The Founders

Chapter 57

Exam week in Hogwarts passed quickly, but painfully, for Kyra. On Monday, she endured two hours of the written paper for Transfiguration, which was unsurprisingly impossible. Unless, of course, you had properly revised for it, which Kyra, unfortunately, had not.

Then again, nor had Alexander and yet he let her rant solo as they lay beside the lake that lunchtime. The practical Transfiguration exam was marginally better, which could not be said for either Kyra's written or practical Potions exams; both were atrocious.

She mostly fudged the answers for the Astronomy practical, since she couldn't care less about the relative position of Mars to Venus during May. However, she had passed her Herbology practical with flying colours, and knew all the answers to the written.

Charms went decently, to Kyra's surprise, and she attributed it to all the time she had spent with Alexander, as if she had mentally soaked up his ability in the subject. She came top of the class in DADA, which Professor Brockett informed her before her practical exam was even over, and she felt similarly confident in her written.

Kyra woke up exhausted on Friday morning, having spent the last night revising for her final exam; the Astronomy written. Pulling herself out of bed, she said a little prayer of thanks that their resident villain had not committed any further evil during their exam week; she didn't think she could handle any more exertion.

At breakfast, Kyra and Grace groaned and complained at each other in a way that was unintelligible to most other people.

"At least there's quidditch tomorrow," Grace offered in a rare moment of optimism.

They then lined up outside the great hall for their final exam, the line of sixth years nervously fiddling with pencil cases or shifting anxiously as they began to file in.

A few hours of pain later, Kyra strode out of the hall triumphantly and waited to pounce on Grace as soon as she exited the hall behind her, hugging her aggressively in a headlock. Oscar strolled out behind them and they both collapsed on top of him.

Extricating themselves from their group pretzel, they walked out to the grass beside the lake, chattering happily and enjoying their newfound freedom. Neither Kat nor Alexander had been stupid enough to take Astronomy and so both of them had finished their exams the day before.

Kyra told the others happily that she was going to ambush Alexander in his dorm room, since he was probably sleeping exhaustedly at that moment.

"Ugh, you two are so happy it's sickening," Oscar complained, putting his hand in her face. He was suddenly much more relaxed and jokey since the end of the exams; exams always took a greater toll on him than the others.

Kyra batted his hand away, grinning. "No comment, lonely one."

Oscar made a face at her and then leaned back against the trunk of the beech tree behind him. They were lying in its cool shade, Grace's head propped on Oscar's legs and Kyra sitting beside Oscar.

It was nice to spend time as a group again, which they hadn't had much of a chance to do in the last few weeks.

"I'm so glad I'm not playing in a match tomorrow," Oscar sighed. Kyra gave him a disbelieving look.

"No, you're not, you would love to be in the running for the Quidditch cup. Especially considering Hufflepuff can only dream of winning it," Kyra laughed, dodging Oscar hand reaching out to hit her.

Grace woke up from her doze, laughing at Oscar's attempt to defend the integrity of his quidditch team.

"The Hufflepuff team is a team of pheasants," was Grace's cryptic input, eyes squinted shut against the sunlight and hands used to illustrate her point. "They're skittish and they can barely fly," Grace said matter-of-factly as Oscar looked deeply offended.

"Not you of course, Oscar," Kyra added consolingly, while Grace looked dubious. "I'd say you're more of an eagle."

"No, I meant pheasant."

Grace ducked Oscar's flying foot.