Chapter 35

OWLS were fast approaching and every fifth year could feel them crawling closer. Every night the library was packed, every couch and chair in the common room filled, every fifth year was on edge. Meredith had basically stopped sleeping, Patricia had frequent panic attacks, and Percy had taken to giving detention to anyone who bothered him.

"Oh what are they moaning about?" Meredith groaned as they entered the Great Hall for breakfast. All the Gryffindors were grumbling and shouting. Something was going on.

"Look!" Patricia said pointing towards the front of the great hall where the hour glasses that showed each houses points. Yesterday Gryffindor had been about even with Slytherin but there had been a significant drop leaving them in last place.

"How did that happen?" Percy said outraged. "It must be some mistake. We couldn't have lost that many points in just one day! Come Meredith we must speak to Professor McGonagall."

"You go," Meredith said with a yawn. She plopped down on a bench and reached for a pitcher of pumpkin juice. She was so tired she could hardly keep her eyes open.

"Whoah!" Oliver said grabbing the pitcher from her. Meredith's eyes flew open. Her face turned red as she realized she had been about to pour the juice into her porridge.

"Porridge and pumpkin juice really don't mix Mere," he said with a grin.

"Saved me again," she murmured resting her cheek on her hand. Patricia shot her a quizzical look but Meredith was too tired to notice.

"Let me," he said pouring the pumpkin juice into a goblet.
"Thanks," Meredith said.

"You know we have two hours after breakfast before Ancient Runes," Patricia said. "You should take a nap."

"No," Meredith shook her head. "I need to study. OWLS are only a week away."

"How do you distinguish a knarl from a hedgehog?" Oliver asked her. Meredith opened her mouth to speak but an answer would not come. She knew it yesterday. She could swear she did.

"Your brain is fried, Mere," Oliver said plainly. "If you don't give it some rest come test day you'll be too exhausted to remember anything."

"Offer it milk," she said suddenly. "Knarl's are naturally suspicious and won't take anything offered by strangers in case your trying to poison it." She stared at Oliver defiantly.

"Meredith," he said sternly. "Do I have to write to your father?" Meredith flinched. She well remembered her father's threat to chain her to her bed at Christmas.

"Fine, if you're gonna play nasty," she said.

"I knew you'd see it my way," he said smirking.

"Unbelievable!" Percy said plopping down beside them. "I've just spoken to McGonagall and she says that the points are not a mistake. She took them away herself. 150 points!!"

"Who lost them?" Patricia said.

"And what did they do?" Oliver asked. "Kill someone?"
"Apparently," Percy said with disgust. "Harry Potter, Hermione Granger, and Neville Longbottom were caught out of bed well after midnight."

"What were they doing so late?" Meredith asked.

"Who knows," Percy said.

"It's hard to believe," Patricia said. "Granger's such a goody-two shoes. I can't believe she'd be out of bed after hours."

"Believe it," Percy said. "And now our chances for the house cup are well and truly down the toilet." Meredith shook her head. She was too tired to think of the house cup at this point. She finished her porridge and stood up. Oliver and Patricia jumped up as she swayed a little.

"I'm okay," she said holding up her hand.

"Patricia," Oliver said. "Go with her." Patricia nodded and looped Meredith's arm through her own.

"I'm fine," Meredith protested as Patricia led her to the dorm.

"You're dead on your feet," Patricia said. "I just want to make sure you make it to the dorm and don't fall asleep right here in the hall." Meredith didn't argue. Patricia gave the password to the Fat Lady and helped her through the portrait hole. Meredith looked at the long staircase that led to the dorm.

"Can't make it," she declared and plopped onto the sofa. "I'll sleep here." She slipped off her shoes and laid down. She closed her eyes as Patricia draped a blanket over her.

"Wake me in an hour," she said sleepily.

It took very little time for the word to spread that Potter, Granger, and Longbottom were responsible for the dramatic deduction of Gryffindors house points. By the time Meredith awoke from her nap it seemed the entire school knew about the nighttime adventures of the Boy who lived. Overnight Harry went from being the most admired boy in school to the most hated. Those who once paused in the halls to gawk and stare now looked at him in disgust. Even Ravenclaw and Hufflepuff who wanted to see Slytherin get knocked off it's high horse after winning the house cup for the last five years were shouting insults at the Boy Who Lived. Meredith what she could to get people to back off when they insults got out of hand but there was only so much she could do. Percy, who was just as sore at Harry as the rest of the house, did nothing to stop the torment unless it disturbed his studying.

"Knock it off," Meredith snapped at a group of Ravenclaws who were throwing wads of parchment at Harry as they passed him at the lunch table. Harry shot her a grateful look.

"You'd think you'd be sore," one of the Ravenclaws, a fourth year named Peter Gibbs said to her. "It's your house that lost the points."

"Get stuffed Gibbs," she snapped. She sat down and grabbed a roll.

"I don't know why you defend him," Percy said over his book.

"I don't know why you don't," Meredith said.

"MERE!" Percy shouted. "HE LOST 150 POINTS!" Everyone in the hall turned at Percy's shout and then turned and scowled at Harry who quickly slunk out of the hall.

"Well done," Meredith snapped at Percy cuffing him upside the head.

"It's not like it's not true Meredith," Patricia said coming to Percy's defense

"Hermione and Neville had an equal hand in losing those points and I don't see anyone calling them names or throwing things at them. The only reason people are coming down so hard on Potter is because they've put him up on this pedestal since he walked through those doors and forgot that he's just as human as the rest of us. So you can just keep your mouth shut about it Percival Weasley, or else I'll shut it for you!" Percy jumped back a little as though Meredith had slapped him.

Meredith did not speak to Percy for the rest of the day. The next morning Patricia tentatively suggested that since the weather was so nice that the four of them study outside together. Oliver quickly agreed. Percy gave a noncommittal snort and Meredith shrugged.

"That's the spirit," Patricia said.

"I'll meet you out there," Meredith said after breakfast. "I left my Charms notes in the dorm." After retrieving her notes Meredith was on her way outside when she spotted Harry surrounded by three third year Hufflepuffs.

"Boy Who Lived," one of them sneered.

"Boy Who Lost more like it," one of the others laughed. The third boy stood a little apart from the others. He was clearly with the other two even if he was not actively tormenting Harry. Meredith placed her hands on her hips and strode purposely toward them.

"Gentleman," she said firmly. The three boys jumped. They cringed under her glare. Typical bullies, no problem picking on someone smaller but cowered under authority.

"I suspect the three of you have somewhere you need to be right now," she said staring them down.

"Yes ma'am," they said and scurried off. Meredith shook her head in disgust and turned to Harry.

"You all right?" she asked him.

"Yeah," he said glumly staring at his shoes. Meredith patted his shoulder.

"Chin up Potter," she told him with a smile. "People will forget about it in a week."

"I doubt it," Harry said. Meredith felt a stir of pity for him. She remembered what it was like to be eleven and just trying to find a place to fit in.

"Don't worry so much," she said trying to cheer him up. "You win the Quidditch Match next week and Gryffindor will be back in the running again. All will be forgiven."

"If I even make it to next week," Harry said. "The teams not even talking to me."
"What?" Meredith said in shock. "How can they not talk to you? Surely they have to at practice."

"They just refer to me as the Seeker. If they refer to me at all. I offered to quit the team but Oliver won't let me."

"I should think not!" Meredith said outraged. She couldn't believe Oliver was allowing the team to treat Harry this way.

"I deserve it," Harry said eyes downcast.

"Don't let them get to you," Meredith said patting his shoulder. "Just hang in there, it will pass. Trust me."

"Thanks Meredith," Harry said. "I better get to class. Can't afford anymore trouble can I?" Meredith stared after him as he rushed off. She couldn't understand it, but she felt this connection to the boy this need to look out for him. She shook her head and went outside. She saw Oliver studying under a tree with Patricia and Percy and strode purposely over to him.

"I want a word with you, Oliver," she said with her hands on her hips. Oliver glanced up from his notes, a little taken aback at Meredith's stern tone. Patricia and Percy too recognized the temper in Meredith's stance and while Patricia was surprised it was directed at Oliver, Percy was relieved it was directed at someone besides him.

"What did I do?" Oliver said carefully setting his notes aside.

"I just spoke to Harry and he informed me that the Quidditch team is not speaking to him." Oliver looked uncomfortable.

"Well," he said slowly. "They are rather upset about losing all those points."

"I want you to tell them to knock it off," Meredith said firmly.

"Why me?" Oliver said. "Since when did I become an authority figure?"

"You're their Captain Oliver. They follow your example." Oliver turned slightly red. Meredith lowered herself to her knees so that she could look Oliver in the eyes.

"Oliver please," she said. "Please do this for me." Oliver sighed.

"All right," he said finally. "I'll tell them to lay off." Meredith beamed.

"Thank you." And with that she dug out her Potions book and got to work. The next hour or so was spent quizzing her friends on the uses of dragon blood and having them quiz her on different runic translations. Her neck was starting to get stiff from staring at her book and she slowly turned it from side to side. As she did her glance happened to fall upon the three Hufflepuffs that had been picking on Harry earlier. The tallest boy, the one who had not been actively picking on Harry, seemed to be the leader of the gang. He sat on a bench with the two others at his feet, like he was holding court.

"Patricia," she said. "Those three Hufflepuffs over there do you know who they are?" Patricia followed Meredith's gaze to the three boys.

"The tall one is Cedric Diggory. I'm not sure about the other two. I just know they follow Cedric everywhere."

"His friends?"

"More like his groupies," Oliver threw in. "Lick his shoes clean if they asked him."

"Cedric's all right," Patricia protested. "From what I hear he's very smart. Best in his year in fact."

"He tried out for seeker," Oliver said. "Almost made it too. Xander Wimbley only beat him by like a tenth of a second." Meredith pursed her lips and came to a decision.

"I'll be back," she said. She got to her feet and walked over to where Diggory sat with his "friends."

"Diggory," she said firmly. The three boys jumped to their feet as she approached.

"May I have a word with you?" the other two moved to stand protectively in front of their leader. Meredith stared directly at Diggory.

"Privately?" she said with a sharp glare. Even as they flinched under her glare Diggory's friends still made an attempt to stand up.

"A-anything you have to say to C-Cedric, you can s-say in front of u-us!" the shortest of the boys stuttered. Meredith raised an eyebrow and the other two scampered away like rabbits. Diggory's face got red and he nervously scratched the back of his neck.

"Your friends loyalty is admirable, if a little foolish," Meredith said with a small smile.

"Look," Diggory said nervously. "I wasn't picking on Potter. I've got no problem with him." Meredith crossed her arms over her chest and stared at the boy.

"And what may I ask did you do to stop your friends from picking on him?" Diggory looked embarrassed.

"What was I supposed to do?" Diggory said. Meredith sighed.

"Tell them to leave Harry alone," Meredith said. "To know something is wrong and not do anything to stop it, is just as bad as doing it yourself." Diggory looked slightly ashamed.

"Cedric," she said softening her tone a little. "Your friends look up to you. They admire you. There is a lot of power in that. With power comes responsibility." Diggory looked at her strangely.

"You sound like my father," he said. Meredith smiled a little. She thought she was sounding like her own father, really.

"They're my friends," Diggory said weakly.

"Anyone can stand up to an enemy, Cedric. But it takes a lot more strength and character to stand up to your friends. To do what's right rather than what's popular." Diggory looked thoughtful.

"Think about what I've said," she said. She patted his shoulder and turned to rejoin her friends.

The day had come. There was a tension radiating off of every fifth year was so heavy it could have been cut with a knife. Meredith forced herself to be calm and to breath as they sat at the breakfast table. Her porridge felt like glue in her mouth. Patricia was not eating at all. Percy was attempting to eat around his Transfiguration book. Even Oliver seemed tense. Finally at half past nine they were led into the Great Hall for the written part of their Charms exam. Meredith's stomach was in knots. She took a seat at a small table for one and pulled out her quill and a fresh bottle of ink. She stared at the parchment in front of her which was turned faced down.

"No turning your test over until you are told to begin," Professor Flitwick squeaked sternly. Meredith tapped her fingers against the desk. She barely heard Flitwick's lecture on what would happen to anyone who was caught cheating and the long list of anti-cheating measure that had been put in place.

"All right," Flitwick said. "You may begin." Meredith took a deep breath and turned over her exam. As she described the various incantations and wand movement for different charms she tried to imagine herself doing them. In her mind she was back in Flitwick's classroom with Oliver, Percy and Patricia. She let her mind fill with these memories as her quill scratched across the parchment. When she got to the Cheering Charm she pictured herself by the lake trying to teach Patricia the proper movement.

"You're gripping your wand too hard," Meredith said as Patricia failed for the seventh time to hit her with a cheering charm.

"Everytime I loosen my grip you disarm me," Patricia said rubbing her hands on her trousers.

"You take too long with the move," Meredith said taking hold of Patricia's wrist and directing her movement.

"Quick," Meredith said. "before your attacker has a chance to contemplate what you're going to do. Flick, Jab! Flick, Jab! Like that. Try again."

Meredith grinned and dipped her quill into the bottle again. Would Patricia remember the Flick and Jab that Meredith had spent hours trying drill into her head until she had hit her with it so hard Meredith couldn't stop giggling. She glanced up and glanced over one desk and up two rows where Patricia sat. Her quill was not moving and her face was pinched as though she was struggling to remember.
"Come on Patricia," she said silently to her friend. "You know all of this."
"TEN MINUTES!!" Flitwick squeaked. Meredith turned her eyes back on her own parchment and quickly began writing out the movements for the levitation charm.

After the written exam they joined the rest of the school for lunch.
"I think I did okay," Percy said stuffing a chicken leg into his mouth. I may not have put enough of the Locomotor charm. I didn't do it justice at all there just wasn't enough time." Meredith wasn't listening to Percy ramble. Now that the first exam was done with she felt better, not as nervous. Her Dad and her friends were right. She knew her stuff. A small glimmer of hope was beginning to rise in her heart. She could do this. She felt lighter, more confident then she ever had before. She only wished she could say the same for Patricia. Her friend was frantically re-reading her Charms notes."
"I knew I got the incantation wrong for silencing charms!" she wailed burying her face in her hands.
"Relax," Meredith said rubbing her back. "We still have the practical. You'll do fine." Patricia did not seem as sure and spent the rest of lunch reviewing her notes rather than eating. After lunch they went into the small chamber off the great hall to wait to be called in for their practical. Everyone around her was trying to cram a last bit of knowledge as they waited.
"Lamont, Logan, Lowrey, Lupin," Professor Flitwick called. Meredith stood up and followed her classmates into the great hall.
"Good luck," Oliver called after her. Meredith smiled a little.
"Professor Marchbanks is free, Miss Lupin," Professor Flitwick said. Meredith made her way to a small table where a tiny stooped witch with a very lined face sat.
"Lupin," Professor Marchbanks said rather loudly considering they were only about a foot apart.
"You would be Remus Lupin's girl then I believe. Tested him myself when he was fifteen. Very talented boy." Meredith smiled at hearing her father spoke of with such praise.
"Now my dear," Professor Marchbanks said. "If you would please turn this apple from red to purple." Meredith performed a color change charm on the apple, then demonstrated a levitation charm and an engorgement charm and a locomotor charm. She must have done well for after she did each task Professor Marchbanks looked practically delighted. "Excellent, simply excellent," Professor Marchbanks said clapping her hands as Meredith made a teacup do somersaults across the desk.
"Like your father you are," Marchbanks said. "So gifted he was with Charms. Very well my dear. We are all done, you may go." As she was leaving Meredith spotted Patricia as she was coming in. She looked like she was going to lose her lunch at any moment. Meredith mouthed "Good Luck" before heading to the common room. She was absolutely dancing. She was confident she had achieved an O on her Charms OWL. She plopped onto the couch and pulled out her Transfiguration book. Patricia joined her a short while later.
"Well," Meredith asked. Patricia sighed.
"I mixed up an engorgement charm with a color change charm. But other than that I did okay. Percy and Oliver joined them a bit later as they had been last to take the exam. They worked on Transfiguration until dinner and then headed for the library to study till it was time for bed. The rest of the week was very much the same. They would get up, have breakfast, take their written exams, have lunch, take the practical, study till dinner, and then work in the library or commonroom till bed. Meredith felt that the rest of her exams were going well. She'd done okay on the written for Transfiguration though she had left behind the ears of the rabbit she was trying to vanish. She was able to correctly identify various plants for Herbology, and various creatures for Care of Magical creatures. The exam for Ancient Runes nearly had Patricia in hysterics and it took them almost an hour to calm her down. Arithmancy went well and Meredith could not resist a smug smirk when she handed over her vial when the Potions final was complete. She stumbled her way through History of Magic not really worried if she passed or not. Second to last was Defense Against the Dark Arts. She entered the hall and was surprised to find Professor Quirrell absent from the room. Odd, she thought. All the other teachers had been present for their subjects exam. Oh well, she reasoned, she'd probably do better without that horrid smell that was always emanating from Quirrell's turban.
"Let us begin my dear," Professor Marchbanks said. Meredith pulled out her wand and rolled up her sleeves. Professor Marchbanks stood in front of her and pulled out her wand.
"Now Miss Lupin," she said. "I want you try and disarm me." Meredith grinned.
"Now don't get cocky just because you're up against an old woman," Marchbanks cautioned her. Meredith found Marchbanks, though older than time itself, was still very powerful. She was sweating by the time she was done performing various defensive spells and counter jinxes while Marchbanks barely looked winded. However, Meredith knew she had done well for Marchbanks looked positively elated.
"Excellent," she said. "Well done indeed. You'd make a fine auror with skills such as yours." Meredith was a little surprised by that. She had never thought of being anything but a healer and so many people had told her she'd be a good one. It was a little shocking to hear that she'd make a good auror.
"That will be all Miss Lupin," Marchbanks said. "You may go." Meredith left the Great Hall Marchbanks words still in her head. She was not meant to be an auror, she was sure of it. All she had ever wanted to be was a healer. Aurors were tasked with hunting dark wizards. She had heard many stories of the danger aurors were constantly in from Tonks who was in her third year of auror training. She had met Tonks's instructor once, a wizard named Alastor Moody, when he had come to dinner at the Tonks home. Tonks greatly admired him but Meredith had found him positively fierce. He'd only had one leg, and one eye and he'd been so twitchy and paranoid. He'd brought his own flask of beverage and sniffed his food checking for poisons. No, if that's what being an auror led to Meredith wanted nothing to do with it. She put Marchbanks words out of her head and hurried to the common room to get ready for her Astronomy OWL.

"Done!" Oliver crowed as they entered the common room after taking their final OWL. Meredith plopped onto the couch with a great sigh of relief. It was over, OWLS were done, finished. She felt she'd done well on most if not all of her exams.
"Don't have to think about it till June," Percy said settling on the sofa. Patricia laid down on the couch with her head in Meredith's lap.

"We made it," Meredith said playing with one of Patricia's curls. "It's out of our hands now."
"Yeah," Oliver said. For a moment they just sat in silence. There was nothing left to study, no more notes to go over, no more spells to practice. They were done.
"I tell you one thing," Oliver said. "Tomorrow morning I am not getting up until at least noon."
"What about Quidditch practice?" Patricia asked.
"Oh, we can take a day off," Oliver said. All three of them stared at him in shock.
"Who are you and what have you done with Oliver Wood?" Meredith demanded.
"It's the confusion hex, Tofty put on him," Percy said. "I knew he didn't quite block it in time. His brains muddled."
"It's not muddled," Oliver said. "I blocked that hex just fine thank you. I just feel I deserve a day off after all that studying and stress. Even all-star Quidditch players can take a day off now and again." Percy looked at him sharply.
"A confundus charm," Percy declared to which Oliver responded by smacking him with a cushion. Meredith laughed.
"I'm going to bed," she said pushing Patricia off her. "Get up, I'm not carrying you." Patricia silently complied. Meredith made her way to the steps to her dorm and nearly bumped into Neville who had silently come down to the common room.
"Gracious Neville," she said to the boy. "It's nearly midnight. Why aren't you in bed?"
"Couldn't sleep," Neville shrugged. "Thought I'd stay up a bit and read."
"Suit yourself," Meredith said. "Good night." She climbed the stairs to her dormitory. Most of her dorm mates were already asleep. She changed out of her robes into her pajamas and was asleep the moment her head hit the pillow.