Author's Note: Sorry about last week, another dumpster fire. Send me some love and light as it is not over yet. MNF
Chapter 39:
Preparations
27 February 1996
"Harry, we're taking our exams in two days!" Hermione yelled as she broke away from a snogging session between them.
"Yes, I know," he said with a mild laugh. "We've been counting down all month."
"What if I don't know enough?"
"Remus has assured us that we know more than enough to pass our OWLs. Ginny is even coming to the Ministry with us, since she's been keeping up with what we've been doing by owl post. Trust me, luv, Remus wouldn't let us take the exams without being prepared. He, and everyone in the house, wants to see us succeed."
"Right," Hermione said. "But –." She got no further as Harry kissed her resoundingly.
"Hermione we are going to do more than pass. I have a feeling deep in my gut."
"Right," she said, looking off into space. "I need to go study more." Hermione abruptly stood and left the lounge and Harry. He would be so happy when the exams were over, and his girlfriend was no longer insane. Harry rose from the sofa and headed into the hallway where he met a rather sombre looking Neville.
"What's wrong?"
"Hannah just wrote me a letter and broke up with me. Her mother is worried that I'm a dark wizard and it wouldn't be proper for her daughter to date someone like me." Harry stared at his friend for a moment before breaking out in a laugh.
"No offence, Nev, but there is no one who would ever believe the guy who sings to his plants is a dark wizard!" Neville let out a half-hearted guffaw and nodded. "Plus, if she wasn't willing to defend you to her parents then she might not be the best girlfriend."
"When did you become so knowledgeable about the opposite sex?"
"I'm not, but I do listen to Sirius who seems to know what he's talking about."
"What do I know?" the man asked as he came down the stairs.
"You know a bit about girls. Hannah dumped Neville because her mother said he was turning dark," Harry explained.
"Well, I'm sorry for the loss, Neville. It really sucks," Sirius said. "When I was your age, I used to drown my sorrows in Firewhisky and pranks. It wasn't the best coping mechanism. Perhaps we could have a movie and Butterbeer night instead. Where is Hermione?"
"Studying. She isn't going to be interested in anything but her books before the exams take place," Harry said. "I'm down for a guys' night. Where is Amy?"
"Working late. I hate when she must be there after five, but they nabbed another member of this crazy purity group and she's doing another interrogation."
"Shall I get Remus?" Neville asked.
"He's abandoned us, gents, as he's on a date with Maia."
"I'll raid the fridge," Harry said. "Anyone want anything else?"
"Crisps," Neville said. "Those onion ones if we have any."
"Oh, those are good," Sirius said. "And get the corn ones too."
"Gotcha."
ITWAU ITWAU ITWAU
Two days later
Ministry of Magic
"It's quiet this early in the morning," Sirius remarked as they dusted themselves off from the Floo ride over. "Ginny said she was planning on coming?"
"As of last night, that was her plan," Hermione said. "Hedwig brought me a letter from her. How your bird knew she was needed up at Hogwarts was beyond me."
"Actually, I had used her to send a letter to Susan yesterday," Neville said. "Ginny might have seen her at dinner."
"What did you need to tell Susan?" Hermione queried.
"I just wanted her to keep an eye on Hannah. She might have broken things off, but I don't want her being sad over it. Honestly, it would have happened sooner or later. We didn't have that much in common, and she got bored when I was in the greenhouses."
"Nev, there's a girl out there who cares about plants as much as you do," Harry said, grasping his friend's shoulder in support. The Floo blazed and Ginny stepped through the green flames. "You made it!"
"I had to slip out of the Gryffindor tower without anyone who might tell Ron where I was headed. I used the Headmistress' Floo, and she was still in her dressing gown! Why are we here at half-six?" Ginny was notoriously not a morning person.
"We can fit four exams today if we start at seven," Harry explained. "Plus, there isn't anyone here to gawk at Nev and me."
"Come along, the education offices are on Level six," Sirius said. "I'll be staying with you all day, or at least until Remus is able to come and relieve me."
"Won't you be bored sitting outside the offices all day, Pater?" Harry asked.
"Normally, yes, I would be, but I brought enough reading material to last me a year," he said, pulling a miniature stack of Muggle motorcycle magazines he'd neatly tied with string to hold them together from his front pocket. "I need to replace my bike."
"Does your wife know you're going to recreate your flying motorbike?" son asked father.
"She'll know when I ride it home," Sirius said. "She made me buy the practical auto; this will be for fun."
"I see," Harry said before Sirius wrapped an arm around his son's shoulders and pulled him close. Hermione and Neville shared a look behind their backs, happy the pair had found the love they'd lacked for so long.
It was a short ride, and as the five piled out of the lifts they were met by a stern looking woman who complimented them on their being on time. She ushered the quartet into a small room where they would begin their examinations with the written tests in Charms, Herbology, Defence, and History of Magic. The practical examinations for the first three exams would be held after lunch.
ITWAU ITWAU ITWAU
A little after four in the afternoon it was a very tired quartet of students who left the Defence practical examination.
"I can't believe it was so easy," Neville said. "Honestly, Remus is harder on us at home than that was, and I'm not even including the lessons from Moody."
"Yes, well, did you get a look at Harry's Patronus there at the end?" Ginny asked. "The thing cantered around, like fully corporeal and interacting with the examiner."
"There you four are," Amy said, waiting for them in the tiny reception area. "How did it go?" she asked as she hugged each of them in turn.
"I think Charms was the hardest," Ginny said. "Sirius is a good teacher, but that examiner was strict. Just because my teacup couldn't do the cha-cha doesn't mean it wasn't dancing."
"Oh, he only asked that because Hermione's kept doing proper dances with the saucer. Honestly, the tango, Hermione? Showing off much, sweetheart?" Harry gently teased.
"Look who's talking," she rebutted. "You and Neville made the rose bush bloom! That darned tandem magic of yours!" They'd reached the lift and were headed toward the Atrium, conversation continuing.
"Just because we can work together easily, doesn't mean there is anything wrong with it," Neville said. "It was for extra points and the woman testing us was intrigued about what we were doing."
"At least someone knew we weren't going dark," Harry added. The doors to the lift opened and Ginny was thrilled to see her father there waiting for her.
"Daddy," she cried and threw herself into his arms. "I thought you were working from home."
"No, Percy and I come in most days now," he said. "I'm getting along quite well with this fancy prosthetic leg." He moved his lower leg a bit, showing off his range of motion.
"It looks good on you, Arthur," Amy said with a smile.
"You kids are lucky, having the Minister for Magic escorting you around the building," he teased the woman and she blushed.
"We're all family, you know, well, except for Hermione because that would be weird," Harry said, halting at the end.
"I trust you can get Ginny to Minerva's office without any problem?"
"Of course," Arthur answered. "I want to know how she did today and hear all about life at Hogwarts."
"He wants to know how much Ron is messing up there," Ginny said with a roll of her eyes. "Honestly, you two should be glad you're gone. Seamus is still with the fourth years."
"Ron is alone in his room, still?" a surprised Neville said.
"Oh, yeah, no one wants much to do with him, except for Lavender Brown. She's all over him."
"That is not an image I needed, Ginny," Hermione said, and the friends laughed while Amy noticed the sadness in Arthur's eyes.
"We need to get home," Amy said with a gentle prod. "Your Pater and Grandmother will be wanting a blow-by-blow of your exams."
"I need to study for tomorrow's tests too," Hermione piped up. "Arithmancy, Runes, Transfiguration and Potions."
"Yes, but then we're done with fifth year and Pater said we can take a break while we wait for the scores back. Knowing how well we did will give us an idea of where to start on our sixth-year lessons and if we will need to take any tests in June with everyone at Hogwarts."
"I hope not," Ginny piped up. "You promise that if I pass these tests I can go and study at Harry's house?"
"Yes, princess, from what you've said things are better at that school, but they're far from perfect. If you pass six of your eight OWLs, you can study with the others," Arthur confirmed. "Your brother will probably repeat his fifth year, if Minerva lets him back in at all. Well, let's go have some tea and you can tell me about your day."
"Bye, all, see you at that obscene time again tomorrow," Ginny said and went off with her father. Amy escorted the rest through the Floo, but it was only Hermione who noticed that Harry was exceptionally quiet, even through dinner. She found him on the temperature-controlled patio, looking up at the stars.
"You sorry we're not taking the Astronomy OWL?" Hermione asked.
"No, we'd be up until two in the morning with that test, and I've never liked the subject that much," he replied. "Don't ever tell Sirius I feel that way. He says as a Black I should have the stars in my blood."
"You're more Potter than Black, Harry, and Sirius adores you and I doubt you could offend him with something so simple," she said, as she lifted his arm and snuggled into his side. They stood, side by side, outer hands resting on the railing, inner ones crossed behind their backs for a long while. "You're quiet tonight."
"Lots on my mind," he said in an attempt to put her off.
"I get that, but you became quiet when Ginny mentioned how Ron was doing," she said. Harry remained quiet. "I feel guilty too." Harry sighed deeply.
"I thought it was just me. Things were different after the end of third year. He kept asking about the Dementors and Sirius and I really didn't want to talk about it. Then this year…we were so close and suddenly," he died off.
"Well, we grew up and he didn't. Yes, what we went through together at the end of third year was bonding, but last year he was such a git. I couldn't imagine abandoning you and I never doubted you didn't put your name in that cup. How he could believe that –" she didn't get another word out as Harry kissed her fiercely.
"Thank you for your passion, Hermione," he said softly as he held her close. "Should we go and study for tomorrow?"
"You know what, we either know it or we don't," she said with a touch of hesitancy. "How about doing something together or even with others, like Exploding Snap or Uno?"
"Yes, we need to have Sirius play Uno again," Harry said with a hearty laugh. "He just doesn't get the point of the game."
"We are not betting on the outcome, it's cruel."
"I can't help it that Sirius kept losing," Harry said with a wicked laugh.
"You'd never know you two aren't cut from the same cloth." Hermione kissed Harry again. "We aren't responsible for Ron's behaviour. He made his own choices, and it sounds as if he's having a rough time living with them."
"You're right," Harry agreed. "Come on, we have a Pater to win money from."
