Dreams of Magic (Harry Potter)

Five: Routine

"Addy, must you?" From the top bunk, Aurora complained as Addy opened the blinds to let the honey-colored light of morning pour inside.

"Every morning!" She brightly responded, grabbing her brush to style her hair into the usual two pigtails. Even as she complained, Aurora was in good spirits as she hopped down from her bed and changed into her uniform. Over the next ten minutes, their other roommates joined her in their usual morning routine. It had taken a little over a month, but the five girls had established their dynamics and figured out their schedules for the most efficient way of life. These days were Addy's favorite- her first two classes she shared with Jay, Mei-Lin, and Draco. The thought alone raised her spirits, and she went about her day cheerfully.

Charms was a breeze, and her favorite class. It was something that she both worked hard at and was naturally gifted in, and she loved having Flitwick as a teacher. He taught with the progression of students and allowed them to go more advanced if they were ready.

Defense Against the Dark Arts was nearly a joke, as much as she hated to be negative. Quirrell had them practicing the same basic spells all the time, though by this time, the students were all ready for much more. Half the first-years openly mocked him, and while Addy would never do the same, she understood that their meanness was coming from a place of frustration- she was upset, too. He gave out praises for the simplest of things, and it came across as though he could disguise his lack of teaching material in false praise.

Herbology was interesting, though Addy wouldn't call it fun. She didn't have any close friends in that class but had no problems making in-class friends to partner with. It was no secret that herbology was not her thing, but she tried her best and worked hard to pass the time anyway.

After a long day of schoolwork, the best part of the day was debatably the evenings. Addy would meet up with Jay and Mei-Lin for dinner, and then the three of them would stake out in the common room and study together. They'd mastered the art of procrastinating, talking, and getting their homework done at the same time. This is what they were doing, and Addy was giggling as Jay slammed his textbook shut and threw it on the table in between their chairs.

"This is ridiculous," Jay said, slouching back in his chair and pouting. Mei-Lin looked up from her own History of Magic textbook, smiling slightly.

"What is it this time?" She asked. "You look quite like my little brother, frowning like that." Her gentle teasing only made Jay's frown more pronounced.

"Who cares about all these old wizards?" He asked, throwing up his arms. "I just wish history was more useful, like Potions." Addy made a face immediately.

"You're just saying that because you're good at Potions," She said, and Jay sat up fully.

"Of course I am," He responded, "There's no shame in playing to your strengths, and my strengths do not involve memorizing the names of six hundred dead people."

"Well, could your strengths right now please involve being quieter with your temper tantrum?" Mei-Lin responded, still smiling as her eyes dropped back down to her textbook. Jay huffed.

"The rest of my research needs to be done tonight so I can finish writing my paper tomorrow," Mei-Lin explained. Addy made another face. Her own history essay sat in front of her, still half-written from yesterday. She had determined that working on her Potions paper required her attention at the moment, and was all too happy to leave the history paper for later.

"Have you finished your Potions paper?" Addy asked Jay, already knowing the answer. He nodded, face brightening.

"Yeah, and it was actually really fun. What makes potions work in a specific way is so interesting, honestly, and so intricate..." Addy sat back, satisfied. She knew Jay could go off on a spiel about potions for at least the next five minutes, so she simply smiled and zoned out in Jay's general direction to show that she was (mildly) paying attention. Unlike most Ravenclaws, Jay didn't pride himself on his vast internal library of knowledge. He was smart and everyone was aware, but he didn't enjoy flaunting it and putting his intelligence to use was not his favorite thing to do- unless he was talking about potions. It was his favorite class and subject, and the boy had a talent for it unlike any other. Professor Snape did not usually complement any of his students, but Jay got an approving nod from the surly man nearly every class, which was just as good as a verbal compliment from any other teacher.