Almost

Chapter 57: Apptitude

Sunday had passed uneventfully, with Weasleys coming and going from the house as they had to handle their other responsibilities. Hermione, who had spent most of the day practicing her French with Fleur and Victoire, had been the first to go for an early meeting in Paris. George and Ron followed close behind to open the store. She knew Angelina, Audrey, and Percy would go soon enough.

Katherine sat at the kitchen table, Talia's charms books in front of her, wondering what the girl had wanted to be when she graduated. She had told Ezra to go to bed hours ago. He put up a good fight until she reminded him that she'd gotten more sleep in the last few days than she had in the last few weeks. She was due for a good, late night, and he had to go to MACUSA in the morning.

She'd always loved being up late at night. The peace and calm of being awake when that was enough to be doing more than what was expected of her. So here she sat, little more than a silhouette in the window, stretching the muscles of her brain as she became lost in the tedious task of flipping through the pages.

"Effective guard you have there."

Katherine nearly jumped out of her skin at the voice, and her magic shorted almost immediately. She grimaced, counting to 55 before it came shivering back through her. She opened the eyes she had clenched shut and found that it was Audrey who was standing guiltily in front of her.

"Sorry," she said when Katherine met her gaze with embarrassment. "Has he been out long?"

"An hour or so," Katherine answered, holding tightly to her hands. "It's easier to work while he's asleep, honestly. Can I make you some tea? Coffee?"

"I can manage that."

"I've got it. I was going to make myself some anyways while Crawley isn't awake to monitor my caffeine intake."

"Tea would be great, then." Audrey settled into a chair as Katherine shuffled the books aside.

She carefully filled the kettle and turned on the stove to wait for the telltale whistle. With all that had happened, she wasn't sure when she'd get any more of her vanilla almond tea, so she opted for Lady Grey. When the steaming mugs were in front of them, Katherine blew softly on the black tea before taking the first sip that inevitably burnt her tongue.

"So, what will today look like for you?" Katherine asked her aunt.

"Oh, apparition testing days are always challenging," Audrey answered. "The students get so nervous. Often, that's what stops them from succeeding. If they would just calm down, they'd be far better off."

"Sounds like taking the ACT," Katherine offered, aware the joke wouldn't land before she said it. Audrey had a muggle mother, but Katherine had spent enough time trying to parse out the differences between the Wizarding and Muggle school systems that comparing the British and American ones seemed too much.

"But it is fun to watch the excitement of those who succeed. Especially those who have not done well in practice."

Katherine thought about that for a moment. "Can I ask you a . . . personal question?"

"Of course," Audrey said, leaning forward.

"Well, Hermione told me once that you had been offered Percy's job before he was . . . is that true?"

"She was offered Percy's job first, you know," Hermione had told her once, when Katherine had asked about how apparition was taught. "Twycross, who had the job before her, raved about her when she was at Hogwarts. Said he'd never seen someone pick it up so quickly. Petitioned for her to get her license early, even."

"Why didn't she take it?" Katherine asked.

Hermione shrugged. "She hates meetings. So, they gave it to someone else, and then to Percy when the position opened again. And she's so good at what she does—even when someone gets splinched, she's calm and patient, but meticulous. Leave one eyelash behind, and it's another month of practice for you . . ."