Disclaimer: Don't own Potter property.

"So, Ronald," Professor Flitwick said, the ancient little man perched upon a pile of books stacked on his chair, "what are you thinking for a career?"

"You can call me Hugo, professor," Hugo said. He hated it when people called him by his first name. It made him feel inferior, like he acted like his father. Hugo made a point not to act like his father.

"Of course, of course," Professor Flitwick said.

"Well…I'd like to go to Romania with my Uncle Charlie and work with dragons."

"Ah, taking the dangerous path, I see," Flitwick said, flipping through the folder on his desk.

Hugo remained silent. He did not like having one on one conversations with professors. Particularly the teachers who still remembered his parents; they were impossible to talk to without references to the great Ron and Hermione Weasley. It drove him up the wall. Al said he had the same problem.

"For that…you will need a NEWT in charms, care for magical creatures of course, and potions."

Hugo nodded silently. He had expected as much.

"You know, Hugo," Professor Flitwick said, an air of tentativeness in his voice. "If I may be so bold to say it, you may be better suited for work in the ministry. I could see you becoming a fine Minister of Magic someday, and I don't say that about just anyone."

Hugo glared at Flitwick. There was no way in the wizarding world that he was going to work in the ministry, only to be overshadowed by his mother. He was not going to stand for it. He was a Ravenclaw. He was Hugo. He had a mind of his own.

"Will that be all, professor?"

"Yes, Hugo, I believe it will be."

3

Slytherin narrowly won the quidditch cup against the incumbent Gryffindor. Most of the school lamented this fact. There was no doubt in anyone's mind that there was some unfair play. But one thing they could not deny was that their fourth year keeper, Lily Potter, put on a clean, fantastic performance. Al had congratulated her on her success to the chagrin and reluctant approval of the rest of the Ravenclaw team.

"I can't believe they won," Ash sighed, sitting on Hugo's lap in the common room. Hugo welcomed the Ravenclaw chaser, wrapping his arms around her slender waist. He gently tucked her hair behind her ear, giving him a better view of the rest of the common room.

There were still some students cramming for the OWLs next week, half of them with ink stains on their hands and the bridges of their noses. Other students were getting a head start on finals, diving into their notes for the year. None of the seventh years were around, all of them locked up in the library to study for the NEWTs.

"I doubt Gryffindor will win next year," Al sighed, pushing his glasses up his nose and opening a book. "They're losing Fred and Jim."

"But Slytherin is losing all their chasers," Ash said, her arm winding around Hugo's shoulders.

"They have their three back-ups, all of them fourth-years."

"Damn it."

"Now, now, Ash, there's no need for profanity," Hugo said, a grin on his face. The only thing you could really get the girl riled up about was quidditch. Her bad marks were another, but you really didn't want to broach that.

"Sure there is. I have two years left at Hogwarts, and I'm not going to get to see Ravenclaw come out on top. Our team was stronger last year with you on keeper, Hugo."

"No, I'm not going to be a keeper next year."

"Why not?" Ash put an innocent hand on his chest.

"Because I don't want to."

"But you are the best we have."

"Look, I know you want to win, but I can't do it. I have too much going on, being a prefect and all."

"You know you aren't a good prefect. I've seen you on your rounds. All you do is read a book," Al murmured.

"Like you are now?"

Al flipped a page in his book.

"Hugo, please," Ash said. "You can teach Todd a few things."

"It was fun while it lasted, but I'm done with quidditch."

"You were professional quality."

"No I wasn't."

"You gave my mother a run for her money," Al said absently, turning another page.

"Your mother hasn't played quidditch in ages."

"All I'm saying is that we have the best offense we've had in years. Those two second-years we snagged are excellent chasers, our beaters are coming around, and Al is the best seeker to hit Hogwarts since his father. Todd isn't a good keeper. He gets nervous and lets a lot of stuff in. He's also young – only a second year. If we had you in there, teaching him…"

"No, Ash!" He took his hands off her waist. He felt the heat pulsing through his face and ears. "I am not going to play keeper for some silly quidditch cup that doesn't even matter!"

"Hugo…"

"No. Get off of me, please." Hugo clenched his jaw, fighting back the urge to push the girl off of him. He felt his fists trembling at his side. Ash slid off him gracefully and went up to the girl's dormitory.

"You really do need to control that temper of yours," Al said casually.

"Shove it, Al."

"You say you aren't like your father, but sometimes I wonder if the sorting hat put you in the right place," Al said.

"You don't know what you're talking about. I am nothing like my father."

Al looked up from his book, one eyebrow raised, and then turned the page. Sometimes, his cousin infuriated him. But he knew Al was right. Despite everything, despite him harping on the fact that he was a Ravenclaw and not a Gryffindor, that he was better than his father, that he was different from his father, he still had the Weasley temper and the fierce loyalty associated with Gryffindor.

He hated that about himself.

3

Hugo leaned back on the soft grass of the Hogwarts grounds. He closed his eyes and let the sun bathe him in its warm light. The OWLs had extricated his intelligence, leaving only his body, which yearned for physical comfort. And he was very comfortable.

If he were to be painfully honest, he would have said that the OWLs were a joke. Sure, they were long. Sure, they covered a lot of material. Sure, they were exhausting. But it also left a lot out. Beauxbatons and Durmstrang weren't even mentioned in the history part. Most of the stuff it did go over, he had learned before he even got to Hogwarts, like that Dumbledore defeated Grindewald. Who didn't know that?

However, if anyone was going to ask him, he was going to say he found them as difficult as Rose did. And she found them extremely difficult, even going to so far as to cry for days before her results came, fearing the worst. Now, he wondered if any of that was for show.

Al sat down next to him, his glasses conspicuously missing.

"Where're your glasses?"

"In the dormitory."

"Why?"

"Because I don't want to be tempted to read anything for at least an hour."

Hugo grinned to himself. Al not reading was like Rose wearing a fancy dress. Hugo had only seen both happen once, and that was at Aunt Gabrielle's wedding.

"So how'd you think of them?" Al asked.

"Easy."

"Really?"

"Yep."

"You think you got all outstandings?"

"Well…I dazed off for a minute or two in the transfiguration part, and don't get me started on divination, so I was probably docked there…but other than those I thought it went well. What about you?"

"DADA, fine. Transfiguration, eh. Charms, fine. Potions, fine. Herbology, fine. Divination, no way I passed. Astronomy, fine. Alchemy, fine. Ancient runes, fine. History of magic, eh."

They sat in silence for awhile, the intellectuals of the Weasley clan enjoying the silence the afternoon offered them. Everyone else was taking finals. The seventh years were still being examined. It was the perk of being a fifth year. Three hours on the Friday afternoon where the grounds are owned by you.

"So I hear you broke things off with Ash," Al said, turning to face his cousin.

"Yeah, she was…we aren't right for each other."

Al snorted and stared at the sky, watching the clouds pass by with a blank stare. Hugo gazed down the hill to the pond. It was still, its surface reflecting the trees looming overhead.

"Are you visiting Charlie this summer?" Al asked.

"Yep."

"When?"

"Third week in July. My mum wants me to go to the Ministry's youth council, too, in order to get some experience."

"But you don't want to."

"That's an understatement."

"I'm sure if you told them, they'd understand."

"No, they wouldn't."

"Aren't they all 'whatever you want to do, that's fine'?"

"That's bunk. You know it, too. The only one they're like that with is Rose because she's an idiot." Hugo could feel his ears begin to burn with anger. He needed to learn to control his emotion.

"Is there a middle ground?" Al asked.

"No."

"Oh."

They spent the rest of the day sitting in the sun, enjoying the mutual silence.