76 Chapter 76: "First Day"

Harry, ever the early riser, found himself waking up at the break of dawn, at 5 am, without the aid of an alarm. He silently made his way out of the dormitory to freshen up, being careful not to disturb his new roommates.

Descending to the common room, he discovered it empty, enveloped in the tranquil silence of the early morning. The common room windows offered a breathtaking view that captured the essence of Hogwarts' surrounding beauty.

The Black Lake shimmered under the first light, the Forbidden Forest stood dark and mysterious at its edge, and the distant mountains painted a serene backdrop. This scenery, enhanced by the sunrise, provided Harry with a moment of peace and beauty.

With the common room as his starting point, Harry ventured outside, relying on his memory from the previous night to navigate the grounds of Hogwarts. His morning jog took him past the school's many iconic locations.

The foggy Whomping Willow loomed large and somewhat menacing in the early morning mist. The Forbidden Forest was as dark and unwelcoming as the stories made it out to be, promising adventure and danger in equal measure. He noticed Hagrid's hut, quiet and still, possibly indicating that the gamekeeper was either still asleep or out attending to his numerous magical creatures. Harry also passed the training grounds and Quidditch pitch, as well as the sprawling greenhouses and gardens that contributed to Hogwarts' magical learning environment.

Towards the end of his jog, Harry encountered a group of students clad in Quidditch robes, identifiable by their colors as Gryffindor team members. Among them, he spotted a red-haired boy who he assumed was Charlie Weasley, a member of the Weasley family not prominently featured in the books. After exchanging brief, polite greetings with them, Harry continued his way back to the castle.

Navigating the labyrinth of staircases within Hogwarts, Harry made his way back to the Ravenclaw tower. 

Harry returned to his dormitory and found both Reginald and Roger awake, starting their day.

"Morning! Did you go for a run?" Reginald greeted, looking curious.

"Yeah, it's been part of my routine for a while now. Plus, I wanted to explore the castle at sunrise," Harry explained, sharing his morning adventure.

"That sounds great. Mind if I tag along tomorrow? I'm aiming to try out for the Quidditch team next year, so I need to stay fit," Roger chimed in, expressing his interest in joining Harry.

"Absolutely. This morning, I even caught the Gryffindor Quidditch team heading out for practice. They're pretty dedicated," Harry added, noting the competitive spirit of the Gryffindor team.

"I've heard they're one of the strongest teams this year," Roger responded, impressed by Gryffindor's reputation.

"And what about you, Reginald? Interested in joining us?" Harry turned to include their other roommate in the conversation.

"Thanks, but I'll pass. I value my sleep too much," Reginald declined, preferring to stick to his comfortable routine.

With a nod of understanding from Harry, the trio continued their morning routines, preparing themselves for the first day of classes.

Once fully dressed in their Hogwarts robes, they descended to the common room, where they noticed the notice board had already been updated with the week's class schedule. 

Their class schedule was far from set in stone, covering a total of eight subjects for the term: Transfiguration, Charms, Potions, History of Magic, Defense Against the Dark Arts (DADA), Astronomy, Herbology, and Flying. The timing for each class varied, with Potions alone taking up nearly five hours on the days it was scheduled. Astronomy classes were held at night, leading to a lighter load of morning classes on those days. Despite the varied schedule, it was a full plate for the students, though they were granted Saturdays and Sundays off for some much-needed rest.

However, this Saturday was an exception. Since it was their first day at Hogwarts, they had classes to attend: a morning session of Transfiguration paired with Gryffindor and an afternoon Charms class with Slytherin. Fortunately, the following day, Sunday, promised no classes.

Roger, after a glance at the jam-packed schedule, couldn't help but complain, "It's back-to-back classes all day until five in the evening. I'm going to be exhausted. Harry, I might have to rethink joining you for those morning runs."

Harry couldn't help but chuckle at Roger's dismay, "Just wait until the third year. We'll have to squeeze in at least two electives on top of all this. Our weekdays will hardly have a moment to breathe."

Both Roger and Reginald moaned in unison at the thought, clearly dreading the intensified schedule.

Harry just shook his head, amused by their reactions. He understood that, for them, who had never experienced a structured academic environment, the transition would be challenging. But, for Harry, who was accustomed to managing his time efficiently, the schedule seemed manageable.

"There's no point in fretting over it now," Reginald chimed in with a pragmatic tone. "Let's grab some breakfast and then make our way to the Transfiguration classroom. I'd rather not start off by being late to our very first class."

Walking towards the Great Hall, they noticed it was already bustling with students by the time they arrived. The atmosphere was more relaxed, with students filtering in, grabbing their breakfast, and then hurrying off to their first class of the day.

As they settled down for breakfast, the room was filled with the flapping of wings as owls swooped in, delivering mail. It seemed that many of the first-year students, including Harry, were the main recipients of these deliveries.

Harry's attention was caught by an owl heading straight for him, carrying a letter that he recognized to be from Sirius. Opening it, he found Sirius inquiring about his first impressions of Hogwarts and curious about which house Harry had been sorted into. It dawned on Harry that he had missed sending a letter back the previous night, as he had intended.

Making a mental note, he decided to ensure he sent a reply via Hedwig later that evening, remembering his commitment to keep Susan updated with regular letters.

Harry had just finished his breakfast when Cedric approached him with a friendly greeting.

Cedric: "Good Morning, Harry."

Harry: "Morning, Cedric. How's life in Hufflepuff?"

Cedric's voice was full of enthusiasm as he shared his experience. "Great! The seniors and prefects are so helpful and caring. They're even willing to guide us to our classes today so we don't get lost."

Reginald, upon hearing this, was impressed. "Wow, that's a great initiative. Our seniors seem too preoccupied with their studies to offer any guidance on where our classes are."

Cedric, with a hint of surprise, responded, "Really? That's unfortunate. But we were given a map of the school that marks all the important locations." He then pulled out a large piece of parchment, unfolding it to reveal a detailed sketch of Hogwarts' layout, including classroom locations and other key areas—a tool that seemed incredibly useful for navigating the castle.

Seeing the value in the map, Harry asked, "Cedric, would you mind if I made a copy of this? It looks like it could really help us get used to where everything is during the first week."

"Of course," Cedric replied, "The seniors didn't say anything about not sharing it with students from other houses. But you might not have enough time to copy it by hand before classes start."

Harry smiled, reminding Cedric of their magical abilities, "We are wizards, after all."

With a flick of his wand and the word "Gemino," the parchment duplicated itself into four copies. Handing the original back to a bewildered Cedric, Harry shared the copies with his dorm mates, who were equally astonished by the spellwork.

Cedric, slightly bemused, commented, "I wish I'd pestered my father for a training wand too. You're already so far ahead of us in your studies, Harry."

Harry offered a reassuring smile, "It required some sacrifices, like less playtime. But don't worry, I'll help you with your spells. You'll master everything we need to know this year in no time. These spells are pretty straightforward."

Reginald, encouraged by Harry's offer, said, "We'll hold you to that promise, Hadrian. Having someone to help us with spell training should make this tight schedule much more manageable."

Harry, seeking a less formal interaction, replied, "No problem and please, just call me Harry. I don't want to be addressed as Hadrian for the next seven years."

Reginald agreed with a chuckle, "Okay, Harry. Then you can call me Reggy."

As breakfast came to an end and it was time to head to their first class, Cedric parted ways with Harry and the others to join his fellow Hufflepuffs, marking the start of their academic journey at Hogwarts.