Harry Potter and the Wrath of the Fallen

Chapter 19: The Calm Before...

Monday morning on the last week of school before the holidays found Harry pacing nervously outside a classroom, while Seamus and Cho hovered nearby. Harry glanced at his watch; it was almost lunch time so he knew he wouldn't have to wait much longer.

The sound of running feet came down the corridor. All three of the waiting people looked up and saw Ginny and Neville come around the corner at high speed. Harry gave them a small smile but resumed his pacing before they reached him.

"How did it go?" asked Cho, as Ginny and Neville came to a stop beside her.

Neville nodded, slightly out of breath, while Ginny shrugged her shoulders. Harry would ask the pair how their Herbology exam had gone later, after he calmed down. At the moment, his students were just finishing up their first exam, and Harry found that he felt more nervous waiting for them to finish, than he ever had sitting his own exams.

Finally, he heard the sound of voices and chairs scrapping on the stone floor coming from inside the room. The door opened and an unfamiliar woman stood before Harry and the others. The woman's eyes widened in surprise until she realised who she was seeing.

"Ah, you must be the teachers?"

Harry looked around before he brought his attention back to the woman. "Yeah, most of us," said Harry, wondering what was keeping Hermione.

Hermione also had her midyear Arithmancy exam now, and Harry suspected she would be using every second available to her to finish the exam.

"How did they go?" asked Harry anxiously.

The woman could hear the pleading note in Harry's voice, and see the nervous looks on the faces of the others. She sighed.

"Mr Potter, I have to grade the exams before I can tell you that," she explained, seeing the faces of the gathered teachers fall. Her sympathy got the better of her. She leaned towards Harry and whispered very quietly. "You'll have to wait for the final results, but their wand and spell work was superb."

Harry felt relief flood through him as he smiled at the woman. He mouthed a silent 'thank you' to her as his students appeared in the doorway. He leaned down and grinned at the kids.

"Right, you lot. How about we get some lunch before your next exam?"

Harry and the others started making their way to the Great Hall, their little students already starting to discuss how they thought they had gone during the exam.

The woman gazed after the group, smiling as she watched them go. She knew the special circumstances of this group of students and teachers, and she was amazed by what she had just seen in the classroom, especially considering the short time frame they had been working to. If only they could all be taught by that group, she thought. While she hadn't graded the exams yet, she had passed her eye over the first paper to be handed back by one of the kids. At first glance, all the answers appeared to be nearly perfect. She turned and began to prepare the classroom for the next test after lunch.

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As lunch was enjoyed by those who didn't have any more exams today, and spent keeping an eye on the time by those who did; Harry was surprised when an owl swooped into the hall and dropped a letter beside his hand.

As the owl flew away to rest in the school owlery, Harry picked up the envelope and smiled when he saw the writing.

"It's from Luna," said Harry, as the group fell silent.

Harry quickly opened the letter and read it, before handing it to Ginny.

"What does she say," asked Hermione curiously.