𝑴𝒊𝒏𝒖𝒕𝒆, regulus black

𝐂𝐡𝐚𝐩𝐭𝐞𝐫 𝟑𝟔: 𝐎.𝐖.𝐋'𝐬

＊*•̩̩͙✩•̩̩͙*˚

Rune flicked the pen between her fingers as she read through her final answer for her History of Magic O.W.L. A smirk settled on her face at the pride in what she knew was a textbook perfect answer. 

Since the start of exams, she had reached the peak of her academic motivation. Exams for eleven of her twelve subjects were completed and she knew with confidence that there was not a single question yet that she battled with. 

Granted, she punished herself with only an hour's a night and allowed herself a maximum of 30 minutes a day for showering, grooming and eating. The rest of the 22 and a half hours of the day were devoted to studying. 

She reckoned that not even Merlin himself could have produced answers as perfectly as she had. 

Rune closed her answer sheet and looked forward to the left where Regulus Black sat leaning back in his chair with his arms folded across his chest. 

She narrowed her eyes at the back of him as she engaged in her usual hourly cursing of his name and honor and lineage and pretty much everything that could possibly be traced to him. 

As if he sensed her gaze on him, he looked over his shoulder slightly until he met her eyes. He read her expression and he must have been pleased with the anger he found, because he nodded his head to her in greeting and offered her a mocking smile. 

She ran her finger over her brow pretending to neaten it, but really using it as an excuse to stick up her middle finger at him.  

He obviously noted it, because his stupid smile grew before he turned to the front again. 

Rune curled her fingers in fury. One more exam and one more Quidditch match. 

That is all that was left and then she could have a two-month break from the whole lot of them. 

"30 minutes to go," croaked Professor Flitwick. 

Rune stifled a yawn as she lowered her head to the desk and closed her eyes. Her burn out was already settling in. 

45 minutes later, once her exam was handed in and the rest of the students went to rest and reset before their Astronomy Practical at midnight, Rune lugged herself up the stairs of the Astronomy Tower. 

When she entered Professor Bagshaw's classroom, she saw that she was in the midst of teaching the third year Slytherin's.

"Assignments are on the table," said Professor Bagshaw, without looking up. "You can find yours and take it. I've recorded the marks already." 

Rune tried to draw as little attention to herself as possible as she skidded to the front of the classroom and found the stack of assignments. 

She flipped through them until she found her name and pulled hers out. She was about to leave with it, when she returned to the pile and sifted through until she landed on 'Regulus Black'. 

Her mistake had been silly. While she was recording her sightings, she'd accidentally miscalled a constellation and star and it had costed her that one mark. 

She learnt from her mistake, but she knew it was always beneficial to learn from the mistakes of your enemy as well. 

Except, as she pulled out his assignments, she gasped loudly. 

"Something wrong, Miss Westwood?"

Rune could barely look up to her professor as her eyes struggled to believe the circled 100 in the corner of his assignment.