Written for Hogwarts Challenges & Assignments - Term 13, Assignment 4: Extinct Languages, Task #4: write about someone failing a test/exam/performance review at work.
Word count: 591
and we keep living anyway
Cho screwed her eyes shut and willed herself to concentrate on the parchment before her.
Plop.
She opened her eyes to find that a tear had escaped and fallen onto her exam. Quickly, she used the sleeve of her robe to blot it away, leaving a slight smudge of ink in its wake.
Peeking furtively around at her fellow students, all of whom appeared fully focused on their tests, Cho felt a pang of envy. How she longed to have nothing more than a Charms exam occupy her thoughts! Instead, she was haunted by the memory of her dead boyfriend. It just wasn't fair.
After several more minutes spent listening to quills scratching and classmates clearing throats, Cho had had enough. There was no way that she could complete the exam. As if stuck on an endless loop, her mind kept replaying the moment she saw Cedric's body lying still in the grass outside the maze...
She abruptly flipped her parchment over and grabbed her bag, dispelling the horrific mental image—though it would be back soon enough, she knew.
Professor Flitwick raised a bushy eyebrow at her as she headed to the classroom door. "Finished already, Miss Chang?" he squeaked.
"Yes," Cho lied, knowing that the rest of the class was probably listening in.
"Very well, Miss Chang, you may go." The old wizard smiled kindly at her.
Cho hurried back to Ravenclaw Tower and had herself a good cry.
...
"I'm passing back your exams," Professor Flitwick called. "I was pleased to see that many of you did very well, especially on the new Substantive Charm material."
Cho slumped a little in her seat. She knew that she wasn't one of the students Professor Flitwick was referring to.
The Ravenclaw head spent the next few minutes distributing assessments to the other students, and Cho watched as they smiled and exclaimed over their marks.
Suddenly, Professor Flitwick appeared at her side. He didn't have an exam for her, Cho noted.
"Miss Chang, may I speak with you after class?" He spoke quietly, for which Cho was quite grateful.
"Of course, Professor," she said.
...
Charms class was over and the classroom was empty except for Cho and her professor. She approached his desk tentatively.
"You wanted to speak with me, Professor?" she asked with as much bravery as she could muster.
"Ah, yes, Miss Chang," Professor Flitwick said. "I must say, I was most surprised by your incomplete exam."
Cho hung her head. "I'm sorry, Professor. I—I had other things on my mind."
"May I be so bold as to assume that those 'other things' involved Mr. Diggory?" her teacher asked gently.
Cho hesitated, but curiosity got the better of her. "How did you—"
"Let's just say that I am not unfamiliar with how grief works," Professor Flitwick said. He was smiling, but Cho thought there was a certain sadness in his eyes. "It may have been several months since Mr. Diggory's death, but it doesn't feel that way to you, correct?"
Her own eyes filled with tears. "It feels like it was just yesterday," she admitted, stifling a sob.
The wizard produced a crisp white handkerchief and handed it to her, politely looking away as she dabbed at her face. "Obviously, these are unusual circumstances, Miss Chang. I am willing to allow you to retake the exam at a future date, if that is amenable to you."
Cho wiped away the fresh batch of tears that had sprung up at her professor's kind offer. "That would be wonderful, Professor, thank you."