Six in the morning.
Lucas woke up early, while the other two in his dormitory were still fast asleep.
Today, he needed to get familiar with Hogwarts' layout and head to breakfast to pick up Slytherin's class schedule.
Because of the greenish underwater lighting in the common room, it was impossible to tell what time it was, so the Slytherin students had developed a strong sense of discipline.
Otherwise, it would be all too easy to oversleep and be late.
Lucas put on the Slytherin school uniform he received the night before, fastened his green snake-emblazoned tie, picked up his wand, and left the room.
Perhaps because he was up so early, the common room was completely empty.
Following the route from the night before, Lucas arrived at the Great Hall.
"Just some breakfast," he said.
As soon as he spoke, a rich breakfast appeared in front of him out of thin air.
These meals were prepared by the Hogwarts house-elves, who were excellent at domestic magic.
As he was eating, a fresh piece of parchment appeared on the table—it was the class schedule for Slytherin.
Lucas glanced through it and saw that most classes were shared with Gryffindor, such as Transfiguration, Flying, Potions, and Care of Magical Creatures.
It seemed Slytherin and Gryffindor spent the most time together in class, while Ravenclaw and Hufflepuff were usually paired up.
The snake and the lion—two houses famously at odds. Were they put in class together to push each other harder?
Maybe it was all about competition and pressure.
Lucas studied the schedule carefully.
The course load wasn't heavy—especially for someone like Lucas, who had already gone through nine years of Muggle education in his previous life. These subjects seemed relatively easy, and the timetable left plenty of free time.
Morning classes were from 9:00 AM to 12:00 PM, afternoon classes from 2:00 PM to 3:30 PM, and on certain days, there was an evening class after dinner.
After breakfast, it was already 7:00 AM. More students had started arriving at the Great Hall, most of them older Slytherin and Ravenclaw students.
As for the first-years, they were probably still asleep.
With breakfast and his schedule in hand, Lucas decided it was time to explore the school a bit more.
When he reached the grand staircase, he saw the steps constantly shifting and rotating. They changed every few seconds, which made them the number one reason new students were late.
The castle's stone walls were decorated with enchanted paintings—elegant ladies, valiant knights, and lively portraits that could actually talk and interact.
With the help of a kind lady in one of the portraits, Lucas managed to memorize the route to his first class.
It took him about an hour.
By now, it was only 8:00 AM—still an hour before class started.
Feeling a bit bored, Lucas was about to head to the library, but then a cheerful voice called out behind him.
"Lucas!"
As he turned around, a soft jasmine scent reached his nose.
Seeing a friendly face made his morning even better.
"Good morning, Hermione," he greeted with a smile.
It was Hermione, dressed in Gryffindor red, her long bushy hair carrying the sweet scent of jasmine. She held a thick book and a schedule in her arms.
"Looks like we have a lot of classes together," Lucas said, holding up his own schedule.
"Want to walk through the classrooms together?" he offered, pointing to the shifting stairs. "I just memorized all the locations."
"Really? That would be great!"
Hermione's brown eyes lit up as she looked at Lucas' kind expression.
"Thanks a lot," she added.
Hermione had originally planned to explore on her own, but having company made things much better—especially if it was Lucas.
There was no way she could refuse.
She nodded enthusiastically, her fluffy hair bouncing slightly, releasing a stronger hint of that refreshing jasmine scent.
As they walked up the moving staircase, Hermione talked about Gryffindor's common room.
"What's the Slytherin common room like?"
"Hm... kind of like an aquarium," Lucas said after a moment of thought.
Hermione's eyes sparkled with curiosity and a bit of envy—until Lucas mentioned a giant octopus that sometimes slapped the window at night. Her wide brown eyes suddenly filled with fear.
"I'll show you the Slytherin common room sometime," Lucas said with a laugh. "My roommates are nice enough. They don't hang around much anyway."
It wasn't hard for Lucas to convince Malfoy and Crabbe to leave the dorm.
Or maybe they were just eager to get out themselves.
After exploring the classrooms together, it was time for their first class.
Since their first lesson was Transfiguration, they headed to the classroom together.
They were among the first to arrive. Only a tabby cat was sitting on the teacher's desk, watching them quietly.
They chose seats in the front row and placed their spellbooks on the table.
"Is it always this empty before class?" Hermione asked, looking around.
"It's only 8:40. Others will probably be here soon," Lucas said, glancing at his watch.
At that moment, they both noticed the tabby cat watching them closely from the podium.
"She's adorable," Hermione said, reaching out to pet her.
Lucas gently pulled her hand back.
"If it's the professor's cat, it's probably best not to touch it," he warned.
He already knew that this cat was Professor McGonagall—a strict older woman and a powerful Animagus.
Accidentally disrespecting her could mean losing house points right at the start of the term.
Lucas locked eyes with the tabby cat, and he could clearly sense that she was observing them with interest.
A Slytherin and a Gryffindor, together?
Now that was unusual.
Professor McGonagall made a mental note, curious to see how this pairing would unfold.