᴜᴅᴇʀs ☆

first day - prologue

Another school year, and this time, Remus was ready for it.

He had been spending a lot of time studying all the topics that he thought the teachers might cover this year. He wanted to get a head start so he'd already have a basic understanding of what was coming up. He went through his notes, looked up extra resources online, and even worked on practice problems to make sure he was prepared. On top of that, he also decided to review everything they had covered in high school so far. He went back through old textbooks, reread chapters, and reworked past assignments, just to make sure he remembered all the important details. It wasn't easy, but he figured that by starting early and putting in the effort now, it would help him stay on top of things during the school year. So, by the time the new school year started, he had a lot of the material fresh in his mind and was ready to dive into whatever the teachers would introduce next.

He also set an alarm for 5:30 a.m. every morning, even though he really didn't want to. He remembered the one time he'd shown up late to school-barely making it to his first class, stumbling through the halls with everyone else already settled in. It had been embarrassing, and he didn't want to deal with that again. But still, waking up that early was the last thing he wanted to do. He wasn't a morning person, and getting out of bed when it was still dark outside made him so angry. But he knew he had to do it if he didn't want to start the day off feeling rushed and annoyed.

So, he dragged himself out of bed, annoyed that he had to give up more sleep just to avoid the hassle of being late.

The dark-wooden floorboards creaked under his feet with every heavy step he took, as if they were protesting his early wake-up. His body moved forward in long, sluggish strides, his muscles stiff from the lack of sleep, each step dragging him closer to the bathroom. He barely opened his eyes, the harsh light from the hallway blinding him as he shuffled down the hall. Everything felt like an effort, but he was too tired to care. The idea of getting back into bed was tempting, but he knew he'd regret it later. So, with a sigh of annoyance, he continued, his footsteps echoing in the quiet house.

Remus opened the bathroom door and stepped in, the cool, slick tiles sending a shiver up his spine. It was one of the downsides of waking up this early-the cold always hit him like a slap, making him wish he could just crawl back into bed and forget about the alarm. He flipped the light switch, wincing as the bright fluorescent glow stabbed at his tired eyes, forcing them to adjust. For a few seconds, he stood there, blinking and rubbing his face, feeling every bit of his exhaustion. But he knew there was no turning back now-if he didn't get moving, he'd be late again, and that was the last thing he wanted. So, grumbling under his breath, he splashed cold water on his face, trying to shake off the sleep that was still clinging to him.

Finally, after what felt like a small eternity of squinting and blinking against the blinding light, Remus' eyes slowly adjusted to the harsh fluorescent glow. He grumbled quietly under his breath, still half in a fog of sleep, and rubbed at his face in frustration. The cold air of the bathroom hit him like a sudden shock, making him feel even more awake in the worst way. He was barely functioning, his body stiff and sluggish as if it had already decided it wasn't quite ready to face the day.

With a heavy sigh, he peeled off his clothes, the fabric feeling like a weight on his tired limbs. He tossed them carelessly onto the floor, not bothering to fold them or think much of it. His body didn't seem to want to cooperate as he moved-his movements slow and clumsy, like he was on autopilot. The cold tiles beneath his feet made him shiver again, but he didn't care enough to step away from them. Everything felt irritating this early, from the sharp chill in the air to the noise of the house that felt too loud in the silence of the morning.

Finally, with no other choice, he stepped into the shower. The hot water poured down on him almost aggressively, splashing against his skin and momentarily chasing away the cold. He closed his eyes for a moment, letting the warmth soak into him, but it wasn't enough to fully shake off the heaviness of his exhaustion. The steam filled the bathroom, fogging up the mirror, and for a second, he almost forgot why he'd been in such a hurry. If only he could crawl back into bed and stay there, not caring about the time.