Thanks for all the reviews everyone! You have some really interesting ideas :. But my storyline is pretty fixed at the moment, but I assure you that all will be revealed in due course ;) I am honestly so grateful for your ideas though, so thank you so much! :D
Chapter 37 - Clara
The day of their first exams had come. Everyone had Charms that day; written paper in the morning, practical in the afternoon. Clara loved Charms, it was her favourite subject, but her nerves couldn't help but take her over.
"I'm not sure if I'm ready, John. I don't know if I know everything," Clara panicked at breakfast.
"Hey, look at me," John commanded. When their eyes met, he carried on. "You are going to ace Charms. Just think about why you love it so much. What made you like it all those years ago, and hopefully that'll help to keep you positive. As for the other exams, just give them your best shot and at the end of the day, your best will be amazing. You've had a pretty tough time lately, I think you can be excused if you don't do as well as you wanted, but I don't think that'll happen because you're Clara Oswald. You're just like your mum."
Clara smiled a little, thinking about her mum. "You're right. I'm going to do this for her and prove I'm my mother's daughter," she said boldly. "I won't let you down, mum," she thought.
"There you go! You're going to do great," John said.
Clara stared at him. It was moments like this where she realised she really loved him. "I just want to say thank you for everything, John. Without you I probably wouldn't be ready for any of the exams and I would've just given up on it all." She then went in a kissed him on the cheek. She wanted to catch his lips, but it would've been awkward for then both.
John's face lit up a little. "It's no problem. I'm so happy you're better. I believe in you," he said, putting his hand on her shoulder.
There moment was interrupted by Saxon though, as he came and slapped his hands on John's shoulders.
"Good luck, you guys. Welcome to public exams, where all your nightmares come true," he said with a laugh.
"Thanks, mate," John said.
"How are you holding up, Clara?" Saxon asked her.
"I'm better, thanks. I think I'll be okay with exams," Clara said. Saxon had been so encouraging to her when he found out about her breakdown. He's smuggled her some chocolate frogs a couple of times, which never failed to cheer her up.
"That's good to hear. Anyway, I better go. I've got my first exam tomorrow so I'm gonna get studying. I'll see you around, have fun in your exams," Saxon, said before giving them both a thumbs up and then walking off.
"Alright, you've eaten. So that's good. Now, here. Get some pumpkin juice down you. It's really important you're hydrated too. It'll help you keep your cool," John said.
"Damn, it's like I've got my own personal instructor or something. I have to admit, it's fairly attractive," Clara said, raising her eyebrows. She could feel she was becoming her old self again.
John bit his lip. "Hm, well. As your personal instructor, I'm observing that you are making a lot of progress. I would even go as far to say that you're flirty comments are a bonus," John said.
She didn't know why, but her confidence had suddenly shot up. "Damn, I'm on form. Did you put something in my juice or something?" she asked. It was a little odd how she felt so great when only five minutes before she was her usual self.
"Nope. You're probably just swayed by my sexy instructor pose," John said, flexing his arms and dramatically kiss his biceps, topped with him doing a hair flick.
"Mmm... It is pretty sexy. I could watch you all day, but regretfully I'm going to suggest that we get down to some last minute revision," Clara said.
"Alright then. Lead the way," John said, indicating towards the exit of the hall. They had an hour until their first written exam, so they could go back to the common room to study.
"Wow, that went a lot better than I thought," Clara said happily as she entered the common room with John by her side. After a long day of charms exams, she was ready to lie down and sleep. But she knew there was more revision to be done for the next day.
"You see? Having faith in yourself isn't so bad," John said.
Clara stopped in front of him. "I don't know how to thank you enough, John. Like, I've said it a billion times but I feel I need to do something more. You deserve it, because without you-"
"I know, Clara. But you don't have to do anything. I did it because I love you and seeing you happy again is the biggest reward I could have," he interrupted.
Clara sighed happily and shook her head. "You are so modest," she stated, smiling at him broadly.
John laughed. "Come on. Let's get away from all these people," John said, offering his hand for her to hold.
"That sounds like an amazing idea," Clara said, taking his hand, before he lead her out of the common room again.
"I've had a thought. You know the room we used for the DA meetings? We should use it more often," John said explained as they walked.
"For what exactly, may I ask?" Clara asked with a cheeky grin playing on her lips.
"Oh, you know. Stuff," he winked at her.
Clara giggled. "Stuff sounds good," she said.
As they reached the room of requirement, John stopped and said "Wait here, a sec. Nev told me how to get in, so I'll do it quickly."
John walked up and down the corridor three times, his eyes closed shut in concentration. After he finished the third walk, a door appeared in the wall.
"Ah, you clever thing," Clara said.
"Yeah, you wanna bet?" John said, before dragging her in through the door.
Inside was a large bed sized sofa with many cushions and blankets. There were boxes of Berty Blott's Every Flavoured Beans and a bowl of ordinary muggle popcorn lying on a table in front. There was a television in the corner.
It took Clara a while to realise that it was almost identical to her living room.
"This was always how I enjoy spending my evenings with you in the Summer, Clara. So why wait til the holiday when we can do it now?" John said.
Clara looked up at her boyfriend in disbelief, before she launched herself at him. It was the first time they had kissed properly in a long time, and she wondered why it had been so long. John picked her up and carried her to the sofa.
She finally remembered how it felt to be in love with him again, and it felt outstanding.