Twins: A Different Life

First Day

Harry was already awake, dressed, and onto his second book by the time the rest of the boys started to stir. He was accustomed to waking up early, and only rarely did he stay in bed longer than necessary. His school bag was packed with all his textbooks and carefully chosen extras, ready to go.

He understood that there was a strong possibility he would be bored in class, but Merlin had once told him that it allowed him the opportunity to pursue other interests. He could build connections, work on separate projects, and try to address the complex issues of light and dark in the current climate.

Casting a Tempus, he rose to his feet. Harry saw that it was almost time for the prefects to lead them to the Great Hall. He returned to the dormitory to remind Aressa not to get caught and to ensure that the other boys were up and at least getting ready. After all, Slytherin was a united front.

"How in Merlin's are you ready already?" Draco exclaimed.

"I've been reading for about two hours," Harry said with a shrug. "If you want to eat, hurry up." He stroked Aressa before leaving the scurrying pre-teens in favour of his books.

Draco was the first to emerge, looking a bit disgruntled, but his attire was impeccable, and he was ready for the day. By then, some girls had already arrived and were milling around the common room, waiting for the prefects. Crabbe and Goyle were the last to arrive, just in time, as two prefects came down and nodded at them.

"This will only happen today unless you believe you might have trouble finding your way to the Great Hall," the male prefect told them. "If you do have any issues, please speak with one of us. If you still cannot find your way, you can speak to Professor Snape, who will pass the message along to us."

They were taken the longer route to the Great Hall, much to Harry's annoyance, and he made a note to show Draco the quicker way to get there.

Harry served himself breakfast while waiting for his timetable to be distributed. He started conversing with Draco about which classes they were both looking forward to. When Professor Snape came around to hand out the timetables, Harry accepted his eagerly. However, his mood slightly dampened when he realized he wouldn't have Potions class until the following Friday.

"Shall we go to Charms?" Theodore asked, and they nodded.

The entirety of the first-year Slytherins rose and left together, receiving nods of approval from the older students. They had a basic map printed on the back of their timetables, but Harry noticed that it was the longer route to their classroom. They would arrive just in time, which was not how he wanted to start his first day of school.

"Ignore the map and follow me," Harry said as he walked up the first flight of stairs, turning left instead of continuing upward.

"But we haven't got time to explore." One of the girls said.

"If we're late on the first day, Professor Snape will be very upset," Blaise added.

"Don't worry; we're not exploring," Harry assured them as he led them through a portrait of a man making his cutlery and crockery dance. They moved swiftly down the sloping corridor until they reached what seemed like a blank wall. Harry tapped the top left corner, and the wall swung open, revealing the Charms corridor.

"Tah dah!"

"How could you have possibly known that?" Draco demanded, and Harry smirked.

"I'm just that good," Harry stated. 

Realizing that they were not going to get any more information from him, the group slipped on their masks and waited for the rest of Ravenclaw House to arrive. Harry noted that the other House didn't seem to follow the same rules as Slytherin, as they arrived either individually or in pairs.