Gryffindor Common Room

Matthew lay on the couch nearest to the fire looking like a forgotten rag doll, and like he thought he was the only one who used the couch. He stared at the fire, obviously bored. He had homework but, he wasn't too sure of what he had to do for it... Still needed to ask that kid who sat across from him to tell him way to wake up during classes. Matt didn't even bother to blow his curly brown hair out of his eyes.

Josiah, who was a good student on top of being quite sociable, was doing his homework at a table in the corner. He wasn't usually one for corner-tables, away from the action, but he knew that if he didn't isolate himself then he wouldn't work on his homework... and Professor Brown didn't like it when people didn't do their homework.

That's what he was working on: Transfiguration. It was actually quite boring.

Then, bam! Out of nowhere, was Tommy Waller. Excited, bouncing off the walls Tommy. "HEY, JOSIAH!" He exclaimed, grinning widely. "How are you?!"

"Oh, er... hi, Tommy," Josiah gave a little wave and flipped a page in his Transfiguration book. I don't LIKE Transfiguration... God, and my aunt teaches it. It's such a hellish class. "I'm alright, how're you?"

"You're going to be in trouble, if you don't do that work." the voice that Matthew was referring to said, as it broke through Matthew's fog of sleepiness.

Phillip who was also a second year like Matt, had his Transfiguration book plopped up in front of him, along with a piece of parchment and a quill. He was busily scratching out an essay for said Transfiguration class about the effects of an insect being transfigured into an inanimate object. Most of the time, his eyes stayed focus on the parchment, but he occasionally glanced up at the book for reference.

"Remember what Professor Brown said about hanging you from the Whomping Willow if you don't do this assignment? She literally will if you don't at least start it." he warned him.

Matthew blinked, shocked by the disturbance as he sat straight up. Then he realized it was just Philip, and sank back down into the couch. He smiled at Philip as if he had just said the funniest joke in the work. "It's kind of funny. My mum said the same exact thing to me when I got on the train last year! But I'm Willow-free."

Though he seemed calm about it, Matthew was thinking about his mother's warning this year about if he made Professor Brown send a single owl home again... He understood and performed the material in class really well in his eyes! And apparently Professor Brown's to since somehow he always got an E or O on his classwork! But, essays and what not were always so bland to him...

"Alright, Phil." Matthew reached towards the coffee table, rummaging thorough his bag for his books, a quill, and parchment. "What does it have to be on?"

"The effects of an insect when it's turned into an inanimate object, like a pincushion or a cup." he said, waving his hand around. "Matt, I don't know how you do it, mate. You're so brilliant at Transfiguration, but you don't do any work for it. And if you're so brilliant at Transfiguration, your mother is always sending you Howlers about your other grades." Phil had lifted his eyes from his paper, and gave Matt a cheeky look.

"Howlers make the morning interesting! But, I was thinking the same. I suppose I just am naturally good at it." He stared at his blank sheet of parchment, the uncompleted title 'Insect Infects When...' glaring at him, screaming at him to write more. "It's just tough to put so much effort into the rest of the subjects. It's not like our grades matter right now. I just need to do well later in Hogwarts... And I mean, I absorb all the stuff now. I know all the potions, spells, stars, and what not... " He looked back up at Phil with a sheepish grin.

"It's effects, not INfects." Phil corrected him. "And my dad says that it's important to study and get good grades now so you get good work habits. But, I guess schoolwork is just easy for me." he shrugged.

Matt sighed and crumpled up the parchment, restarting, and starting to get a good start on it. "You're lucky to be so book smart. World smarts don't matter what so ever except when I'm betting."

"Once we have to leave school, then world smarts will be better to have, so you'll have your time in the limelight."

"When we're like...36 and I'm a janitor due to my suckish-ness in school?"

"At least you'll have a job when we're thirty-six. I bet..." he pointed to some random kid (Josiah Silva, actually). "I bet that kid will end up begging on the streets!"

"Or in his mother's basement!" Matthew added, laughing a bit. He felt a bit better as he started to get a good start on his essay.

"In his mom's basement, not talking to anyone except his once a week Titanium Chronicles buddies." Phil added in, laughing too. Indeed, that little game Charlie, Angel, and One used to play had actually soared up to popularity over the years.

In the nerdier population at least. Matt played along like he knew what that was, and gave a laugh. "Dude, why do you always know what to say?"

"It's a gift, perhaps." Phil said mysteriously. And, with one final flourish in the last word of his essay, Phil capped the bottle of ink and set his quill down, happy with his work.

"Okay, I'm all finished!"

"Show off." Matt mumbled as he continued with his first paragraph.

fuck yea

Josiah finally finished his essay, and stretched. Ahh, that felt good. He put his school work in his bag, took out a book--something about a mischievous boy who constantly conned others into doing his chores--and went to sit by the fireplaces. "Ello, mates," he said as he sat down in one of the cushy armchairs, completely oblivious how they had just gossiped about him growing up to be a complete failure.

"Hello." Phil said, as stashed away his school supplies in his bag for the next day. He looked at the boy, who was actually the one they had talked about. Phil studied him carefully... that cheeky look on his face, that confident stride... this wasn't your normal, timid first yer.

"Are you really a first year?" he demanded to know.

Josiah looked up from his book, donning that slightly-cocky smile of his. "Yeah, I am. What of it?" he asked with genuine curiosity.

"Oh, it's nothing, really..." Phil said, trying to stare him back down. He would not allow himself to be intimidated by a first year. "You just look a bit older. Were you born late in the year or something?"

Josiah, on the other hand, wasn't intimidated, nor did he realize that Phil was trying to stare him down. "Yeah, I was born in November, so I am a little older than your average first year."

"Ohh..." Phil was quiet for a bit, and than he looked back over at Josiah. "What are you reading?"