"You're going to the library again?"
"Yeah."
Andrew tidied up his bag and answered matter-of-factly.
"Oh my god... It's only the second week of term and you're practically living there."
Kevin sat up in bed and looked at Andrew. "Think about it—aside from eating together and watching that one Quidditch match, you've spent all your free time in the library."
…
'That... does seem to be true…'
Andrew froze for a second, then realized Kevin was right. Compared to the other students, his life at Hogwarts was incredibly simple.
'But what can I do? I see that noseless guy with the scarf every time I eat!'
There was no point relying on Defense Against the Dark Arts. He wasn't stupid enough to run up to that guy's face and throw himself at him. That only left Transfiguration—where a brilliant professor was actually willing to provide extra guidance.
Maybe it seemed boring to other students, but—he could genuinely feel himself improving in Transfiguration!
"You don't have to care so much about House points—Not everyone can be as terrifyingly perfect as that Granger girl."
"Exactly," another roommate, Bell, said as he put down Quidditch Stars. "Andrew, you've got to learn to use your wit to enjoy life—not just blindly treat books as the sole source of knowledge."
'Of course I'd love to enjoy the wizarding world's beauty… if that noseless guy were dead.'
But there was no way he could say that out loud.
"See? You get it, don't you?"
Bell strolled over with a grin and half-forced Andrew to take off his backpack. "Today—just today. One day a week. Come experience Hogwarts' sunshine."
"Hughes! Stop reading. I even convinced Andrew. Let's explore the castle!"
A few minutes later, the five of them from Andrew's dorm room were out wandering the castle.
"Our dorm's in a great spot, but the problem is it's too high up…"
Bell led the way. "Personally, I recommend playing cards. All sorts of them. But that kind of defeats the purpose of going out—we're not here to sit inside a classroom all afternoon playing cards."
But Bell was quickly proven wrong—because there were people playing cards by the Black Lake.
"So bad…"
After watching for a while, Bell scoffed in disdain.
"They don't even track what cards are left! I don't get it—how can you play and not count the remaining cards?"
'Stop applying your cutthroat club tactics to regular students…'
Andrew nudged him.
"Keep your voice down. They're just playing for fun. You guys are so corrupted by those upper-year sharks, you treat every game like a study subject."
"Of course you've got to learn the mechanics. Otherwise it's all luck!"
Bell looked indignant. "You're obsessed with Transfiguration. Isn't it because the theory drew you in—not just because it's fun?"
Andrew had no comeback to that.
"He's going to win," Bell even had time to analyze the game. "No one can counter his cards anymore."
Sure enough, just as he predicted, the match ended.
"Let's go. They're too lame…"
Bell waved dismissively as the group wandered off to roam the castle lawn again.
—
"There!"
"No way…"
"Oh wow…"
In a more secluded spot, over a dozen fishing rods stood propped by the water—if Filch saw this, he'd go from rage to euphoria instantly.
The fishers had heard them coming, but after a glance, didn't even bother to react. They kept their focus on the rods.
And they could afford to—because they were all upper-year students, and from multiple houses.
A Slytherin student sat calmly by a Gryffindor, both staring out at the lake. Meanwhile, a Ravenclaw and Hufflepuff upper-year were loudly bickering nearby.
It was bizarre and chaotic—but considering the fishing rods in front of them, also oddly normal.
"Look all you want, just don't scare the fish."
During a break in the argument, one of the older students whispered this to the younger ones before going right back to quarreling.
Andrew listened to a bit of it and couldn't help rolling his eyes—The Ravenclaw was citing various scientific data and fishing theories, while the Hufflepuff mercilessly mocked him for being all theory and no results, still coming up empty day after day.
The insults were too much for the theory-lover. Claims started flying—about abnormal water temperatures, Hufflepuff using food magic to boost bait effectiveness…
Andrew's group slipped away quietly—at this stage of their schooling, unless the sixth-years were really disliked, nobody was going to scold them.
Later, they ran into a Hufflepuff picnic group (with a few Ravenclaws mooching snacks), and a mixed casual Quidditch squad practicing on beat-up old brooms. Everyone was there—except Slytherins, of course, though Bell said the ones here were equally "low-tier amateurs"...
Some students found quiet spots to read, others snuck off to make out, some practiced mysterious spells in hidden corners. Every kind of group imaginable was out that day—Slytherins kept mostly to themselves.
There were so many of them, the boys almost forgot their original plan.
Eventually, tired of walking, they found a nice spot and broke out a game of Exploding Snap.
"It's getting dark—let's go eat!"
"Let's go, let's go!"
When they finally sat down in the Great Hall, they realized their "let's explore Hogwarts" trip had basically turned into "let's play cards somewhere else."
"Kevin, where did those cards even come from?"
As they waited for food, someone asked.
"Before we left, I figured we'd end up playing eventually. It was just a matter of when."
Kevin shrugged confidently. "All the groups we met were ones we already knew. Based on the number of people we know and the likelihood of borrowing cards—it only made sense to bring our own."
That explanation was surprisingly logical. So the most enthusiastic explorer, Bell, quickly changed the subject.
"Andrew, come on—what'd you think of this afternoon?"
"It was great. Not everyone sees the library as the sole source of knowledge… But it also deepened some of my stereotypes about the houses."
"Huh?"
"Yeah," Andrew nodded. "Entertainment here is way too formal. A chill afternoon turns into an assignment with a 'reflection piece' at the end… Are we in class or what?"
"Pfft… hahaha…"
Laughter instantly erupted around their table.
T/N: For twenty chapters ahead on all my fics become a P@tron at [email protected]/LordHipposApostle