Chapter Ten
That very same Monday dawned bright and clear. Lin, as usual, woke before the sun even began to rise. She went through her normal routine for the pre-dawn hours. She put on a stylish sundress, drank a cup of chai tea, went for a walk down to the lake, and read some Shakespearean sonnets to educate herself in the English language before anyone else in the castle was awake. By the time the house elves were working in the kitchens, she was down there to get a bowl of fruit. After that, she stayed in her room, mostly to avoid Lupin so she didn't lose her nerve.
Through the whole of the morning, Lin toiled hour after hour writing as quickly as lightning with no one but Albus for company. At that pace, she finished all of her written exams by the time the noon bell rang, allowing the both of them to pause for a well-deserved lunch.
The entirety of her afternoon hours would be filled with a line of practical exams. Unfortunately, she could not whip through these as fast as she had the written half. for the obvious reason that she had to go by the pace of the examining teacher. These exams would progress one after another for six hours straight with hardly a pause. There were but two factors which made the process bearable. The first of these was the fact that she had long since mastered everything she was to be tested on. Then again, her first time through the NEWTs had not been such a walk in the park. She had very nearly failed some of her exams the first time. Thankfully, there was no risk of that happening this time. The second consoling factor of the day's events was far more personal. The final practical exam in her schedule was Defence Against the Dark Arts. She would have time to tell him rather than having to worry about another teacher intruding. After that, her NEWTs would be complete once again.
Of course, every practical exam went perfectly. Thanks to that, she was congratulated by each of the teachers, except for Snape, in her feat.
"Remarkable! That's remarkable, Miss Sarvial! Marvelous!" That, of course, was Flitwick. He always had bee quite enthusiastic.
"Miss Sarvial, that was very good. I suppose I should not have expected less, considering." For a second, Lin had panicked at this. She had forgotten that McGonagall knew what she was.
"You, Miss Sarvial, never fail to disappoint." Such a jovial woman, Prof. Sprout was.
"Ye've al'ays been a good student, Lin. Good job!" Ah, Hagrid. He was always so honest and appreciative of hard work...or what appeared to be so.
"I suppose this is...adequate..." Snape never failed to demerit any student not a part of Slytherin.
There was no practically exam for ancient runes, muggle studies, history of magic, arithmancy, or divination. She did not need to worry about divination or astronomy. She had not taken either class this time.
Finally, the last of the practical exams came. As soon as Rem- Professor Lupin was done testing her skills, he began the same spiel as the rest, but as a friend.
"Well, Lin, you certainly didn't disappoint me. To your performance today, I say wonderful job. Congratulations. You've finished your NEWTs again."
Lin chuckled at that and said, "So I have, Lupin. So I have."
"Remus," he corrected, stepping closer to place a hand on the small of her back. He used that hand to guide her out of the Headmaster's office and out into the hallway. As they entered the hallway, Lin said, "Remus, it's not appropriate."
"Not anymore. You've graduated now. As soon as your results are in, you're hired," Remus said happily.
"Other people will not see it that way. They will assume that which is far beyond reality," she said, placing a hand on his arm.
At that, the professor pulled his hand away. However, he bent down further and said quietly, "You speak in riddles."
Lin laughed as they continued on their way to the Great Hall. The whole way there, they continued to talk and, though neither of them noticed it, flirt. Just before they reached the doors, Lin said quietly, "I'll meet you in your office after dinner. I have to tell you something."