Throughout the next month, Jenna tended to doze off quite often, losing herself in her thoughts.
Lily, Alice, and Marlene assumed that Jenna's state was due to her last-minute loss at Quidditch, and Jenna was highly grateful for that excuse and played along, pretending that she was just upset over the game.
But the truth was, Jenna couldn't get her mind off Dumbledore's offer. He had given her until the start of the new school year to answer.
Because even though what he wanted of her would take place after she had graduated, he needed her to practice on her abilities, specifically under his orders.
So even when the O.W.Ls started, Jenna still couldn't focus on studying, specially now that there was a great chance that she wasn't going to need it anymore.
It was the day of their Defense Against the Dark Arts exam. Lily was trying to take one last quick look at her notes before they went down.
Alice was testing Marlene under her own request, a feeling of panic washing over her each time she didn't know the answer to her questions.
But Jenna had her hand in her pockets, thinking back at her conversation with Dumbledore, not worrying about the exam in the slightest, knowing that she was going to do fine.
As they entered the GreatHall, the four House tables were gone just like their other exams. Instead there were more than a hundred smaller tables, all facing the same way and towards the end of the Hall.
"Stop worrying, Mar," Lily said kindly to Marlene, who was sitting two tables behind her. "You're gonna do fine."
"If you say so..." said Marlene, looking pale and absolutely not convinced.
With a flick of his wand, Professor Flitwick passed them the exam papers and soon everyone started scribbling on their rolls of parchment.
Jenna was relieved that she knew the answers to all the questions and wrote on without thinking twice on it.
"Five more minutes!" her head shot up at that, as Professor Flitwick called after what felt like an hour, moving between the desks.
James was sitting right next to Jenna, and so with a glance toward Professor Flitwick, he turned in his seat and grinned at a Sirius, who was sitting four seats behind him.
Sirius was lounging in his chair at his ease, tilting it back on two legs and grinned, giving James a thumbs-up.
As he looked away, James started doodling L.E on a spare piece of paper for the remaining time of the exam.
"Quills down, please!" squeaked Professor Flitwick shortly after. "That means you too, Stebbins! Please remain seated while I collect your parchment! Accio!"
More than a hundred rolls of parchment zoomed into the air and into Professor Flitwick's outstretched arms, knocking him backward off his feet.
Jenna and Marlene both snorted as some other students laughed. Although Lily and Alice ran towards him with a few others, taking hold of Professor Flitwick beneath the elbows, and lifted him onto his feet again.
"Thank you . . . thank you," panted Professor Flitwick. "Very well, everybody, you're free to go!"
By that, James hastily crossed out the L. E, jumped to his feet, stuffed his quill and the exam question paper into his bag, which he slung over his back, and stood waiting for Sirius to join him.
After they were shortly joined by Remus and Peter, the four boys made their way out of the Great Hall.
"Did you like question ten, Moony?" asked Sirius as they walked into the entrance hall.
"Loved it," said Remus. "'Give five signs that identify the werewolf.' Excellent question."
"D'you think you managed to get all the signs?" said James in mock-concern.
"Think I did," said Remus seriously, as walked out into the sunlit grounds. "One: He's sitting on my chair. Two: He's wearing my clothes. Three: His name's Remus Lupin . . ."
All three of them laughed, except for Peter, who looked highly nervous ever since they had finished their exam.
"I got the snout shape, the pupils of the eyes, and the tufted tail," he said anxiously, "but I couldn't think what else —"
"How thick are you, Wormtail?" said James impatiently. "You run round with a werewolf once a month —"
"Keep your voice down," said Remus warningly.
The four boys then strode off down the lawn toward the lake, towards their favorite spot.
"Well, I thought that paper was a piece of cake," said Sirius coolly. "I'll be surprised if I don't get Outstanding on it."
"Me too," said James and then put his hand in his pocket, taking out a struggling Golden Snitch.
"Where'd you get that?"
"Nicked it," said James casually.
"Jenna's gonna kill you," said Sirius with a grin, but James only shrugged.
He started playing with the Snitch, allowing it to fly as much as a foot away and seizing it again as Peter watched him in awe.
When they reached the shade of a beech tree on the edge of the lake, they dropped themselves down on the grass.
The sunlight was dazzling on the smooth surface of the lake, and a pleasurable silence reigned the grounds.
Remus had now pulled out a book and was reading it through. Sirius stared around at where Jenna and her three friends had walked over the lake, taking off their shoes and socks, cooling their feet in the water.
James too threw glances at Lily as he was still playing with the Snitch, letting it zoom farther and farther away, almost escaping but always grabbed at the last second.
Peter then gasped and applauded louldy, causing Sirius to turn his head on him impatiently.
"Put that away, will you?" said Sirius finally. "Before Wormtail wets himself from excitement."
"If it bothers you," he said, stuffing the Snitch back in his pocket as Peter had turned slightly pink.
"I'm bored," said Sirius with a sigh. "Wish it was full moon."
"You might," said Remus darkly from behind his book. "We've still got Transfiguration, if you're bored you could test me. . . . Here." He held out his book.
Sirius snorted. "I don't need to look at that rubbish, I know it all."
"This'll liven you up, Padfoot," said James quietly. "Look who it is. . . ."
Sirius's head turned and with that, a smirk crept over through his face. "Excellent," he said softly. "Snivellus."