Study hall wrapped up, and the young wizards hauled their books back to their dorms. By the time they headed back down, the tables in the Great Hall were already loaded with food.
After dinner, everyone started trickling back to their respective house common rooms. Richie and his crew headed up to Ravenclaw Tower.
It was still a long time until lights out.
The Ravenclaw common room was packed. Over by the carved bronze doors, a group of younger students had huddled together to crack the eagle knocker's latest riddle.
Inside, a few upperclassmen were looking up, quietly debating the shifting constellations projected on the domed ceiling. A handful of kids were leaning against the fireplace reading, while all ten of the single desks were already claimed by students furiously scribbling away at their assignments.
"Wow, our house is intense. We're back in the common room and they're still studying," Terry said, rubbing the back of his neck, suddenly looking a bit ashamed.
Just a few minutes ago, he'd been telling Richie and the guys how he couldn't wait to get back and just mess around. Now, looking at this...
Stephen pushed his sliding glasses back up his nose. "It's not just the common room. A bunch of people headed straight for the library, too."
Anthony nodded in agreement, but then shot Terry a mischievous wink. "I did see a few upperclassmen head down by the lake, though~"
"Looked like they were~"
"Ahem."
Right on cue, a quiet but pointed cough echoed through the common room.
The four boys jumped. Realizing instantly that their chatter was annoying the older students trying to study, they hastily bowed in apology, their faces burning red, and scurried off to their dorm room.
"Alright, enough messing around," Richie said, shaking his head as he shut the door behind them. "We're young, and we only have so much energy. The most important thing right now is studying."
"Charms, Transfiguration, Potions... some of these we've barely scratched the surface of, and others we haven't even started."
"We're literally at the starting line."
"Besides, with so many upperclassmen grinding away in the common room and the library, you guys shouldn't be slacking off and trying to play around..."
"It's just not right!"
"Exactly!" Hearing Richie's reprimand, Terry immediately chimed in. He took a subtle step away from Anthony and closer to Richie. "Our main mission in Ravenclaw is to learn!"
"There's so much knowledge out there and so many books to read. How could we waste time playing?"
Stephen also took a step back, turning to face Anthony with a serious nod. "Life is short, but knowledge is infinite. We need to study hard."
Staring at the three of them glaring at him with burning intensity, Anthony stamped his foot in sheer frustration. "Wait, how am I the bad guy here?! I never even said I wanted to play around!"
"I'm going to study hard too!"
Seeing the three of them lay out their newfound dedication, Richie nodded in satisfaction.
They'd been sorted into Ravenclaw, after all. Deep down, they were all young wizards who loved to learn and research. They were just a bit naive right now and wouldn't really absorb big, preachy lectures. The best approach was to nip the slack in the bud, lead by example, and set the right tone so they wouldn't stray off course.
Later on, once they matured a bit and saw more of the world, they'd naturally start making their own calls.
So, following Richie's lead, the boys settled down and started studying right there in the dorm.
---
When the next day rolled around, Richie woke up at the very first bell, just like always.
Careful not to wake the other three, he slipped down to the common room, claimed his spot from the day before, and pulled out his copy of Case Studies.
He finished the book right as the second bell echoed through the castle.
Richie looked up, only to see several older students already on their feet, beaming at him as they started walking his way. A few of the older girls had literally lost control, making grabbing motions in the air with their hands.
Richie's eyes widened in sheer panic. Without a second thought, he shoved the book back onto the shelf, scooped up his stuff, and bolted out of the common room faster than he had ever run in his life.
"Dammit!"
"Catch him!"
"Don't let him get away!"
Sprinting out of the common room, Richie scrambled out a window and onto a small exterior ledge. From his hiding spot, he watched the massive, overexcited mob go charging down the spiral staircase.
Leaning against the cold stone wall, Richie let out a heavy breath, thanking his lucky stars he'd managed to escape.
But relief quickly gave way to utter confusion. It had only been one day—how did things escalate to this?
What the hell was actually going on? Was it too much to ask for a quiet place to read?!
After waiting a few minutes to make sure the coast was clear, Richie shimmied back inside through the window. As he did, he bumped right into Padma Patil, who was just leaving the dorms.
"Oh, Harland. So you're into rock climbing?"
Padma blinked at him in mild surprise, watching him casually climb back inside from the ledge.
"Seems a bit dangerous, though."
"Thanks for the heads up," Richie replied casually. As Padma turned to head down the stairs, a thought struck him. "Hold on, Padma."
"What is it, Harland?"
"Just call me Richie. I need to ask you something."
"Do you know who those older girls were looking for?" Richie pointed down the stairs. Given the timing, Padma had to have seen the mob rushing out.
Standing on the steps below him, Padma looked up. "I actually heard some of the older girls in my dorm talking about a first-year boy yesterday."
"They were saying his hair looked incredibly fluffy and cute."
"They all wanted to pet his head."
Hearing that, everything instantly clicked into place for Richie.
Yep, it was his hair's fault.
But his hair was just naturally like this—soft and messy. No amount of styling product or shampoo could tame it, and even if he tried to flatten it, it would just puff right back up a few hours later.
Sure, it might look "cute," he'd admit that much. But his scalp definitely couldn't survive that many people trying to pet him. He refused to go bald before he even hit puberty.
"Thanks for the intel," Richie said politely.
"Don't mention it." Padma gave a small smile and continued on her way down the stairs.
Richie turned around and headed back into the common room.
"Man, if only there was a quiet place where I could just read in peace."
He spent the next bit of time holed up in his dorm, flipping through textbooks. It wasn't long before Terry and the others woke up too. Since they were still fresh roommates and feeling a bit homesick, the vibe was a little awkward. Everyone mostly kept to themselves and did their own thing.
After washing up, the four of them headed down to the Great Hall for breakfast.
Once they'd eaten, Richie and his roommates made their way to Potions class.
The Potions classroom was located down in the castle dungeons, right next to an abandoned holding block. As they descended the damp stone stairs, the air grew heavy with the sharp smell of sulfur mixed with rotting herbs.
They quickly found the classroom and walked inside.
It was built entirely from rough-hewn stone—windowless and suffocatingly tight. The only light came from torches mounted along the walls. The center of the room was filled with over a dozen stone workbenches, completely cluttered with potion-making equipment.
At the very front of the room stood a heavy wooden podium and a massive, towering storage cabinet.