I don't own anything in the Potterverse. I would lke Andrea (Ravensgryff) to moderate this chapter, please.
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The confidence that both Harry and Ron had had Monday morning, concerning their N.E.W.T.s, was fading quickly as students slowly started trickling out of their exams. All students were expressly forbidden to reveal anything about the questions or tasks required, but that didn’t stop them from expressing their thoughts on the difficulty of the exam.
“Most difficult thing I have ever had to do,” explained a very pale Seamus Finnigan in the Great Hall Monday afternoon.
“I just froze up,” Justin Finch-Fletchley was saying as he dashed towards his common room.
Lavender Brown, looking very haggard, noted that, “They made me Transfigure a paving stone into a butterfly. Have you ever tried to make a paving stone pretty, much less make it fly?”
“Lavender, you aren’t supposed to tell what the questions were like, but since I already took mine,” Parvati whispered, “did they make you conjure your own tea leaves, before having to read them?”
Lavender nodded vigorously, and both girls went to their room to console each other.
All Monday afternoon was the same: students in pure distress over the difficulty of their final Hogwarts exam. By mid afternoon, Harry and Ron decided it would be best to stop playing chess, and start revising for their respective turns. They also wondered where Hermione was. She was one of the first to sit for her exam, and yet at four in the afternoon she had still not returned.
“You think she’s all right?” Ron asked.
Harry had been diligent not to make mental contact with her, since he didn’t want to distract her, nor did he want to be cheating by knowing what may be coming for him through her. He had made enough contact, however, to know that she was still in the castle, so he was not concerned for her safety. “She may be sitting for more than the usual N.E.W.T.s,” Harry remarked.
Just then, the portrait hole opened, and Hermione came dashing into the room. Ron quickly rose to meet her. She flung herself in his arms, obviously crying. “Oh, Ron, it was horrible. I mean, they just kept me there and they “well, I can’t talk about it, but it was dreadful.”
Ron and Harry both looked extremely concerned. If N.E.W.T.s can do this to Hermione, we are in big trouble, Harry thought.
Hermione then went upstairs to change for supper, followed quickly by Ginny, who had arrived shortly after Hermione had. Ron and Harry both pulled out their books, and decided that they had better skip eating. “Better study now and eat later, don’t you think?” Ron asked. Harry nodded and they got to work.
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After a very long night, with almost no sleep, Harry was set to take his exam. He was to go to Classroom 4 on the ground floor at nine in the morning. He sat in the Great Hall not feeling up to eating anything. Hermione sat across from him, seemingly recovered from her ordeal of the previous day. Ron sat next to her, with a book propped up on a milk jug, revising for Transfiguration.
Ginny rose from the table, gave Harry quick kiss and rubbed his back. “You’ll be just fine, Harry.” She wore a slight grin that seemed to say that she knew more than she was telling. She then walked out for her last Potions class of the term.
Harry arrived at Classroom four, just five minutes before his exam. He entered and saw a long table with six chairs sitting behind it. A solitary chair stood in front of the table. Harry felt his stomach clench. He sat in the single chair and waited.
Precisely at nine, six Ministry officials entered the room, looking very sombre, and took their seats. None seemed to even notice that Harry was there.
The first to speak was a middle-aged witch, in burgundy robes. She had a stern face, which looked like it may crack if she smiled, which Harry didn’t think she ever did. His heart began to pound in his chest and he raised his mental walls in order to focus on the task at hand.
You’ll do great, Harry. I love you. Ginny’s voice ran through his head, and a feeling of warmth and peace flooded his body. He smiled for the first time since the previous afternoon.
“Let’s see here. Harry J. Potter,” the burgundy robed witch began, “Gryffindor Hou”” Suddenly, she stopped reading from her parchment, and looked at Harry, as did the rest of the panel. The slightest grin played across her lips, and Harry wondered if it hurt. “It can’t be, not The Harry Potter.”
The rest of the panel was now staring at him as if he were on display. “It must be; I would know that hair anywhere”just like his father’s,” declared a very old wizard who was wearing bright blue robes.
The panel degenerated into mumbles and whispers, “How impressive,” and “just like his father,” being the most notable statements. Harry sat embarrassed, and waited.
“Ehem,” chirped Burgundy Robes, and the panel settled down. “Well, let’s get started, shall we? My name is Matilda McGonagall, Mr. Potter, and I will be examining you in Defense Against the Dark Arts. Are you ready?”
Harry was startled by the name, but that certainly explained her demeanor. He nodded silently and the exam began.
Hours later, Harry finally completed his N.E.W.T.s by Transfiguring a wrist-watch into a wombat. He was exhausted and frustrated at the same time, because it seemed that with every exam question came a question about the battle that Harry had just fought with Voldemort.
“Oh very good, Mr. Potter, now tell us, did you use Occlumency to defeat You Know Who, or was it a type of potion that allowed you to damage his mind so badly?” a portly wizard, who reminded Harry greatly of a pig, asked during the exam.
Over and over again, details were requested, and Harry was compelled to respond. No one broached the subject of Horcruxes, as Harry, his friends, and the Order were the only ones who knew about it. His frustration level increased with each question, because it brought back the doubts he had had right after the confrontation. He had doubts about the war truly being over, and about the final condition of Voldemort; he had successfully taken his mind off of those doubts for a while, but now they were again front and centre in his life.
Harry stalked up to Gryffindor tower, ashen-faced and ready for sleep. Hermione met him at the door. “Care for a walk?” she asked. The pleading look on her face told him she needed him to agree.
“Sure, where’s Ron?”
“Still revising,” she answered with a small grin.
They walked in silence through the castle, each lost in their own thoughts. Harry was wondering what she needed to talk about with him, and he desperately hoped there wasn’t anything wrong between her and Ron.
“So, how was the exam?” Hermione inquired.
“Aggravating,” Harry replied. “All they wanted to know about was the fight with Voldemort.”
“I know,” Hermione responded.
Harry stopped walking. “You knew? Is that what they wanted to talk to you about too?”
Hermione again looked at the verge of tears. “Yes, they didn’t ask me anything that was terribly challenging”nothing that we didn’t cover for our O.W.L.s.”
Harry chuckled at this realization. “So it wasn’t that the exam was too hard that had you so upset yesterday; it was that it was too easy!”
“Well I had heard that N.E.W.T.s are the most difficult exams you can take at school and then, when it was that easy…” she trailed off, looking slightly embarrassed. Harry began to laugh. This proved infectious, because Hermione soon joined in.
“So, why did you want to talk? Is there something wrong…it’s not something between you and Ron is it?” Harry asked as they settled back down.
“Oh, no, I just wanted to see if they had done the same thing to you as they did to me on the exam. I wanted to make sure there wasn’t a mistake or something.”
Harry laughed again at his friend’s desire to take horribly difficult exams. “Well, at least they didn’t cancel them.”
Hermione smacked Harry on the arm, and then continued to walk.
Harry and Hermione were strolling through the castle, taking in the sights on each floor and it seemed to begin to sink in that they were almost finished with Hogwarts. They finally wound their way to the first floor.
“Who just went into the Defense Against the Dark Arts classroom?” Hermione questioned.
Harry hadn’t seen anyone go in. “Don’t know. Let’s go and find out. We can see if Professor Scurlock is coming back, and if the jinx is finally off the position.”
The walked to the door, knocked and waited. No one answered. Harry tried the knob and found it open. They entered the room, and were met with the sight of Tonks and Remus in a passionate embrace behind the desk.
“Oh, sorry.” They both backed out of the classroom.
Hermione, who was flaming red with embarrassment, looked at Harry. “What do you make of that? Why would they be in the Defense Against the Dark Arts classroom?”
Harry stood there for a moment wondering the same thing, then, as if a bolt had finally clicked, unlocking a door in their heads, they both had it.
“Tonks is Professor Scurlock,” they announced in unison.
At this moment, Remus opened the door, and ushered them inside. He too looked scarlet. Only Tonks looked normal”well, as normal as someone with spiky pink hair can look.
“Why?” Hermione asked.
Tonks grinned broadly. “I can’t believe that you lot never figured it out. All the times I was late right after Harry trained with me. I thought at least my clumsiness would give it away. Hermione, I think you’re losing your touch.”
Hermione seemed a bit put out by this last comment. “But that doesn’t answer my question,” she replied a bit more harshly than she meant to.
“Well, McGonagall figured you lot were up to something, so she thought she had better have a pair of eyes on you and to keep an eye on the Slytherins. Just in case they tried anything foolish. Harry here was always a step ahead of me, though, so I wasn’t really much help,” Tonks answered.
“Harry, Harry, guess what!?” Ginny shouted as she burst through the classroom door. “Oh hi, Tonks, Professor Lupin.”
“You aren’t surprised to see them here?” Harry asked, dumbfounded.
“Well, you know, I’ve known about Tonks for ages; since before Christmas, actually.”
Harry simply grinned. “What did you want to tell me?”
“Oh, I tracked you. I focused on you, and then I just knew you were here. Isn’t that incredible?” She threw her arms around him.
Harry was amazed, and didn’t know what to say. Remus stepped forward. “Looks like you have an Occlumens to train, Harry.”
Harry grinned again.
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Friday morning dawned bright and warm. Harry, Ginny, Ron, and Hermione were all sitting at breakfast. N.E.W.T.s were over for the older ones, so they were simply full of merriment. Ginny, too, was in very high spirits, even though she had her own exams looming in front of her.
Hermione sat with a stack of parchment in front of her as she ate her toast. “Hermione, what are you working on? N.E.W.T.s are over,” Harry questioned.
“Just finishing up some grading for my classes,” she replied absentmindedly.
“I told her to just give them all eight out of ten and be done with it,” said Ron between mouthfuls of bacon.
Hermione pulled a face at Ron, and returned to her grading.
Harry was trying not to laugh, when he noticed Hedwig flying into the Great Hall. She circled for a moment then landed, a small package tied to her leg. Harry reached out to retrieve the package that was undoubtedly for him, when she nipped his finger.
“Hey, what was that for?” Harry exclaimed indignantly. He watched as Hedwig took two steps toward Ginny and lifted her leg. Ginny quickly untied the note, and put the package in her bag.
“Sorry, Harry, I sent Hedwig on an errand. Pig was too small for the package,” Ginny explained.
“So, what did you get?” Harry asked, still looking a little put out with his owl.
Ginny merely grinned, and got up to leave. “Got to get to class.” Ginny got up and, almost immediately, fell back to her seat holding her head.
Harry caught her. “Ginny, you all right?”
Ginny shook her head to clear it, and then stood again. “Yeah, just got up too fast or something. Bye.”
Harry watched her leave, concern etched on his face.
The rest of the day was spent outside, enjoying the summer sun. Ron was busy looking at Quidditch charts and developing their game plan for the final match, against Slytherin.
“Why did McGonagall push the final game so far back in the year?” Hermione asked.
“She said she likes to have the final after the final exams. Sort of makes it like a celebration,” Ron replied, as he manipulated the figures on his chart with his wand, “and she put the Slytherins on the schedule for us last. I think she wanted to see if Harry would be available to play against them if she made the match at the end of the year.”
Harry smiled. “Well, the way Ginny’s been playing, McGonagall needn’t have worried.”
Harry closed his eyes, and enjoyed the warm sunny day. He was almost asleep when he heard Colin Creevey’s voice, “Harry, Harry, come quick! Ginny’s had to go to the Hospital Wing.”
Harry was up in a flash, along with Ron and Hermione, and they sprinted back to the castle.
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The next morning in the common room, Ron was in a dreadful state. “How can she have the stomach flu at a time like this?” he bellowed to no one in particular.
“Ron, she can’t help it if she is sick,” Hermione stated firmly. “People don’t decide when they get sick, now do they?”
“Hermione, you don’t understand; if she’s sick, that means we have to play a person down or find a new Seeker in two hours.” Ron looked over at Harry, who wasn’t paying the least bit of attention.
“Do you think a Slytherin tried to poison her or something?” Harry asked. “I mean, they are probably really mad about--
“Harry, don’t be ridiculous,” Hermione admonished. “It’s just the stomach flu, nothing that a day or two of rest won’t cure.”
“So what am I going to do for a Seeker,” Ron announced, again looking pointedly at Harry, who was again lost in his own world of thought. Ron shook his head. “Maybe Neville, then? Hermione?”
“Maybe Neville what?” Neville responded, entering the common room.
“Maybe you’d like to play Seeker,” Ron answered, his voice growing louder all the time.
Neville looked surprised, intrigued, and terrified all at the same time. “Me, Seeker? But I hate to fly. Why don’t you ask Harry?”
“What?” Harry was startled upon hearing his name. “Ask me what?”
Ron was now at the end of his rope. “Harry, would you play Seeker today for us?”
“Oh, Ron, that’s a wonderful idea,” Hermione piped up. “I bet I can even get a robe ready for you. It won’t be perfect, but my sewing is getting better.”
Before Harry had time to reply, the three of them had hoisted him out of his chair, and began frog-marching him out of the castle towards the Quidditch pitch. He was halfway to the locker room when he realized where they were taking him. “But what if Ginny needs me?” Harry questioned.
Ron was looking a bit aggravated now. “Harry, she’ll be fine. Now, would you please get into that locker room so Hermione can have your robe taken care of.”
Harry entered the locker room, and was greeted by thunderous applause. He looked around, and a giant banner with ‘Potter for President’ was floating in the air. A small figure, which looked very much like Harry, was sailing around it, a golden Snitch racing in front of him.
The twins were standing next to his former locker, beaming, as was Oliver Wood. Oliver limped over to him and shook his hand. “Harry, welcome back to the team.”
“Oliver, what happened?” Harry asked, noticing the limp.
“Took a nasty fall during practice last week. Coach says I’ll be out for a while, but should be back as good as new in a few months.” Wood smiled and stepped out of Harry’s way.
“What is all this?” Harry asked, astonished.
“Ginny’s idea,” Fred replied.
“Owled us last week, telling us that she wanted you to play,” George continued.
“Of course, if Ron had just added you to the team just for the last match…”
“Slytherin would have gone crazy…”
“So we sent her one of these.” Fred held out a Skiving Snackbox.
“Now she has a legitimate reason for not playing.”
“And you get to play the final match of your Hogwarts career.”
Hermione walked up to him and handed him his old Quidditch robes. “Here you go, Harry. Ginny found these in the locker room a couple of weeks ago. That’s when she started thinking about doing this.”
“I don’t know what to say,” Harry began.
“Don’t say anything; just win the Cup. GRYFFINDOR FOR THE CUP!” shouted Dean Thomas. This was followed by cheers from the assembled Gryffindors.
After several more cheers, Ron made all the non-players leave. He gave a brief pep talk, and the team marched out to the pitch.
As Harry shouldered his Firebolt to walk out with his team-mates, he noticed a small note pinned on the side of his robes. He pulled it free, and opened it. It had three words on it: “You’re Worth It.”
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In the Hospital Wing, Ginny sat and listened to the commentary of the match. It was over within an hour, Gryffindor 220, Slytherin 30.
Harry had kept the connection open the entire match and now he was being hoisted on the shoulders of his team-mates, carrying the Quidditch Cup.
You didn’t have to do this, Ginny.
I know, that was what made it so much fun.
Harry was elated, and not even the thought of the Ministry ceremony that evening could dampen his spirits. He knew he had that final hurtle to jump before his life could be his own.
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A/N: I hope you all liked that little bit of fluff. Harry gets to play in his final match at Hogwarts and Ginny gets to give him a wonderful gift. Thanks to my pre betas Kerrbear and Cableguysmom, and as always major thanks to my betas Ginny Guerra and JenC. Yet another wonderful job ladies.
Up next Harry and his friends make another trip to the Ministry of Magic.