Disclaimer: Harry Potter is property of JK Rowling. The Dresden Files are property of Jim Butcher. Original story concept and books 1 and 2 belong to Silently Watches. For the events of those books, see his story A Deal with a Devil available on at s/11188292/1/Deal-with-a-Devil
Chapter 21: Finals
The summer term passed in something of a daze. Though they hadn't really had time to become close to Black, there had always been a desperate hope in Harry's mind that he could solve the question of his summer lodgings with a sympathetic adult. Once Harry and Tracey filled Sally-Anne in on what had happened, they returned to their studies with a kind of listlessness despite Lili's best efforts to get them focused on the Queen's task. Sally-Anne took over the desperate search for some precedent that would save Buckbeak from the headsman at his appeal, which ended up being scheduled on the last day of exams. Although she wasn't taking Care, she'd found that she felt something of a kinship with the unfairly accused beast.
She was quite hopeful, really. After the incident with Black, the Ministry had become quite focussed on getting things right, legally speaking. Dotting the Ts and crossing the Is. She had even enlisted Professor Jones to act as Hagrid's legal counsel this time since the gentle giant had fallen to pieces at the original trial.
Satisfied that they had done all they could two weeks before the final exams, Sally-Anne joined Harry and Tracey in revising. She was determined to ace her Defence and Runes exams and in doing so prove that she was just as worthy of taking an OWL early as the other two. Anything to avoid further risks of getting her wand snapped and her mind wiped.
The first exam was Arithmancy. Vector gave them a written exam that involved charting out their grades over the next two years and predicting how much extra-curricular time they would need to spend studying if they wanted to get straight Os.
Briefly, Sally-Anne wondered if Harry got Lash's help on exams. From his work ethic this year, it didn't seem likely.
The last day of exams, the sixth, had Defence in the morning. The Slytherins went through the gauntlet Lupin had set up in the courtyard first, coming out looking shaken but victorious, then it was Sally-Anne's turn.
The biggest challenge, she decided, was going to be restricting herself to the Hogwarts curriculum. Standing in the sun at the start of the course, she closed her eyes for a moment before stepping into the paddling pool. She charmed her glasses impervious against splashes and started moving forwards, watching the surface carefully for the little green water-imp. A slight ripple on the surface was all the warning she got as it leapt out of the water to smack into her chest and wrap its fingers around her throat, knocking her down with sheer momentum.
She felt panic clawing at her mind but forced it back with the basic occlumency Andromeda's Patronus training had given her and brought her wand up. Fear - emotion. Release - intention. "Relashio," she gasped past the chokehold and the water - incantation. The grindylow's fingers snapped back away from her under the influence of the spell, knocking him away into the water and stunning him. Sally-Anne hauled her face out from under the water and stumbled to the other end of the paddling pool, hauling herself out over the side and drying her robes with a grimace. The next part of the course stretched in front of her. A series of potholes that presumably contained a creature hazard… she approached the first one cautiously, wand in hand, and reached into the pouch at her belt with her other. At the first flash of red as the little dwarf leaped out at her, she brought her hand out of her pouch and smacked him with the iron ingot she was holding. While he scampered back into his hole, she swapped the iron for a tin cup she's taken to carrying - she mostly used it to drink out of, but this was the real reason. Red Caps weren't the only fey repelled by tin, and she kept the cup out in front of her as a warding gesture. It was enough to make the remaining red caps reconsider attempting to drag her under.
As she stepped into the mulchy bog, she found herself shrouded in a thick fog that came up out of nowhere. She took a step back to get her bearings by aligning herself with the edge of the area, then started picking her way through the muck carefully. She tested each footstep to avoid going off the safe path, just as they'd been taught in class, and shut out the distracting lights that promised a more solid route. She resisted the urge to allow her Wizard's Sight to open and cheat on the exam in case the hinkypunk's true forms were something she would regret seeing. Before she knew it, she was tripping over the far edge of the swamp and looking down at the chest holding the boggart.
Drying herself again, she gripped her wand tightly and opened the chest. She descended the steps, lighting her wand as the top of the chest slammed shut, cutting off the sunshine completely. The wood of the chest gave way to damp stone walls, and at the bottom was a door. She paused, steeling herself, and pushed the door open. Inside was a low-ceilinged room with a wardrobe in it. The pulled open the wardrobe door and took two swift steps back, raising her wand as the inevitable boggart drifted forwards, taking the form of a blue-robed Obliviator, wand in hand. Even as he raised the wand, his head turned into the hamster-like visage of a chaeris, and then into Dean Thomas. Fear surged in her mind. Fortunately, these days, she had a ward against enemies. The memory of Harry, bleeding but standing strong, his wounds wrapped with silver spider-silk and the beautiful blonde woman who held him in a warm, supporting embrace was never far from her mind, and it never faded. Every day it waited there for her to call on it, vivid as the day she had first seen it.
"Riddikulus!" she cast at the boggart, and its Chaeris head and human body changed places until Dean Thomas's face squeaked impotently at her from a hamster's body. She sniggered at the sight as it rolled over onto its back, stubby legs waving desperately. The back of the wardrobe opened up and she walked through, finding herself in front of Professor Lupin.
"Thirteen minutes and twelve seconds." He smiled. "Well done, Sally-Anne. One of the fastest times in your year, and you only lost marks because the Grindylow got the drop on you. Go and get some lunch, and good luck on any exams you have left."
Sally-Anne had Divination that afternoon, but Harry and Tracey were free and were attending the appeal. She could barely concentrate on trying to read her crystal ball, she was so worried about Buckbeak. Then something semi-solid formed in the fog, drawing a gasp from her lips.
"What do you see, dear?" Trelawney asked, quietly.
"I see… a disc? No…" She let her eyes unfocus in the way Trelawney had taught them, "A coin. It's old… there are more of them. Thirty stars fell from Heaven." The words barely sounded like her own as she narrated the vague impressions that felt almost more like they were in her mind than the foggy crystal ball. "A traitor's wage from death to life. Thirty lives they led to ruin. Twenty-nine times did Empty Night claim them, till one the Gates did open."
She rocked back slightly and shook off the trance. "Oh, my head…" She mumbled, rubbing at her temple.
"Well done, Miss Perks." Trelawney smiled. "Top marks. I will see you next year."
"Thank you, Professor," Sally-Anne stammered out, before making her escape. She skirted around the outer wall of the compound to head for the Lodge as fast as her legs could take her. She saw Hagrid first, then Buckbeak next to him as she came around the ruined kennels. Their mysterious destruction at Halloween had gone almost entirely unremarked upon, being generally put down to a Dementor-driven freak storm. Harry and Tracey were there as well. Sally-Anne relaxed when she saw that Hagrid was stiff and uncomfortable, but not upset. The Minister was there as well, and Professor Jones, and two wizards from the Committee for the Disposal of Dangerous Creatures. One of them was very old and frail, while the other was tall and strapping, with a thin black moustache. Of all of them, he looked the least happy, repeatedly running his thumb across the blade of the unused axe slung through his belt.
"Well, thank yeh gentl'men, for coming out here." Hagrid said to the three people from the Ministry. "I won't apologise fer wastin' yer time."
"No, that's- that's quite understandable, Mr. Hagrid." Fudge agreed. "You, er, have a nice day now." He doffed his hat, then crammed it back on and headed down towards the compound.
"Always good to get paid for a day off. With any luck it'll be a while before we meet again, Mr. Hagrid," the old man followed Fudge, leaving Hagrid and the executioner in an uncomfortable stand-off that seemed to stretch on and on while the students watched.
"Piss off, Macnair." Hagrid growled. The mustachioed man smirked at him and strolled after the other two.
"We- we won?" Sally-Anne asked, jogging the last few metres. Hagrid swept her up in a hug, making her squeal and struggle as her feet left the floor.
"We did." Professor Jones smiled at them. "Let her down, Professor Hagrid."
"Eh, sorry," Hagrid muttered, setting the hufflepuff down on her feet gently. "I can' thank yeh enough, Sally-Anne." He looked at Tracey, Harry, and Professor Jones. "All of yeh. If- if it were just me, they'd never have listened. I can't talk teh people all fancy like. Yeh saved 'is life, all o' yeh, and me job. I'll buy yeh drinks some day."
"Professor Dumbledore said that next year, we should be back at the castle." Professor Jones said. "Which means Hogsmeade weekends. No alcohol for these three though, mind." She wagged a finger at Hagrid.
"O' course not." Hagrid laughed, happily. "As long as the four o' you don't mind being seen wi' th' likes o' me."
"We would never be ashamed of you, Hagrid," Harry said. "You love everything too much."
"I'm still old. An' yer teacher." Hagrid pointed out.
"You're a hero who saved an innocent life." Sally-Anne told him, and hugged him as high as she could manage.
AN: Sorry for the late posting, I have no excuse save the weather.
There is one more chapter of The Devil's Own year three left before the summer holidays. After I've posted chapter 22: Approved Premises (hopefully next Wednesday as normal!), I will be taking a short break while I finish working on the summer / year 4.