[Discontinued] When Shadows Collide, The Game Begins

Chapter Fifteen

Harry woke to the sun streaming down on his face. He scrunched his eyes and turned over, wishing he'd stayed awake long enough to close the bed curtains the night before. 

"You really should get up, Holmes," someone said. Harry groaned, but sat up, rubbing his eyes. He grabbed his glasses and put them on, allowing the dormitory to come into focus. Harry saw Draco standing over his bed, already dressed.

"Give me a minute, Malfoy." Harry slowly got up and pulled on his uniform. Hedwig's cage was still sitting on top of his trunk and she hooted softly. Harry opened the cage and she flew onto his shoulder. He grabbed a treat and fed it to her before grabbing his school bag and leaving the dormitory.

The common room was pretty empty, only a few older students were hanging around. The giant squid was visible in the lake. Harry looked at it for only a few seconds before walking out of the common room and into the dungeon hallway. He pulled his robes tighter around him, glad that the uniform was well-suited for living in a castle. 

Once he had climbed the many stairs out of the dungeons and into the entrance hall, Hedwig took off from his shoulder and flew out of one of the windows. Harry watched her fly off, admiring her pure white feathers against the blue sky.

"We don't have all day," said Draco from behind him. Harry jumped slightly, not realising the boy had crept up behind him. He scolded himself slightly. He would not let his observation skills slip. Especially not in a place with so many secrets.

"Are you coming?" asked Draco, already standing in the doorway of the Great Hall. Harry nodded and they walked in together. A few whispers followed them. Many students thought that Harry Holmes might be The Boy Who Lived, but most weren't convinced. Even so, Harry flattened his fringe over his scar, making sure no one would see it. It was unlikely he'd be able to keep the secret for long. 

Harry and Draco sat down at the empty end of the Slytherin table, perfectly happy to only talk to one another. Harry looked at the coffee-free table in front of him in dismay. Already he was feeling tired. He pushed the thoughts of caffeine aside and instead looked over at the Ravenclaw table. Hermione was sitting alone and not looking overly happy about it. Harry waved at her. She came over immediately and sat opposite Draco and Harry. A few Slytherins glared at the new addition to the table, and Draco looked slightly uncomfortable, but Harry immediately struck up a conversation. All three of them grabbed some breakfast and began to talk.

A while later, it was declared that breakfast was over and that all students should begin making their way to class. Draco and Harry said goodbye to Hermione and began walking towards their first class.

The second they arrived, school began, and Harry almost forgot he was in a magical place. Though the term had only just begun, teachers gave out more work than Harry had ever had to do in his whole life. He had never had a formal class before, and decided a few minutes after the first one started that he was pretty glad he had been homeschooled.

Even though every student was at a different level, they were all given the same tasks and the same help, though Harry saw that the better you were at the subject, the more attention you would get from the teacher. 

The first few days passed in a blur. Between having to navigate the ever-changing one hundred and forty-two staircases and having so much classwork you couldn't take a second to stretch your wrist without missing something important, Harry soon became quite tired. Every morning he would struggle to rise, and every night he would be asleep the second his head hit the pillow. On top of that, whenever he was in the great hall, he would get a horrible headache that felt like someone was shoving a wooden stake through his brain. 

By the third day, Harry was so tired he was unfazed when Peeves the resident poltergeist snuck up behind him, invisible, and grabbed his nose before screeching "GOT YOUR CONK!" Unfortunately, Harry had been too tired to do his hair that morning and his fringe shifted, revealing the lightning scar on his forehead. One kid saw it and cried out,