The Idiot and The Heir

Lost Hour

The next morning found Harry up early, sitting in the common room writing to Tom. He had brushed off Harry's apology, admitting to feeling a similar excitement in his own school days, agreeing that it felt very much like coming home.

Harry was looking forward to his classes, though perhaps not Defense, considering who the teacher was. Lockhart had smiled and winked at the students, clearly enjoying the attention his introduction garnered last night, reminding Harry of their brief run in over the summer, and making him dread the man's class with a sharp twist in his gut.

When the other second year boys finally came up from their dormitory, Harry hopped up from his seat by the fire, tucking the diary in his pocket, and capping the inkwell he'd borrowed from a nearby table.

"About time you lot woke up!" He greeted them cheerily, leading the sleepy and stumbling group out of the common room, and through the dungeon corridors.

"What's got you so chipper this early?" Blaise asked.

He and Draco were the only two besides Harry to be neatly dressed, and Draco was yawning widely, as he shuffled after them.

Theo, Crabbe and Goyle were lagging behind, as Crabbe was trying to tie his shoe while walking, Goyle was attempting to put his arm through the wrong sleeve in his robe, and Theo was both trying to hustle them forwards to catch up with the other three, and tie his tie properly.

Harry grinned at the darker boy, earning a raised eyebrow.

"It's first day of classes. We're back at Hogwarts. It's a lovely day outside. Take your pick."

"Classes are hardly something to be excited over," Theo grumbled, giving up on the two lumbering boys, and instead joining Blaise, Draco and Harry.

"Unless you're Hermione, and I doubt she has infected you with her sentiments over the course of one train ride."

"It is exciting to be back at Hogwarts." Blaise admitted, falling behind slightly to straighten Theo's robes and fixing his tie for him as they walked.

"But how in Merlin's fingernails, would you know what it's like outside?" Draco said grumpily, trying to smooth a few arrant strands of hair out his face, "all the windows in the common room look into the lake, and you can't say the quality of sunlight shining through the water gave it away, or something like that."

Harry chuckled at his friend's grumpiness, and looped his arm through Draco's, snagging Theo's with the other one and pulling him up next to them.

"I know it's a lovely day," he said with conviction, "'cause I've got you lot, don't I? Not much could be that bad, that we can't all get through it."

He smiled so brightly they were rendered speechless. They'd never seen him so happy, certainly not for something so simple and ordinary.

Blaise joined the trio, and dropped his arm across Draco's shoulders, deciding that if Harry wanted to be cheery for the day, he wouldn't be the one to burst his bubble.

"That definitely makes sense." He agreed, "you and I will be top of the class, and we might just take pity on these poor classmates of ours, and help them be half so great as us."

"Shove off, Zabini!" Draco growled, playfully shoving at Blaise, who quickly ducked away, circling around Harry and Theo to get out of the blond's reach.

The whole walk to the great hall was spent laughing and joking, Blaise needling Draco and hiding behind Harry when the Malfoy heir tried to retaliate.

Crabbe and Goyle mostly trailed behind the four looking disheveled, but intimidating due to their size.