"Now class, this is what we've been working toward for twelve straight weeks of intensive training. You all know what I want you to do. Just keep a cool head and remember the techniques I taught you, and you'll be just fine. Now, who wants to go first?"
Dead silence. The students glanced nervously at each other, hoping that another would save them from the dreaded task that awaited them all.
"How about you, Ron? Would you care to demonstrate?"
Ron's eyes widened in fear. He hesitated, then slowly rose to his feet and stepped toward the front of the classroom. His fists were clenched tightly at his sides, and his posture was guarded and tense.
"You can do it, Ron. This is what you have been working for. Now, could you please read aloud the sentence I have written on the board?"
Ron turned his gaze toward the six chalky words that seemed to taunt him with their innocent form and simplicity, belaying their true meaning.
"I…" he began, his voice a mere whisper. He cleared his throat and started over.
"I am not afraid of…of…"
"You're almost there, Ron! Come on!" the teacher urged.
Ron closed his eyes and took a deep, cleansing breath. The rest of the class leaned forward in anticipation of what was to come.
"I," said Ron clearly, "am not afraid of…of V-v-v…Vol…"
"Keep going!" said the teacher.
"I am not afraid of…V-V-Voldemort!"
A collective gasp ran through the room. Neville shielded his ears, while poor Lavender Brown fell out of her chair with a quiet shriek.
Ron looked as if he was moments from passing out. He swayed slightly on his feet as the teacher began to applaud his student.
"Well done, Ron!" exclaimed Harry. "Well done!"
Ron, seeing what he had done, gave his teacher a small smile and hobbled back to his seat.
Harry turned to face the rest of his class, grinning proudly at his students. "Well, now that one of you has succeeded in passing his final exam for this course, let's see if the rest of you can repeat it together as a class?"
The majority of the students shrunk back, reluctant, despite Ron's success.
"But Professor Harry," complained Seamus Finnigan, "what if something horrible happens?"
"Seamus, we've been over this," said Harry patiently. "Saying a name is just as likely to hurt you as saying any other word. Remember, 'fear of a name only increases fear of the thing itself.' In conquering the name, you are conquering your fear. Now, I know that all of you are ready for this. It's not as if saying the name will make you explode. You can do it. Altogether now…"
The class drew breath in unison and began: "I am not afraid of Vol—"
Miles away from Hogwarts, a muggle farmer noticed a mushroom cloud rising from the north. Panicked, he began to reach for his phone to contact law enforcement, when he paused. No longer able to remember what he was going inside to do, the muggle wandered back to whatever he was doing before he saw the explosion.
And nobody ever figured out what caused Hogwarts castle to experience an explosion with the force of a nuclear bomb.
THE END.