Chapter 29: In Which Someone Gets Yelled At
Lily and Alice went to visit Khyana the morning after she woke up, before their classes.
"How are you doing, Khyana?" Lily asked, handing her a box of chocolate frogs and a bouquet of flowers they had picked from down by the lake.
"Well, considering I have a deadly disease, I suppose I'm doing alright," Khyana replied dryly, sitting up in her bed and leaning against the pillow propped behind her.
Alice and Lily exchanged uncomfortable looks, and there was an awkward silence.
"So…how are things in the big wide world?" Khyana asked, trying to lighten the mood.
"Subdued," Lily replied. "I mean, exams are coming up and people are getting cranky and snippy…and Sirius is cranky and snippy even though he doesn't care about exams."
Khyana sighed. "Yeah…I'll have a talk with him. But did you bring me the work I've missed?"
Alice and Lily exchanged another look. "No…"
"Well why not? I'm better now, and exams are coming up! I can't fail these, I need them to get into Auror School."
Lily sighed. "Khyana, Dumbledore didn't want us to collect your things. You won't be writing your exams."
Khyana sat up straight. "What?"
Lily sighed again, and gave Khyana a helpless look. "You know you're not going to be able to become an auror, Khyana, not with your illness. Dumbledore knows this, and he doesn't want you hurting yourself trying to do your exams."
"What?!" Khyana jumped out of bed and glared at her friends. "Where's Dumbledore?"
"In his office, I expect, but-"
Khyana was off running before Alice could finish her sentence.
"Miss Malfoy, wha-?!" Madam McKenna called when she saw Khyana running past her office.
Khyana paid her no mind, and Madam McKenna never had any hope of catching her.
Khyana ran straight up to Dumbledore's office, barely breaking a sweat, gave the password and raced up the stairs. When she reached the top, she banged once loudly on the door, then pushed it open without waiting for a response.
"Ah, Miss Malfoy," Dumbledore said, smiling and rising from his chair. "To what do I owe this pleasure?"
It was to Dumbledore's credit that his smile didn't falter when he saw the deadly look on Khyana's face.
"I just talked to Lily," Khyana said in a dangerously low voice. "She told me I'm not to be doing exams this year."
Dumbledore sighed. "That is correct."
Khyana's face was nearly transparent in her rage. "Now you listen to me, and you listen good, old man. I don't care what you say, I intend to finish my schooling here with a proper examination."
Dumbledore did not even look angry at Khyana's words, to her fury.
"You will not be able to complete the practical exam, Miss Malfoy."
"Watch me."
"You will not be marked any easier than the others."
"I better not be."
"If you really wish to do this, you will have to talk to Madam McKenna and Leanne."
"Leanne's gone."
"Then I suggest you owl her. I have no problem with you doing your exams, but you will need Madam McKenna's permission."
"Fine," Khyana spat. "I'll get her permission, just watch."
"I eagerly await the result," Dumbledore said with a grin. "Good luck, Miss Malfoy."
Khyana left the office, and walked slowly, her movements very controlled, back to the hospital wing.
"Madam McKenna," she said, knocking on the matron's office door.
"Well, Miss Malfoy, I see you have returned," Madam McKenna replied.
"Indeed. I wish to do my exams."
"Miss Malfoy, exams are not for another three weeks-"
"You know what I mean, Madam McKenna. Someone told Dumbledore I wouldn't be able to do them, but I want to."
Madam McKenna looked uncomfortable. "Miss Thompson is currently making a potion that should help you with your illness. If it is completed by the time your exams come around, you may perform."
Khyana smiled coldly. "Thank you."
The next three weeks were torture for just about everyone. The Slytherin common room was extremely quiet, and anyone not doing a major exam--first to fourth and sixth years--had learned not to bother the fifth and seventh years, unless they wanted to visit the hospital wing. Paul Nott had made that clear when he hexed a third year so badly he spent the next ten days in the hospital wing, and Nott spent the next ten days in detention.
According to Lily, the Gryffindor common room was much the same, except that people lost points for interrupting the studious fifth and seventh years, instead of being hexed.
Sirius was fed up with the whole thing, and told Khyana so angrily when they met in the library the Friday after Khyana was released from the hospital wing.
"Everyone's making such a big fuss about it, I don't know what the big deal is," he said contemptuously. "I've got through six years of exams without studying, I'm not about to start now."
Khyana sighed and looked down at her charms essay. "Sirius, you've never been this upset about exams before."
"How would you know? You would never give me the time of day before that day in the hall in December."
Khyana nodded. "Yes, but I still know. I do talk to Remus and Lily, you know. It's not the exams that are bothering you, is it?"
"What do you mean?"
"You're snippy and stressed and no one wants to be around you, Sirius. It's not like you. What's eating you?"
"What's eating me? Well, let's think. It couldn't possibly be the fact that my girlfriend has a deadly disease, could it?"
Khyana sighed again. "I thought that might be it. Listen, Sirius, we're just going to have to learn to live with it. Leanne has a potion that I can take, and she says it's not going to affect the length of my life in any way. The only thing that's going to be different is that I'm not going to be able to do any complex spells unless I take my potion. And I'm okay with that, Sirius."
"You're okay with that?" Sirius asked, disbelievingly.
Khyana smiled. "Yes. I mean, it's not going to be fun, having to take this potion all the time, but there's not really much I can do about it. When I first found out I was angry, but I've learned in the past week that there's nothing I can do about it. I just have to accept it and learn to live."
Sirius gaped at her, and she laughed.
"Really, Sirius, it's fine." She leaned over and kissed him slowly. "I appreciate your concern, but I'm okay with it. For real."
The week before exams was stressful for everyone, including Sirius, who still claimed he didn't need to study.
Khyana had started taking the potion Leanne had concocted, and was feeling better than she had in a long time. She was really starting to feel ready for her examinations.
Kelria was happy that Khyana was feeling better, but was too stressed out about her exams (which she claimed five times a day she was going to fail) to be much company.
Remus was preparing for exams, but he was also starting to feel the effects of the moon, which would be full the night before the first N.E.W.T. He was not excited.
James couldn't care less, really, but was being forced to study by Lily, who claimed almost as often as Kelria that she "really doesn't know anything, and she's going to fail every one." Everyone had made their own sort of sign to tell both Lily and Kelria to shut up, they'd do fine.
Alice wasn't worried about her exams, really. She was thinking she might want to be an auror, but Frank had proposed to her the week before, and she was starting to think that maybe she would just stay home.
The day of exams finally arrived, and everyone met in the Great Hall at breakfast. Their first exam was Charms, and no one was really nervous except Remus (who wasn't really feeling up to scratch considering the previous night had been a full moon) and Khyana, who wasn't sure how well she would hold out on the practical.
Professor McGonagall finally told them to leave the Hall, it was going to be prepared for exams. Everyone left, and milled about in the Entrance Hall, waiting for the call to exams.
Finally, the doors to the Great Hall opened and Professor McGonagall came into the Entrance Hall.
N.E.W.T. exams had begun.
A/N: I know, I know, cliffhanger ending. Well, Kelria, I'm famous for them, so don't yell too loudly. Anyway, I'm thinking I'm going to finish this off within about 2 chapters, and then I'll start posting the next one...provided people want to read them. So yeah, R&R!
