| HIDDEN IN SECRETS |

chapter thirty-six

THE WEREWOLF

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June approached and the summer weather rolled in. The sun was shining, the heat barely tolerable, but no one minded, and students would hang around the courtyards, enjoying their day – what they had left of it that is.

While Verena could use a break, she could never get one. All she wanted to do was finish the diaries, but her exams said otherwise. She wanted to hang out under the shade of the trees by the Black Lake, reading, but her friends thought it was paramount to study – really study. That meant flashcards, book readings, and mini-essays. So really, a lot of necessary work.

Not only was Verena exhausted from having to study, but she was also getting tired of hearing about the Quidditch final. A couple of weeks after the last Quidditch game, people were still talking about it. Since she started talking to Potter more often, he'd go to her and tell her about how lucky they were to have won the Quidditch Cup. While she congratulated their triumph since it had been years since they won it, she also had to hear the Slytherins complaints, and how they thought it was unfair. Flint was not happy – meaner even, and so was Draco. Damien, she learned, had gotten drunk after their defeat. Daphne and Astoria barely pulled him back together in time for his O.W.L.s.

Exams grew increasingly difficult every year. Verena wished she had more Lockharts when exams came, knowing they'd be easier. The exams would probably be more about reading comprehension than any real work.

Potions always put pressure on Verena, even though she was one of his top students. Professor Snape always had a bad habit of breathing down his students' necks, and he was doing so when Verena was brewing the Confusing Concoction. Luckily, someone's cauldron overflowed, allowing Verena to sigh of relief when he had gone.

As usual, the easiest exam was Astronomy while the most mind-racking exam was History of Magic where Verena had to remember all she could about medieval witch-hunts. Transfiguration was the trickiest exam where Verena had to transfigure a teapot into a tortoise with no imperfections.

Verena's Herbology exam was the most gruelling. Not only did Verena feel her skin burning in the sun, the little devils of vampiric vegetation, in which she had to defang, cut up her hands. It wasn't that she was doing it wrong, the plant was just stubborn. Verena could only hope Professor Sprout did not fail her.

Her second to last exam was Defense Against the Dark Arts, and it was the lengthiest exam she took. Professor Lupin had compiled the most unusual exam; a sort of obstacle course outside, where they had to wade across a deep paddling pool containing a Grindylow, cross a series of potholes full of Red Caps and go across a marsh while ignoring misleading directions from a Hinkypunk, and then battle a Boggart. Verena had gone back to her common room that day, passing out on her bed.

From what Verena heard, though, Daphne was having difficulty in her elective exams. While the two finished their Care of Magical Creatures exams, feeling confident, Daphne was stressed about her Ancient Runes exam. Damien had been giving her tips in advance, but Daphne had gone to Verena, crying about how her mind had gone completely blank.

"I told you that you should have taken Divination with us," Verena told her as she headed for that exam. "Cho says it's easy. Just gotta stare into a crystal ball. I'm sure you can just make up stuff – I'm sure that's what Weasley will be doing."

"Well, you better hurry," Daphne said. "You don't want to be late."

Verena rushed to get to Professor Trelawney's classroom before the bell rang the second time. She had barely made it to the seventh floor when the bell rang. She slowed her pace, however, after seeing the class sitting on the spiral staircase, sitting in groups and having serious conversations.