The Rise of the God-Emperor

CH 18: The Start of Finals

The morning sun streamed through the high windows of Hogwarts, casting long beams of light onto the stone floors as students hurried through the corridors, their voices tinged with nervous energy. It was the start of finals week, and the air buzzed with the familiar tension that always accompanied this time of year. Students clutched textbooks tightly, muttering incantations under their breath as they made their way to their first exams, anxious to prove themselves.

For most students, today felt like the culmination of everything they had worked toward for months. For Harry, it felt like a distraction.

He sat at the Gryffindor table in the Great Hall, absentmindedly poking at his breakfast while around him, students chattered nervously about the upcoming exams. Hermione, unsurprisingly, was the most intense, her brow furrowed in concentration as she scanned the pages of Advanced Transfiguration: Theory and Practice for what must have been the hundredth time that morning.

"You've got this," Ron was saying, though he looked far less confident himself, fiddling nervously with a piece of toast. "Just remember what McGonagall said about switching elements. If I can get that down, we'll be fine."

Hermione barely glanced up from her book. "That's easy for you to say, Ron. Transfiguration is all about precision. One mistake and—well, you remember what happened to Seamus last year."

Ron winced at the memory, and Harry sighed, turning his gaze toward the enchanted ceiling, where the bright blue sky seemed out of place against the anxious mood in the hall.

"Harry?" Hermione's voice broke through his thoughts. She was looking at him now, her eyes narrowed in concern. "You've barely said a word all morning. Aren't you worried about finals at all?"

"Not really," Harry replied, surprising even himself with how flat his voice sounded.

Hermione frowned. "You can't afford to slack off, Harry. This is NEWT-level material. If you don't focus, you'll fall behind. You've been distracted for weeks now."

Ron, chewing nervously on his toast, nodded in agreement. "She's right, mate. I know there's a lot going on, but you don't want to fail."

Harry glanced between them, feeling a familiar frustration building in his chest. They were talking to him like he was still the same Harry—the one who stressed about exams, who cared about the little things that now seemed so distant. He wasn't that person anymore, but they couldn't see it. They didn't understand what was happening around them, what was building within him.

"I'll be fine," Harry said, a little more sharply than he intended. He didn't want to argue, but he was tired of pretending that finals mattered right now.

Hermione looked like she was about to press the issue, but at that moment, Luna Lovegood appeared at the table, her usual serene smile in place.

"Good morning, Harry," she said, completely ignoring the tension between him and his friends. She slid into the seat beside him, her eyes bright. "You seem distracted."

Harry allowed himself a small smile. "That obvious?"

Luna nodded, her gaze drifting up toward the ceiling as though she could see something no one else could. "It's hard to focus on exams when there are more important things happening, isn't it?"

Hermione let out an exasperated sigh. "Luna, please don't encourage him! This is serious—these are our finals!"

Luna turned her calm gaze on Hermione, unfazed by her panic. "There's always something more serious happening, Hermione. Exams are just one small part of a much bigger picture."

Harry felt a surge of gratitude for Luna's presence. She always seemed to understand what was really important, even if she didn't spell it out the way Hermione did.