AUTHOR'S NOTE: Sorry it took me so long to update, I've been so lazy with writing. I hope you guys like this chapter and stick around for the epilogue C:

CHAPTER 19: NEWTs

Hermione woke up on the day of her Potions exam with what felt like pixies in her stomach. She was nervous about the exam, yes, but could not help but also be excited. She wanted to show off what she had learned.

She pried herself out of Malfoy's arms – they rarely left their common room at the same time to avoid suspicion – and after dressing hurriedly, made her way to the Great Hall.

She was the first one there, and ate breakfast slowly, alternating between spoonfuls of porridge and muttering incantations out loud. The written aspect of the exam would come first, but she felt like practicing spells as well as memorizing her notes.

Hermione put her wand down on the table and watched Malfoy come into the hall. He slipped her a smile before sitting down next to Theodore.

"Hermione!"

Hermione's head snapped to the right, where Neville was running towards her with no less than a dozen books in his hands. He slammed the books on the table, causing Hermione's porridge to fall into her lap, and her wand to make a cracking noise under Neville's heavy books.

"I don't remember how to reverse a shrinking spell and I can't find the incantation anywhere!" Neville cried, ploughing through the books in front of him. Hermione's wand dropped onto the floor in the chaos, and was promptly stepped on by Ron, who had just slid into a seat in front of them.

"Erp," Ron said as he bent down to see what he had stepped on. He picked up Hermione's wand and passed it to her, both him and Neville apologizing profusely.

"Don't worry about it, it's fine," Hermione said quickly, though as she took her wand from Ron she saw it now bore a thick white scratch.

She cleaned up the mess in her lap and flicked her wand at Neville's empty goblet. It shrunk to the size of a thimble, and Hermione was secretly relieved her wand seemed in fine working condition.

"Engorgio," she said confidently, and the goblet grew into its original size. Neville sighed.

"Right," he mumbled.

IIIII

The students huddled around the Great Hall doors, waiting for the room to be set up into small, individual desks. Some mumbled soundlessly, practicing spells, others had their faces screwed up in concentration as if already forgetting what they had just memorized. Finally the students were let in and filed towards the desks.

Harry, Ron and Hermione sat together in the middle. Hermione was in her own world: she kept closing her eyes and nodding, while Ron by contrast, looked fairly green in the face. Harry simply looked sombre. Hermione looked at the group of professors at the front of the hall. They were murmuring quietly and each held a stack of examinations. Without a word, the examiners levitated the papers and passed them to the students, each paper floating before dropping on a desk.

Hermione looked at the first question in front of her. How much moonstone does one need for the Draught of Living Death and what incantation is used to swell the stones before adding it to the potion? Thinking of Neville and smiling to herself, Hermione began writing.

As soon as her quill touched the parchment however, a small ball of paper hit Hermione in the head. The ball bounced and landed on her desk. Hermione's eyes darted to the front, but the professors seemed to not have noticed. Hermione quietly unfolded the paper, knowing who it was from.

Good luck. I love you.

Hermione smiled to herself and looked to her left. On the far side of the hall, Malfoy winked at her. Hermione became alarmed when she saw Ron, sitting on her right, trying to read the note. He craned dangerously close and Hermione quickly put the note out of sight, but not before hearing a loud thump. Everyone turned to them and saw Ron on the floor, his legs entangled with his chair's.

Laughter erupted but one of the examiners hushed them while the other two examiners helped Ron back into his seat with soothing words, obviously believing he had simply over-excited himself with stress. Once the examiners had left Ron's desk, Hermione lowered her head to her paper and began to write. Harry, sitting in front of her, had turned to watch Ron curiously, but now too, returned to his exam.

Ron however, seemed to have no intention of looking at his test paper.

"Hermione, what did Malfoy write in that note?" he muttered. Hermione pretended she could not hear him and continued writing.

"Hermione. Hermione!" Ron whispered hoarsely. Hermione turned to her right and gave him a stern look. Harry turned and shushed them.

"Malfoy wrote her a note," Ron mouthed. Harry mouthed back, "So what?"

"So, she was smiling when she read it," Ron whispered heatedly. Harry, catching on, simply shook his head and returned to his test hurriedly.

"Hermione!" Ron whispered again.

"No talking, young man!" Came the voice of an examiner who had been strolling the back of the room. He walked in the aisle between Ron and Hermione's desks. Ron turned red and buried himself in his exam, and Hermione followed suit, but not before stealing a glance in Malfoy's direction, only to see the blonde grinning into his paper.

After a few minute of furious scribbling, Hermione pushed her scroll further up her desk and was attempting to read the next exam question when Ron made a dive in front of her desk, hitting his head on the Harry's chair legs. Malfoy's note had been underneath Hermione's parchment and evidently flew off the desk when she had adjusted her test.

Ron got back into his seat and Hermione made a snatch for the note but it was no use. Ron waved it away from her face and grinned.

"Now really, I cannot allow this kind of chaos!" said the same examiner who had told Ron to stop talking only moments previously. He was quickly making his way over to Ron and Hermione. Ron ignored him and unfolded the note, his grin slowly evaporating into a grimace as his eyes froze on the page.

"Young man, what exactly do you think-"

"I KNEW IT!" Ron yelled. The entire room stopped and turned to stare. Hermione sunk in her seat.

"Young man!" The examiner said, shocked. Hermione wondered if he was ever going to bother finding out Ron's name.

"Hermione, how could you?" Ron asked in disbelief. Hermione's face turned pink and she sat up straight.

"We'll discuss this later," she said and began writing. After a stunned silence, more quills began to scratch at the parchment and after a final warning, the examiner left Ron to begin writing his exam.

IIIII

After time was up, and test papers were collected, Hermione left the Great Hall in a rush. In a few moments the seventh years were to have their practical exams, and everyone began practicing spells again, huddling outside the doors.

Ron caught up with Hermione in a rage, Harry behind him, carrying Ron's bag and books nobly.

"Well? Anything to say for yourself?" Ron snarled. Hermione arranged her face to look pleasantly puzzled.

"Yes, actually," Hermione said, slamming the book in her hands shut, "Get used to it."

Harry gaped at her with his mouth open, but Ron cried, "What?"

"You heard me," Hermione said simply.

"Now hang on," Harry started but Hermione cut him off.

"No. You don't even know what the note said, Harry-"

"I have a pretty good idea," Harry retorted heatedly.

At that moment, Malfoy glided over to the trio.

"Is there a problem?" he asked smoothly.

Ron made a rather wild sound and looked like he was about to throw himself on Malfoy but Harry had grabbed him by the collar, just in case. Malfoy grinned slowly and turned to Hermione. Then in front of the entire seventh year students, planted a kiss on her.

When their lips separated, they were accompanied with an almost eerie silence.

"That-was not a good idea," Hermione said rather shakily. Everyone seemed to be staring daggers at the pair, but Malfoy smiled with ease.

"Anyone that has a problem will have a second arsehole ripped out for them," Malfoy said to the crowd.

Hermione covered her eyes with a hand but after a moment, everyone began chatting intensely.

She threw a furious look at Malfoy but he shrugged. "As the Muggles say…with the bandage…"

Hermione grinned reluctantly and Malfoy left the three of them to continue to do some last minute studying. Hermione turned to Ron and Harry.

"He's called you 'Mudblood'."

"He's gotten us into detention."

"He tried to kill Dumbledore."

Hermione nodded. She knew she would be required to give massive amounts of explanation and persuasion. But she also noticed the red colour slowly fading from Ron's face. Smiling timidly, Hermione opened her book.

After a few moments, the first group of students was allowed to enter the Great Hall to perform the practical portion of the exam. Hermione's name was called with a few others minutes later, and she entered confident, though relieved this was the last exam of the year.

The exam required the students to brew a love potion, and Hermione did so, cutting the ingredients up in front of her, using her wand to heat up the cauldron. The last step required Hermione to stir the potion in the opposite direction, and Hermione noticed it took her wand several tries before accomplishing the task. Hermione looked at her wand sadly, though her potion was done correctly, and received very approving nods from the examiners.

After the exam, the students were ushered through the back door into the grounds. Hermione walked around the castle slightly and the students reached another doorway that led to a staircase. Hermione began to climb her way up to her common room to wait for Malfoy.

IIIII

Hermione was lying on the loveseat with a hand to her brow when Malfoy came in. He saw her and dropped his bag on the floor, grinning.

He sighed happily and crawled on top of her. "Ah, no more stress," he said.

Hermione looked at him in disbelief. "Ron and Harry are furious, everyone looked like they were about to stone us to death in the hall today and to top it all off, look at my wand." Hermione took her wand from the floor and lifted it. The white crack on it had expanded, and a few hairs were poking out.

"We'll get you a new one," Malfoy said, and pecked her on the cheek. "And at least Potty and Weasel know about us, and the exams are over too. We're free! All we have left are career consultations."

Hermione mulled over this. There were going to be so many changes over the summer.

Hermione sighed thoughtfully. "So what should we do now?"

Malfoy shrugged. "Go upstairs and shag?"

Hermione smacked his chest playfully, but allowed herself to be tugged up the stairs and into her dormitory.