(Psycho lady person: I do know the meaning of soon, as evidence of this. Be prepared for an evil cliffhanger.)
June was here, and though for many students that meant summer break, the fifth years were spazzing out with frequent studying for the accursed O.W.L.s. I was terrified more than most of the fifth years because my score on these would absolutely affect how many years I remained in school. They could move on. These were like my practice O.W.L.s. If I did well, then yay, I could move on. If not, then it was back to basics for Ms. Fynn.
Hermione was studying twenty-four/seven and paused only while she showered, but from next to her in the stall I could hear her reciting the order of Jupiter's moons or the order in which wars and battles had occurred. I became accustomed to sleeping with my notes in my bed, in case I woke up from a nightmare about forgetting some crucial part of a spell. Hermione and I had a bridge of notes sprawled between our beds. Some nights we would awaken simultaneously and begin rifling through what we had.
We didn't bother counting how many hours we spent cramming knowledge into our skulls, unlike Hufflepuff prefect, Ernie Macmillan, who made a habit of boasting eight to nine hours a day. Harry and Ron looked sick as Ernie recited all of the studying he had been doing. Hermione paid no mind as she was engrossed in a chapter of A History of Magic. I looked away from the whole thing and discreetly charmed a stone to dance across the pathway. Neville, who had gray rings underneath his eyes, watched the stone with a sort of mesmerized stare. I noticed that Lavender and Parvati weren't quite as dressed up as they usually were. There had been nights that they had woken up, with Eloise too, and come over to Hermione's and my virtual mountain of books and notes.
"A week," I breathed nervously, twiddling my fingers. "I wish I'd started studying sooner. Like last year. Or before I even came to Hogwarts." My eyes filled with tears of frustration.
"You'll do fine, Favian." Eloise licked her finger and turned the page in A Thousand Magical Herbs and Fungi distractedly. "You made it to fifth year faster than any of the rest of us did. You're a freaking genius."
Hermione was mumbling something about the use of gold in potion-making. Parvati was writing a spell down on a piece of parchment multiple times and Lavender snoozed on top of a book.
During this intensive studying time, my dreams had pretty much settled into terror of O.W.L.s and nothing else. Voldemort remained blissfully outside of my thoughts. Hermione and Ron had prefect duties besides their extensive study schedules. Ron didn't take his quite as seriously as Hermione did, but even so he had extra work.
I was walking down the corridors with Hermione one day when we overheard Harold Dingle trying to sell "powdered dragon claw" to a fifth year. Hermione immediately strode over and demanded he hand it over. He protested originally, saying she was cheating him out of a good deal, but gave it over in the end.
"Using it yourself, eh?" I asked jokingly.
"This stuff?" Hermione looked more closely at it. "Not in a million years. It's dried doxy droppings."
"Ooh, so it truly is a black market." I shook my head. I had been tempted by "potions" to increase my brain activities during the exam in order to enhance my exam performance, but had been strongly reminded of the drug trade in the United States. You never really know what you get unless you're making it yourself.
In Transfiguration we got our examination schedules and further details on the procedure for O.W.L.s.
"As you can see," Professor McGonagall said as we copied down the examination times and dates from the blackboard, "your O.W.L.s are spread over two successive weeks. You will sit the theory exams in the mornings and the practice in the afternoons. Your practical Astronomy examination will, of course, take place at night.
"Now, I must warn you that the most stringent Anti-Cheating Charms have been applied to your examination papers. Auto-Answer Quills are banned from the examination hall, as are Remembralls, Detachable Cribbing Cuffs, and Self-Correcting Ink. Every year, I am afraid to say, seems to harbor at least one student who thinks that he or she can get around the Wizarding Examinations Authority's rules." She seemed to be looking directly at the boys while she said this. "Our new- headmistress- has asked the Heads of House to tell their students that cheating will be punished most severely- because, of course, your examination results will reflect upon the headmistress's new regime at the school…." McGonagall sighed and her nostrils flared. "However, that is no reason not to do your very best. You have your own futures to think about."
Hermione's hand went into the air. "Please, Professor. When will we find out our results?"
"An owl will be sent to you some time in July," the teacher responded.
Great, a delayed response, I thought bitterly. During that time I would only be stressed even more, remembering every mistake I made or didn't make, but was unsure of.
"Excellent," Dean said in an audible whisper, "so we don't have to worry about it till the holidays…."
More studying commenced with the fifth years in the common room. Everyone worked together without really talking as friends but as coworkers. Harry quizzed an irritable Hermione on Charms, Ron mouthed his Charms notes to himself, fingers wedged in his ears. Lavender and Parvati raced pencils. Seamus was lying flat on the floor, reciting the definition of a Substantive Charm while Dean checked in his book. Eloise and I were having shoe dance competitions.
Dinner was the most silent thing I had endured at the school in awhile. Ron and Harry shoved food into their mouths as though it would be their last meals, Hermione kept diving under the table to check her notes, but I just sort of picked at my food, wondering how it would sit with my churning stomach.
"You should eat," Ron said with a full mouth. "You'll never get any sleep on an empty stomach and you'll fail the written Charms."
"Ugh," was all I could manage.
Hermione dropped her fork with a clatter to her plate.
"Oh, my goodness," she whispered, staring into the entrance hall. "Is that them? Is that the examiners?"
Umbridge stood nervously with a rather small group of elderly witches and wizards in the entrance hall.
"That's it, stomach is heaving," I muttered.
"Shall we go and have a closer look?" Ron asked.
Hermione, Harry and I nodded and we got up and walked towards the entrance hall, slowing down as we neared the examiners. We walked slowly by and inspected each of them in turn. An old hunched woman with a wildly wrinkly face was speaking loudly to Professor Umbridge as we passed.
"Journey was fine, journey was fine, we've made it plenty of times before!" She sounded impatient. "Now, I haven't heard from Dumbledore lately!" She looked around as though expecting he might pop out of a chandelier. "No idea where he is, I suppose?"
"None at all," Umbridge looked furiously at Harry, Ron, Hermione and me as we stood around the foot of the stairs. Ron was fiddling with his shoelace. "But I daresay the Ministry of Magic will track him down soon enough…."
"I doubt it. Not if Dumbledore doesn't want to be found!" The old woman shouted. "I should know…. Examined him personally in Transfiguration and Charms when he did N.E.W.T.s…. Did things with a wand I'd never seen before…."
"Yes…well…."
The four of us walked up the stairs. I feigned yawning and stretched widely.
Umbridge continued. "I daresay you'd like a cup of tea after your journey…." Umbridge simpered, shooting a glance at the four of us. We continued more quickly up the stairs after they left. Hermione and Ron didn't speak at all but trudged up more quickly, groaning wordlessly. Harry took my hand and sighed.
"Long time no see," he commented blandly.
"Oh I am terrified," I explained.
"Me too," he agreed.
I had a tough time sleeping that night. Tougher than I'd imagined I would. I had a bizarre dream in which I charmed absolutely everything that I saw, and then the old lady popped out of the ground and told me I was Dumbledore's favorite chandelier.
Breakfast was even more silent than dinner had been. Poor Neville was a trembling mess. It made me feel distinctly worse to realize he, who had been there all five years, was more terrified than I. Oh, what would the future bring? After breakfast, the fifth years and seventh years, who were taking N.E.W.T.s, sort of bumbled pointlessly around the entrance hall until nine-thirty, when exams were about to begin.
The fifth years were called into the great hall by class. The four house tables had been removed and replaced by many one-person desks, which all faced the staff-table end, where McGonagall stood watching them. Once all of the students were settled in their sets, she said: "You may begin," and turned over an enormous hourglass which sat perched on a desk next to her. Next to the hourglass were spare rolls of parchment, quills, and ink bottles, which made me feel slightly better.
I turned the paper over, expecting the question to be something to do with something I'd never learned.
"Wingardium Leviosa." I remembered Hermione saying, and I felt myself relax.
I was shaking slightly as I left, but felt as though I had done a reasonable job. Hermione had to kill me by asking how we had all done. Ron put her in her place though.
"Hermione, we've been through this before… we're not going through every exam afterward, it's bad enough doing them once, ye oh batty one."
After lunch, in which I did manage to stomach quite a bit, the fifth years went into the small chamber beside the great hall to wait for our practical exam. We were called forward in alphabetical order, meaning I went before Hermione, Ron and Harry. Professor Flitwick ushered me in.
"Professor Marchbanks, over there." Flitwick directed me to the hunched old woman who had been loud the day before. She sat behind a small table, a quill and paper resting on it.
"Miss Fynn?" She said surprisingly softly. "How are you feeling? Nervous? Good." She didn't smile. "It helps. Now, levitate this wine glass for me."
"Wingardium Leviosa," it floated into the air quite nicely for me. I made it float higher and then lower and back up again. She had me keep it up there for awhile. I almost forgot what I was doing and started making it do a sort of cha-cha. I hummed absent-mindedly to myself.
"Good."
I jumped, but kept the wine glass suspended.
"You can put it down on my desk, if you'd be so kind."
It was a bit of a rocky landing, but it seemed to be alright.
She had me change the color of a stuffed animal and summon it to me afterward. I felt amazing relief afterwards and left. I fell asleep waiting for my friends at the exit, leaning my head on my knees. Hermione woke me up, a smile broad upon her face.
"I trust you did well," I said softly.
She nodded.
"Well, I think I did anyway," she said eagerly, "how about you?"
"Pretty well, I think." I shrugged, yawning again.
After dinner the four of us went straight to studying intensely for Transfiguration. And so went the week, studying hazard after studying hazard. My brain felt wont to explode. I don't know how it managed to contain all it did. Memories seemed to spew out in light of the questions and I didn't have any trouble, though all of the writing wound up feeling like vomiting in a way. Friday should have been my day off, but the Runes teacher, who had grown rather fond of me in her own weird way, had told me to give it a go. McGonagall reminded me that I needed an O.W.L. in Ancient Runes for the job I wanted. Besides, it would be good practice even if I didn't do well.
Hermione was up all night reciting runes to me. I thought that I truly would have a Technicolor yawn before the night was up. I knew some of the runes from years ago, so those didn't worry me. It was the ones with slightly different definitions. On the bright side, that exam was only written, nothing performance-wise. It was a bunch of translations. Geofu was pretty easy, meaning "gift." Peorth gave me a run for my money. I really had to think it through and I finally skipped it and moved on. Ing, which meant fertility, reminded me of peorth's meaning. I knew peorth wasn't penis, as I had originally been told by some book or another, but actually meant sort of a tool in getting what was needed. I wrote something similar down, figuring that it showed I had the basic idea. Overall, I felt pretty good about that one.
Hermione, on the other hand, left in a foul mood. I had watched her face move from a bland expression to a frown as though she had just remembered something.
"I screwed them up!" She moaned to me.
"Not all of them." I shook my head. "That's one out of a hundred. You'll still have somewhere in the nineties, no doubt."
She mouthed wordlessly in aggravation, but before she could find words to fill her mouth with, we had passed Umbridge's office and we shocked by a screaming Umbridge.
"…NIFFLER IN MY OFFICE! IT TRIED TO BITE MY BLOODY LEG OFF! THAT STUPID GAMEKEEPER! I'll bet… oooooh!" She was furious by the sound of it.
Hermione and I exchanged a dark glance and hurried back to our House.
Hermione's mood grew steadily worse and by the time we entered the portrait hole, I could tell she was ready to lash out at someone. Hey, why not Harry and Ron?
After she had vented, she stormed up to the girls' dormitory, slamming the door behind her.
"Such a lovely, sweet-tempered girl," Ron said, very quietly. He and Harry were playing chess, but Ron's pieces were beating the crap out of Harry's pieces.
"So, how did you do?" Harry asked me.
"Oh, I think I passed at least." I shrugged. "But it's not as if these count if my grades suck."
"You're lucky," Ron said, prodding a piece to swoop in for the kill. "Good game, mate." He shook Harry's hand.
"I'm not." I disagreed. "I don't want to start all over again. I'll feel stupid."
"Eh, well, you're not. You'll probably pass every O.W.L. with an Outstanding." Ron shrugged, turning to look at her.
"I wish I could believe that."
Potions was the following Monday. Hermione was in a bad temperament all during the weekend and Monday. I felt pretty confident in Potions, though I felt my explanation of the effects of the Polyjuice Potion was a bit lacking. Care of Magical Creatures was pretty easy, I thought. I wasn't too nervous on that one because I was too tired to be. The fire-crabs I was taking care of seemed to like me, which was a surprise. The examiner, Professor Tofty, asked me how many of the classes I had gone to. I told him that I'd gone to most this year, and that Hagrid was an excellent teacher. I felt my heart lift when he mumbled "apparently so." I think Hagrid heard me, because his face crinkled into a smile.
Wednesday morning was the Astronomy practical. I nearly cried after I finished it, remembering specific stars based on what my father had told me. My mind warped back to his "astro-hut" and the hours we spent out there looking at the velvet sky. I had to take Arithmancy that afternoon. Hermione looked as though she was willing to kill for this grade. I kept a good distance away from my homicide-capable companion. I couldn't believe how many times the exam brought up the Pythagorean Theorem and Quadratic Formula. I felt like a genius by the end of it. I was pretty sure that I missed number twenty-seven, though, because it had something to do with a Switching Spell and the slope of a graph and how it applied to a map of Egypt. I may have gotten half of it right, but I sincerely doubted that I'd get full credit.
Hermione had cooled after that exam. I smiled at her uncertainly and she returned the gesture kindly. We ran to catch up with Ron and Harry.
"We have just a bit of time to look over out star charts before dinner." Hermione said to Ron and Harry, who nodded in agreement.
It was eleven o'clock when the fifth years filed somberly to the top of the Astronomy Tower. It was a beautiful and cloudless night. A chill crept through my cloak and I shivered. The grounds below were a silver sight, bathed in the clear moonlight. We all set up our telescopes and once Professor Marchbanks gave the word, we began to fill in the blank star charts we had been given.
I wasn't having too much trouble with this. It was nearly identical to the star chart I had last studied. A few times I went and checked and answer before filling it in, lest I was thinking of the next star over. Night was passing slowly. I had finished my star chart a few minutes after an hour was up, and was in the midst of checking the ones I had filled in without checking, which were circled lightly as a reminder.
The lights went off in the castle, one by one as students went off to bed. I wished that I were in bed. I shivered again in the chill of night. I saw the front doors of the castle open and looked down curiously. I adjusted my telescope and saw six elongated shadows moving over the brightly lit grass. Once the doors shut, the land below became as dark as ever before. I continued to watch curiously, and recognized the squat figure of Professor Umbridge, bouncing towards Hagrid's hut.
My heart caught in my throat as I got a vague idea of what was going on. There's nothing you can do. Keep checking your star chart. But I couldn't convince myself to look away. The six figures went to Hagrid's hut and there was a muffled bark. Fang. The six figures entered Hagrid's hut and the door closed.
There was a roar soon from Hagrid's cabin and several students stopped working to look curiously at what was going on.
Professor Tofty coughed.
"Try and concentrate, now, boys and girls," he encouraged softly.
I looked to my right and saw Hermione and Harry staring intently at Hagrid's hut.
"Ahem- twenty minutes to go."
I shook my head and returned hastily to my star chart. I looked at a star and thought for a moment that I had mislabeled Vega, but I hadn't. My head felt foggy this late at night.
There was a loud BANG from the grounds. There were cries of pain as many students poked themselves in the face with the ends of their telescopes. I looked quickly below. Hagrid's door was open, and I could see quite clearly that he was roaring and shaking his fists angrily, surrounded by six people, all of whom were trying to Stun him.
"No!" Hermione cried.
"My dear!" Professor Tofty sounded offended. "This is an examination!"
Nobody cared anymore. I considered flying down to the rescue, but thought better of it. Hagrid, who was part-giant, seemed to be having no trouble fighting off the Stun-Spells.
"Be reasonable, Hagrid!" A man yelled.
"Reasonable be damned, yeh won' take me like this, Dawlish!" Hagrid growled.
I watched the tiny Fang trying to protect Hagrid by jumping on the surrounding wizards, but was finally hit by a Stunning Spell. Hagrid howled in fury, lifted the stunner bodily from the ground, and threw him. I gasped sharply. The man flew over ten feet and did not get up again.
"Look!" Parvati squealed. She was leaning over the parapet and pointing to the foot of the castle where the front doors seemed to have opened again. Someone else was coming outside.
"Now, really!" Professor Tofty began anxiously. "Only sixteen minutes left, you know!"
Nobody cared.
"How dare you!" The figure shouted as she ran. "How dare you!"
"It's McGonagall!" Hermione whispered unnecessarily.
"Leave him alone! Alone, I say!" Professor McGonagall shouted through the darkness. "On what grounds are you attacking him? He has done nothing, nothing to warrant such-"
All of the girls screamed. Four Stunners had shot McGonagall. She was lifted off of her feet, glowing red momentarily, she landed hard on her back and was stock-still. I was outraged beyond words.
"Galloping gargoyles!" Professor Tofty had finally forgotten the exam. "Not so much as a warning! Outrageous behavior!"
"COWARDS!" Hagrid bellowed. "RUDDY COWARDS! HAVE SOME O' THAT! AN' THAT!"
Hagrid punched at his closest attackers and they fell, out cold. Rightly so! Hagrid bent over and picked up Fang.
"Get him, get him!" Umbridge screamed. Her last helper seemed very reluctant to even go near Hagrid. He backed up until he tripped and fell over. Hagrid had turned and was running as fast as he could with Fang over his neck. Umbridge tried once more to Stun him, but missed.
Nobody spoke for a full minute, all gaping at the scene below. Finally, Professor Tofty spoke slowly and softly. "Um… five minutes to go, everybody…."
The end of the exam came and I shoved my telescope quickly into my bag, barely noticing what I was doing. Nobody was going to bed. Everyone was speaking furiously and loudly.
"That evil woman!" Hermione gasped, having difficulties with her articulation due to rage. "Trying to sneak up on Hagrid in the dead of night!"
"She clearly wanted to avoid another scene like Trelawney's," Ernie Macmillan had joined us.
"Hagrid did well, didn't he?" Ron looked alarmed. "How come all the spells bounced off of him?"
"He's part-giant." I finally spoke.
"Yes, it's very difficult to Stun a giant…. But poor Professor McGonagall! Four stunners straight in the chest, and she's not exactly young, is she?"
"Dreadful, dreadful," Ernie shook his head and I resisted a sudden urge to slap him. "Well, I'm off to bed…. 'Night all…."
"What if she's… dead?" I whispered.
Nobody responded to this, the idea being to grave to ponder aloud.
"I can't believe that we've lost Dumbledore and Hagrid." Hermione said softly.
We returned to the common room, which was all awake. The portrait of the Fat Lady asked what was going on, and none of us had the patience to explain. The room discussed the events quickly and I was glad to hear that McGonagall had been taken to the Hospital Wing, or at least inside. After that, we discussed various ways to kill Umbridge. I personally liked Ron's idea of feeding her to a box of starved Blast-Ended Screwts. It was four o'clock in the morning before the common room cleared.
I fell asleep and for the first time that week, a recurrent dream-hell was there.
"Have you missed me, my dear?" Tom held my upper arm roughly.
"Like a sharp stick in the eye." I snapped, wrenching my arm out of his grip.
His eyes flashed, but it was in an amused sort of a way. He grabbed my head and shoved his face towards mine. I could feel his hot breath on my face. I tried to turn away but it was a futile effort. He shoved his lips roughly against mine. My hands clawed at his chin and I tried to shove him away. His hands were suddenly on my forearms and he was staring directly into my eyes.
"Just think, soon I will have you. So soon that I can taste you."
"You will never have me. I would sooner give you my lifeless carcass." I whispered.
Tom's eyes became solemn. "You would be a fool to attempt suicide."
"Would I? Did you know that the majority of teenage girls who are raped kill themselves?"
Tom gripped my arms more tightly, now looking furious.
My heart sank. Was suicide what I would have to do in order to stop him? I knew in my heart that I would never kill myself. Not unless he was right there and there was nothing else I could do. Even then I'd have trouble with that.
"No. You won't." He said, looking certain. His face relaxed. He took my hands and raised them above my head. When he let go, they were still suspended. I looked up and saw chains holding them up.
Crap. I thought.
"Now, I know that you are still a virgin," Tom began, "but has Potter left his mark on you?"
"Sadly, we don't have too much private time together." I said, trying to sound casual, which of course was an utter failure, as my voice was tremulous.
"But Favian, you and I have much private time together. I make time for you."
"Aw, how sweet." My voice was heavy with sarcasm.
Tom cackled and his eyes turned red. "How about I leave something for young Potter to ponder?"
"Only if it's your dead body." I snarled.
"I was thinking something more…." He leaned forward and kissed my neck very hard. He ran his hands over my body and I felt sick. He was leaving a hickey. Wonderful. Then he unbuttoned my shirt and kissed my shoulder and then further down, leaving red hickeys all the way. Then I began to hope he'd go further, so I could kick him in the face. He stopped just before my naval and pulled out his wand.
"Imperio!" He hissed.
"What was that?" I asked, feeling a slight tingling in my brain.
"Ha, I suppose it's true about some spells not affecting the Aviata." He sighed. "But I suppose it will be fun. I know some of my Death Eaters like them feisty."
My lip curled in revolt.
"Favian," Hermione woke me up, shaking me softly. She was fully clothed. My arms were still above my head and there were red marks where the chains had dug in. I pulled them down quickly and gasped in pain.
"Shaz that hurt!" Tears welled in my eyes.
Hermione looked at me sympathetically. "Did Tom come again last night?"
"Yeah, but it wasn't the worst experience we've ever shared." I shrugged. My arms still ached. I touched the hickey on my neck unhappily. "If it weren't so blasted hot, I'd wear a turtleneck. So, what time is the exam today? I forget." I changed subjects hastily.
"Two. We'd better get studying, or down to breakfast for you. It's past eight."
"Crap," I jumped out of bed and landed in our notes, causing them to fly every which way. "Oh, über crap!" I didn't pause to sort them out but jumped around getting dressed hastily. "You know what, screw breakfast. I'm not hungry." I said irritably. I felt like I was going to burst into tears.
"No, come on, we need to fill you up."
I followed Hermione to breakfast, where the hall was filled with late-starters. I sat down and piled my plate with sausages and toast. Hermione had brought some notes and was reading aloud to me. I scanned the room quickly and saw Malfoy reading a note. He looked up at me, grinned, and then pocketed something. I finished my breakfast and Hermione returned to our common room.
Before two o'clock, we had gone through as many notes as humanly possible and entered the Great Hall with the other fifth years. A sense of relief flooded my system as I realized that this was to be my last examination.
I sat down and as soon as it was time to start, I flew through the questions, writing a brief outline on the side of each one before going back to answer fully. My brief outline system, as recommended by Hermione, was very useful. When I returned to a question, minor details leapt out at me from my memory and I was able to write very full reports. I sped through my examination so quickly that I feared I had missed a question or five. I hadn't, so I looked through and added whatever I could to lacking questions. I saw most people either checking over their answers or staring hopelessly at the papers. I felt better. I looked over to Harry, but he had fallen asleep. My eyes widened as he twitched and cried out.
Professor Tofty assisted him out of the room. Everyone in the examination hall was watching Harry warily. At about five o'clock, Professor Tofty announced that the exam was over. I rose quickly to look for Harry. My bladder had other ideas and had me scrambling for a bathroom first. A few moments later, I ran back out into the corridors, which were now rather sparse, and looked around for Harry.
The door to the grounds was slightly ajar and I found Harry leaning against the wall casually. His hair was hanging in his face a bit, but looking quite smashing. It was all I could do not to run and jump on him, kissing him dry. I shook my head and remembered that I had been worried about him only seconds ago.
"Harry!" I ran forward to meet him, and he smiled. "What happened back there?"
"Bad dream," Harry shook his head, as though trying to clear the memory.
I laughed harshly. "As if we don't get enough of those."
Harry looked to my neck and his eyebrows shot up. "I didn't give you that, did I?"
I shook my head once I realized he was indicating the Tom-induced hickey. "Voldemort," I waved the name away, "just trying to piss you off."
Harry frowned and looked quite angry. His glasses, I noticed, looked slightly different. A bit squarer around the frames, but I didn't mention anything. My eyes were fogging over from tiredness anyway.
"Look, I want to show you a place on the grounds that I found." Harry said, changing subjects. He reached out for my hand, which I gave to him gladly. He pulled me out into the grounds and walked slowly into the darkening outside. The sun was lower in the sky and the sky was changing colors.
"It's a nice evening," I commented blandly, feeling an unusually awkward silence between us. I looked at Hagrid's hut and felt a tinge of sorrow, wondering where he might be and whether Fang had recovered or not.
"Yeah," he agreed lucidly. "Favian?"
"Hm?" I looked him square in the eye. We had stopped right outside the Forbidden Forest.
"We're going to go a little ways in, if that's okay."
"Yeah, that's fine."
He smiled and pulled me in after him. After a succession of trees, there was a nice little clearing that gave a fantastic view into the evening sky.
"Wow," I sighed, "it's really lovely here."
"I thought you'd like it," Harry smiled in a way I'd never seen him smile before.
"You just reminded me of someone… can't place it though." I said to him.
Harry shrugged and took a seat on the ground, motioning that I should do the same. I took a seat next to him and pressed my shoulder into his. He wrapped his arm around me.
"It's been awhile since we've had time for this. Thank God the exams are over." I sighed.
"Mmhmm. Not looking forward to those grades though."
"Haha, me neither," there was another silence.
Harry turned to face me and he brushed my hickey with his thumb softly. I leaned forward to kiss him softly. I ran my fingers through his hair and he put his arms around my waist. His hands moved slightly up, but I didn't really mind, as it was him. He'd never kissed me quite like this before. Maybe he was trying a new technique or something, but I had trouble adjusting to it at first. He started nibbling my lower lip. It reminded me strongly of my first kiss with Voldemort.
"Stop," I said, breathing heavily. I pulled my face away. "You're… different." I frowned at him. "What's going on?"
Harry frowned at me slightly. "I don't know. Maybe I'm just feeling a bit stressed, with all this weird stuff going on. Then the O.W.L.s just ending." He sounded slightly worried. His eyes darted up towards the sky.
I brought my hand up to his face and held him, looking in his eyes.
"It'll be all right in the end. I promise."
Harry smiled, in that same weird way he'd done earlier. "Do you honestly believe that?"
"Yes," I said confidently. We sat there in another silence. Minutes passed wordlessly. I felt very awkward and finally broke the silence. "Should we go and find Ron and Hermione? I bet they're pretty worried about you too."
There was a swooping noise from up above.
"What was that?" I asked, looking up and seeing nothing.
"Probably a bird or something," Harry said comfortably. He looked absent-mindedly at his watch. "Uh-oh," he smirked, "time is up."
"What?"
His hair looked lighter at the ends. It changed from jet black to white-blonde in a matter of seconds. I jumped up, but so did he… whoever… whatever he was.
"What's going on?!" His face became pointier and his eyes changed from green to blue. The swooping from above came again. The boy whipped the glasses off and I saw at once who it was…. "Malfoy!"
"Very good, madam." I heard a voice from behind. I whipped around to see three masked figures on broomsticks landing. I backed away, mouth ajar, unable to believe what was happening. Malfoy grabbed me and disabled me from furthering my escape. I writhed and managed to escape only to be grabbed by a masked figure.
"Nice work, Draco, get back up to the school."
"See you later, Father," Malfoy sneered at me. "Shall I tell Potter?" He mouthed to me.
I started kicking violently. A masked person shot ropes out of the end of his wand and bound my arms and legs. Draco Malfoy touched his Gryffindor badge with a wand and it was instantly replaced by a Slytherin badge. Malfoy ran off out of the Forbidden Forest. Finally, I was able to scream.
"It will do you no good, Favian Fynn." My captor breathed in my ear. "No one can hear you."
I stopped, deciding to save my throat for a better point. "What's going on? Who are you?"
"Death Eaters, Majesty." A hooded man bowed low from the side. "The Dark Lord requests your immediate presence."
My eyes widened dramatically and I wriggled around, refusing to hold still, refusing to slow… refusing to give up!
"Do you have your wand with you?" My captor asked calmly. I wouldn't answer; I saved all of my energy for fighting his grip. "Fine then. We shall see." He threw me face down to the ground and sat on my back. He dug through one pocket and then another and found what he sought. "Good." He lifted me back up and threw me haphazardly over his broomstick. It was far from a comfortable position, but he seemed not to care. He kicked off of the ground and we flew… flew away from the school… into the clouds… to my imminent doom.