chosen - harry potter

Chapter 10 - From Under the Willow Tree

𖡼.𖤣𖥧𖡼.𖤣𖥧

Exam week arrived faster than Cassia expected. Luckily for her, she had Hermione as a best friend, so she felt prepared. She was usually fine with practical exams, but written exams were her enemy. 

The week began with the Transfiguration exam, which tested the ability to turn a teapot into a tortoise. Cassia did it successfully, breathing a sigh of relief when the tortoise began walking across the exam table. Then, after lunch, they had the Charms exam. Cassia and Hermione went in together to perform a Cheering charm on each other. Cassia went first, making Hermione smiley and giggling before Professor Flitwick cast the counter-charm. Hermione cast the charm successfully as well, making Cassia feel joyful for a brief moment.

The next day, they started with the Care of Magical Creatures exam. It proved to be the easiest exam Cassia had ever taken. Hagrid gave everyone a flobberworm and told them to keep it alive for an hour. Nearly everyone did this successfully. That afternoon, they had their Potions exam. Cassia accepted that she would do the worst on this exam, and that's exactly what happened. Everything went fine until she put too much sneezewort into her Confusing Concoction, making it turn a strange shade of purple. Then came Astronomy and Herbology, both of which Cassia felt vaguely confident about. 

The second to last exam was Defense Against the Dark Arts, which was perhaps the most challenging but intriguing exam yet. It resembled an obstacle course, where they had to wade across a pool containing a grindylow, cross potholes full of Red Caps, make their way through a march while ignoring a hinkypunk, and then get into a trunk and battle with a boggart.

Cassia made her way through the course successfully, feeling relieved when Tom Riddle got away from her and she emerged from the trunk. 

"Great job, Cassia," Professor Lupin said. "Full marks!"

Cassia's last exam was Divination. When it was her turn, she entered the stuffy classroom to see Professor Trelawney, sitting across from a crystal ball. 

"Good day, my dear," she smiled hazily. "If you would kindly gaze into the Orb...and tell me what you see..."

She looked into the crystal ball and, to her surprise, she saw a figure that looked like a skull.

"I see a skull," Cassia said, looking up at Professor Trelawney, trying to remember what the symbol meant. "Which can mean...death in a literal or symbolic sense."

"Good work, dear," Professor Trelawney smiled. "You may go."

Cassia stood up to leave, happy that the exam was so short, but Professor Trelawney grabbed her by the arm.

"Remember what you've learned," she said seriously, her voice losing its usual airiness. "You may be able to save us all."

Cassia's eyes widened and said a quiet, "Okay," before quickly leaving the classroom, heading quickly to the common room. As she entered, she found Harry, Ron, and Hermione sitting in the corner.

"Buckbeak lost," Ron said weakly as she approached, passing her a note. "Hagrid's just sent this."

Lost appeal. They're going to execute at sunset. Nothing you can do. Don't come down. I don't want you to see it. 
Hagrid

"We've got to go," Cassia said. "We can't let him be alone for that."

They agreed to take the Invisibility Cloak and go down to comfort Hagrid after dinner. The quartet went with the rest of Gryffindor to dinner, but they did not return to the tower with them. They dipped into an empty corridor and wrapped themselves in the cloak, walking carefully toward Hagrid's cabin. Harry knocked and Hagrid opened the door, looking around, paranoid.