I jumped as someone messed up my hair before sitting beside me. It was the morning of the first exam: charms, and I had got up early to go down to the Great Hall, eat a good breakfast and do some last minute revision to make sure all the information was fresh.
"If you study any more your brain will burst and you'll no longer be able to think when the examination starts, you know."
I looked over at Sirius and scowled, "Just because you don't seem to consider these exams of any importance, it doesn't mean that no one else should." I snapped but closed the book, knowing he had a point.
"What do you think he'll ask us to do?" I asked.
"For the thousandth time, I don't know, Ollie. Just stress down, you're brilliant in Charms anyway, you'll ace it." He replied, pushing his hair back as he looked down at his plate and considered what he wanted to eat.
"You should have something with fruit and maybe oats to give you long term energy." I suggested.
He looked at me with an expression of mock disgust and helped himself to no less than five pancakes and poured maple syrup over them, watching me with an amused expression as my eyes grew more and more alarmed by the amount of syrup.
"Oh, nice. Pancakes today!" James had arrived, and he too helped himself to a stack of pancakes, though he did cut up some banana to eat with it.
Lily stumbled into the Great Hall with her nose in a book, her face contorted with concentration.
"Morning, Evans!" James called out. Lily pretended not to hear.
One by one, the others piled in, all in a state of stress and anxiety. Sirius and James, however, seemed completely at ease as they started throwing blueberries at each other, then trying to throw it into the others mouth.
I started to relax as Remus, Septima and I started quizzing each other and going over the material.
Then, too soon, it was ten minutes 'til Flitwick expected us outside his classroom. He had told us that he would be testing us individually.
I walked down the corridor, still revising with Remus and Septima, though as soon as we arrived by the classroom we fell into nervous silence.
I sat down on the floor with my back against the wall taking deep breaths and remembering everything we had done this year.
"You're humming," Sirius sat down beside me and interrupted my process of thought once more, "The first person just went it."
"What?" I exclaimed, how could I not have realised someone had already been called in, "And what? I'm not humming?"
"You were. Cashmere by Led Zeppelin."
"Oh. Sorry, was it disturbing?" I asked, worried that I had annoyed the people around me.
"No, you could hardly hear it, but I was standing right next to you."
"Oh." I said, I hadn't realised that either.
I looked up, my heart in my throat as Flitwick's door opened and Alice walked out looking shaky.
"Ms Heatherstead, you next!" Squeaked Flitwick merrily and my eyes widened as I took another steadying breath and stood up.
The was a chorus of, "Good luck." From almost everyone and I smiled nervously as I stepped into the classroom.
"Good morning, Ms Heatherstead. Your task it to make this pineapple tap dance across the desk for me."
I nodded, I remembered how to do that! I raised my wand and spoke the incantation as I lightly tapped the pineapple with the tip of the wand.
I sucked in a breath and felt my pulse through my entire body for half a second before the pineapple grew tiny feet, and did indeed tap dance across the table. I let out a sigh of relief and smiled at Professor Flitwick, who beamed back at me.
"Wonderful, Ms Heatherstead! That's all for this year!"
It felt a bit unfair that I had done all that revision just to perform a simple charm.
"Thanks, Professor." I said, as I wobbled out of the classroom, adrenalin still coursing through my body.
"How'd it go?" Sirius asked me, just as Remus was sent in next.
"I think it went well!" I replied, "I think it went really well!"
"Told you so, didn't I!" He replied and grinned at me.
"Thanks," I replied, "And good luck! I think I'll head up to the common room to do some revision for Transfiguration."
I started to make my way up to the common room, and as I passed the several large windows, I decided I would bring my books outside and enjoy the nice weather while it lasted.
After sitting on the grass for around fifteen minutes, however, Sirius skidded on the grass next to me and fell down, "You never told me you were going out, I ran around the whole common room, tried getting up into your dormitory but was rejected by a giant slide, then by chance saw you through a window and had to run all the way out here." He panted.
"You didn't have to run. And what do you mean you were 'rejected by a slide'?" I asked, laughing a bit.
"Apparently the founders didn't want boys sneaking up to watch girls as they sleep, so they made the stairs transform into a giant slide if a boy tries to go up!" He explained.
"You know, that pretty smart. I think I'll sleep a bit safer in my bed knowing you and Peter aren't going to sneak in and watch me sleep at night."
He pushed me and laughed, and we spent the rest of the afternoon revising together.
~~
I felt a great wave of relief and I read over my History of Magic paper for the third time and raised my hand for the teacher watching over us to come and collect it.
My mouth stretched into a great smile as Prof. Binns took it from me and I left the stuffy classroom. I didn't think I had done that well, but I had at least written all I could remember about the Self Stirring Cauldron.
Just as I left the classroom, Prof. McGonagall left hers. When she saw me her face fell and she said, "Ah. Ms Heatherstead, could I have a word, please?"
Wondering what I could have done to make her look so grave I walked after her, my excitement from being done with the exams disappearing more by every step I took.
As I stepped into her office, Mcgonagall closed the door and gave me a sweeping look.
"Sit down, dear," She said softly as she sat down. Feeling perplexed and more nervous than I had during the exam, I obeyed.
"Earlier today we received notice that your mother," She paused and I felt awful in anticipation for her next words, "That your mother was found dead in her house this morning."
Her words, though they were spoken softly, crashed over me like a destructive tsunami. Mum couldn't be dead, she had always been there for me, always been so very much alive.
"How?" I heard myself ask. My voice didn't shake, it was steady and demanding though my insides were burning in horror.
McGonagall seemed hesitant, but would not withhold anything from me, "We suspect the unforgivable curse, Avada Kedavra. The Dark Mark was cast over the house, so we assume Lord Voldemort was involved." She said all this in a single breath, looking pitifully at me.
"The wizard Nazis?" I asked, remembering what she - my mother - had said about them.
McGonagall nodded, then spoke in a sort of choked voice, "I am so sorry for your loss, Olimpia. It's such a truly horrible thing."
I felt tears burning in my eyes and I tried to swallow down a hard lump in my throat, but was unsuccessful. "What will happen to me? Where will I go?" I croaked, tears now pouring down my face. I let them fall.
McGonagall moved forwards to hold my hand, and her face was one of true sadness. "Your father has said he will look after you. He said that you are to move to him over the summer, and that he will teach you."
I looked up at her, "What, I won't go to Hogwarts any more?" I couldn't lose my mother and my friends, it was too much.
"I'm afraid so, dear. Though if you really want to, we can arrange something." She said, and I could tell she was clutching onto anything to make me feel better now.
"Right." I said silently.
And just like that, I sobbed uncontrollably into her arms, and she held me closer to her. I didn't care how embarrassing this could be, it seemed I wouldn't see her much again. My body hurt, it physically hurt as I gasped for air in between sobs, my mouth curling outwards. I could taste salty tears on my tongue and I let out a wail of misery. It felt as though my whole word was crashing down upon me and I sat there clutching onto the poor professor, my lungs burning for air.
Things would never be the same after that day, and I knew that as I cried in McGonagall's office. I didn't know, however, just how different my life would be.
~~~
A/N
So things got emotional in this chapter. I'm sorry if the description wasn't great, to be a great author you need to have experienced life and death and I am lucky not to have experienced the latter, though someone very close to me lost someone they loved and I watched them suffer. Not that that can ever be the same as losing someone yourself.
On a different note, I have also started writing a 'The 100' fanfiction crushing on Bellamy Blake. I seem to have a thing for guys with dark curly hair .-.
If you have not watched The 100, I highly recommend you do, though I warn you that it is brutal.
I might publish it, but for now I'm just writing it for joy, though if you do want to read it, let me know and I might start publishing.
Love y'all,
21stCenturyMarauder