Year 1: A New Generation
Chapter 10: June 2012
Finally, exams time had descended upon Hogwarts. O.W.L. and N.E.W.T. students frantically tried to shove last bits of information into their heads before they had to enter the examination room. The first years could barely eat, not knowing what was ahead of them.
"Well, here goes," Kara said nervously as they stood outside the Transfiguration classroom, waiting to be let in for their first exam. "Good luck guys."
"Good luck," Victoire and Brianna wished back. The door opened and Professor Tonks ushered them in. This was it.
VvVvVvVvVvV
"That was a disaster!" Kara cried as she, Victoire, and Brianna walked out of their last exam of the year. "Who knew Charms would be the most difficult exam of all?"
"It felt like the exam was written a thousand years ago," Brianna said.
"He probably hasn't updated it since our parent's generation," Victoire said. "I'm convinced some of the stuff in there was stuff we never even learned this year."
"I just hope I pass," Kara said. "I cannot go to summer school. I need my vacation."
"Me too," Brianna agreed. "At least we have one last week of peace before we find out how we did."
"I don't need O's and E's," Victoire said. "As long as I have an A in everything, I'm happy."
In the past, regular school exams had been graded using the percentage system, but for the past five years or so, the school had changed their system so that they used the letter grades at all times. This way, students would be familiar with the grading scheme from the beginning.
The next week of classes were practically a joke. For the first few days, the Professors tried to teach, but with the exams behind them, none of the first years were listening. By the end of the week, the Professors just wrote the assigned summer work on the board and sat back while their students enjoyed the beginning of their summer break.
"I can't believe how much work they've assigned for us over the summer," Victoire complained. "It's going to take at least a month to get that done, so that's like, half our vacation gone right there."
"We should collaborate," Brianna suggested. "You do the Potions assignment and the Astronomy chart, and I'll work on Transfiguration and History. Kara, you can take Charms and Herbology and then we'll send our work to each other and we can copy."
"What about the Defence essay?" Kara asked.
"We'll have to each write our own for that one," Brianna sighed. "It's supposed to be a personal interview with someone who lived through either the first or second wizarding wars, so we have to have different material."
"I can't decide who to interview," Victoire said. "I mean; the easiest option would be my parents. They were in the Order and they fought at the Battle of Hogwarts and everything. But if I interviewed Uncle Harry and Uncle Ron and Aunt Hermione, that would be insanely cool."
"How is that even a question?" Kara asked. "If you have the option of interviewing Harry Potter for an essay on the second wizarding war, then you go for it."
"I guess so," Victoire sighed. "But then what if I interviewed Grandma and Grandfather Weasley?" she wondered. "They lived through both wars."
Brianna and Kara both gave Victoire a look.
"Alright, fine, I'll owl Uncle Harry and Uncle Ron and see if they can make time for me," Victoire muttered.
"You know; it's really frustrating that you have all these amazing people you can interview. You know, people who really fought in the war," Kara said. "Meanwhile, my options are my parents – who basically just shut their doors and hoped the Death Eaters never came calling – or my Aunt and Uncle, who left the country until it was all over."
"Hey, you know, I don't need to interview Uncle Harry, Uncle Ron, and Aunt Hermione," Victoire said. "What if I asked Uncle Ron and Aunt Hermione if they'd mind being interviewed by you guys? We'd have the three best essays in the school!"
"Oh, well you know, I think that idea you had about interviewing your grandparents was a great idea," Kara said. "So you should do that, and then I'll just interview Harry Potter."
"Nice try," Victoire smirked. "But seriously, I really think they'd go for it."
"Yeah?" Brianna asked. "That would be amazing!"
"I'll owl them later tonight and we can set it up for sometime over the summer," Victoire said.
"Guys!" Raina cried, running up to them in excitement. "Our grades have been finalized, Professor Longbottom has them in his office!"
"Oh my God," Brianna said. "Should we go?"
"Yes," Kara decided. "We should just get this over with."
The four of them trooped down to the greenhouses together and tentatively knocked on their Professor's office door.
"Yes?" Professor Longbottom asked, the door magically opening for them. "I assume you're here for your grades?" he asked.
"That's right," Victoire confirmed.
"Just give me one second," he said, reaching for a stack of parchments and sifting through for their individual pages. "I'm glad to see the four of you getting along so well. Where's Caitlin?" he asked.
"She's running laps outside the castle," Raina said. "She's hoping to make the Quidditch team next year."
"And you're all getting along?" their Professor asked.
"Oh yes," Victoire lied. "We're the best of friends."
"I'm glad to hear it," Professor Longbottom said. "Here we are… Brianna Jackson, Kara Jensen, Raina Hudson, and Victoire Weasley. Congratulations girls, you all did fantastically."
He handed them their reports and Victoire's stomach gave a nervous flip as she looked down at her grades, breathing a sigh of relief when she saw them. She had A's in Defence, Transfiguration, and History of Magic; E's in both Astronomy and Charms, and she even had two O's; in Herbology and Potions.
"How'd you guys do?" Victoire asked.
"Passed everything," Kara said with a smile. "Even got an O in Charms!"
"No O's for me," Brianna said. "But I'm happy. I got all E's except for in Defence and Astronomy!"
"Raina?" Victoire asked, since Professor Longbottom was there, and also because she was trying to be nicer to the odd girl.
"O's in Herbology and Astronomy and E's in everything else," Raina smiled.
"Wow, that's amazing!" Kara exclaimed. "What about you Victoire?"
Victoire told her friends her grades.
"That's amazing!" Brianna said when she was finished.
"I'm very proud of all you girls," Professor Longbottom said. "You all did exceptionally well in my class and I look forward to having you all again next year."
"Thanks Professor," Victoire said, leading everyone else out.
"Well I guess now we can relax," Kara laughed. "No summer school for us!"
"Nothing but sunshine and sleeping in," Victoire agreed.
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Dear Uncle Ron and Aunt Hermione,
How are you doing? I'm doing great! My first year at Hogwarts is basically done! I got my grades back earlier today; three A's, two E's, and two O's; in Herbology and Potions.
Anyway, the reason I'm writing you both is that we've been assigned an essay for Defence to write over the summer. We're supposed to interview someone who lived through the first or second wizarding war and my friends Kara and Brianna were hoping they could each interview one of you. I'll completely understand if you're too busy or don't want to, but it would really mean a lot to them and to me.
Hope you're well. Say hi to Rose and Hugo for me, and I'll see you at the next family gathering.
Love from,
Victoire
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"Well, this is it," Victoire said with a sigh as she dragged her trunk along the platform at Hogsmeade station. The year was officially over and the students of Hogwarts were heading home. "I can't believe how fast that went."
"Next time we see this place, we'll be second years," Kara said.
"Yeah, and we'll be the ones bossing around the first year Flobs," Brianna smiled.
"Come on, you don't really want to be the people that harass the first years, do you?" Victoire asked.
"Of course I do," Brianna said. "My sister Savannah is starting school next year."
Victoire laughed as she heaved her trunk onto the train and began to walk down the corridor to find an empty compartment. "Well don't harass her too much," she said. "Remember our first month? She's probably going to be terrified."
"Yeah, I know," Brianna said. "But what fun is having a sister if not to torment her?"
"Yeah, well come September first, I bet you'll be all sweet and protective, yelling at any Slytherin that tries to call Savannah a Flob," Victoire countered.
"You've got me all wrong, my friend," Brianna shook her finger at Victoire. "All wrong."
Soon, the three girls were settled in their compartment and the train began to move. The trolley lady began to make her rounds and the prefects came around, reminding everyone that underage magic wouldn't be permitted outside of Hogwarts.
Around noon, an owl appeared outside their window, pecking to get in.
"It's Pigwidgeon!" Victoire exclaimed.
"Who?" Kara asked as Victoire struggled to open the window.
"My Uncle Ron's owl," Victoire replied. "Remember, I owled him about the interviews."
With a little help, she got the window open and the owl flew in, sitting still long enough for Victoire to untie the letter from his leg before he started hooting and flapping and flying all over the compartment.
"Still as excitable as ever," Victoire commented.
"So?" Kara asked. "What does it say?"
Victoire unrolled the letter and read it over quickly.
Dear Victoire,
That's wonderful news! I'm sure your parents were proud to hear how well you're doing in school. Rose and Hugo are doing wonderfully and they ask about you often. They're so jealous that their older cousin is at school already, even though they still have years before it's their turn.
As for your request, we would absolutely love to have your friends come and interview us. And don't let your Uncle Ron make you feel bad, he completely understands why you would want to interview Harry for yourself and not him. It's an honor even to be asked, really. Just let us know when you'd like to bring them over and we'll make sure Rose and Hugo are with George and Angelina that day. You know how Hugo and Roxanne love to play together.
Wish all our best to your family. We really must get together sometime just the nine of us.
Love from,
Aunt Hermione
"They said yes!" Victoire exclaimed excitedly. "They just said to let them know when and they're totally on board!"
"That's amazing!" Brianna exclaimed. "Victoire, you are awesome."
"Have we mentioned that we're only friends with you because of your family connections?" Kara asked.
Victoire smirked. "Yeah right," she muttered. "You know you can't get enough of me."
VvVvVvVvVvV
"Hey," Teddy said a little while later, coming into the girls' compartment uninvited and plopping down in the empty spot next to Brianna. "Last chance to do a little underage magic. As soon as we get off the train it's a magic-less summer."
"And what magic do you want us to do?" Victoire asked. "We know lumos, alohomora, wingardium leviosa, reparo, colloportus, incendio, and mollis."
"We can also turn a match into a needle," Brianna added.
"Ooh, we can do the curse of the bogies," Kara said. "Do you want us to give you a head cold?"
"Alright, fine," Teddy said, holding his hands up in surrender. "I guess first year magic isn't all that exciting then, is it?"
"Not unless you need to unlock a door in a dark room or repair a broken vase and then light it on fire," Victoire said.
"Or some good old-fashioned levitating," Kara said.
"Actually, we could have really benefitted from that when we were trying to get our trunks up on the luggage rack," Brianna commented. "It would have been a lot easier than trying to toss them up there."
"You were throwing your luggage?" Teddy asked. "Why would you do that?"
"We're too short to reach it properly and this compartment didn't have a stool like the one we sat in at Christmas," Victoire said.
"You should have come and found me," Teddy said. "I'm big and strong. I could have lifted them up."
"Oh yeah, you're so big and strong," Victoire said sarcastically. "Is that why I can see the bones in your arms when you're wearing short sleeves?"
"So I'm a little on the skinnier side," Teddy defended himself. "And you can't actually see my bones, you're just exaggerating."
Victoire smirked. "Either way, you're definitely not who I'd call to lift heavy objects."
"I take offense to that!" Teddy cried in mock indignation. "And I cannot sit here one more second if you insist on mocking me."
He stormed out dramatically while Victoire rolled her eyes. "He needs a hobby," she said as Kara and Brianna giggled.
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Soon the Hogwarts express was pulling into King's Cross station and the conductor was announcing that they had arrived. Filled with mixed emotions of happiness and sadness, the girls levitated their trunks down off the luggage rack and disembarked from the train.
"There are my parents!" Victoire said, pointing. She could pick them out of any crowd. "Come say hello," she said, dragging her friends along with her.
"Victoire!" Dominique cried, running to give her big sister a hug the moment she saw her. "You're home!"
"I'm home," Victoire confirmed, letting her sister grab onto her as she continued to make her way over to the rest of her family. "Maman, papa, these are my friends, Kara and Brianna," she said.
"It's nice to meet you," her father said. "We've heard a lot about the two of you. We're so glad Victoire found such great friends."
"But you don't like them better than me, right?" Dominique said, looking up at Victoire.
"Of course not," Victoire assured her. "You're my favorite, you know that."
"What about me?" Louis demanded, hands on his hips.
"I'm sorry, I meant she was my favorite sister," Victoire assured him. "You'll always be my favorite brother."
Louis smiled, appeased.
"I think I see my parents over there," Kara said, pointing a little way down the platform.
"And my mom's over there," Brianna added, pointing in the opposite direction.
"Well I guess this is it," Victoire said sadly.
"We'll see each other soon," Kara assured her. "I mean; we have that Defence essay to do."
"That's right!" Victoire brightened.
"We'll keep in touch," Brianna promised.
"Definitely!" Kara agreed.
Victoire pulled her friends into a hug. "See you soon," she said, watching them roll their trunks away in opposite directions.
"Well then, I guess there's nothing to do but to go home," Victoire said, turning back to her family. "How are we travelling?"
"Actually," her father said mysteriously. "We're not going home right away."
"We're not?" Victoire asked.
"Nope!" Dominique exclaimed.
"Where are we going then?" Victoire wondered.
"Get in the car and you'll see," her father told her.
"We have a car?" Victoire asked.
"A lot happened while you were away, chèrie," her mother said.
They piled into the brand new shiny black car with Victoire in the middle of her siblings in the backseat. They drove to the Leaky Cauldron and then her father parked and they all piled out.
"What are we doing?" Victoire asked.
"It's a celebration!" her mother said.
"I'm sure you wanted to wait until you got home to tell us about your grades, but your Uncle Ron let it slip how well you'd done and we thought it would be nice to take you out for a treat," her father said.
"We're getting ice cream!" Louis exclaimed, unable to keep the secret anymore.
"Seriously?" Victoire asked excitedly. There were many delicious things offered at Hogwarts, but one thing the house elves didn't serve was ice cream.
"Oui chèrie," her mother said.
"Maybe we'll even make it a family tradition," her father added.
Together, the family entered the magical bar and passed through to Diagon Alley where they lined up in front of Florean Fortescue's ice cream parlour to buy their ice creams. Once they had them, they found seats at a table on the shop's terrace and took their time to enjoy them before heading home for supper. It was a lovely afternoon, and Victoire was glad to be able to enjoy some time with her family. It had been a long year.