Chapter 9: Drama Class

Original A/N: Once again, I had trouble with this chapter. This and the next couple chapters will probably be the only times you will actually see the classes. Hope you like.

Harry passed the girl in the doorway, confused. He had seen that four others that had taken the upstairs dorms, but didn't know who they were. He had thought they were not real, and just part of the game. But the more he saw the others in this University section of the game, the more he noticed that they most looked exhausted and angry, not unlike himself. The girl hadn't, however.

Later that evening, Ron returned from his own class, and Laura showed up again.

Watching her cross the room, Ron leaned over to Harry. "This girl is supposed to tell us more about the game, she's real, and seemed to know more." Harry glanced around, but didn't see the cursor around them.

She walked over to them, sitting down at their table. She smiled at Ron first "Hey Ron, hope your first class went well!" She turned her gaze to Harry, and her smile brightened. "Hi, we haven't officially met. I'm Laura. What's your name?"

Finding himself a little unwilling to use his real name, he just said. "It's James."

"Hi, James. I was talking with your friend Ron earlier, and it seemed like you might have some questions about this game. I don't know everything," her lips turned down into a frustrated expression, before brightening back up, "but I have been forced into it a few times now, though this is the first time I've been in University here. I've been through a couple semesters now. It was a bit difficult to understand at first, but you'll get used to it. Well, I haven't yet, but I always have trouble with studying. I never had to study for final exams or O.W.L.S."

Harry perked up. "You're a witch, then? Do you go to Hogwarts?"

Laura shook her head. "Home study, for me. My parents never liked the idea of sending me off."

Harry glanced at Ron before continuing on. "So, you know how you got in here?"

"Yes, my friend, unfortunately. She sent me in the first time, and I had no idea what was happening. I don't think she did either, so it took her a while to get me out. Then she sent me in again on purpose! Not so sure I should continue to consider her a friend now." She glared up into the sky.

Harry followed her gaze, but didn't see another cursor. "Is she controlling you now?"

"Oh no, not right now. But you wouldn't be able to see her anyway, you can only see your own cursor."

Ron cut in, "So how did you get out the first time?"

"My friend pulled me out. Some counter curse I didn't catch. Oh, that reminds me, if that does happen to you, make sure you put down what you're holding, I had a sandwich in my hand, and when I saw the message that I was being pulled out, I didn't put it down. It came right out with me! It was a good sandwich though, so maybe my advice should be to grab a sandwich on your way out." She scrunched her face up, as she contemplated that.

Harry almost laughed at the image of appearing in the real world again with a sandwich in her hand, but he was still distracted by the disappointing news about how to get out. "Is there any other way to get out? Can you…" he hesitated before continuing, "…can you die in the game? Does that get you out?"

Laura's voice suddenly darkened, and took on an eerie tone as she replied. "Oh, no. No, if you die in the game, you die in real life."

Ron and Harry stared at her in horror. A couple seconds passed, before Laura's ominous express fell away and she laughed, her head flying back as she tipped herself back in her chair. "Oh I got you good! Yes, you can die in here, but that just ends the game. You just pop back out. Happened to my friend when she tried it on someone else."

Laura was still chuckling, and Harry and Ron still trying to collect themselves when the cursor came back into view, sending Harry and Ron off in different directions. Laura waved to them, but she was looking at Harry when she called out, "It was nice chatting, we should do it again sometime! May we can study together later, Merlin knows I need it."

After the cursor left again close to midnight, Harry snuck out of his room to meet up with the others. They gathered in Hermione's room, with Ron explaining what they had learned.

Hermione was leaning up against her bed, frowning at the knowledge that they would either have to be let out, or die in the game. "I can't say I'm too eager to test out the dying theory, especially if we don't know absolutely for sure who sent us here or why."

Ginny piped in, "Well, I learned from someone today that time is passing much slower out in the real world, so hopefully we won't be in danger of ending up here for too long. Hermione, you've played, do you remember how long the lifespan of a sim is?"

Hermione closed her eyes, thinking. She slowly shook her head. "I'm not positive, but I want to say University may last for close to a month, then we become adults, then elders. Adults probably have another month, and elders a few weeks." She opened her eyes again. "So, at the most, we have perhaps two and a half months. Especially if Ginny is right about time passing slower, I don't think we should worry about time for now. Let's just keep playing, and go with it for now. What do you say?"

The rest of them nodded, and they separated back to their rooms to sleep.

The next morning, after eating breakfast with Ginny, the cursor sent him over to a computer. Ginny squeezed his arm and smiled at him as he left.

He sat down at the computer, and realized what he was supposed to do. He was going to, or in this case the cursor would, choose his University major. A button stood out amongst the others. Harry clicked it, and several pictures appeared. Before Harry could make sense of any of them, the cursor chose one. Drama.

As soon as it was chosen, the pictures disappeared, and a message appeared. "Harry has class in one hour." Harry glanced at his class info. His class now had a name, The History of Ancient Drama: When every play ended with death. It was now from 10am to 12pm. Harry then checked his watch. It was 9:05. Harry sighed, and leaned against the wall. He hoped that this new class would be like school at the house: Nonexistent. He wasn't able to stay up against the wall for long. The cursor came and ordered him to go to class. Shoving his hands into his pockets, Harry trudged through the doorway outside. He walked out down the sidewalk to the end. Harry felt everything go black for a second, then suddenly reappear. He had hoped that he would just have reappeared back at the dorm like last time. Unfortunately, that didn't happen.

He stumbled forward into the lone room inside of the dark hallway he had appeared in. An older woman sat at a desk in the front of the room. Several faces looked up as Harry entered, but quickly looked away, staring at their feet. Harry slowly walked to an empty desk, and sat down.

Soon, the classroom filled up. The woman finally stood up from her own desk, where she had been watching everyone.

"Good Morning, welcome to Drama class. I am Professor Mace. I take it that this is, for some of you, your first University class." Harry glanced around as some others dropped farther down in their seats. "For others…well, it isn't the first." She seemed to be staring at one boy, who was grinning and folding paper.

"Ian, I am talking to you. You only get four chances to pass. You are on your fourth. I suggest you pay attention\." The boy continued to grin, but made a bowing motion, and swept the bits of paper off his desk.

"Yes, ma'am!" Professor Mace rolled her eyes and continued. Harry was a bit distracted staring at her, trying to make sense of whether she was real or not. "I am going to pass around a sheet of paper on which you all will write down your first and last name." She handed the paper to the first girl in the front row. It was passed down the rows, and Harry finally got it. He stared at the paper. Seven names were listed. Harry glanced through them, but none of the names he recognized. He hesitated, wondering what name should he put down? He wrote James Smith, and passed it on. He also took the chance to look around the room. Some of the students definitely looked like they were part of the game; they had slightly wooden gazes, and were a bit more motionless than say, Ian was.

"You will be in this class throughout your stay at this college. There will be three days of classes, then we will have midterm exams." At this, everyone in the room, including Harry, groaned. Professor Mace raised her hand for silence. "Yes, I said that correctly. Then there will be three more days of class, and finally, the Final Exams. This is considered one year of University. In order to graduate, you will need to pass four years-" Mace raised her voice in order to be heard, as angry mutterings had started again, "-of University. Each class will be various lengths, depending on the class. This week-" Mace stopped herself and started again, "year, class will be at the same time as today, for two hours. The exams will start..."

And so the class went on. For the entire two hours, Mace talked about how the class would run. Harry started staring out the window, and zoning out her voice. No birds flew by, no noise at all besides the professor's could he hear. The constant silence was slowly getting to Harry.

Before Professor Mace let them out, she reminded them that they have to get to class by half way through, or else they'd be counted late.

"That doesn't mean show up half way through every day," Once again, she was staring directly at Ian. "You will be punished." The boy stood up and saluted her.

"I won't do that again, Professor M. Now it is one o'clock, ma'am, I need to be getting back to my dorm now, because I have very important things to do." He winked at the girl sitting next to him, who just rolled her eyes and laughed.

'You wish," she grinned.

Mace turned back to her desk. "Go ahead. Class dismissed." Harry stood up and was out the door after Ian.

"Hey, Ian!" he called out. Ian stopped and turned around.

"Yeah?" Harry caught up with him.

"How is it that you can be so cheerful about being here? I can't see why." Ian shrugged.

"It's just kind of nice, not having to worry 'bout anything. You seem stressed. Just go with the flow. Don't worry about this place. Just think of it as a break. Hey, I have to go. Hey, Keisha!" The girl from the class had just passed them. "Girl, wait up!" Ian ran and followed the girl.

Harry stopped and leaned against the wall of the dim hall. Go with the flow. Better than nothing. Slightly happier, he walked to the other side of the hall, and appeared back at the dorm.