Crescent Moons ; J.S. Potter

36. study treats.

There was one place that Daisy spent ninety percent of her time in during the last few weeks of school: the library.

Of course, her study sessions weren't nearly as intense as they had been last year for the O.W.Ls, which she was insanely grateful for each time she stepped foot into the library. Mostly, she read her textbooks, revised her notes, and visited her Professors with questions.

Her friends didn't seem to be struggling much, either. Marlee, for instance, would simply spend a few hours before bed looking over her notes. This just meant that she would sleep a bit over her usual bedtime, which was a huge improvement from last year, where she would often have to stay up to the early morning.

Gwen seemed to be preoccupied with some other things to be fully absorbed in her studies. Considering she had been asked out by Leo Macmillian, the boy that Daisy still remembered as "the blonde guy from Slughorn's party," Gwen spent a lot of time on the weekends and free periods with the Hufflepuff boy. Though James often referred to him as "the dud," Daisy thought he and Gwen were a perfect match.

Similarly, Thomas and Benjamin, having recently begun dating, were constantly on dates together, often missing meals or breaking curfew to go to the Great Lake or have picnics on the Quidditch pitch. Daisy was happy about this since this little distraction made this year the first that Thomas locked himself in his dormitory for hours at a time to study. The two also seemed to be outlining plans for the summer already.

James, as usual, was breezing through the study season with minimal effort. He spent most of his days hanging out with the elves in the kitchen, visiting Hagrid's hut with his siblings, and bringing Daisy cookies. He was also attracting girls more than ever in the common room, during meals in the Great Hall, and even during the rare occasions that he would study in the library. Daisy was receiving fewer and fewer glares from said girls, which she assumed was because she was now dating someone that was not James.

It was now around one o'clock a week before the school year was over and Daisy was, expectedly, sitting at the library. She had skipped lunch due to her lack of hunger and because she was nearly done with this very interesting book about the origins of Potions.

As she was flipping the page to the last chapter, she heard someone pull out the chair next to her and sit down. Daisy turned around and grinned at the sight of James, holding something behind his back with a familiar glimmer in his eyes.

"What are you doing here, James?" she asked him. He pulled out a small paper bag from behind his back and placed it down on the table.

"What are you doing skipping lunch, my lady?" he retorted. "Minnie and I told you to stop doing that."

"This book is just so interesting!" she defended. "And plus, I wasn't that hungry."

"You hungry now?"

"Maybe a little," admitted Daisy. James shot her a smile before opening up the paper bag, releasing the smell of chocolate, butter, and dough. Daisy's jaw dropped as he reached into the bag and pulled out a delicious-looking chocolate cookie. "You're kidding."

"You didn't really expect me to let you go on without food?" said James, handing Daisy the cookie. "After all this time?"

She chuckled and bit into the cookie—it was absolutely wonderful. Too wonderful to be the cookie of anyone but the house elves.

"Did you steal these from the kitchen?" she asked, after taking another bite. The cookie was addicting.

"I don't steal, Daisy," said James. "I went down to the kitchen to hang out with the house elves and they insisted I take some cookies. Literally—they were shoving them into my arms."