Blood of Enemies, Blood of Friends
Chapter 28 – End of Term
During the last few weeks of the term, the students curtailed their research sessions in favor of studying for their examinations. Hermione had devised a study schedule for herself, Dawn, Shannon, Harry, and Ron. She presented it to her friends during breakfast one morning. "I cannot believe that we have less than three weeks before our exams begin. We are completely behind in preparing for them," Hermione said to her friends, as she passed out copies of her study schedule. The other teens looked at the schedules and groaned.
"It is moments like this that make me glad to be a year behind you," said Ginny. "I am perfectly happy studying on my own schedule."
"And I don't actually have to take any exams," said Andrew. "I just have to record how you guys do on them." Shannon, Harry, and Ron shot Andrew nasty looks, before turning their attention back to Hermione.
"Come on, Mione, you know that Harry and I never start studying until the week before," said Ron.
"Yeah, and we always do just fine," added Harry.
"Cramming has always worked for me," commented Shannon.
"I'm sweating potions a bit, but other than that no worries," Dawn said.
Hermione was looking annoyed with her friends, especially with Dawn. "I expect this of you three," she said, glaring at Shannon, Harry, and Ron, "but honestly I expected more from you, Dawn."
Dawn sighed. "Mione, I appreciate your enthusiasm, but honestly I have my own methods for studying. I do a quick review of all my notes, and then spend time focusing only on those things that I don't know well. It makes me crazy to just keep reviewing things over and over."
"I understand, but if we all follow my schedule then we can help with each other's weaknesses," Hermione explained.
"Wait a minute," said Shannon as she studied the schedule. "There is an awful lot of time devoted to fighting techniques here. Mione, are you worried about not passing that? You seem to be ok with the class."
Hermione become flustered. "Ok is not good enough. If I don't get top marks in all my classes, then I won't have a shot at being head girl next year. I know I can pass fighting techniques, but I need to do better than just pass."
"If I make some time to help you train each night for the next three weeks, will you let up a bit on the rest of us?" Shannon asked Hermione.
Hermione agreed. "Ok, but only a bit, meaning you guys have to at least try to study." Though she addressed the entire group, her eyes were focused on Ron.
****************
Hermione was true to her word for the first week. Ron swore that she was taking it easy on the rest of them, only because Shannon kept exhausting Hermione during their training sessions. However, by the second week Hermione had turned her attention back to making her friends study.
There was increasing tension between Dawn and Hermione. Dawn wanted to do well on her exams, mostly because she felt that she needed to prove herself to her sister and the other Scoobies. However, Hermione was driven to an extreme. Whereas it was important to Dawn to show her ability to think on her feet and prove that she had the basic knowledge necessary to be a good watcher, Hermione was much more detail oriented, feeling that it was essential to memorize everything that they had ever learned in class.
During one of their study sessions in the library, Dawn and Hermione got in an argument about study techniques. Shannon, Harry, and Ron could not believe that anyone would actually argue over how to study. "It's like battle of the nerds," commented Shannon. Both Dawn and Hermione glared at her, while Harry and Ron laughed.
"Maybe you two should take a break from studying together," suggested Harry.
Dawn spotted Draco sitting at a table across the library. "That is a brilliant idea, Harry," she said, as she gathered her books and headed toward Draco.
Hermione was upset. She didn't mean to chase Dawn away. Ron put his arm around her shoulders. "It's ok, Mione. You both need to do what works for you," he said. "Besides, now you have more time to help me with my studying." This seemed to brighten Hermione's mood. 'Must be love,' thought Ron. 'Why else would I put myself through this.'
****************
Draco looked up from his book to see Dawn smiling down at him. "So what do you know about potions?" she asked.
Draco indicated that she should have a seat beside him. He put his work aside and looked at the potions book that Dawn was studying. "Wow, I didn't realize that you were learning all of first and second year potions in only half a year," said Draco. "No wonder you are having problems. This is an awful lot of information."
"Well, at least that makes me feel less stupid," commented Dawn.
"Stupid? Hardly. You are one of the smartest people I have ever met," replied Draco, "and I do not give compliments to people who don't deserve them."
"You think I'm smart?" Dawn asked.
"Asks the girl, who can decipher prophecies written in Latin," Draco kidded.
"Actually, Hermione is the one who found the prophecy, and it was in English. The information about the amulet was in Latin."
Draco shook his head at her. "You know what I mean, Dawn. You are smart. Give me a few hours, and you will be ready to ace your potions exam." Dawn smiled at him, as Draco began to answer some of her questions about potions. Dawn was happy to find that Draco was much better at explaining things than Snape.
Draco and Dawn finished up just before curfew. They decided to spend the next night studying for DADA together. Draco suggested that she come to the Slytherin common room. The whole time they had been studying, he had noticed Harry and Ron watching them. Draco was uncomfortable with the scrutiny from Dawn's friends. Dawn gave Draco a quick kiss good night and returned to Gryffindor tower.
Dawn found Hermione sitting in the common room. Shannon, Harry, and Ron had opted for bed instead of more studying, but Hermione still had another hour to study according to her schedule. The two girls looked at each other for several moments, before either spoke.
They both spoke at the same time, "I'm sorry." Both girls laughed. They talked for several more minutes. Both acknowledged that they were feeling the stress of exams, and that it might be best to study separately during the next two weeks.
Dawn retired to their dorm room, while Hermione finished the last of her studying for the evening.
****************
The next evening, while the Gryffindors were studying in their own common room, Dawn walked down to the dungeon. Draco had given her directions to the Slytherin common room. As she turned down the hall, she saw him leaning against the wall waiting for her. Draco took Dawn's books from her and spoke the password, "Double-cross."
"How appropriate," commented Dawn with a shiver.
"Now you know the password, if you ever need to find me," Draco whispered to Dawn before leading her into the Slytherin common room.
Dawn noticed that the room was similar to the Gryffindor common room, though darker and danker. Of course, much of the decor was in the Slytherin colors of green and silver instead of the red and gold found in Gryffindor tower. The room was relatively empty.
Draco indicated that they should sit on one of the couches. Dawn sat, as Draco spread their books out on the coffee table in front of them. The two teens agreed to quiz each other based on their notes from their DADA classes since the beginning of the school year.
"Name four ways to kill a vampire," said Dawn.
"Stake through the heart, decapitation, fire, and sunlight, not to mention your vat of holy water experience," answered Draco.
"You remember what I said in class the first day? That is so sweet," said Dawn as she leaned forward and kissed Draco softly on the lips.
"I could get used to this," he commented.
"Study now, kiss later," replied Dawn. Draco looked disappointed. "Ok, I'll make a deal with you. Whenever one of us gets an answer correct, he or she is rewarded with a kiss," she added.
Draco smiled and asked Dawn a question. "What should you avoid doing, when confronted by a vengeance demon?"
"Mentioning anything that has to do with sex," said Dawn. Draco looked at her quizzically. "Sorry, bad Anya joke."
"I don't understand. Do you mean Professor Jenkins?" Draco asked.
"I told you about her being an ex-vengeance demon, when we were talking in the infirmary. Don't you remember?"
"Professor Jenkins is that Anya? Wait, I still don't get the joke."
"Yes, Professor Jenkins is that Anya. Surprisingly she is pretty professional in class, but during personal time she tends to talk about sex, a lot," explained Dawn.
"I have heard that girls or, um, women talk about that kind of stuff together. Isn't that normal?" Draco asked. He had to admit that he was a bit curious.
"Oh yeah, but with Anya it is not just girl talk. She used to embarrass poor Giles all the time, when they owned the Magic Box together. She would come into work in the morning and just start talking about all the orgasms that she had the night before." Draco began to blush. He could be as crude as anyone of his housemates, but this was not the type of conversation one should be having with a girl one liked. Dawn noticed his discomfort. "Maybe we should get back to studying," she offered.
"Um, well, yes," Draco stuttered, while looking back to his notes. "What should you avoid doing, when confronted by a vengeance demon?"
"Being serious this time, you should avoid making a wish," Dawn answered. She was rewarded by another soft kiss. "You know I made that mistake once, and we all got trapped in the house with a demon," Dawn told Draco.
"Wow, you really didn't have a normal muggle life did you?"
"Not in the least."
The two teens continued quizzing each other on their notes, stopping often to give each other a kiss for a correct answer. After more than an hour of sitting in the cold dungeon, Draco noticed that Dawn was shivering. "I forgot that you aren't used to the cold down here. Give me a minute, and I'll go get a jumper for you."
Dawn looked confused for a moment. "Oh, a sweater. Sorry having to do that English to English translation thing." Draco shook his head and walk off to the boys' dormitory, leaving Dawn alone in the Slytherin common room.
"Oh look, the filthy little mudblood is contaminating our common room," sneered Pansy Parkinson, as she entered through the portrait hole. Dawn rolled her eyes, but did not respond verbally to the insult. Pansy was not deterred. "You should stay away from Draco."
"Or what?" asked Dawn, as she rolled her eyes again.
Pansy leaned over the sofa so that her face was mere inches from Dawn's. "Or you will get hurt."
"Oh please," replied Dawn. "You are so pathetic. It is so obvious that you are all crushing on Draco, and it is equally as obvious that he wants nothing to do with you. I suggest you get over it, because he so will not be leaving me for you."
Pansy was fuming. She whipped her hand through the air to smack Dawn's face. Dawn was quick. She easily brought up her arm to block the slap. Pansy backed up a few steps as Dawn stood up. "Come on, Parkinson. Is that all you've got?" taunted Dawn. Pansy tried to hit Dawn several more times. Each time her slap or punch was easily deflected.
Draco had returned with a sweater in time to see Pansy attack Dawn. He watched with amusement, as Dawn continued to taunt Pansy and then simple block each attack. Pansy finally pulled out her wand, which forced Draco to step in. "I wouldn't do that if I were you," he said evenly. Pansy turned to see Draco pointing his wand at her.
"You wouldn't, Dracy," she purred.
"Try me," he replied icily.
Pansy put her wand down and ran to the girls' dormitory. Draco looked at Dawn, who had calmly returned to her seat on the couch. "Well, there is no doubt that you are ready for the fighting techniques exam," he commented.
Dawn smiled at Draco, as he walked over and handed her a black woolen sweater. She pulled it on, pleased to find that it was big and warm and smelled of Draco's cologne. She opened her book on her lap to continue studying. Dawn felt Draco's eyes on her. She looked up at him. "Is something wrong?" she asked.
"No, not at all. I was just wondering if you would be interested in accompanying me to the Yule Ball?"
It took every ounce of Dawn's control not to jump up and do a happy dance. "I would love to go with you," she answered, her voice steady.
Draco sat beside her, leaning in for a kiss. Dawn pulled back, saying, "Not until you answer a question correctly." Draco groaned softly, as Dawn asked him about Fyarl demons. The two teens settled back into their exam review.
****************
Just before curfew, Dawn entered the Gryffindor common room and found Shannon, Harry, Ron, and Hermione diligently studying for their DADA exam and Andrew happily filming the study session with a video camera charmed by Professor Flitwick. Shannon looked up at her best friend. "You look like you are in an awfully good mood. Oh and nice sweater," Shannon noted.
"It's Draco's. We had the best time studying, and as a bonus, I got to humiliate Pansy Parkinson without even throwing a punch," Dawn replied.
"Who has fun studying?" asked Ron. It was obvious that he was miserable and that the only reason he was still studying was because it was the only way he could spend time with Hermione before exams.
"We made a game of it," Dawn answered. "We quizzed each other back and forth, and each right answer got rewarded with a kiss."
Ron grimaced, "First of all, eww to kissing Malfoy. Second of all," he turned to Hermione, "how come we don't have a system like that? That could keep me motivated."
Shannon and Harry couldn't help but laugh at the blush that had crept into Hermione's cheeks. "We could try something like that," Hermione said in a near whisper to Ron. She spoke louder, "But not if someone is filming it."
"Sorry, man," said Ron to Andrew, "but the camera is officially out of our study sessions."
"But it would be great on film. Kind of like the romantic side of studying," rationalized Andrew. The entire group shot dagger looks at him. The looks were similar to those that Buffy used to give him, whenever he tried to film anything back in Sunnydale. "Fine," said Andrew. "I will just have to find someone else who doesn't mind being filmed."
Harry looked at Shannon. It was obvious what he was thinking. "Sorry, Harry, but I think that system only works if one person is actually into studying. With us, we would just keep kissing and forget all about the studying part." Harry nodded. He was disappointed, though he had to admit that Shannon had a good point. "Of course," Shannon added, "we could spend some quality make-out time together during the holiday break as a reward for passing our exams."
Harry leaned in and gave Shannon a quick kiss on the lips. "Ok, but I am going to hold you to that."
"Why, Harry Potter, I wouldn't have it any other way," Shannon replied, while trying to keep a straight face.
Hermione and Ron were becoming embarrassed by their friends' behavior. "So, Dawn, what exactly did you do to Pansy Parkinson?" Hermione asked.
****************
The night before the start of exams, the students decided that it would be best to finish studying early and get a good night sleep. As the girls got ready for bed, they began to discuss their plans for the Yule Ball, which was being held the night after exams ended.
"So this is one of those things that we wear dress robes to, right?" asked Shannon.
"Oh, yes," answered Hermione. "This is the most formal affair that we have all year."
"I really cannot wait until the ball," commented Lavender. "It will be the first chance I have to wear my brand new dress robes."
"It will be the first time we have ever worn dress robes," commented Dawn.
"I still don't get the whole wearing a robe thing. How are you supposed to show off your curves in a robe," complained Shannon.
"Dress robes are supposed to be elegant," explained Parvati "But don't worry, Lavender and I are working on convincing Professor Dumbledore that we need to have a muggle themed dance for Valentine's Day."
"Yes," added Lavender, "and then we can dress in more stylish and revealing clothes."
"So, um, do all of you have dates?" asked Hermione.
"Draco asked me a couple of weeks ago," replied Dawn.
"I'm going with Seamus," said Lavender, "and Parvati is going with Dean."
"I waited for Harry to ask me, but he tends to be shy about stuff like that. So, I gave up and just asked him again," Shannon added.
"So, Mione, I would assume you are going to the Yule Ball with Ron," said Dawn.
"He hasn't actually asked me," replied Hermione. "Maybe he didn't have such a good time with me on Halloween."
"That doesn't make sense. A couple of weeks ago, he was begging you to play the study-kissing game," said Shannon.
"Um, Mione, have you given him a chance to talk to you about anything other than studying during the past few weeks?" asked Dawn.
"Oh, no," groaned Hermione, "you're right. I never gave him a chance to ask me. What if he is going with someone else?"
"Really doubtful, Mione. He is totally into you," Shannon assured Hermione. The other girls in the room nodded in agreement. "Maybe you should just ask him," Shannon suggested.
"I couldn't," groaned Hermione. Her friends noticed that she looked miserable.
"This is ridiculous," commented Shannon, as she grabbed her broom and walked out of the room. Minutes later Shannon returned, dragging Ron along with her. He looked totally confused.
"Shannon, he isn't supposed to be up here," said Dawn.
"How did he get up here?" asked Lavender. "The stairs turn into a slide if a boy tries to enter the girls' dormitory."
"Thus the broom," Shannon stated.
"Dawn is right," said Hermione. "Ron really shouldn't be up here. We are both prefects. We are supposed to lead by example."
Shannon shrugged. "He will only be here for a minute." She turned her attention to Ron. "Ron, do you have plans for the Yule Ball?"
"I figured that I would take Hermione," he answered.
"Well, were you planning on asking her?" asked Shannon.
"Um, well yeah, I've tried, but she has been really busy with studying," Ron mumbled. He was turning bright red from the attention that he was receiving.
"Well she isn't studying right now. So, ask her," Shannon practically ordered.
Ron looked at Hermione. "Mione, would you, um, maybe, um, want to go to the Yule Ball with me?" All the girls were having difficulty stifling their giggles at Ron's obvious discomfort. Hermione took a moment to compose herself before answering with a yes.
Shannon excused Ron, who practically raced out of the girls' dormitory. Without Shannon's broom, he slid all the way back down to the common room.
"Thanks, Shannon," said Hermione.
"Any time," Shannon replied.
****************
After hours of studying each evening, the teens all felt that they were as ready as they would ever be for their examinations. Hermione was even comfortable with fighting techniques after several training sessions with Shannon. Dawn, however, was still nervous about potions.
Their first exam was in Defense Against the Dark Arts. The students were each given a list of several types of demons. They were required to indicate if each was a threat, its strengths, weaknesses, and if necessary the most efficient means of neutralizing it. Dawn received the top score in the class, though Hermione noted that Dawn did have the advantage of experience in fighting many of the demons that were on the exam.
Willow and Wesley had decided to give a combined exam for their classes. The exam consisted of a number of hypothetical scenarios to which the students must decide the best course to research. They had to list the specific reference books that they would use. The Slayers, Ron, and Dawn were also required to relate topics from the Watcher diaries that might provide additional information. Having spent a considerable amount of time researching the current prophecy, the junior Scoobies all did exceptionally well.
Dawn was pleasantly surprised by the potion that Snape required them to brew. It was the antidote to the drug that the Watcher's Council used to remove a Slayer's strength. It was a difficult potion, but one that didn't require a lot of time. Dawn had actually done some research on this very potion at her sister's request. Dawn knew at the time that Buffy was just trying to keep her busy and out of the way. However, that research along with the Draco's general potions help ensured Dawn's success on Snape's exam.
The last exam of the term was Slayer Fighting Techniques. Buffy, Faith, and Robin asked the students to each find a sparring partner. Without hesitation, Dawn and Draco paired up. Shannon knew that Hermione would be most comfortable with her, since they had been training together for the past few weeks. Shannon suggested that the two girls pair up, leaving Harry and Ron to spar together. Each pair fought for fifteen minutes for each of the three professors. Buffy and Faith both noted Hermione's recent improvement, which pleased her greatly.