We will meet again ~ Fred Weasley

- The Prophecy -

"Before that night, I thought bravery meant running toward danger. Afterwards, I learned it meant living with what came next."

_______________________________

The final O.W.L. examination in Defence Against the Dark Arts should have been stressful, but for Katherine it felt almost effortless.

Defence had always been her strongest subject. Long before the D.A. had been formed, she had spent countless hours studying spells, defensive magic, and counter-curses. Since she and Harry had begun teaching their secret lessons, she had only become more confident, often helping other students master difficult spells when they struggled.

As she worked through the final questions, her quill moving steadily across the parchment, she found herself smiling.

For once, an exam felt easy.

Around her, the Great Hall was filled with the familiar scratching of quills, the occasional cough, and the rustling of parchment. Even Umbridge's presence at the front of the room couldn't dampen her mood.

Then a loud bang echoed somewhere beyond the hall.

Every head lifted.

Another explosion followed.

Then another.

The sound reverberated through the castle walls.

Umbridge's face immediately darkened.

"What is the meaning of this?" she snapped.

The silence of the exam hall shattered as students exchanged curious glances.

With an irritated huff, Umbridge rose from her chair and marched down the centre aisle, her kitten-covered cardigan swaying with every furious step. The sharp click of her heels echoed throughout the room as she reached the doors and yanked them open.

The moment she did, a tiny orange firework shot through the gap.

Katherine's breath caught.

A grin instantly spread across her face.

"Oh no," she whispered.

The firework danced gleefully around Umbridge's head, darting in and out of reach whenever she attempted to swat it away.

Several students immediately began snickering.

Katherine knew that firework.

She would recognise it anywhere.

Their goodbye had arrived.

Only one pair of idiots would interrupt O.W.L.s with fireworks.

A second later the hall erupted.

Fred and George Weasley burst through the doorway on their brooms.

The room exploded into cheers.

Students leapt from their seats.

Examiners shouted in protest.

Parchment flew everywhere as George sent a spell ricocheting across the room, lifting hundreds of exam papers into the air like a flock of white birds.

Fred laughed so loudly Katherine could hear him above the chaos.

The sound made her chest ache.

For a moment she forgot they were leaving.

Forgot that this was goodbye.

She simply watched them.

Watched them do what they did best.