The next week passed without incident, but Saturday brought an event that
Oliver had been anticipating ever since Christmas: the Mirror, Mirror on
the Wall concert. He spent the afternoon with Adrianna on the quidditch
pitch, throwing a quaffle around to pass the time until they had to leave.
As seven o'clock approached, they took their broomsticks back to their
rooms and got ready for the concert. Adrianna came to his rooms ten minutes
before seven. Oliver had the tickets in his hand.
"Are we apparating?" she asked.
"Oh no, these are magical tickets. They're portkeys that will take us to the concert at the time written on them. The stadium where they're having the concert is bewitched so that if people try to apparate inside, they'll be splinched. It's so that people without tickets can't sneak in."
Adrianna made a face. "Good thing you told me. I'd hate to be splinched. I like my body all in one piece, not two. Not to mention the fine I'd get from the Ministry of Magic."
Oliver gave Adrianna her ticket, held his own ticket in one hand, and held Adrianna's hand with his free hand so that they would arrive together even though they had separate portkeys. As the clock struck seven, the tickets transported them to the concert.
The crowded stadium erupted in cheers as the band took the stage. When the first chord of the band's rock music sounded, the crowd became even more electrified. Oliver loved every moment of it. He danced with Adrianna, sang the song lyrics loudly along with everyone else around him, and had a blast throughout the whole concert. He was surprised when it came to and end. The band had played all of their hits and a couple of new songs, but the time had just flown by. Oliver had a hard time falling asleep after the concert that night. His body was exhausted, but his mind was wired. He finally drifted off with songs by Mirror, Mirror on the Wall playing in his head.
The weeks leading up to Oliver's 23rd birthday were marked by two significant events: Professor Dumbledore recruited Charlie Weasley as the new Care of Magical Creatures professor, and Slytherin defeated Hufflepuff in a rematch for third place in the quidditch cup standings. Nearly everyone in the school was excited that Charlie had come back to Hogwarts, and Oliver was no exception. He remembered when he had just started at Hogwarts and Charlie was seeker for Gryffindor's house team. Charlie had been a brilliant seeker, at least as good as Harry Potter. He could have played quidditch for England if he hadn't gone off to Romania to study dragons. Not everyone was as excited about Slytherin beating Hufflepuff, but at least it was only for third place and not the Quidditch Cup.
Oliver was certain when he awoke on March 19th that Adrianna had something special planned for the day to celebrate his birthday. But she made no mention of it when they got up that morning or at breakfast. He thought that maybe she was trying to keep him in suspense, but by the end of lunch she still hadn't said anything alluding to the fact that it was his birthday, and she hadn't given him so much as a scrap of parchment with a birthday wish. Neither had anyone else for that matter, except for his mum. She sent him a fresh batch of pumpkin pasties and a birthday card via owl post. His dad usually signed his birthday cards, but this time he hadn't. Oliver hadn't expected him to though, seeing as they weren't exactly on speaking terms.
"Do you know what today is?" Oliver asked Adrianna casually as they were leaving the Great Hall after lunch.
"Yea, it's March 19th," she replied brightly.
"Does that date ring a bell at all? Sound familiar?" Oliver prodded.
"No. Should it?" questioned Adrianna with a puzzled look on her face.
Oliver felt deflated. "No, I guess not..."
He was thoroughly depressed and in a sour mood when he went off to teach his flying classes that day. Lavinia Medlock was 15 minutes late for class that day, but rather than taking it in stride, Oliver snapped.
"Miss Medlock, you are 15 minutes late for class, so I think we'll make it 15 points from Slytherin. Now get on your broomstick and start practicing your beater skills before I add a detention."
His bad mood only made the class less enjoyable. The students didn't joke around nearly as much as usual because they didn't want to land themselves in detention.
Oliver walked back up the castle after class with his mood worsening by the minute. He could understand that maybe Adrianna forgot to get him something for his birthday, but she could at least acknowledge it... and the other teachers should have known that it was his birthday too, someone should have remembered. He stormed up the stairs to his office, flung the tapestry aside, and slammed the door moodily behind him as he entered his rooms.
"HAPPY BIRTHDAY OLIVER!" yelled the 50 or so people that had gathered in Oliver's rooms.
His jaw dropped. He was at a complete loss of words.
"Bad day, Wood?" teased Fred.
"Cheer up, birthday boy! You only turn 23 once, might as well enjoy it," George chimed in.
"You know," Fred added thoughtfully, "you should really put a sealing charm on your door. Anyone could just walk in here at their leisure as long as they know the alohamora charm."
Oliver laughed. All of the teachers that didn't have a class had come to his surprise party. All of his old Gryffindor quidditch team members were there, and some of his other classmates as well. Then there were his Puddlemere United teammates, where he had played before joining the Scottish National team. And speaking of the Scottish team, Oliver spotted all of his former teammates huddled in a corner. There was also Bill Weasley, who had his arm around Fleur Delacour's waist, and George's girlfriend Steph.
Standing off to the side in the front was Adrianna with a slightly nervous look on her face. She rushed over to him. "I'm so sorry sweetheart, I know you thought that I forgot all about your birthday and I don't blame you if you're mad at me, but I wanted this to be a complete surprise," she said, motioning around the room.
"It certainly was. You're a convincing actress. How did you do this anyhow?"
"I had a little help from Fred and George," she explained, looking in their direction. They winked at Oliver and Adrianna.
Oliver made his way around the room and made an effort to talk to everyone that had come. He had a blast catching up on what had been going on with the people that he hadn't seen in a while. Both the Puddlemere and the Scottish quidditch teams left after only an hour because they had practice that night. Many of the teachers hung around until it was time for dinner, but then most of them left as well.
Since there was now a considerably smaller group, those who had stayed decided to go to the Three Broomsticks to continue the celebration. Oliver's Gryffindor teammates plus Steph, Bill, Charlie, Lee Jordan, Fleur, Eva, Seamus, and Adrianna pushed several tables together to form one long table in the middle of the pub and seated themselves. They ordered a few pitchers of mulled mead and a couple of bottles of red currant rum, and everyone helped themselves to a drink.
Oliver observed the people sitting around the table. Fred was sitting right across from Oliver with George next to him. They were telling Lee all about some new things that they were working on for their joke shop. Steph was on George's other side, listening to what the twins were saying. Katie, Angelina and Alicia were chattering loudly, erupting in giggles every few minutes. Bill and Fleur were sitting at one end of the table making out. Eva, who was sitting next to Fleur, was talking to Adrianna in a hushed tone and making disgusted faces. Oliver could only guess that she was talking about the scene going on beside her. At the other end of the table, Harry and Seamus were reminiscing about their days at Hogwarts. Oliver felt sorry for Charlie, who was on the corner beside Katie and across from Bill. The poor guy was next to a bunch of chattering girls, and his brother was making out with Fleur directly across from him. Charlie finally got up from his chair and carried it partway around the table so that he was sitting behind Fred and George, hearing about their latest inventions.
After hanging out at the Three Broomsticks for a while, the group grew restless and decided to go back to Hogwarts to watch Oliver open his presents. Bill conjured up armchairs out of thin air so that everyone had a place to sit, and they arranged the chairs in a semicircle so that they could all see Oliver. He opened cards from a bunch of people and thanked those present. There were two large, brightly wrapped boxes that Oliver opened next. The first was a Gred and Forge's Mixed Up Potion kit from George and Steph. The second was a Deflagration Deluxe kit of Weasleys' Wildfire Whizbangs from Fred and Angelina. The Wildfire Whizbangs were Fred and George's patented magical fireworks, and while Oliver had never actually seen them, he'd heard all about them. They were sure to provide hours of amusement once they were launched. Just as he finished unwrapping his presents, he looked up and noticed Adrianna slipping back into his rooms with something bundled in her arms. He hadn't even noticed that she'd left until then.
She placed the bundle in his arms. "Happy birthday," she said with a grin.
Oliver pulled back a corner of the blanket and felt his face light up. This was even better than the Wildfire Whizbangs. It was a crup, a magical creature that closely resembled a Jack Russell Terrier except for its forked tail.
"Wow, thanks!" he exclaimed. "I always wanted a crup but my mum's allergic to dogs, so I was never allowed to have one."
"What are you going to call him?" asked Katie.
"I don't know yet. I'll have to think about it."
"If you ever take him to live in a muggle-inhabited area you'll have to remove his forked tail," Adrianna informed him.
Oliver looked horror stricken. "Remove his tail! That's a bit cruel don't you think?"
"It's just a simple charm, and it won't hurt him at all. That's the Ministry of Magic law. I had to register him for you too, the Ministry keeps tabs on crups just like kneazles."
After playing with the crup and hanging out for a while longer, Oliver's guests began to say their goodbyes and departed one by one.
That Friday after spending some time outside with his crup, Oliver decided to see what Adrianna was up to. He walked into her office and found it crowded and chaotic. There were students from all four houses standing in one corner, browsing through her CD collection and listening to samples of muggle music.
"No final for Muggle Studies, can you believe it?" he heard one of the students whisper to another.
Juan Castillo was sitting in a chair in front of her desk, swinging his feet back and forth and waiting for her. Charlie Weasley was standing beside the bookcase, waiting as well. Adrianna emerged from the bookcase a few moments later with Chip in her arms. She handed him to Charlie.
"There you go. He's pretty well behaved, I don't think you'll have any problems with him," she was saying.
"Thanks, I'm sure glad I didn't have to look too hard to find a kneazle for my classes. The fifth years need to have some experience with kneazles before they take their O.W.L.s this year. I'll have him back to you by the end of next week," Charlie replied. He looked like he wanted to say something else. "Er... I was wondering..."
"Yes?" asked Adrianna.
"Well, I need a unicorn for my classes, but I can't catch it myself, they can only be caught by girls... I was wondering if you might be able to catch one for me. But don't say yes unless you think you can do it," he added quickly. "I was going to ask Fleur, but she wouldn't be able to touch a unicorn with a ten foot pole."
"What do I have to do?"
"First of all, you have to be pure. Not that it's any of my business, but if you and Wood are, er, romantically involved, you won't be able to catch one."
"I'm still a virgin if that's what you mean."
Charlie nodded. "Alright, then here's what you've got to do. You'll go into the dark forest at night and go to sleep under an oak tree. If all goes well, when you wake up in the morning you'll have a unicorn lying beside you and it'll follow you out of the forest."
"And if all doesn't go well?"
"Well I'm not saying it's not dangerous. You could be carried off by a herd of centaurs, or if the unicorn senses that you wish to harm it in any way it will kill you with its horn."
Adrianna peered at the lunar chart lying on her desk. "I'll do it tonight. If I wait it will be getting close to the full moon, and then I'll have werewolves to worry about as well." She looked up and finally noticed that Oliver was standing there. "Hello love," she said, rushing over and embracing him.
"Thanks!" called Charlie as he left. Adrianna waved goodbye to him over Oliver's shoulder.
"We're going to visit my family tomorrow," she informed Oliver as she walked over to where Juan was waiting. She gave Juan a quick explanation in Spanish of something in his Charms book and then sent him on his way.
"We?" asked Oliver.
"Yes we. You promised you'd meet my parents after I went to meet yours," Adrianna reminded him.
"Professor, we found a song!" shouted a seventh year girl wearing Hufflepuff robes. "Wild Wild West by Will Smith!"
Adrianna wrote the selection on a piece of parchment, and the Hufflepuff students that had been in her office left together.
"The rest of you can come back later, I need to be somewhere else right now." The Gryffindors, Ravenclaws and Slytherins shut off the CD player and left the room reluctantly.
"That means you too," she said to Oliver as she walked out the door. He sprinted to catch up with her.
"Where are you going?"
"I have a meeting with Dumbledore."
"What were all those students doing in your office?"
"Picking out music for Sing'n' Swing."
"For what?"
"I cut a deal with my sixth and seventh year students. Instead of having a final, they will use their knowledge of muggles to create a song and dance routine to a recent muggle song. I feel that it's a fair form of assessment, and they will have to use what they've learned to make their performance successful. Oliver I'm really sorry but I've got to run, I was supposed to be in Dumbledore's office ten minutes ago. I'll see you later, ok?" and she broke into a jog. Feeling neglected, Oliver returned to his rooms to play with his still unnamed crup.
That night Oliver sat in the window seat staring out at the dark forest with his crup in his lap. Adrianna had gone out already to attempt to catch a unicorn for Charlie. He hoped that she made it back safe and sound in the morning. He gazed up at the waxing gibbous moon anxiously. He knew that the full moon was still far enough off that there wouldn't be any werewolves transforming yet, but he couldn't help but worry. He leaned his head against the stone window frame and looked out on the grounds.
The next thing he knew, the first rays of the rising sun were shining through the window into his eyes, forcing him awake. He scanned the edge of the forest for Adrianna but didn't see her anywhere. He stayed in the window seat and watched the sun rise, watching the edge of the forest as he did so. After waiting for what must have been a couple of hours, he saw a figure clad in pale pink robes and a heavy gray cloak emerge from the trees followed by a creature so brilliantly white that it made the melting snow around it look dull. Oliver's breath caught in his throat. He had seen unicorns on a couple of other occasions, but he never ceased to be amazed by their beauty. He watched as Adrianna walked straight over to a paddock near what had been Hagrid's hut. The unicorn followed her inside. She stroked its mane gently before leaving the paddock, closing the gate securely behind her. He watched her walk back up to the castle and figured that she would go back to her rooms to get a few more hours of sleep, but was pleasantly surprised when she let herself into his rooms via the trapdoor a few minutes later.
"I didn't think you'd be up yet," she commented as she pulled herself up through the hole in the floor.
"I didn't go to bed last night. I was looking out the window and thinking about you and I fell asleep right here," he explained.
"Why don't we get a few hours of proper rest before we get ready to go visit my family?" she suggested.
Oliver had nearly forgotten about meeting her family even though she'd just reminded him yesterday. They went into his bedroom together and got into bed fully dressed. They were sound asleep within minutes.
"Are we apparating?" she asked.
"Oh no, these are magical tickets. They're portkeys that will take us to the concert at the time written on them. The stadium where they're having the concert is bewitched so that if people try to apparate inside, they'll be splinched. It's so that people without tickets can't sneak in."
Adrianna made a face. "Good thing you told me. I'd hate to be splinched. I like my body all in one piece, not two. Not to mention the fine I'd get from the Ministry of Magic."
Oliver gave Adrianna her ticket, held his own ticket in one hand, and held Adrianna's hand with his free hand so that they would arrive together even though they had separate portkeys. As the clock struck seven, the tickets transported them to the concert.
The crowded stadium erupted in cheers as the band took the stage. When the first chord of the band's rock music sounded, the crowd became even more electrified. Oliver loved every moment of it. He danced with Adrianna, sang the song lyrics loudly along with everyone else around him, and had a blast throughout the whole concert. He was surprised when it came to and end. The band had played all of their hits and a couple of new songs, but the time had just flown by. Oliver had a hard time falling asleep after the concert that night. His body was exhausted, but his mind was wired. He finally drifted off with songs by Mirror, Mirror on the Wall playing in his head.
The weeks leading up to Oliver's 23rd birthday were marked by two significant events: Professor Dumbledore recruited Charlie Weasley as the new Care of Magical Creatures professor, and Slytherin defeated Hufflepuff in a rematch for third place in the quidditch cup standings. Nearly everyone in the school was excited that Charlie had come back to Hogwarts, and Oliver was no exception. He remembered when he had just started at Hogwarts and Charlie was seeker for Gryffindor's house team. Charlie had been a brilliant seeker, at least as good as Harry Potter. He could have played quidditch for England if he hadn't gone off to Romania to study dragons. Not everyone was as excited about Slytherin beating Hufflepuff, but at least it was only for third place and not the Quidditch Cup.
Oliver was certain when he awoke on March 19th that Adrianna had something special planned for the day to celebrate his birthday. But she made no mention of it when they got up that morning or at breakfast. He thought that maybe she was trying to keep him in suspense, but by the end of lunch she still hadn't said anything alluding to the fact that it was his birthday, and she hadn't given him so much as a scrap of parchment with a birthday wish. Neither had anyone else for that matter, except for his mum. She sent him a fresh batch of pumpkin pasties and a birthday card via owl post. His dad usually signed his birthday cards, but this time he hadn't. Oliver hadn't expected him to though, seeing as they weren't exactly on speaking terms.
"Do you know what today is?" Oliver asked Adrianna casually as they were leaving the Great Hall after lunch.
"Yea, it's March 19th," she replied brightly.
"Does that date ring a bell at all? Sound familiar?" Oliver prodded.
"No. Should it?" questioned Adrianna with a puzzled look on her face.
Oliver felt deflated. "No, I guess not..."
He was thoroughly depressed and in a sour mood when he went off to teach his flying classes that day. Lavinia Medlock was 15 minutes late for class that day, but rather than taking it in stride, Oliver snapped.
"Miss Medlock, you are 15 minutes late for class, so I think we'll make it 15 points from Slytherin. Now get on your broomstick and start practicing your beater skills before I add a detention."
His bad mood only made the class less enjoyable. The students didn't joke around nearly as much as usual because they didn't want to land themselves in detention.
Oliver walked back up the castle after class with his mood worsening by the minute. He could understand that maybe Adrianna forgot to get him something for his birthday, but she could at least acknowledge it... and the other teachers should have known that it was his birthday too, someone should have remembered. He stormed up the stairs to his office, flung the tapestry aside, and slammed the door moodily behind him as he entered his rooms.
"HAPPY BIRTHDAY OLIVER!" yelled the 50 or so people that had gathered in Oliver's rooms.
His jaw dropped. He was at a complete loss of words.
"Bad day, Wood?" teased Fred.
"Cheer up, birthday boy! You only turn 23 once, might as well enjoy it," George chimed in.
"You know," Fred added thoughtfully, "you should really put a sealing charm on your door. Anyone could just walk in here at their leisure as long as they know the alohamora charm."
Oliver laughed. All of the teachers that didn't have a class had come to his surprise party. All of his old Gryffindor quidditch team members were there, and some of his other classmates as well. Then there were his Puddlemere United teammates, where he had played before joining the Scottish National team. And speaking of the Scottish team, Oliver spotted all of his former teammates huddled in a corner. There was also Bill Weasley, who had his arm around Fleur Delacour's waist, and George's girlfriend Steph.
Standing off to the side in the front was Adrianna with a slightly nervous look on her face. She rushed over to him. "I'm so sorry sweetheart, I know you thought that I forgot all about your birthday and I don't blame you if you're mad at me, but I wanted this to be a complete surprise," she said, motioning around the room.
"It certainly was. You're a convincing actress. How did you do this anyhow?"
"I had a little help from Fred and George," she explained, looking in their direction. They winked at Oliver and Adrianna.
Oliver made his way around the room and made an effort to talk to everyone that had come. He had a blast catching up on what had been going on with the people that he hadn't seen in a while. Both the Puddlemere and the Scottish quidditch teams left after only an hour because they had practice that night. Many of the teachers hung around until it was time for dinner, but then most of them left as well.
Since there was now a considerably smaller group, those who had stayed decided to go to the Three Broomsticks to continue the celebration. Oliver's Gryffindor teammates plus Steph, Bill, Charlie, Lee Jordan, Fleur, Eva, Seamus, and Adrianna pushed several tables together to form one long table in the middle of the pub and seated themselves. They ordered a few pitchers of mulled mead and a couple of bottles of red currant rum, and everyone helped themselves to a drink.
Oliver observed the people sitting around the table. Fred was sitting right across from Oliver with George next to him. They were telling Lee all about some new things that they were working on for their joke shop. Steph was on George's other side, listening to what the twins were saying. Katie, Angelina and Alicia were chattering loudly, erupting in giggles every few minutes. Bill and Fleur were sitting at one end of the table making out. Eva, who was sitting next to Fleur, was talking to Adrianna in a hushed tone and making disgusted faces. Oliver could only guess that she was talking about the scene going on beside her. At the other end of the table, Harry and Seamus were reminiscing about their days at Hogwarts. Oliver felt sorry for Charlie, who was on the corner beside Katie and across from Bill. The poor guy was next to a bunch of chattering girls, and his brother was making out with Fleur directly across from him. Charlie finally got up from his chair and carried it partway around the table so that he was sitting behind Fred and George, hearing about their latest inventions.
After hanging out at the Three Broomsticks for a while, the group grew restless and decided to go back to Hogwarts to watch Oliver open his presents. Bill conjured up armchairs out of thin air so that everyone had a place to sit, and they arranged the chairs in a semicircle so that they could all see Oliver. He opened cards from a bunch of people and thanked those present. There were two large, brightly wrapped boxes that Oliver opened next. The first was a Gred and Forge's Mixed Up Potion kit from George and Steph. The second was a Deflagration Deluxe kit of Weasleys' Wildfire Whizbangs from Fred and Angelina. The Wildfire Whizbangs were Fred and George's patented magical fireworks, and while Oliver had never actually seen them, he'd heard all about them. They were sure to provide hours of amusement once they were launched. Just as he finished unwrapping his presents, he looked up and noticed Adrianna slipping back into his rooms with something bundled in her arms. He hadn't even noticed that she'd left until then.
She placed the bundle in his arms. "Happy birthday," she said with a grin.
Oliver pulled back a corner of the blanket and felt his face light up. This was even better than the Wildfire Whizbangs. It was a crup, a magical creature that closely resembled a Jack Russell Terrier except for its forked tail.
"Wow, thanks!" he exclaimed. "I always wanted a crup but my mum's allergic to dogs, so I was never allowed to have one."
"What are you going to call him?" asked Katie.
"I don't know yet. I'll have to think about it."
"If you ever take him to live in a muggle-inhabited area you'll have to remove his forked tail," Adrianna informed him.
Oliver looked horror stricken. "Remove his tail! That's a bit cruel don't you think?"
"It's just a simple charm, and it won't hurt him at all. That's the Ministry of Magic law. I had to register him for you too, the Ministry keeps tabs on crups just like kneazles."
After playing with the crup and hanging out for a while longer, Oliver's guests began to say their goodbyes and departed one by one.
That Friday after spending some time outside with his crup, Oliver decided to see what Adrianna was up to. He walked into her office and found it crowded and chaotic. There were students from all four houses standing in one corner, browsing through her CD collection and listening to samples of muggle music.
"No final for Muggle Studies, can you believe it?" he heard one of the students whisper to another.
Juan Castillo was sitting in a chair in front of her desk, swinging his feet back and forth and waiting for her. Charlie Weasley was standing beside the bookcase, waiting as well. Adrianna emerged from the bookcase a few moments later with Chip in her arms. She handed him to Charlie.
"There you go. He's pretty well behaved, I don't think you'll have any problems with him," she was saying.
"Thanks, I'm sure glad I didn't have to look too hard to find a kneazle for my classes. The fifth years need to have some experience with kneazles before they take their O.W.L.s this year. I'll have him back to you by the end of next week," Charlie replied. He looked like he wanted to say something else. "Er... I was wondering..."
"Yes?" asked Adrianna.
"Well, I need a unicorn for my classes, but I can't catch it myself, they can only be caught by girls... I was wondering if you might be able to catch one for me. But don't say yes unless you think you can do it," he added quickly. "I was going to ask Fleur, but she wouldn't be able to touch a unicorn with a ten foot pole."
"What do I have to do?"
"First of all, you have to be pure. Not that it's any of my business, but if you and Wood are, er, romantically involved, you won't be able to catch one."
"I'm still a virgin if that's what you mean."
Charlie nodded. "Alright, then here's what you've got to do. You'll go into the dark forest at night and go to sleep under an oak tree. If all goes well, when you wake up in the morning you'll have a unicorn lying beside you and it'll follow you out of the forest."
"And if all doesn't go well?"
"Well I'm not saying it's not dangerous. You could be carried off by a herd of centaurs, or if the unicorn senses that you wish to harm it in any way it will kill you with its horn."
Adrianna peered at the lunar chart lying on her desk. "I'll do it tonight. If I wait it will be getting close to the full moon, and then I'll have werewolves to worry about as well." She looked up and finally noticed that Oliver was standing there. "Hello love," she said, rushing over and embracing him.
"Thanks!" called Charlie as he left. Adrianna waved goodbye to him over Oliver's shoulder.
"We're going to visit my family tomorrow," she informed Oliver as she walked over to where Juan was waiting. She gave Juan a quick explanation in Spanish of something in his Charms book and then sent him on his way.
"We?" asked Oliver.
"Yes we. You promised you'd meet my parents after I went to meet yours," Adrianna reminded him.
"Professor, we found a song!" shouted a seventh year girl wearing Hufflepuff robes. "Wild Wild West by Will Smith!"
Adrianna wrote the selection on a piece of parchment, and the Hufflepuff students that had been in her office left together.
"The rest of you can come back later, I need to be somewhere else right now." The Gryffindors, Ravenclaws and Slytherins shut off the CD player and left the room reluctantly.
"That means you too," she said to Oliver as she walked out the door. He sprinted to catch up with her.
"Where are you going?"
"I have a meeting with Dumbledore."
"What were all those students doing in your office?"
"Picking out music for Sing'n' Swing."
"For what?"
"I cut a deal with my sixth and seventh year students. Instead of having a final, they will use their knowledge of muggles to create a song and dance routine to a recent muggle song. I feel that it's a fair form of assessment, and they will have to use what they've learned to make their performance successful. Oliver I'm really sorry but I've got to run, I was supposed to be in Dumbledore's office ten minutes ago. I'll see you later, ok?" and she broke into a jog. Feeling neglected, Oliver returned to his rooms to play with his still unnamed crup.
That night Oliver sat in the window seat staring out at the dark forest with his crup in his lap. Adrianna had gone out already to attempt to catch a unicorn for Charlie. He hoped that she made it back safe and sound in the morning. He gazed up at the waxing gibbous moon anxiously. He knew that the full moon was still far enough off that there wouldn't be any werewolves transforming yet, but he couldn't help but worry. He leaned his head against the stone window frame and looked out on the grounds.
The next thing he knew, the first rays of the rising sun were shining through the window into his eyes, forcing him awake. He scanned the edge of the forest for Adrianna but didn't see her anywhere. He stayed in the window seat and watched the sun rise, watching the edge of the forest as he did so. After waiting for what must have been a couple of hours, he saw a figure clad in pale pink robes and a heavy gray cloak emerge from the trees followed by a creature so brilliantly white that it made the melting snow around it look dull. Oliver's breath caught in his throat. He had seen unicorns on a couple of other occasions, but he never ceased to be amazed by their beauty. He watched as Adrianna walked straight over to a paddock near what had been Hagrid's hut. The unicorn followed her inside. She stroked its mane gently before leaving the paddock, closing the gate securely behind her. He watched her walk back up to the castle and figured that she would go back to her rooms to get a few more hours of sleep, but was pleasantly surprised when she let herself into his rooms via the trapdoor a few minutes later.
"I didn't think you'd be up yet," she commented as she pulled herself up through the hole in the floor.
"I didn't go to bed last night. I was looking out the window and thinking about you and I fell asleep right here," he explained.
"Why don't we get a few hours of proper rest before we get ready to go visit my family?" she suggested.
Oliver had nearly forgotten about meeting her family even though she'd just reminded him yesterday. They went into his bedroom together and got into bed fully dressed. They were sound asleep within minutes.