Entering the classroom with her textbook hugged tightly to her chest, Kurumi made her way slowly towards the front. The soft light and Professor Schirmer's pleasant appearance should have brought a smile to the young Gryffindor's face, but her mood was still dark after receiving a letter from home that morning with updates. All she really wanted to do right now was curl up in fetal position in her bed and sleep.

"Good day, professor," Kurumi said with a forced cheerfulness as she took her usual seat in the front and opened her textbook to a random page, skimming its contents but not retaining anything her eyes glazed over.