a/n: a long long weekend of me being sick and working 25 hours deserves a new chapter posted. enjoy & love you all!
It was hard not to miss the twins, especially when all of their would-be replacements in the pranking arena were so... uninspiring. The most popular idea from the new generation of trouble-makers seemed to be stink pellets or dung bombs, who could tell these days. The corridors more often than not smelled so foul that the sixth and seventh years had taken to producing bubble head charms to get from room to room, a habit that had been adopted by nearly every student that could learn the spell.
I followed closely behind Harry and Ron, Hermione's words flooding into her bubble so quickly I was wondering how much air was left inside for her to breathe.
"Hermione, enough. I don't want to talk about it anymore-" Harry trailed off, sounding annoyed and pulling me back into their conversation. I had taken to hanging around the trio a bit more since the twins left, and I had to admit my motive may have had something to do with the comfort I felt being near Fred's brother. He felt like the Burrow. He felt like home.
"Fine, then shall we talk about when you're going to be talking to Snape about starting up your occlumency lessons again?" She asked, snippily.
The green eyes snapped to mine quickly before looking back to Hermione.
"No. We're not."
The four of us started up the stairs, instinctively. Surely returning to their common room.
"I'll head back to my room, see you guys-" I started, sensing that the conversation didn't involve me anymore.
"Come off it, Harry, she's practically family." Ron nudged him, and with a sigh Harry looked back to Hermione.
"I'm practicing on my own. I'll figure it out."
"But you're still having the dreams." She snapped.
"No, I'm not-"
"Ron said you are. He said just last night."
Ron turned at once, nearly sending me toppling over the railing of the stairs as he glowered down at Hermione. "I only said... only a bit, just talking in his sleep. People are allowed to dream."
"Thanks Ron." Harry grumbled, practically shouting the password at the portrait hole painting before we clambered through.
"You've got to shut your mind, Harry. There's no reason to keep going down that hallway." Hermione said, as if the case was closed.
"It's just a hallway. So what if I want to see where it goes?" He bit back.
◌
I wasn't nervous. Not too nervous, at least. It was sort of a blessing and a curse to have our Charms OWL first, as it would undoubtedly be my best score. I had spent some time studying with the girls, of course, which only cemented my belief that I would be fine.
While everyone else had been dreading the start of the exams, I had found myself almost looking forward to it. Something to take my mind off the twins. An end to the deranged studying which had been the only activity on any fifth and seventh years calendar the past months. I wanted some free time again. I wanted to go out and do something easy and fun with my friends, instead of being locked in the library pouring over books we had already read, leaving my mind no choice but to wander back to the chilly nights in the Gryffindor dormitories.
"Students, you may enter!" McGonagall appeared at the doorway, her voice carrying over the crowds, barely audible over the flickering of textbook pages and tapping feet.
Hannah led us in, grabbing a desk near the middle of the room and plopping down at once, her toes beginning the fast paced drumming on the stone again. Bri took the seat next to her, Maddie and I stealing the two behind them as the room around us began to fill. I noticed Hermione had secured a spot at the very front of the room, Ron and Harry settling in looking flustered behind her.
"You may begin." McGonagall announced, an enormous and ancient looking hourglass turning over at her words, white sand beginning to filter through the center.
I flipped the papers over and scanned over the first question before even scribbling my name at the top.
1.)a) Give the incantation andb) Describe the wand movement required to make objects fly.
I smiled and let out the breath that I had been holding in. This had to be everyone's easiest exam, right?
2.) Describe the complex interaction between the Colloportus and Alohomora spells.
3.) Describe the effect of the charm Depulso.
The room was filled with scratching quills and turning papers for nearly an hour before I had finished my exam. I flipped the pages back over and scanned the room quickly before looking back to McGonagall. She was standing quite still, as she had been for most of the hour, the sand in the hourglass nearly emptied now. A few minutes later, Bri flipped her exam over as well, nodding to herself for only a moment before going still again.
"Time is up, kindly turn your exams face down on the desk." McGonagall spoke finally, raising her wand into the air as every exam flew seamlessly towards her, stacking themselves in a neat pile on the table next to the motionless hourglass.
"You may eat lunch with the rest of the students, and you are to meet back here in two hours for your practical assessments with the examiners. Best of luck to you all." She nodded once, and everyone jumped from their spots immediately. Bri shot me a smile, Maddie seemed indifferent, while Hannah looked nearly on the verge of tears.
"I can't do that again. That was awful! For a while, I felt like I couldn't even speak English anymore." She whined, Maddie clapping her a few times on the shoulder.
"You're going to be fine, Hannah." She said, softly. "Only seven days left!"
"Why would you say that!" Her face fell again as we walked towards our dorms to drop our bags and let the Great Hall reset itself for lunch.
◌
Aside from potions, which I assumed everyone was dreading, transfiguration was at the top of my list of anxieties. The silver lining of course being that it was second, so I could get it over with. The written exam had been decent, only a few questions that seemed to have disappeared from my mind entirely which I had tried my best to write in something at least a bit coherent.
It was the practical that I was worried about. Even if I knew the spells and hand movements, sometimes I just couldn't get them to work. I had spent the last twenty minutes somehow, not studying or practicing any spell work as everyone else had been, but thinking about Tommy. I had been thinking of him a lot lately, especially when I was studying. Tommy had always been studying, at least when I had seen him. I knew he had his fair share of friends, certainly more than I had, but he cared so much about his grades. I had always thought his reasons were the same as mine, get good enough that Father would never be able to find us when we graduated. But after everything... I suppose he just liked learning.
Transfigurations wasn't his strongest subject either, I remember his complaints in the Great Hall before every exam. But he would have been fine. Tommy would have passed all of his OWL's easily. And taken all of the NEWT classes for them. I had never even thought about what Tommy and I would have done after we graduated... Ministry jobs, maybe, but those seemed more fitting for pure-blood families. They had connections and knew all about the inner workings of-
"Olsen, Cassidy. You can come on in." McGonagall offered me a thin smile as I scampered from my seat towards the open doorway. How had I let so much time waste away, I hadn't so much as cracked my textbook since this morning's exam. I took a few deep breaths, trying to get myself into the right headspace. The headspace of someone who would not get a T in Transfiguration sent home to the Weasley's... or to Fred's... Where would I even be this summer?
Focus!
"You can see Professor Marchbanks, Miss Olsen." Flitwick pointed a short finger to the back of the small room where a small and thin witch with graying hair sat scribbling some notes onto a piece of parchment before filing it into a yellow folder.
"Thank you." I replied, quietly, not sure if he had even heard me before I took off towards the examiner.
"Hello, dear." The witch said pleasantly, yet her face remained stoic. "Name?"
"Cassidy Olsen." I spoke clearly, hoping my voice wasn't wavering as bad as it sounded to my ears.
"Thank you," She replied, looping her quill at the top of a new parchment before turning back to me. "Alright, then. We'll begin. Will you please turn these pebbles to birds for me?" She dropped three small rocks onto the desk between us as I pulled my wand from my pocket.
Birds. I knew this one. It was from forever ago, first year, it had to be.
I twirled my wand near the rocks twice, "Avifors." The rocks clattered around for a second before swelling up, feathers erupting from all ends until three small blue birds stood before us, hopping back and forth nervously.
"And back?" She asked, watching closely.
"Finite Incantatem." I sounded much more sure of myself now that I had at least one point.
"Very good, Miss Olsen." She nodded, jotting a few notes on the sheet before her as the pebbles clattered to the table. "How about a vanishing spell, then?"
I nodded, more to myself than to her and lifted my wand again. I hadn't had too much trouble with this one in class, but I should have practiced it a bit more.
"Evanesco." I said, watching the pebbles shiver before us for a second. Nothing happened, and I noticed Professor Marchbanks raise her eyebrows slightly. "Evanesco!" I said again, breathing a sigh of relief as the stones vanished from sight. The Professor set her hand on the table top, feeling around to ensure the pebbles were actually gone, jotted some more notes on the parchment and nodded, moving on to the next question.
It went on like this for nearly an hour, I got most of the spells on the second try, although it took me three times to force my gobstone into a Quaffle. I didn't know exactly how they graded these exams, but I knew anyone who would receive Outstandings would have completed theirs on the first attempt.
"Alright, Miss Olsen, one more. Could you make me a Bouquet please?"
I nodded slowly, remembering the last time I had conjured one of these a year ago.
"Orchideous." I said, softly, a bunch of red roses bursting from my wand onto the table before us. The witch ran a finger along the petal, nodding and scribbling a quick note onto my page.
"Could you do another color?"
I paused for a second. Even Cedric had said his always came out the same flower. I had never tried for another.
"Colovaria," I said, sounding unsure even to my own ears. The red began to seep from the flowers, replaced with a pale yellow which began to sink into the stems as well before I noticed.
Please, no. Green stems!
The yellow stopped spreading at once, only the very edges of the stems now had a sickly green hue, the leaves and thorns all remained in tact.
"Very nice, Miss Olsen. That will be all, you'll receive your results sometime in July."
"Thank you!" I was out of my seat, my bag thrown over my shoulder before I had finished my sentence. I nodded to Flitwick with a small smile before tearing into the hallway and off towards the common rooms.
◌
Fred,
Nearly finished with exams! They're going surprisingly okay. Hannah's been having a bit of a rough go... She somehow managed to transfigure her ferret into an entire flock of flamingos... She won't let that one go.
Just History of Magic left for tomorrow. I'm positive I'll be getting a T on potions, so I have that to look forward to this summer. Bri hasn't let us have a moment to breath without talks of Goblin Revolutions and The Werewolf Code of Conduct. Ask Lupin to send notes next time you see him. (Joking.) (Do not mention that to Lupin, I'll kill you.)
Your swamp is still alive and well, especially with OWLs starting, all of the professors claim they have no extra room to try to remove it. Peeves is keeping up with his promise to you as well, he's been smashing lanterns and dropping chandeliers on Umbridge any chance he gets. But it's rather depressing watching him sob down the corridors every time someone mentions you two...
Only a week and a half until we're home! I can't wait to see you...
Tell everyone I say hello.
Stay safe, I love you.
Cass
◌
The Goblin rebellions lasted nearly 300 years, from 1612 to
Come on... You know this...
- to 1890. These rebellions were an enormous stress on the relationship between Wizards and Goblins which still remains strained to this day. Wand legislation was one of the major stressors in this issue, stemming from wizards not allowing Goblins to utilize wands. Although a contributing factor, it was only one of many. Goblins apart of these rebellions were also angry over lack of representation in the Wizengamot as well as attempts to enslave goblins, wizard attempts to control Gringotts, or goblin slayings -
The room had been silent for nearly an hour. This exam had to have had the least amount of quill scratching out of all of the ones we had sat so far, despite having the longest questions and answers. However, the silence was broken now. An echoing, piercing scream broke out near the front of the room, a crowd of students jumped from their spots, backing away from the dark haired boy in the center. Harry was lying on the floor, face against the stone, clutching at his forehead.
Hermione and Ron were up at once, exams all but forgotten on their desks, before they were pushed out of the way by Professors Marchbanks and Tofty.
"Move aside, move aside!" Professor Tofty shouted, kneeling beside Harry and pulling him up. "What's the matter, Potter?"
"I'm sorry." Harry panted out, obviously attempting to whisper, yet the entire room was straining to hear. "I'm fine."
"We have to get you to the Hospital Wing." Tofty began to lead Harry towards the hallway with much difficulty, as Harry was attempting to squirm away from his grasp.
"No, I'm okay. I don't need the Hospital Wing. I'm fine, really! I just fell asleep!"
"Examination stress!" Tofty explained, throwing his hands in the air as if this happened every year. The rest of their conversation was too quiet and too far away for any of us to hear.
"Back to your tests, students. Not much longer." Marchbanks shouted, demanding order as everyone re-took their seats. Ron and Hermione glanced a few times at the doorway, but Harry did not re-enter.
I skipped through the remaining questions I had left for myself. We had just learned the International Warlock Convention of 1289 a few weeks before, yet it was the furthest thing from my mind.
All I could think about now was Harry's scar. And the last time it had pained him like this, Mr. Weasley had almost been killed.
Stop that. Everything is fine.
I snuck a look back at the door now too, as if hoping for Harry to wander back through, re-take his seat and admit that nothing was wrong. Aside from none of us knowing what was accomplished at the Warlock Convention.
"One minute left. Everyone, round off your final answers please!" Marchbanks announced, as if the previous interruption had meant nothing at all. I hastily scribbled my best guess in for the remaining two questions before the hourglass emptied completely, our exams flew towards the front into a neat pile and we were finished.
"Congratulations, everyone! I'm sure you all did quite well. You'll receive your results in a months time. Enjoy the rest of your school year."
A light applause and cheer sounded off around the room as everyone stood up, some people stretching out before gathering bags from the ground and starting towards the exits.
"That was worse than I thought it would be," Bri chuckled, stepping closer to me.
"What the hell is wrong with Harry?" Hannah asked, more color returning to her face than I had seen in months now that the final exam was finished.
"I'm going to find out..." I said, scanning the room for the vibrant Weasley hair. "I'll catch up with you guys later."
Ron and Hermione were practically sprinting towards the staircase, shoving and ducking between students before I finally caught up.
"What happened to him?"
"We don't know, and -"
"Harry!" Ron exclaimed, looking up towards the pale wizard on the stairs before us.
"What happened? Are you alright? Are you ill?" Hermione listed off, not giving him a chance to answer.
"Where have you been?" Ron spoke before Harry could even open his mouth.
"Come with me. Hurry. I've got to tell you something..." He took off before any of us could blink, Ron following instinctively, Hermione and I sharing a quick concerned look. Harry raced down the corridors, peering into classroom after classroom before pushing into one and slamming the door shut behind us. "Voldemort's got Sirius."