A/N: Just a reminder to please review, and also, invisigum is mine, I just really wish it existed.
OWLs were upon us far too quickly. Before I was even aware of it, I was sitting down writing out a lengthy answer to the Defense Against the Dark Arts exam, wondering why they insisted on a written exam when it was a very practical subject. Nonetheless, muggle studying tactics helped me a lot, and I managed to remember many of the answers from the textbook. Draco to my left was scribbling ferociously on the paper, but from his exasperated expression it was all likely to be waffle.
Stella on the other side was less enthusiastic. She was leaning back on her chair chewing a piece of Invisigum. It was a chewing gum invented by one of the Ravenclaws which was bewitched so that no teachers could catch you chewing it. I had finished my packet that morning, but had no time to think about chewing.
Whilst me and the rest of the fifth years sat scratching our heads, however, we could all hear parchment being constantly from the front of the room, a quill scratching vehemently. Hermione Granger would do just fine.
I managed to just about finish the exam when the invigilator called for us to put our quills down, but I was one of few. The groans commenced the second we handed our parchments in.
"That was horrible..."
"What'd you write for question three?"
"I swear I nearly cried..."
"That was brilliant," came Hermione's voice, Ron grumbling beside her. While she chatted away about her answers for this and that, Ron nodded towards me. He rolled his eyes. I laughed. He mimed tying a noose around his neck. I laughed harder. He mimed taking out his wand and pointing it to his chest, simulating a kickback as it shot him in the chest and I practically fell on the floor.
"...Anyway, so finally I decided the answer must be- Ron, what are you doing?"
"Nothing," he replied innocently, winking at me. I grinned. Hermione looked at me expectantly. I raised my hand to show I was innocent too. She sighed and walked away. Ron followed her, stuttering apologies.
Transfiguration was less of a cake-walk. The written exam was easy enough, Transfiguration was the subject I had been most fascinated over my summer of wizarding initiation, and I had studied until four the night before. It was the practical work that stumped me. I stared down at my iguana, hoping that it would just disappear itself. But it appeared that that was not to be. So, I drew out my wand, an eye on the clock, and began to attempt. It was on the fourth try that it finally disappeared. I was dismissed.
It was then that I learned that there was indeed a practical exam for Defense Against the Dark Arts, Umbridge had just neglected to teach us any of it. I entered for my examination to see her sitting amongst the examiners, a wide smile on her pudgy face. I determined at once to do as well as I could.
"We will start with a simple spell first," said the wizard I would be duelling. "Disarm me,"
With a casual flick of my wand, his was soon in my hand. This was nothing to be impressed by.
"Stupefy," he shot my way suddenly.
"Ennervate!" I shouted, shielding myself. He looked impressed.
"Alright then, Incendio,"
"Aguamenti,"
"Impervius,"
"Finite Incantatem,"
"Very well done." he said, lowering his wand again. They all looked impressed now, all except for Umbridge who was fuming. Suddenly, he waved his wand again. "Serpensortia," he said. I didn't recognise the spell, but it was immediately obvious what it did. A snake sprang from his wand and slithered towards me. I thought on my feet.
"Reducio," I said. the snake shrank, but continued to slither towards me. I was out of spells, so I followed my primary instinct. To talk to it. "Stop." I commanded. It stopped. The examiners stared at me slack jawed. The snake disappeared.
"I hope you realise, Miss Wint, that you will receive no bonus points for speaking Parseltongue."
"Is there any way I can get bonus points?" I asked teasingly. They all looked at each other. The one I was duelling shrugged.
"There was one point rewarded today, I suppose we could offer you the same opportunity. If you can produce a Patronus charm, we would be happy to reward you with it." I smiled and stepped back. Easiest A ever. In my mind's eye, I was in Draco's arms again, and I raised my wand.
"Expecto Patronum!" My lion leapt from my wand with a mighty roar, causing Umbridge to flinch. The other examiners stood and walked over to look at it. The silvery creature regarded them with disdain. I was very proud of it.
"Excellent, really excellent," I heard one of them say.
"She's a beauty, this one," another agreed.
When they lost interest, I allowed the patronus to dissolve, beaming. I practically skipped out of the exam.
Divination was easy enough, mainly because I had no intention to pass with flying colours. I came in as relaxed as anybody taking an exam could be, calling tea-leaves as I saw them and making up death omens appearing in the crystal ball, just as I had learnt from Professor Tralewny. My real problem was Astronomy. That night at eleven o'clock, the exam began, and I took immediately to mapping all the familiar constellations I could find on my map, but I had already forgotten most of them.
It didn't matter, the last few minutes of the exam were completely consumed by Hagrid the Gamekeeper's removal from Hogwarts. With twenty minutes left to go, I noticed Harry in the corner, his telescope not focused on the sky but very much on the ground in the direction of Hagrid's hut. I gave up on my chart and turned mine in that direction too. I saw six figures, the leader unmistakably Umbridge, marching up to the hut. I saw the hulking figure of Hagrid answer the door and then red light flashing. Stunning spells.
"No!" cried Hermione, who had also been watching.
"Young lady, this is an exam!" cried a stunned examiner. But everybody ignored him as Hagrid's voice was carried by the wind up to the tower. He yelled at the aurors until somebody came to his aid. Professor McGonagall.
After more shouting and more flashing light, Hagrid managed to make his escape, but McGonagall lay on the floor, apparently stunned. Then, the exam was declared over and we were all sent back to our rooms.
I came back utterly exhausted and sure that I would fail, but at that moment I couldn't have cared less.
After a long few weeks of exams, the end was finally in sight, the last exam looming. History of Magic, by far the most important and the most highly anticipated. I had read the reading for the past five years all through the summer and again since career day, trying my level best to be able to commit it all to memory. It was the first step to becoming and attaché after all.
The exam was as hard as I had expected. It consisted of at least two hundred questions, all expecting long and detailed answers, so I began as quickly as I could. Now and then I found myself playing around, making my language particularly fancy or inserting a joke here or there. My hand was cramping up and my head was pounding. My eyes refused to focus on the paper, but I was not the only one having trouble. In fact, a few minutes before the end, when I was scribbling an ending to the final question and turning back to check my answers, I heard a loud scream of agony behind me, and I turned to see Harry fall to the floor. The room erupted, people rushing around to help him, his friends helping him up and escorting him out of the room. The exam was over. We had just exited hell.
That night was a night of celebration. Me and my roommates race to our dorm after dinner to begin the festivities. Pansy had managed to purchase a bottle of Firewhiskey, and we each took turns to take a swig. I had no more then that, and simply observed as the girls one-by-one passed out. I put them all in their beds, and then walked over to mine, finding a note on it. I wondered when it got there. I unfolded it to find Draco's handwriting.
Meet me in the Astronomy Tower.
I went immediately, hoping that he hadn't left yet. I stole through the corridors, but there was nobody patrolling them tonight. Umbridge's minions had the night off, and her and her aurors were probably still out there searching for Hagrid or trying to explain why they attacked a respected Professor.
When I reached the bottom of the stairs leading up to the tower, I found the first floating candle. As I continued up, I found a second. They increased in number the closer I got, and when finally I reached the top, they were everywhere, filling the tower with a beautiful golden glow. Bathing my Draco in their glorious light as he waited for me.
"Congratulations," he said with a smile. I glided towards him, overwhelmed by the beauty and the effort this must have taken.
"To you too," I replied, leaning in and kissing him softly. And then I kissed him again.
"I love you," he whispered. "I love you so much." He pulled me away so that he could look into my eyes. Tears of emotion glistened in his. Those eyes could tell me more than his words ever did that he spoke the truth every time he said he loved me. I raised up on my tiptoes, and kissed him more passionately then I had ever done, forcing him down. We lay on the cold stone floor of the tower, kissing deeply when he sat up.
"No, stop, Angeline," he said, pulling away from me.
"What?" I asked.
"No, we have to stop before we go to far. I don't want you doing something you'll regret." The amount he cared caused me to hitch my breath.
"Draco, I could never regret... being with you."
"You don't know that. I don't want to take that risk," he said earnestly.
"I love you, Draco." was all I said. He looked up at me questioningly. He would not continue without proper consent. "I want you." I said, and then, as if to prove it, a undid a button on my shirt, and then another. Draco nodded, as if to say he understood.
"Are you sure?" he asked.
"Positive."
I had witnessed the finest of the wizarding world, but to this day that was the most magical night of my life. Our bodies intertwined fit like every cliché suggested. Every moment was one of love. I never felt closer to Draco then I did that night. It was then that I truly gave him my heart, and truly received his in return.