Harry said at one of two desks in an otherwise empty room, deep within the bowels of the ministry's education department. Apparently he was the only one who had scheduled to take OWLs this summer. This was the third exam he had taken this week, and his hand had started cramping within a few minutes of starting. He had skipped a few questions he didn't know the answer to, and was hoping he would have time to come back to later, but it was looking exceedingly unlikely he would. It was becoming more and more obvious he would not be continuing Herbology into his NEWTs, even if he did manage to pass. It was better than his History of Magic exam that he had taken the day prior, which despite going better than his first try in the future, probably would still fail. Binns was just that terrible a teacher.
He didn't bother taking the divination exam, despite having taken the class, because he wouldn't be trying to take that elective during the coming school year. Runes and Arithmancy OWLs were only written at the OWL level; he would take both on the coming friday. After lunch though, Harry would be taking his practicals for all the wanded subjects at once - no need to split it up over multiple days if he was the only one testing, his proctor had said.
Speaking of his proctor, it was the single most ancient woman Harry had ever seen. She had introduced herself as the Department of Education Head Griselda Marchbanks. Harry had been a bit taken aback at having the department head proctor his exam, but she had gone on to explain exactly what he was wondering without being prompted.
"I was intrigued - it's awfully rare for us to have someone test over the summer who didn't fail their OWLs." She had settled herself at the desk facing his. "Plus I've heard some gossip that you've been traveling the world, I want to see what you've picked up." She fixed him with a gimlet eye. "You have 3 hours for your written exam. You may start when the clock chimes." She then promptly pulled out some half-finished knitting.
With the final chime of the clock, Harry put down his quill and sagged in his seat, mentally exhausted. Wringing every drop of plant knowledge from his mind that he had absorbed through Neville's rambling might have just scraped him a passing grade. Madame Marchbanks raised an eyebrow at him. Harry gave a sheepish smile in return. McGonnagall had nothing on this woman when it came to how to make someone feel like a schoolboy.
"Sorry ma'am, but Herbology has never been my strongest subject. I'm looking forward to DADA after lunch, though." She stared into him, before giving a sharp nod and standing.
"It is rare that someone is better off knowing something of everything, rather than everything of something. I will not condemn you for having a favorite subject." She stood and packed her knitting away. "We will be using the DMLE's dueling room for your practicals. Amelia has decided she wants to watch, and was willing to let you use the space and really 'let loose', as she put it." And with that the wizened woman slowly made her way out the door. Harry looked around to see where to take his finished test, but found it had vanished from his desk. Shrugging, he too left.
Sirius was sprawled over a chair, waiting, lazily flicking through a magazine, clearly not reading any of it. He was eying the door, waiting for Harry to come through. Seeing his godson, he exploded up, slinging an arm around him. It had been this way after every exam so far, Sirius was not made for sitting quietly and waiting. The first day he had gone and gotten his Animagus form registered, but that had taken him 15 minutes and he was clearly quite bored. The second day he complained about having finished reading all of the available magazines.
"Aunt Andy did tell you to bring a book." Harry needled him and Sirius grimaced.
"I know! I forgot. I'll try to remember tomorrow. We have an hour before your practicals, do you think we can sneak in a trip to the Leaky or will we not have enough time?" Sirius started marching them to the door, clearly eager to escape his purgatory.
"Probably not, let's just go to the cafeteria again." Harry shook his head and smirked as Sirius deflated.
"But they don't have firewhiskey in the cafeteria." slouching now, the man slowed and let his arm fall from Harry's shoulder.
"It's too early for whiskey, Si- Dad." Harry caught himself at the last moment, they were in public and needed to be calling each other their new names.
"It's five o'clock somewhere, Hadrian." Sirius responded, needling him, despite his heart warming at hearing Harry call him dad.
"Damnit Dad, call me Harry!" He enjoyed leaning into the same sort of impotent frustration at his parent that Dora had displayed more than once when Andromeda had insisted on using her first name. It made him feel much more like he had a family, regardless of how it had come into being.
"Tiān dùn!" Harry yelled, thrusting the point of his new wand forward, a golden shield spilling out from the point to form a sphere around the teen as stunners ricocheted off, producing deep pealing gongs on impact. The pair of Aurors that Madame Bones had directed to spar with him for his DADA practical paused, before throwing increasingly dangerous spells against the shield, cutters and piercing hexes aimed such that even if the shield would fail, they would miss the boy.
"Cast a dark curse!" Harry yelled to the pair, wanting to show off what the ancient chinese "heavenly shield" would do. The pair glanced at each other, before the one on the left threw sectumsempra at the shield, their eyes widening as the spell was absorbed without sound, unlike the previous stunners and hexes which wouldn't have left a cursed wound. Harry dropped the shield and jogged over to where Madam Marchbanks sat, inscrutable as ever, next to Amelia Bones, whose only expression was a raised eyebrow, and Sirius who was vibrating with energy in his seat, struggling to hold himself back from cheering as if at a sporting event.
Harry's hands were shaking, and he bounced on the balls of his feet, adrenaline only part of his current high. Tiān dùn was special in that it would absorb the ill intent of cursed spells and turn it into raw magic, bleeding it back into the shield's caster. It was dangerous, used against fiendfyre or an unforgivable, it would actually block the curse but would also near-instantly burn out the person who cast the shield, at best killing parts of their nervous system and at worst falling over dead. While the shield was still relatively well known, it was the second part of the practice that had fallen into Chinese mythology - the ability to redirect the extra energy through your body into the earth or even back at your opponent.
"Impressive, Mr. Black. I dare say you've passed your Defense Against the Dark Arts OWL with flying colors, but I would like to see a few more charms from you. If you'd like to do anything in particular, feel free, otherwise I'll ask you for a few specific demonstrations." Madam Marchbanks lowered her clipboard from making a few marks.
Harry nodded, smiling. He didn't even stop and think, he just flicked his wand and nonverbally cast his patronus, thinking of Dora's face ringed by sunlit pink hair above him, rather than his parents, without considering the change in memory. Instead of Prongs leaping forth from his wand, an ethereal jackrabbit bounced out, and immediately began investigating the room. Harry felt the excess energy leave him, as he considered the changed patronus, and he felt more than saw his godfather's excitement turn nearly feral as he realized just what that meant. Harry spared him a glance, blushing lightly at the double thumbs up Sirius gave him, knowing it wasn't for casting the spell.
"Exceptional, Mr. Black." Amelia spoke for the first time since he started. Madam Marchbanks nodded.
"Nonverbal too." She made another mark before setting her clipboard aside and clasping her hands in front of her.
"That's all I need to see today. Please return tomorrow for your Potions exam." She hopped up, and left the room with no further explanation.
"Congratulations!" Sirius nearly shouted in his exuberance. Harry saw Amelia roll her eyes over Sirius's shoulder as his godfather embraced him.
"Hold on Dad, I don't even have my scores yet." Harry tried to calm the man.
"Even so, Mr. Black, It was quite impressive. Frankly, I would admit you to the auror academy today, though I suspect you wouldn't have the potions NEWT requirement." Amelia stood and smoothed her robes. Harry noticed Sirius's eying her in the process and rolled his eyes. He didn't quite understand how purebloods could find anyone in traditional robes sexy. It was like wearing a heavy curtain.
"No ma'am, I think I'll do alright on the OWL but I certainly couldn't pass the potions NEWT yet." Harry shook his head.
Amelia hummed in response. "Well, work on that and when you graduate, consider this an invitation to apply." With that, she nodded to Sirius, and also left the room.
Sirius turned to Harry as the pair of aurors left, nodding to the teen. "So can we go to the Leaky now?" His eyes were exaggeratedly big, begging like a toddler. He couldn't be serious if his life didn't depend on it.
Harry laughed. "Yeah, I suppose we can. I could use a butterbeer." Sirius jumped, fistpumping the sky, overly excited. Harry didn't understand how someone could go through life so energetically, but it was definitely entertaining.
Harry was sitting on his bed reading, back against the headboard, when Dora pushed his door open and shut it behind her. Harry lowered the book to his lap and watched as she walked over, a question on his face. She didn't speak, instead climbing onto the bed and sitting next to him. He waited for her to say something, but she sat silently.
"Hey." He nudged her shoulder. She smiled, but continued to look forward at the quilt beneath them, before taking a breath, and turning to look at Harry.
"What are we doing?" She fixed him with a serious gaze, eyes wide and questioning. Harry floundered for a moment, unsure what she was referring to, before she continued.
"Are we just going to keep flirting? Are we going to start dating? Are you gonna ever do something, cause honestly I'd really like you to." She looked away but kept rambling. "Sometimes I think you're about to say it or make a move and my breath catches in anticipation, but then it's a smile or a joke and my heart drops a bit. I don't just want this to just be fun, Harry. You're the first person I've met who has never asked me to change something about myself."
Harry sat still, frozen but slowly thawing, as she continued. "Everyone asks me to demo my ability, even if it's not sexual, though a lot of guys last year started asking me to make my boobs bigger and stuff. You've never done that, and better yet, you know what it is like, to be asked to be something you're not. So I want to try and make this work, I've been working up the courage to have this conversation but I'm not a Gryffindor like you -mph!"
Harry pulled her towards him, directing her with a gentle but firm hand to look towards him, before abruptly cutting her off and kissing her. He quickly broke the kiss, making sure she wouldn't object, before going back in for a slower, more languid kiss. Dora turned full towards him as the two fell sideways with her laying half across his chest. The kiss deepened to a snog as the two explored each other, hands coming to relatively safe areas on one another's body, Harry's on her hip and hers on his chest
The two pulled away for a breath, gasping as they looked between one another, when the door opened and Andromeda stood before them, mouth set in a frown but struggling not to smile.
"No grandchildren! And Harry, it's time for another Occlumency lesson." The two teens went as red as a tomato as the woman turned and left the room, allowing the smirk to break free of her restraint. She walked down to the kitchen, sitting across from Sirius while humming, clearly pleased.
"So, they finally get together?" Sirius asked, excited and leaning forward, elbows on the table, eager for gossip and to tease his godson.
"Yep!" Andromeda bopped her head in tune with a song only she could hear, so happy she was. Sirius watched her as she reverted to how she was at age twelve.
"What'd you say when you caught them?" Sirius sat back in his chair.
Andromeda's grin turned predatory. "Oh, I always felt that embarrassment is far more useful as a deterrent than outright rules. I'll just remind them that I'm too young to be a grandmother and that the wards prevent silencing charms, if they go too far."
Sirius's face fell, realizing that his cousin was going to be far more effective at teasing than he ever could be.
"That's just evil, Andy."