I hope our story has a happier ending

your enemy whispers so you have to scream

Hermione had thought the castle was tense before, but after McGonagall leaves—

(it's only been two days, but they've been the most hellish two days the current student body has ever seen at Hogwarts.)

Everyone's distracted during their Defense exam—

(it's hard to focus when the world is crumbling around you. when things like exams and grades feel meaningless as havoc reigns.)

But it's also the first time they've publicly been able to perform defense spells in a year; not in a disappearing room or an underground chamber, not disguised as charm work, not looking over their shoulder for fear of expulsion.

Hermione finds herself looking around the room constantly, holding back a full-blown grin at the sight of ASA members all around the Great Hall successfully performing Defense spells.

Umbridge stands at the front of the hall, looking shocked and furious, which further adds to Hermione's glee. The woman clearly has no idea how they've all managed to be proficient—she's so deeply bothered by it that it's probably cause for concern, if she decides to investigate later, but Hermione can't bear to worry about that right now.

(for just this moment, she wants to believe they've won.)

She watches Neville perfectly shield from a stunning spell, Daphne cast a textbook reducto, and for some reason out of the corner of her eye she spots Harry casting a Patronus charm. It's—

(just this moment.)

And then it's the History of Magic OWL, one even she finds rather tedious—it sucks, that wizarding history is so fascinating and nuanced and layered, and yet the parts they test on are so incredibly far away from what really matters.

She catches Harry, Ron, and Pansy all falling asleep during it, and has to resist the urge to throw her shoes at them—she decides against it, knowing with how little they've paid attention in class over the years they probably might as well sleep.

It's their last OWL, though, so when the hourglass runs out and the proctor summons all the exams to her a cheer arises among their entire year.

(Everything was against them this year, but—they made it.)

"We did it!" Harry exclaims when they make it out into the hallway.

"Does sleeping through the entire exam really count as having done it?" Hermione asks shrewdly, narrowing her eyes at them both.

Harry scoffs, knowing she's not really mad as he plants a kiss on her cheek. "Come on, Mia, you know as well as I do we were never going to pass that one."

"I suppose," she relents with a wry smile.

Ron grins widely, moving to pick her up and spin her around. "Relax a bit, Hermione, we're free!"

Harry's laughing beside them, and from across the corridor she can see the smile in Draco's eye.

"Alright, alright, I will if you put me down, Ronald!" she giggles despite herself as he plants her back on her feet, Harry reaching out an arm to help steady her.

There's only an hour before dinner, so they make their way outside along with all the rest of the OWL and NEWT students who are desperate to be away from a desk, ravenous for fresh air.

It won't last, they know it, but for one hour their entire year is at peace—sun, and grass, and just breathing. One hour of pretending Voldemort's not back, there's not a war on the horizon, the government and administration haven't been overrun—one hour of calm.