Disclaimer: I have just sent JK Rowling an email asking her to consider my proposition for acquiring Harry Potter. I am offering my current laptop (since I'm about to get a new one, I figure it beats tossing it in the trash), a $25 gift card to Dairy Queen, and my mom's car in exchange for all HP content. My mom hasn't agreed to giving up the car yet but there's no way she'll say no if I get the rights to Harry Potter out of it.

Chapter 44

"Traditionally your exams have been in written form with a small practical portion, am I correct?" Professor Lupin paced in front of his third-year students, sporting a rather enthusiastic smile. Several of the students nodded, and he chuckled. "Yes, well, I can see the merit to such methods, but I don't feel like sitting in my office for the rest of June and grading papers. And I suppose the rest of you don't feel like sitting in that stifling classroom and writing frantically, do you?"

Several small laughs rang out, Harry included, but Hermione ducked her head slightly. He playfully nudged her with his elbow and she brightened a bit.

"Is that why we're outside, Professor?" Seamus Finnegan piped up.

"It is indeed, Mister Finnegan. Your final exam is not an exam at all." Lupin paused dramatically. "It's an obstacle course."

"Wicked!" Ron gasped. Harry had to agree, breaking into a grin. He looked beyond Lupin and saw a paddling pool had been conjured with something swimming just beneath the surface. Beyond it lay a path littered with potholes, followed by a small marsh, and at the end a wardrobe rattled, presumably with a Boggart inside.

"Traditionally the practical portions are given in alphabetical order." Lupin continued. Harry saw Hannah Abbot go pale, but the young professor pressed on. "However, since this exam is anything but traditional, I'll ask for volunteers."

Harry even surprised himself with how fast his hand shot up. Lupin chuckled to himself before waving him towards the paddling pool. Hermione's hand found his and gave it a reassuring squeeze.

"Good luck!" She whispered, beaming at him. He returned the smile and strolled up next to Professor Lupin. He was brimming with confidence, and the moment Lupin finished explaining the gist of the obstacle course Harry dashed through it like it was muscle memory. An Revulsion Jinx made quick work of the Grindylow and a few well-placed Flipendos sent any and all Red-Caps running for cover. The Hinkypunk barely had a chance to try and trick him before he sprinted through the marsh and his Stag Patronus made another appearance as he sent the Boggart cowering into the recesses of the wardrobe.

"Full marks, Harry." Lupin whispered to him as Harry bounced out of the trunk, grinning in satisfaction. Harry blushed a bit and leaned against a nearby tree as his classmates completed the course. Ron fell victim to the Hinkypunk's distractions and Harry couldn't help but roar with laughter as Seamus not only set a Red-Cap on fire, but his own robes as well.

"Shut up, you two." Seamus grumbled as he joined Harry and Ron, who were still snickering after he staggered out of the wardrobe.

"Usually when someone casts Immobulus they don't end up starting a forest fire." Ron chuckled.

"I said shut up." Seamus repeated, but even he was grinning as smoke poured from his partially-melted shoes. "At least I didn't end up waist deep in mud."

"Shut up, Seamus." It was Ron's turn to glower, sending Harry and Seamus into fits of laughter.

As their classmates went through the obstacle course, and the Gryffindors congregated around each other and made a point of cheering obnoxiously loudly for their housemates. Soon, Neville and Hermione were the only members of the legendary Gryffindor Gang, and the entire class, who had yet to complete the course.

"Let's go, Neville!" Harry clapped his hands furiously as the round-faced boy clambered into the paddling pool. "Ice in your veins!"

"You got this, Neville!" Ron roared.

"Make that Grindylow your bi…er, beat that Grindylow!" Seamus finished sheepishly as Lupin whipped his head around towards him.

"Come on, Neville!" Pavarti hollered.

Mercifully, Neville managed to stumble past the Grindylow and avoid getting bludgeoned by any Red-Caps.

"See, even Neville didn't set himself on fire." Dean whispered to Seamus, prompting all the Gryffindors – Seamus included – to laugh hysterically. "Let's go, Neville!" He called out as his classmate entered the marsh.

"Eyes on the prize!" Lavender called out. Neville gave a determined nod and waded through the marsh, successfully ignoring the Hinkypunk's distractions, causing his friends to cheer like they'd won the Quidditch Cup all over again. When Neville paused just outside the wardrobe, everyone fell silent for a beat.

"Think about your grandma!" Ron finally yelled out, sending everyone within earshot into peals of laughter. Even Neville, white-faced with terror, gave a small laugh as he entered. A few minutes later he came out, breathing heavily and promptly wiping out on the grass, but he had defeated the Boggart nonetheless.

"That's our boy!" Harry and the rest of the Gryffindors yelled repeatedly as their housemate stumbled over. Neville received several claps on the back and seemed ecstatic to be done with the course.

"Thanks, guys." He said weakly as he leaned his back against a tree, sliding onto the grass with a shaky exhale.

"Miss Granger, the floor is yours." Professor Lupin said calmly, stepping back and allowing Hermione to begin the course. She glanced over towards Harry, who gave her the biggest smile he was capable of and gave her two thumbs-up.

"Go get 'em, Granger!" Dean yelled out.

"You got this, Hermione!" Lavender cheered.

"Go make it your bitch, Brightest Witch!" Seamus grinned. "What? Professor, it rhymes, I couldn't pass it up!" He said innocently as Lupin narrowed his eyes at him. Hermione, as uneasy as she looked to undergo the obstacle course, found it in herself to smile. She made quick work of the Grindylow, even looking over towards Harry with a shy smile after casting the Revulsion Jinx. He whooped with delight as she side-stepped a few Red-Caps and hexed the rest into submission.

"You have to cheer louder than that, Harry." Dean snickered.

"Yeah, mate, that's your girl." Ron smirked, throwing Harry an elbow. The bespectacled wizard rolled his eyes before turning back to see Hermione step around the Hinkypunk with unwavering determination.

"Let's go, Hermione!" He yelled out louder than anyone, applauding feverishly. "You've got this!" He added for good measure, grinning from ear to ear. Hermione turned and gave him another quick smile, blushing a bit as he placed two fingers in his mouth and let out a sharp whistle. She mouthed 'Thank you' sheepishly before slipping into the wardrobe.

"What do you reckon her Boggart is?" Dean asked as the door closed behind her.

"Probably Harry dumping her." Pavarti giggled. Harry blushed and looked at the ground, nervously running a hand through his hair.

"Nah, everyone knows Harry is second to schoolwork. Her Boggart's probably someone setting her essay on fire." Seamus snickered, and everyone shared a quick laugh at that. Unfortunately, their laughter was cut short by a bloodcurdling scream echoing out from within the wardrobe. Harry instinctively sprinted forwards, but both Ron and Dean had to grab him and hold him.

"She'll be alright." Ron muttered into his ear. "Plus, she'd kill you if you went in there and invalidated her score."

Harry begrudgingly stopped resisting and waited with bated breath for the door of the wardrobe to open. Mercifully, it did, but Hermione came out still screaming, looking dangerously close to crying. Lupin rushed over first, looking startled.

"What's wrong?" He asked as Harry skidded to a halt next to him, instinctively putting a hand on her shoulder.

"P-Professor McGonagall…" She gasped out, looking frantic. "She…she said I'd failed everything!" She moaned, bursting into tears. Harry stepped forward and wrapped his arms around her, letting her sob into the shoulder of his robes. "Oh, Harry, I'm so sorry, I – "

"You're alright, Hermione. Everything's alright." Harry whispered, hesitantly rubbing her back. "I'm sure you got an O on this, right?" He glanced at Lupin, who looked around before giving a thumbs-up. Harry gave a grateful smile and squeezed Hermione tighter. "Everything is alright."

"I'm so sorry, Harry." She sniffled, pulling back but keeping her hands on his upper arms. "I…I don't know why – "

"You're stressed." Harry answered, his hands finding hers. "You've had eleven exams in the last seventy-two hours." He tried to convey his amazement as best as he could. "You're superhuman, Hermione. But stuff like this happens. You don't have to worry about it, and you definitely don't have to apologize for it."

Hermione nodded before pulling him into a fierce hug, burying her face in his shoulder once again. "Thank you."

"I believe that concludes our final lesson, ladies and gentlemen." Lupin turned to face the rest of the class. "I cannot verbalize how much I have enjoyed our time together. Please do enjoy yourselves, and for those of you who still have exams, I wish you the best of luck."

A chorus of thanks rang out, and each student ran up to shake Lupin's hand to thank him for being the best Defense professor they'd ever had. Harry and a much calmer Hermione stepped up to thank their professor as well.

"It was a pleasure to teach you both, if not a bit sentimental." Lupin smiled warmly at them. "You really are very similar to Lily and James."

"Thank you, Professor." Hermione blushed. Harry felt equally embarrassed and gave a weak nod of gratitude.

"Harry, if I may ask you a question before you leave." Professor Lupin's voice remained airy, but his eyes reflected a seriousness that made Harry's stomach plummet. "You didn't happen to make any…changes to the map, did you?"

"What?" Harry raised an eyebrow. "I…I don't think so. No. Why?"

"It's just, there's an individual I can see on the map from time to time." Lupin sighed, his shoulders slumping. "An individual I know to be deceased."

"Oh…" Harry said awkwardly. "Erm…I never did anything to the map, but I doubt I was the only person to have it since you were a student here. Maybe someone else messed with it?" He offered with a small shrug.

"Who is it? If you don't mind me asking?" Hermione couldn't help but be intrigued.

"Peter Pettigrew." The weary-looking professor answered after a beat.

"Your friend?" Harry felt his pulse quicken. "The one…the man Sirius Black…"

"Yes." Lupin nodded slowly. "Oh well, perhaps an error on the mapmakers." He gave a small smile that wasn't very convincing. "Do you two have any more exams?" Both students shook their heads. "Splendid. Enjoy yourselves. It's a beautiful day." He added before tending to his obstacle course for the next class.

"I don't like that." Harry said after a pregnant pause. "I really don't like that."

"Harry, you're looking for reasons to be paranoid." Hermione slipped her hand into his and squeezed it, leading him away from the obstacle course. "The map was made years ago, it's probably just a weird…glitch."

"It's a magical map, Hermione, not a computer."

"Oh, hush you." She glowered, before brightening. "Perhaps we should do something other than think about the astronomically small probability that a mass-murderer is going to break into Hogwarts?"

"I guess." Harry shrugged. "But it's weird. You have to admit it's unnerving that the man Sirius Black murdered is apparently walking around Hogwarts while Sirius Black himself is in the neighborhood."

"It's odd, yes. But you have to remember that we go to a school that has a tree that beats up anyone who walks by it. Plus there's a Poltergeist, we had a three-headed dog in a corridor for a bit, not to mention the thousand year-old basilisk under the girls' bathroom – "

"Alright, I get it." Harry couldn't help but chuckle. "Is there anything you would like to do with our free time?"

"Sit by the lake with my boyfriend?" She giggled, leaning into his side.

"I'll see what I can do." Harry grinned, leading her to a shady spot underneath a gargantuan oak tree with a view of the rest of the grounds, including the Quidditch pitch. "I still can't believe you got through eleven exams. I took nine and my brain can barely process what I'm saying right now." He sighed as he leaned against the tree.

Hermione just hummed in amusement, leaning her head on his shoulder and sighing contentedly. They sat in a tranquil silence, watching the ripples across the lake and the occasional appearance of the Giant Squid. Harry's hand eventually found Hermione's, his fingers curling with hers and his thumb drawing circles on the back of her palm.

Harry had just allowed his eyes to drift shut when he heard footsteps growing increasingly louder. He blinked and saw Ron dashing towards them like he was being chased by something. He stopped in front of them, and Hermione lifted her head from Harry's shoulder, looking bewildered.

"It's…they're here…" Ron panted, hands on his knees and looking completely gassed. "They…they're going to…they've come…"

"You alright there, track star?" Harry smirked. The redhead gave him the finger as he caught his breath.

"The appeal. It's today." Ron stood up straight, still breathing heavily but more or less able to speak coherent sentences.

"We knew that." Hermione tilted her head in curiosity. "Your brother told you last week, didn't he?"

"Yeah, but he didn't tell me that the executioner is coming." The redhead grumbled.

"To the appeal?" Harry asked, incredulous. He was on his feet in an instant, Hermione soon after. "When is it?"

"It's happening now. I bumped into Fudge – the Minister of Magic – after the exam. I've met him because my dad works in the Ministry, and he explained it. He's serving as a witness for the appeal."

"We have to – we have to do something, right?" Harry asked worriedly. "We can't just stand here!"

"Mate, I don't know what we can do. Unless you plan on whipping out some surprise verdict from the past that'll solidify Buckbeak's innocence, I think we just have to wait and see." Ron shrugged dejectedly. "I just wanted you two to know about the executioner so you don't get blindsided if…well…"

"Thank you for telling us, Ron." Hermione nodded gratefully, to which Ron just shrugged. "I suppose we should try and take our minds off of things. Any ideas?"

"I actually have a Divination exam right after lunch, and we're all studying until then. Well, Lavender and Pavarti are studying. Seamus and Dean and I are going to play Exploding Snap and Neville's going to spout Herbology facts for an hour." Ron shook his head morosely. "Never should have taken this bloody class. I'm going to suffocate in that room, you know. It's a thousand degrees and the incense is unbearable."

"Maybe you can look at your tea leaves after lunch and see if they tell you the answers." Hermione giggled, and Harry chuckled as Ron sighed.

"See you two at lunch." The redhead groaned as he set off back towards the castle. Harry and Hermione stood in silence for a while, each in deep thought about the news regarding Buckbeak.

"I don't like that." Harry finally muttered. "I really don't like that."

"I'm getting the strangest feeling of déjà vu." Hermione whispered, but neither felt like laughing. "Well, you know what I like to do when I have a lot on my mind?"

"Read a book?" Harry raised an eyebrow. Hermione blushed, but nodded, reaching into her schoolbag. "You're something else, Hermione, you know that?"

"I am what I am." She said defiantly, tilting her chin up. Harry smirked before planting a quick kiss on her cheek, and her boldness melted instantly as she blushed and ducked her head. Harry snickered at her sudden change in demeanor. "Shut up." She mumbled, brushing her cheek with her fingers and smiling to herself.

The pair decided to read before lunch: Harry his copy of Extraordinary Trials in Magical History and Hermione her copy of Why I Didn't Die When the Augurey Cried. After a little over an hour Harry checked his watch and decided they should make their way to the Great Hall. Hermione, who had been laying on her back with her head on his thigh, was not a fan.

"I haven't felt this relaxed in weeks." She pouted, closing her book and crossing her arms. "Are you really that hungry?"

"I mean…I can wait. But we have to eat at some point. Plus we have to wish our friends luck for their grueling Divination final."

"Can we stay?" She jutted her lips out and fluttered her eyelashes shyly. Either one of those actions were capable of rendering Harry's inhibitors completely useless, so he begrudgingly relented.

"Fine. Fifteen more minutes?" He offered. Hermione gave a coy smile that turned Harry's stomach inside-out.

"I was thinking along the lines of two hours."

"Lunch will be over by then – oh, you can't be serious." He shook his head in disbelief as Hermione pulled a familiar gold chain out from under her robes. "You can't be serious."

"What? You don't want to spend time with me?" She pouted again, and Harry threw his hands up in exasperation.

"What am I going to do with you, Hermione Granger?" He sighed as she sat up and threw the chain over his neck. He felt his pulse quicken as they stared at each other, their noses almost touching.

"If you're looking for ideas, I was hoping you'd read with me and then kiss me for a bit." She giggled. Before Harry could formulate what was sure to be a very inarticulate response, she turned the hourglass twice and sent the two of them hurtling through time once again.

"Well then." Harry pursed his lips as he found himself back on solid ground, underneath the same oak tree. "I suppose we should find a new spot."

"I suppose." Hermione smirked, removing the necklace from around him and tucking it back into her robes. "Come on." She dragged him to his feet, giving him just enough time to grab his bag before he was being tugged along towards a cluster of trees.

Two hours later, Harry looked up from his book, still feeling rather dazed. They were situated between several trees, which didn't offer much of a view but made up for it with all kinds of shade and seclusion. After valiantly attempting to read for half an hour, Hermione had thrown herself at Harry and kissed him with such passion that he saw stars.

After a while, Hermione had found herself too fatigued to bombard her boyfriend with any more kisses and laid down on her back, resting her head in Harry's lap. She had given him a dreamy smile and let her eyes flutter closed. Her breathing eventually evened out, and Harry shrugged, returning to Extraordinary Trials in History. Every few minutes he stopped and stared in awe at Hermione as she dozed. She was facing the sky, her lips pulled into the faintest of smiles and the occasional purr escaping her throat.

Now, however, he was looking at his surroundings, mostly to see if anyone was approaching. He didn't spy any people, but he blinked in surprise at the sight of a familiar creature. Barrie, of Tomes and Scrolls, was at least fifty meters away, but the boy wizard was certain it was the same dog. He was currently sniffing the ground intently, before bouncing off in the opposite direction, tail wagging.

"Hermione." He whispered, moving his leg slightly. Hermione mumbled something incoherent but otherwise didn't stir. "Hermione!" He said in a normal speaking voice. She slowly opened her eyes and stretched, arching her back and offering Harry a dazed smile.

"Hey, you." She said warmly, folding her hands over her stomach and remaining on her back. "Is it time for lunch?"

"What? Oh, yeah, but look!" He pointed towards Barrie, who was hurrying out of sight. Hermione cocked her head but obeyed, sitting up straight slowly and turning to follow Harry's finger. Unfortunately, the dog was out of sight by the time she was looking, having entered a distant cluster of bushes.

"What is it, Harry?" She squinted.

"It was Barrie. He was just out here, on the grounds." Harry pursed his lips, knowing his expression reflected his unease.

"Harry, please don't tell me you woke me up from the best nap of my life to tell me that the dog from Tomes and Scrolls was on the Hogwarts grounds." She sighed, looking at him disapprovingly. "Especially when he's not there right now."

"I – he was there, I promise!" Harry said defensively. Hermione raised an eyebrow, and he groaned. "Look, I know I've been jumpy ever since Lupin told us about the map, but seriously, Barrie was there."

"A big black dog? Just like the Grim?" Hermione bit her lip. "I don't know, Harry, I guess that means you're about to die."

"Hermione, come on."

"Are you telling me that now you're getting superstitious?"

"I'm not being superstitious!" He protested, but Hermione just snickered at him. "Okay, maybe I'm being a little stitious. But I'm telling you, I saw Barrie."

"I think you need some food in you." Hermione smirked, getting to her feet and holding her hand out. He took it and allowed her to help him to his feet, sighing. "Come on. Maybe we'll see Barrie on the way back to the castle." She added teasingly.

They walked back hand in hand, going the long way around the lake to avoid running into their past selves. "I hope I don't accidentally mention to McGonagall how you used your Time-Turner today." Harry mused after a few minutes.

"Don't you dare!" Hermione gasped, her hand flying to her chest where the necklace lay hidden. "I will kill you, Harry Potter. I will kill you with this wand, which was given to me by the Wand Master Garrick Ollivander, and then I will kill you again with my own hands." She hissed, eliciting an amused smile from Harry. "I'm being serious!"

"Oh, I believe you." Harry said innocently as they reached the castle. "It's just you look cute when you rant like that."

"Shut up." She mumbled for the second time that day, her fury dissipating. Harry smiled to himself as her cheeks tinged pink and he decided to give her a quick peck on the cheek before entering the castle. Her blush deepened but she flashed him a radiant smile as they walked in.

"Harry! Hermione!" Neville waved them over to where the rest of the Gryffindors were sitting. "Please tell me you have some sort of advice for the Divination final."

"Neville, they dropped the class in November." Pavarti huffed.

"I know, but anything helps." He muttered.

"Personally," Harry began as he filled his goblet with pumpkin juice, "if I were in your position, I would drop the class." Several of his peers laughed at that, but Neville just paled. "In all seriousness, Neville, Divination is far from an exact science. It's pretty hard to completely screw yourself over. If all else fails, you make something up and if you sound convincing enough you'll probably get partial credit."

"Oh, alright then." Neville seemed as if an anvil had been lifted from his shoulders. "Thanks."

"Anytime." Harry shrugged. He glanced over to see Hermione beaming at him with pride, and he hid his blush by taking a very long sip of his drink. The rest of the lunch was pleasant enough, with Harry and Hermione rolling their eyes as Pavarti and Lavender enthusiastically quizzed each other on Divination. Harry glanced at Ron and snorted as the redhead looked like he was strongly considering gouging his eye out with his butter knife. Eventually, the six Gryffindors taking their last exam traipsed up to the North Tower while Harry and Hermione returned to the grounds for another walk.

"Sometimes I miss Divination, you know." Hermione sighed after a couple of hours as they neared the Quidditch pitch. "If only because it's the only class I've ever had here with comfortable seats."

"Yeah, the chintz armchair did loads to offset the fact that my own teacher was telling me I was destined to die." Harry grumbled, and Hermione snorted uncharacteristically. He found it in himself to smile as Hermione cackled, and eventually he fell victim to her contagious laughter and laughed along with her. They stopped to catch their breath as they reached the Quidditch field, standing on the grassy pitch with nobody in sight.

"You know, we're standing pretty close to the spot from your Patronus memory." She giggled after a pause.

"Oh yeah, we are." Harry smiled fondly at the memory. He looked around and tugged Hermione over a few paces and turned. "I think we were right here."

"Can I see it?" She asked suddenly.

"Wh-what?" Harry blinked, his face reddening.

"Can I see your Patronus? I've only seen Dumbledore's and Lupin's. Dumbledore's I could barely see because I was too busy crying over you and Lupin's wasn't Corporeal." She said matter-of-factly.

"Oh!" Harry's heart rate steadied and he nodded. "Oh, yeah. I don't know if it will be as cool in the daylight, but I'll try." He pulled his wand out and concentrated on his memory. "Expecto Patronum!"

A dazzling silver stag immediately shot out of the end of his wand. It galloped around for a moment before turning back to Harry and bowing its head.

"It's beautiful…" Hermione whispered, instinctively moving towards it to try and pet it. It dissipated at her touch but she still looked enthralled. "Harry, that's amazing."

"Couldn't have done it without you." He said awkwardly. She gave a shy smile and hopped up to give him a quick kiss on the lips.

"Do you think you could teach me? Not now, obviously, but later on?"

"Oh…sure." Harry grinned at the thought of being the one to teach Hermione something besides how to survive in a kitchen. "I'd love that."

"Me too." She beamed before taking his hand once again. "Do you think they're almost done with the Divination exam?"

"Probably. Should we head back?" He asked. She nodded, and they happily walked along towards the castle, chatting away about the art of the Patronus and whether or not Barrie the dog was capable of Apparition.

"Malam Lunam Ortu." Hermione cheerfully recited to the Fat Lady. The pair strolled into the common room but froze when Ron intercepted them, holding a letter with a trembling hand. "What's wrong?" She asked. The redhead looked paler than Harry had ever seen him, and his eyes looked uncharacteristically dull, lacking the amused twinkle they usually had.

"Buckbeak." Ron's voice cracked. "He lost."

A/N: If you've seen West Wing, you probably know what the next chapter title will be. Additional references to note: "I'm a little stitious" hails from the legendary Michael Scott of The Office (the better version), and the whole "I will kill you" rant from Hermione is inspired by Lionel Tribbey from, you guessed it, The West Wing.

I don't see much of a point in continuing this note because, well, you'll see.