The Hogwarts Game

Test

You tap your quill over and over again, creating a series of messy black dots along the edge of your parchment. You wish you had studied more! 

O.W.L.s have turned out to be harder than you'd expected. The only person who seemed to take it seriously was Hermione, but you know how overzealous she can get about testing. This time, she was actually right about the exam difficulty. 

You take a deep breath and lift your head. Two rows in front of you to the right, Padma Patil chomps down on the edge of her quill as she thinks. To your left, Zacharias Smith shakes his foot so anxiously that his whole body jiggles. You're not the only one who is nervous. These tests are meant to challenge you. All you have to do is get focused. 

You look down to your parchment once again, taking on your last few questions in stride. 

Which Goblin leader is responsible for the forging of Godric Gryffindor's famous sword? 

A. Bodrod the Bearded

B. Urg the Unclean

C. Ragnuk the First

D. Kodrod the Korny-Kanded

The incantation Fillipendo Tria will cause an opponent to:

A. Be knocked backwards

B. Dance uncontrollably

C. Become suspended in mid-air

D. Do a backflip

What six legged creature with a thick jerveled shell is native to Fiji?

A. Blast-ended shrervt

B. Manticores

C. Lobalug

D. Fire crab

You breathe a sigh of relief as you hand in your exam and rush out of the Great Hall. You think about heading back to the dorms but walk out to the grounds instead. You could use the fresh air. 

You're almost to the lake when a whimsical voice catches your attention along the edge of the Forbidden Forest. Curiosity gets the better of you, causing you to edge closer and closer until you finally can connect the voice to a face. Luna Lovegood stands in a clearing, feeding thick, greenish steaks to a frightening black horse with deep-set eyes and leathery wings. You remember these were the creatures that were pulling the carriages that brought you into the school last fall. 

"Katniss, isn't it?" She says without ever looking up in your direction. 

"Yes," you say. Fascination builds as you move next to Luna to examine the creature in front of you. "Luna, what is this thing?" 

"It's called a thestral. They're actually quite friendly," she says. Seeing the unanswered question in your eyes, she adds "You can only see them once you witness death." All you can do is nod slowly. 

You feel a sharp pain as your memory goes back to this past summer, when you and Gale had witnessed a teenage boy killed by a Capitol hovercraft. His girlfriend, who was perhaps a year or two older than you with dazzling red hair, was captured. Who knows what's happened to her? 

"They let you ride them as well," Luna suggests. "It always helps me to fly with them when I think about my mom. That's whose death I witnessed." 

You know Luna's trying to help you, but you don't know if you're ready to go high into the sky to ruminate about the death of a stranger. 

Should you:

A.) Fly on the Thestral? 

B.) Take a swim in the lake?