The exams began in an unnatural hush. On Monday morning, Megan woke up feeling nervous but reasonably confident. She’d had fairly steady marks all year, she was pretty sure she’d be okay. Hermione was jumpier than a jack in the box, even though she had the best average in the class. The third years went to lunch limp and ashen faced after Transfiguration, comparing results and moaning over how hard the tasks had been, namely turning a kettle into a tortoise. Megan didn’t think she’d done too badly, even if her tortoise had a silver shell. Hermione was fussing over her tortoise looking more like a turtle.
“Hermione, relax! We all know you’re going to have stellar marks,” Megan said when she was getting panicky.
After lunch, it was back up for Charms. And Hermione had been right. Cheering Charms were indeed in the exam. And they still had to revise for Potions, Astronomy and Care of Magical Creatures. The latter proved the easiest they had ever sat as they just had to let the Flobberworms be. This gave Megan and the others time to speak to Hagrid. He was trying to keep face, but Megan and her friends knew him too well to not see through him.
“Beaky’s been a bit depressed…” he said. “Wants ter stretch ‘is wings, don’t he…”
Megan leaned against his shoulder.
“I’ve been thinkin’ o’ just lettin’ ‘im go, yeh know.”
Megan’s head snapped up.
“Hagrid, you can’t! If you do, they’ll throw you in Azkaban!”
“Aye, I know… but it’s just… so unfair…”
Megan couldn’t think of a helpful answer, because it was unfair. And she was feeling more and more convinced Hagrid would never get over Buckbeak’s execution.
They had a half hour break between their exams that afternoon, and by a lucky twist, Cedric was out of his exam papers as well. They sat under the tree by the lake.
“So, how was Hagrid doing?” Cedric asked.
He, unlike the others, wasn’t overseen by the school teachers for his OWL exams.
“He was miserable…” Megan said heavily. “He set us Flobberworms for the exam!"
Cedric’s eyes widened.
“Yikes… I guess you were right.”
Megan knew he meant the fact that Hagrid would be devastated by the execution.
“Yeah, well it’s not all it claims to be,” Megan sighed, leaning against the tree.
Cedric reached out and squeezed her fingers.
“Did they fix a date yet?” he asked them.
“The sixth,” Megan answered. “The day we finish our exams.”
There was a silence. It was only two days away now.
“… I wish there was something we could do…” Hermione said sadly. “I’ve gone through it over and over but I can’t think of anything…”
Megan bit her lip. She too hated feeling helpless, especially when someone she cared about was the one in trouble.
“We all want to help…” Harry said. “But Dumbledore couldn’t stop it, and if he can’t intervene, I can’t see who can…”
“Even if we try and prove Buckbeak’s not dangerous, he’ll be nervous because of the committee…” Megan sighed.
They all glanced towards Hagrid’s hut, where they could just see Buckbeak scratching the ground by the pumkin patch. Megan glanced at her watch.
YOU ARE READING
Megan Potter - A saga of the Heart - Book 3 - Past and Present
أدب الهواة- Things are seldom what they appear - Megan was ready for yet another long, boring summer at the Dursleys. Little did she know that this summer would soon turn out even worse than the last. The reason? Her cousin's aunt Marge. And as if that wasn'...
