On Friday, Harry, Fred, and George went straight to Hagrid's after Quidditch practice, which had run so late that dinner was already over. Ryan, Zakir, and Aiden had extended an offer to join them for snacks in the kitchens, but Harry didn't want to chance it. It would be easier getting back in if they didn't have to worry about sneaking out.
The three of them ended up sitting in Hagrid's garden out back, rather than risk an injury from Norbert. Hagrid hadn't answered the door, but opened the nearest window instead. At one point during their short conversation, he had grimaced in pain. "Jus' playin'," he'd said, but Harry knew that they were just in time. Any longer, and Norbert might have taken Hagrid's foot off. It was then that Fred had suggested they enjoy the lovely outdoor air, and Harry and George had quickly agreed.
"This is fun," George said after about five minutes. Harry glanced over at Fred's watch. It was only a few minutes after eight. They had almost four hours before they should leave.
"Better than being mauled by an infant dragon," Harry pointed out.
"True," Fred admitted. "But I can think of about a thousand things I could be doing with this time."
"Such as?" Harry asked. She herself desperately wanted a shower; she was still refusing to bathe with the Quidditch team, for obvious reasons.
"Well, we could be doing homework," George chimed up.
"As if," Harry snorted. "You two don't do homework. The only reason you pass is because you're so smart."
"Exactly," Fred said, as if it proved a point he'd been trying to get across for hours. "We're so smart, we don't need to do homework."
"Lucky you," Harry groused, digging the toe of her shoe into the silty dirt of Hagrid's vegetable patch. "Wish I didn't have to do homework to get good grades."
"But you don't," Fred pointed out.
"Did you hear the last part of my sentence," Harry asked archly. "I need to get good grades, or my dad will come to see why I'm not passing, and then it'll all go to hell."
"No need to be so negative," George said lightly, leaning back against the wall of Hagrid's cabin.
"He'd ground me forever," Harry moaned.
"Aw, come on," Fred said, slinging his arm over Harry's shoulder. "Just think of what you'll get when you succeed."
"You'll likely have your choice of starting Seeker positions," George pointed out, picking up the his twin's line of thought.
"And not just from Great Britain," Fred added. "I'll bet you get offers from France and even America."
"I don't like Quodpot," Harry cut in, but neither of them paid any attention.
"You'll be famous world-wide," George continued the fantasy.
"And of course, you'll never forget faithful us," Fred said with a wink.
"What'll you two be doing?" Harry asked, genuinely curious. She couldn't see either one of them as professional Beaters - Quidditch was more a hobby for them than anything else. And they most definitely weren't Ministry material. They broke too many rules for that.
Fred and George grinned. "You'll see," George said.
"You can tell me," Harry wheedled, leaning into Fred's side. He was very comfortable. "I promise I won't tell…"
"Nah," Fred winked down at her. "We don't want to tell anyone until our plans are finalized."
"But you might need my help with something," Harry said seriously. "You never know when you'll need an expert on ephemeral transfiguration."
"An expert, now, are you?" George teased. "When did that happen?"
"I've got this book," Harry confided. She'd only ever told Hermione and Neville, but the twins were like older brothers to her now. "Just here," she said, pulling her book bag over and searching through it. When she found it, she handed Transfiguration Lessons for the Newfound Prodigy over to Fred.
"Where'd you get this?" he asked, flipping through it one-handed.
"McGonagall," Harry answered. "She gave it to me right after we won the match against Slytherin. Look," she added, reaching over and turning it to the foreword. "Dumbledore had it before her."
"Blimey," George said softly. "She must think you're really good, to give you something like this."
Harry smiled, pleased. "I know. That's where I've been learning so much about Transfiguration. It's been difficult lately," she added with a small frown. "McGonagall promised she would give me extra lessons, but when I asked about it she just said, 'later', and never got back to me about it, and then reprimanded me for working ahead of the class."
"They've all been acting weird," Fred said absently as he handed her book back to her. She put it in her bag, where it would be safe.
They sat in silence for a long while after that, Harry sandwiched between the twins, their backs to the back wall of Hagrid's cabin. Every so often, they would hear a shriek, which Harry soon figured out was the dragon. Fang wandered over from where he'd been hiding amongst the runner beans and lay down next to George.
"What time is it?" Harry asked. She felt like it had been at least an hour, but George replied, "Eight forty-seven."
"Did I tell you that Hermione figured out who Flamel was?" Harry asked after another long period of silence. Fred's arm around her shoulder jerked.
"What? No."
"Do you two know who he is?"
"No," George answered.
"Why would we?" Fred asked.
"Because we found him in those books that nearly got us eaten by Fluffy," Harry told them.
"Oh, you got them, then," George said.
"I was wondering where those went. The room seemed a little emptier when we got back up."
"But - did you even read them?" Harry asked, irritated that, after all the trouble she and Neville and Hermione had gone to, they hadn't even read some of them.
"Of course we did!" George said defensively.
"We went through all of the indexes," Fred said seriously.
"We were looking to see if it was possible to change stone to diamond," George put in.
"But there's not," Fred added dourly.
"All that time, wasted," George lamented.
"All that time!" Harry nearly shrieked, shrugged out from Fred's arm and turning to glare at the two of them. "We nearly got eaten trying to get them to you!"
"Keep your voice down," George hissed as Fang cowered by his side. "We don't want to advertise our presence any more than necessary."
Harry huffed and stalked off to look at the chickens in their large coop. Since it was dark, though, she couldn't see much, and ended up feeling even more cross with Fred and George.
"You two are twats," she said at last, rejoining them against the back wall of Hagrid's cabin.
"And you're a girl," Fred retorted, earning himself a light punch on the arm from Harry. "Sorry," he added, rubbing his arm.
"It's fine," Harry said with a sigh. "Just don't do it again." Their argument behind them, she resituated herself between them.
Five minutes of silence later, George asked, "So, who's Flamel?" Harry resisted the urge to bang her head against the wall and proceeded to tell them everything she and Hermione had deducted about Flamel, talking for the greater part of an hour as she explained.
When she finally finished, Fred and George were staring at her in some sort of awe.
"So you mean to say - " Fred started.
" - that you three have been searching for Flamel in the library this whole time?"
"And the books you needed were in our room the whole time?"
"Don't you dare laugh, you idiots," Harry threatened. The faint light that came through Hagrid's curtained windows wasn't enough to let her see their faces, so she didn't know what expressions they wore.
"I would never laugh at you," Fred said pompously.
"Yes you would," Harry shot back. "And you have."
"Er. That was George."
"No. That was you. I can tell you apart, now, when you're not asleep and I can see your faces."
"Oh, really?" George asked, crossing his arms in a sudden motion that left her side feeling very cold when the night air crept against her side, where his arm had previously rested.
"Really," Harry said stiffly.
"We'll see about that," Fred said, and Harry could tell by the sound of his voice that he was grinning his most mischievous smile.
"You do that," Harry challenged, than yawned. It was nearing her usual bed-time of ten. Although disgustingly early - she'd been going to bed at eleven for several years now - it was necessary with Oliver's insanely early practices.
"Oh, is the ickle firstie getting tired?" George cooed in a voice that Harry assumed was an approximation of his mother.
"Poor ickle baby," Fred added. "No mummy to - " he cut off with a strangled gulp.
"It's fine," Harry told him in a dead voice, suddenly not tired at all but unwilling to face either of them. "I never knew her, after all."
"Sorry," Fred whispered, his arm, which had somehow crept back around her shoulders, tightening.
"Just wake me up when it's time," Harry mumbled, and closed her eyes. She fell asleep imagining what life might have been like if her mother hadn't died, with the unique smell that was so utterly Fred, which oddly enough was nothing at all like George, in her nostrils.
"Harry. Psst. Harry."
Fred's hissing in her ear woke her up, his breath hot on her neck.
"What? What's happening?" She sat up with a jerk, eye darting around. The stars were mostly out, although a few large swaths of clouds covered the skies to her right, near where she assumed the Black Lake was. "Oh," she said, slumping back. "It's time, isn't it?"
"Right in one," George said from her other side. "C'mon, let's get up and go get the monster."
"Monster's right," Harry muttered, rubbing her eyes and resettling her glasses on her nose. "Hermione definitely has a point there."
She followed the twins around the cabin to the door, where George knocked quietly on the door. Hagrid's heavy steps came over, growing louder and louder until, just in front of them, they paused.
"Who's there?"
"It's us!" Harry said through the door.
"Oh. Jus' checkin'." Hagrid opened the door. Harry resisted the urge to bring her hand up to cover her eyes and blinked very fast several times to keep her eyes from watering at the bright light.
Hagrid looked like someone had died, with red swollen eyes and a blotchy nose.
"I - I got 'im all ready," he said gruffly, leading them over to the large wooden crate near the table. "'E's got a nice supply of rats, an' I put in 'is fav'rite teddy." A loud ripping sound from within the crate made Harry wince - it sounded like Norbert had found his 'favorite' teddy. "I jus'," Hagrid said, starting to tear up again, "I jus' worry. Wha' if the other dragons don' like 'im? Wha' if they treat 'im bad?"
"Norbert will be fine, Hagrid," Harry said, patting the giant man on his thick forearm, the highest part of him she could reach. "He belongs with his own kind."
Hagrid's only answer was a loud sob. He waved his large hand. "Yeh - yeh can go, now. I already said my goodbye."
"You're doing the right thing," Harry said as she stepped back to let Fred and George grab the handles on either side of the crate. They picked it up silently and maneuvered around the now howling Hagrid and out the front door, where Fang, who had followed them out of the garden, immediately bolted back to his safe spot under the chicken coop. "Charlie will take good care of him," Harry said loudly, feeling sorry for the tender-hearted man. "And I'm sure Norbert will remember you fondly." She forced herself not to grimace at her bald-faced lie and hurried after the twins before they could get too far.
She was out of range of the spear of light protruding from Hagrid's still-open door when she caught up to the struggling twins.
"Norbert needs to leave off those rats," Fred muttered when he saw she was there.
"He weighs more than Ron, I swear."
"Not possible, brother mine. Ron eats like an elephant."
"Well," Harry spoke up, "at least that means there's quite a few less rats around. And Scabbers is still in Ron's bed, so it wasn't him."
"I never liked that rat," George said quietly. "Always lurking around."
"That's what rats do," Fred pointed out. Harry was surprised - the twins rarely disagreed about anything.
"Stop talking," she told them. "We're almost to the castle."
As per arrangements, Harry was the first through every door and around every corner, scouting ahead to make sure that, if they did happen upon a professor on their nighttime rounds, Fred and George would have enough time to get their bulky package hidden. They had a close call with the Fat Friar on the first floor, but Harry was confident that, even if he had caught them, he wouldn't have reported them. Ghosts were notorious for being rather helpful to students out after hours, unless they were Peeves, who Harry doubted would even help Filch or Professor McGonagall. It was said that the poltergeist only obeyed the Bloody Baron, ghost of Slytherin House, whose translucent, old-fashioned robes were stained quite horrifically with silvery blood.
The three of them made it to the top of the Astronomy Tower with only a few minutes to spare. Fred and George set the crate down none-too-gently.
"Ooh, I'm going to be sore tomorrow," Fred complained under his breath.
"Oliver won't be happy when we can't manage to hit a Bludger right," George added, rubbing his forearms and wrists.
"Just tell him you were doing strengthening exercises," Harry said, moving to the crenellated sides and looking up at the sky. Charlie hadn't told her that he would be flying, but, this high up, it was really the only option. Plus, the older Weasley had been a Seeker as well, and Harry knew he would likely relish the opportunity to fly.
"No way!" Fred exclaimed, not even bothering to lower his voice. Harry automatically slapped her hand over his mouth.
"Keep it down!" she hissed. "Just because we're at the top of the Astronomy Tower doesn't mean people won't come along. I hear it's a prime destination for trysting seventh years."
"And where did you hear that?" Fred asked in a muffled voice, his lips ticking the palm of her hand as he spoke.
She hurriedly took her hand off his face and wiped it on her robes. "None of your business," she said with a sly smile. The twins weren't the only ones who were sneaky, and Harry had had plenty of practice creeping around her home to get very good at it. "And why won't you tell Oliver?"
"He'll want to make us all do them at practice," George said glumly, now stretching his arm over his chest.
"That he will, little brother." The three of them spun around.
"Charlie!" the twins exclaimed together.
"Shut up!" Harry hissed at them.
Charlie chuckled. "Just like Ginny," he said with grin that was full of the same mischief the twins often exhibited, but was very different. Charlie, although he had the same general shape as the twins, was much bulkier. Harry reckoned it was from wrestling dragons all the time. "Now, we haven't got much time, so we can bypass the entire 'hi, I'm Charlie Weasley, older brother of those terrors'. They've already told me who you are - " Harry shot a glare at the twins, and they smiled innocently back " - Harry, so let's get that dragon rigged up." Three more men, all well-muscled like Charlie, came over, into the faint light provided by the torch bracket just inside the door leading down to the rest of the castle. Harry watched from a distance as the four dragon keepers used conjured ropes to securely tie the crate to their brooms, one at each corner.
"See you two sooner or later, I suppose," Charlie said as a goodbye. "Nice to finally meet you, Harry." The dragon keeper to Charlie's right gave a signal, and the four kicked off in tandem, shooting into the sky. Harry and the twins watched as the oddly shaped group shrunk smaller and smaller until they were lost in the blackness between the stars.
"Your brother's nice," Harry said.
"Better than Percy," George said with a large yawn.
"But not better than Bill," Fred added, giving a yawn of his own. Harry, refreshed from her nap, felt wide awake.
"Come on." She started towards the door, only to be pulled back by a smirking Fred.
"Our turn to go first," he said. "You risked your neck last time, now it's us."
"It doesn't matter anymore," Harry pointed out in a heated whisper. "We're in it together, and we don't have a dragon to get us expelled."
"Right you are," George mumbled, stifling another yawn. Fred made to argue, but Harry and George were already on their way to the door. Harry heard him give an exasperated sigh before his footsteps came pattering after them.
"It's not fair when you team up on me," he whispered when he was just behind her. Harry snorted quietly at the irony of that statement - he and George had teamed up on her plenty of times.
The castle was just as still as it had been those ten minutes earlier on their way up, but it seemed even more so with the lack of a dragon. The risks weren't as high now, and Harry could feel the adrenaline that had been pumping through her body start to fade. The corridors were darker and longer than before; the statues and suits of armor more eerie. Harry had never been frightened of the dark; there was no need to be, at home, since her father had cast every protection spell possible on the house, and here at Hogwarts, the most frightening thing was Fluffy, who was locked somewhat securely on the third floor.
"This way," Fred said suddenly. Harry turned and back-tracked. Fred had activated a portrait to open into a secret passage. She wondered if they knew more about the castle than Filch. Shrugging and knowing that the twins wouldn't lead her wrong, not when they were so focused on getting to their beds, she hoisted herself up into the opening, glaring at George when he tried to help.
"I've got it," she snapped quietly. Harry was perfectly capable of taking care of herself, and had often had to take care of her brother as well over the years, as he was apt to completely forget to eat when absorbed in one of his novels. The passage way was very dark once the portrait had closed behind them - no torches lit it, and none of them dared to light their wands in case the other end let the small spears of light escape into the corridor beyond and possible alert someone to their presence.
Harry, Fred, and George followed the sloping passage down for what seemed like ages before it turned a corner and split into two separate passages. At the junction, a single, old torch bracket illuminated the intersection.
"Which way?" Harry asked, then winced when her voice echoed back.
George pointed to the left hand opening, which Harry discovered was nothing but a very narrow spiral staircase that seemed to go up forever. When the stairs finally ended, her thighs were aching. Each step was a different height than the others, which made for difficult and treacherous climbing. Fred reached the top first, and stuck his head through a seemingly solid wall to scout it out.
"All clear," he whispered, pulling his head back. He slipped through the illusion and waited. Harry was glad that this opening didn't put out a yard above the ground like the entrance they had used did. The jumping would have made rather a lot of noise. After a few yards of walking, Harry realized that they were on the fourth floor, which was astounding given the fact that the Astronomy Tower only had one entrance, on the ground floor all the way over by the Transfiguration classroom.
The three of them had just passed by a familiar looking statue of a witch with six fingers on each hand when Fred held up a hand. Harry immediately froze, and George nearly crashed into her but caught himself just in time. She strained her ears for any noise, and, to her horror, heard Filch's shuffling footsteps.
"In here!" George hissed, grabbing her arm and towing her to the nearest doorway. Together, the three of them backed into the room, closing the door carefully behind them so that it wouldn't make any noise to alert Filch. They sighed collectively in relief when they heard the caretaker's distinctive steps go past the classroom and continue down the corridor.
"That was a close one," George said.
"Indeed, it was," a stern, very irate Professor McGonagall said from behind them.
Harry spun around in shock - she hadn't known anyone else was in the classroom. And it wasn't just Professor McGonagall. Seated in a desk, cheeks flushed but with a vindictive grin on his face, was Draco Malfoy.
Harry shrunk in slightly on herself - Professor McGonagall had quickly become her favorite professor, even if she wasn't the most jovial. She hated to know that she had disappointed the strict Scot. Behind her, she could feel Fred and George shuffling their feet slightly, and knew that they were putting on their most innocent faces.
"I am most disappointed in you three," Professor McGonagall started, and Harry realized that this was the most normal she had seen the Transfiguration professor since she had taken ill. "I was just finished telling off Mr. Malfoy here about the dangers and repercussions of being caught out of bounds at night, and now three of my own Gryffindors are doing the same? What makes you think you have the right to go wandering around in the middle of the night? Messer's Weasley, you two have been told off multiple times for this very transgression, yet here you are again! And Mr. Potter! I expected better of you!"
"It wasn't his fault, Professor," Fred broke in, using a tone of voice Harry had never heard before. He wasn't being defensive, or defiant. He sounded like he was simply telling the truth.
Professor McGonagall turned her sharply glinting eyes to Fred. "No?" she said in a slightly disbelieving voice. "Do explain, Mr. Weasley."
"George and I went to find him just a bit ago," he started. From her position slightly in front of the twins, Harry could just barely see George nodding his head in somber agreement. They should have been actors, she thought in amazement as Fred continued to spin the tale. "You see - Quidditch went a bit long, and Harry's been trying very hard to keep up with his homework, so whenever he's not in class or on the field, he's in the library. Thing is, he fell asleep."
"Wood's a terror just now," George added with a convincing wide-eyed look. "We've been practicing four or five hours a day, what with the morning and evening practices."
Fred picked up the story right away, as if he'd expected George's interruption. Harry couldn't help but think he had. "So when we asked Hermione and Neville, they said they hadn't seen him, and Zakir said that he'd gone up to the library after dinner in the kitchens. We just found him in the Wand Lore section, asleep," he finished. "I don't think Madam Pince checked to see if that section was clear before she closed for the night," he added. "Not many people go there."
Professor McGonagall expression softened, but only slightly. "Be that as it may," she said stiffly, "the three of you will serve detention along with Mr. Malfoy." When George made to object, she spoke over him, "Regardless of intention, all four of you were out after hours, and therefore, all four of you will receive the same punishment."
"What about house points?" Malfoy said in an oily tone. He had remained quiet up until that point, and Harry wondered why he was out of bounds up by the library, which was very far from the Slytherin Common Room, somewhere down in the dungeons.
Professor McGonagall's mouth tightened, but she said, "Yes, as much as I dislike taking points from my own house, it must be done. Twenty-five points from each of the Messer's Weasley, and twenty from Mr. Potter."
"Twenty?! You took thirty from me!" Malfoy burst out, anger flushing his cheeks.
"You, Mr. Malfoy, would not give me a reason as to why you were out of bounds. Messer's Weasley went out to find their friend, and Mr. Potter fell asleep."
"But - "
"Any more protestation and I will make it forty points," Professor McGonagall snapped, drawing her tartan dressing gown around her more tightly. Malfoy shut his mouth but shot a glowering glare at Harry, who gave back as good as she got. Professor McGonagall either failed to notice their enmity or simply did not care. "Mr. Malfoy, I will escort you back to your Common Room. Messer's Weasley, I expect you two to make sure Mr. Potter finds his bed. Promptly," she added.
"Yes Professor," Fred and George chorused together.
"C'mon," Fred said, putting his hand on Harry's shoulder and pulling. She allowed herself to be moved, but narrowed her eyes at Malfoy as she left. She wanted to stick out her tongue, too, but felt it would be much too childish.
Without the danger of getting in trouble hanging over their heads, the next three floors up to the Gryffindor Common Room passed quickly. "I can't believe we lost seventy points," Harry said as they passed a large tapestry of a man trying to teach ballet to trolls. "We'll be in last place! Everyone will hate us!"
"No we won't," George said comfortably. "And Fred and I have lost a whole bunch of points before, and no one's ever minded."
"But you haven't lost seventy in one go," Harry mumbled. The silence that met her statement told her that the twins didn't have it in them to lie to her this late at night.
When they finally arrived at the portrait of the Fat Lady, they endured a three-minute lecture on why she shouldn't have to let them in, before the sulking painting swung open, revealing a dimly lit common room. Harry went through first, and headed straight up the stairs to her dorm, where her bed would be waiting for her.
"G'night," Fred and George said softly as they passed her when she paused to open her door. They continued on their way up to their dorm, the very top one, with the exception of the Head Boy's suite, with slow steps. Harry watched as they disappeared around the curve of the stairs, their pale skin and red hair awash with moonlight as they passed the slender window. The slump of their shoulders told her more than any words ever could - like her, they felt utterly defeated.
May 16
Dear Alex,
I just got my first detention of the year. Fred, George, and I were helping Hagrid out with his
reptilian problem and we got caught by Professor McGonagall. Luckily, it was on our way back
to the common room, and we didn't have Norbert with us. The only good part of the whole
debacle is that Draco Malfoy - did I ever tell you about him? - also has detention. I don't know
what Gryffindor's response to losing seventy points overnight will be yet. I woke up after barely
four hours of sleep. I think I'm simply too stressed to sleep, like the first time Remus wasn't
there to tuck us in. So I'm writing you at four fifteen in the morning, waiting for Oliver to come
down so I can just fly and forget all about it, if only for a little while. I know your finals are coming
up soon - as are mine - so I'll wish you good luck. Don't forget to study extra hard for
Transfiguration!
Love,
Harry
May 16
Dear Remus,
You said I could ask for stories about Mum and Dad if I wanted. I'm feeling a bit down - I just got
my first detention for being out of bounds at night - and I want to know more about Dad when
he was at school. I've realized that I really don't know much of what he was like before Mum died.
Could you tell me?
Love,
Harry
May 19
Dear Harry,
I am very sorry to hear about your detention, although I can't say it's not expected. You always did
wander around. I think I spent the greater part of my time chasing you around the house when you
were three years old. As a toddler, you were more mischievous than Alex ever was! Something you
inherited from James, actually.
As students, your father and Sirius were best friends, and enjoyed nothing more than playing jokes
on other students, especially the Slytherins. Most of the time they got caught, simply because they
couldn't control their laughter. I think that they have the largest file of detention slips than any other
students in Hogwarts' history! James played Chaser on the Gryffindor Quidditch team. He was never
made Captain - Sirius took that particular title - but he was Head Boy in his seventh year. I was our
year's Prefect, though, since before his sixth year your father was an absolute scoundrel and would
have most likely abused the power that comes with the position.
Lily, on the other hand, was a model student. She was the top girl in our form, and vied for first
overall with James, who held his own with her out of sheer stubbornness. They were rivals for quite
a long time. In fact, when Lily found out that I had been made Prefect, she said, "Thank Merlin it
wasn't James. His ego couldn't take any more inflation." Lily was always reading a new book - Muggle
novels or advanced Charms or Potions texts - and she never did like Quidditch, especially when she
started dating James and realized how often he or Sirius wound up in the Hospital Wing because of it.
Your mother was involved in all sorts of clubs at school. She was Vice-President of the Runes
Collaboration, and attended every single meeting of the Extra-Curricular Charms-Exploration Club.
I know she went to the Gobstones Club in her first year, but gave it up when she realized that it
involved getting sprayed with stink-sap. Lily was made Head Girl in our seventh year. She was an
obvious choice, since she'd never had a detention, and the worst she'd done was accidentally walk
into the boy's bathroom in her first week at school. Your mother was one of the few students who
have made it through all seven years at Hogwarts without receiving a single detention.
I hope my letter has helped cheer you up. I don't know exactly when finals at Asclepius are, but good
luck.
Love,
Remus
May 20
Harry -
Sorry about your detention. I can't believe you've gone an entire year without one. Actually, I can. I've
already had about six detentions, mainly for running in the halls or being out after hours. They're very strict
about rules here, and even minor infractions get you a detention, since they can't really take points. No
houses to compete with. I still wish I could have met Norbert. I've never seen a real dragon before, even a
baby one. My friends really wants to meet you, and I don't know how I'll get out of that since Jonah and his family
are visiting London this summer. They all still think you're a boy. Finals are the same week as yours, I think.
We take O.W.L.'s and N.E.W.T.'s over here the same as you, since that's the standard most countries go by,
and those tests are all given the same day around the world so cheating isn't possible. Darn shame, really,
that the proctors have actually gotten smart. Good luck on your exams! Not that you need it. I'm starting to
think that you've got the brains, as well as the beauty.
- Alex