Into The Light (Golden Trio Era) {2}

"Ask No Questions..."

"But we feel our futures lie outside the world of academic achievement." "We seriously debated whether we were going to bother coming back for our seventh year," George added brightly, "now that we've got-" He broke off suddenly, glancing at Harry and Mikayla for a moment. Both of which were looking at the food on the table, avoiding George's gaze. "-now that we've got our O.W.L.s," George said hastily. "I mean, do we really need N.E.W.T.s? But we didn't think Mum could take us leaving school early, not on top of Percy turning out to be the world's biggest prat." "We're not going to waste our last year here, though," Fred said, looking affectionately around at the Great Hall. "We're going to use it to do a bit of market research, find out exactly what the average Hogwarts student requires from his joke shop, carefully evaluate the results of our research, and then produce the products to fit the demand." "But where are you going to get the gold to start a joke shop?" Hermione asked skeptically. "You're going to need all the ingredients and materials, and premises too, I suppose..." Fred shrugged. "Ask us no questions and we'll tell you no lies, Hermione." He looked at George. "C'mon, George, if we get there early we might be able to sell a few Extendable Ears before Herbology." George nodded and the two of them walked away, each carrying a stack of toast.

"What did that mean?" Hermione asked, looking from Harry to Ron to Mikayla. "'Ask us no questions...' Does that mean they've already got some gold to start a joke shop?" "You know, I've been wondering about that," Ron furrowed his eye brows. "They bought me a new set of dress robes this summer, and I couldn't understand where they got the Galleons..." Mikayla shrugged as Harry spoke up, changing the subject. "D'you reckon it's true this year's going to be really tough? Because of the exams?" "Oh yeah," Ron nodded. "Bound to be, isn't it? O.W.Ls are really important, affect the jobs you can apply for and everything. We get career advice too, later this year, Bill told me. So you can choose what N.E.W.Ts you want to do next year."

After the others ate their fill, they got up from the table and left the Great Hall. Harry was looking rather thoughtful, and when he spoke up, they knew why. "Do you know what you guys want to do after Hogwarts?" He asked them as they set off toward the History of Magic classroom. "Not really." Ron said slowly. "Except... well..." He looked slightly sheepish. "What?" Mikayla asked curiously. "Well, it'd be cool to be an Auror." He said in an offhand voice. "Yeah, it would." Harry agreed fervently. "But they're, like, the elite." Ron said. "You've got to be really good. What about you, Mikayla?" Mikayla blushed lightly, "Department for the Regulation and Control of Magical Creatures or a Healer like my mam." Ron's eyes widened at the mention of the ministry job, "I never knew you wanted to work in the ministry." Mikayla nodded, "I decided in the woods after my row with Crouch." Hermione smiled, "I was thinking of going that way myself, work on S.P.E.W." Mikayla grinned at thought of her and Hermione working together, changing laws for the better treatment of magical creatures.

History of Magic was by common consent the most boring subject ever devised by Wizard-kind. Professor Binns had a wheezy, droning voice that was almost guaranteed to cause severe drowsiness within ten minutes, five in warm weather. He never varied the form of the lessons, but lectured them without pausing while some took notes, or rather, gazed sleepily into space. Luckily Mikayla's determination to know as much as possible helps her in this class, otherwise she would probably fail. Harry and Ron, bless them, barely managed to pass History of Magic. The only reason they hadn't failed was because Hermione and Mikayla let them read and copy their notes before exams. Today they suffered through three quarters of an hour's droning on the subject of giant wars. If another teacher was talking about this, it might have been somewhat interesting, but since it was Binns, it was as boring as watching paint dry. Ron and Harry played hangman as Binns lectured, while Hermione sent them seething glares.

"How would it be if I refused to lend you my notes this year?" She asked the boys in the cold voice as we left the classroom for break. "Well, we'd use Mikayla's." Ron said simply. "What if Mikayla doesn't give them to you?" "Well, she will, but if she didn't..." Ron trailed off slowly before he continued. "We'd probably fail our O.W.L.s." He grinned at Hermione. "If you want that on your conscience, Hermione..." "Well, you'd deserve it." Hermione snapped at him. "You don't even try to listen to him, do you?" "We do try." Ron replied. "We just haven't got your brains or your memory, or both of your concentrations, you guys are just cleverer than we are, is it nice to rub it in?" Mikayla chuckled lightly as Hermione rolled her eyes, looking slightly mollified. "Oh, don't give me that rubbish." She said as she led the way out into the damp courtyard as a short cut to get to the Dungeon staircase.

Snape's dungeon door creaked open. They filed into the classroom, the foursome gathering around their usual table, there was light chatter pulsing through the cold room. "Settle down," Snape said coldly, shutting the door behind him. There was no real need for the call to order, the moment the class had heard the door close, quiet had fallen and all fidgeting stopped. Snape's mere presence was usually enough to ensure a class's silence. "Before we begin today's lesson," Snape said as he swept over to his desk and stared around at all of us, "I think it appropriate to remind you that next June you will be sitting an important examination, during which you will prove how much you have learned about the composition and use of magical potions. Moronic though some of this class undoubtedly are, I expect you to scrape an 'Acceptable' in your O.W.L., or suffer my...displeasure." His gaze lingered this time upon Neville, who gulped. "After this year, of course, many of you will cease studying with me," Snape went on. "I take only the very best into my N.E.W.T. Potions class, which means that some of us will certainly be saying good-bye." His eyes rested on Harry and his lip curled. Harry glared back at him. "But we have another year to go before that happy moment of farewell," Snape said softly, "so whether you are intending to attempt N.E.W.T. or not, I advise all of you to concentrate your efforts upon maintaining the high-pass level I have come to expect from my O.W.L. students. Today we will be mixing a potion that often comes up at Ordinary Wizarding Level, the Draught of Peace, a potion to calm anxiety and soothe agitation. Be warned. If you are too heavy-handed with the ingredients you will put the drinker into a heavy and sometimes irreversible sleep, so you will need to pay close attention to what you are doing." On Mikayla's left, Hermione sat up a little straighter, her expression one of the utmost attentiveness. Mikayla smiled shaking her head, looking back at Snape. "The ingredients and method-" Snape flicked his wand. "-are on the blackboard-" Words appeared on the board written in chalk. "You will find everything you need-" He flicked his wand again. "-in the store cupboard-" The door of the said cupboard sprang open. "-you have an hour and a half... Start."