Cursed With Curious Minds | Hp Next Generation

46 - The Apparition Test

"We have to destroy it." Astrid said.

"Ok, but how?" Delilah asked. "It's not like we have access to the sword of Gryffindor."

"There's a basilisk under the school." James said.

Toby and Ophelia turned to look at James. Having not taken defence against the dark arts, neither of them had heard of this before.

"How do you suppose we get under the school?" Astrid asked.

"Uh, good point." James said, picking up the coin and putting it in his pocket. "Maybe I'll just keep a hold of it for now."

"This seems a little bit obvious... but shouldn't we just tell McGonagall we found a horcrux?" Toby suggested.

"No!" James, Astrid and Delilah chorused.

"I'm already in enough trouble, I've been told explicitly not to go back to the room, and if she finds out I took something again..." James said.

"So what do you suppose we do?" Ophelia asked.

James took a deep breath. "I think we carry on as we were. Try to find out this guy's identity and confront him."

***

The horcrux had pushed the apparition test right out of everyone's minds, so by the time Saturday rolled around, nobody felt ready.

"Hey, James!" Delilah said, running up to him. "Happy Birthday."

Delilah handed James a small package wrapped in blue and bronze tissue paper.

"Oh, thank you, Delilah." James said, unwrapping the gift. Inside was a golden snitch, and when James picked it up, a small engraving appeared that read '26.3.21 – The day James Potter beat Delilah Jones at Quidditch.' James laughed.

"I just thought you would want a reminder, considering it's not going to happen again." Delilah said, grinning. "Also, that's actually the snitch you caught that day."

"How did you get it?" James asked.

"Um..." Delilah hesitated. "Let's just say they should really lock the quidditch cupboard. Anyway, good luck with your test!"

"You too!" James replied, as Delilah walked off to her place in the queue.

The apparition tests were being done in alphabetical order, meaning that Ophelia was first and Astrid was last. Being last was not a very good place to be in Astrid's mind, as she was watching everyone go in, and come back out grinning. It seemed almost everyone had passed, and she did not want to be the only person to fail. Her apparitions still weren't perfect and she was sure that she hadn't practised enough, and even if she had, what if the nerves got to her? What if she could apparate perfectly but just not under stressful test conditions? Astrid had sat worrying for so long, that she didn't even notice when Ophelia came up to her.

"Guess what?" she asked.

"What?" Astrid replied, trying her best to hide how nervous she was.

"I passed!" Ophelia exclaimed.

Astrid felt simultaneously relieved and more nervous hearing that news. "Well done! I knew you would."

"And I know you will, too." Ophelia said, noticing Astrid trying to hide her nerves.

Astrid blushed.

"Good luck, you'll be amazing." Ophelia said, walking off to join the others that had come out of their tests in the time she had been talking to Astrid.