Chapter 103: OWLs
AN: Random tangential thing, but I'm quite divided about where I prefer to be writing (as in which application, not which location, I am quite certain that I like writing inside of my own bedroom). And yes, I know that is the weirdest dilemma to be having over a hundred chapters after starting writing on FanFiction. Anyway, so the first fifty-five chapters of this story were written in MS Word, but since then I switched to Google Docs, and uploaded the first 55 chapters to the same Drive folder as well, mostly for the purpose of preventing data loss. But now, because I've been doing a lot of writing-based personal projects, I've kind of been enjoying writing in MS Word, to the point where I kinda miss it when I'm writing in Docs...so I'm not sure what to do now.
Also this chapter is taking FOREVER to write.
*** Gringotts
"Harry!"
The young Potter woke up groggily to the sound of panicked screaming. He blinked his eyes open to see the face of his Godfather a little bit close to his own face. Fat tears fell from Sirius' eyes onto Harry's face.
"Gerroff," Harry mumbled.
Sirius blinked, "Harry!" he said, "You're alive!"
"I know that," Harry said looking around. He was no longer inside the chamber he had been led into, which had been in the heart of the Bank of Gringotts. He was lying on a bed in a mostly empty white-walled room, with one door and no windows.
He was enveloped in the tightest hug of his entire life by his Dogfather.
"The goblins said you were dead," Sirius blubbered, "They said it hadn't worked."
Harry gave a small smile, "You can get off me now," he said, and Sirius reluctantly did so, rubbing his red eyes.
Harry was about to launch into the convoluted explanation of his current status as alive, but Sirius held up a hand, "You should probably wait until Amelia and Arcturus are here. I'm sure they'll want to know as well."
Harry cocked his head to one side, "But hadn't we decided it was too risky to bring so many high profile members of the Leaders of the Light? Why are they coming here?"
Sirius looked a bit sheepish, "I may or may not have panicked and contacted Amelia when we thought you were dead...seemed like a good idea at the time, you know, when we thought you were dead."
Harry didn't seem satisfied, but decided to let it go. After all, he was dead.
"What's going on here?" Harry heard the goblin who had been his guide earlier say.
"This can't be," the gravelly voice of Rumbleroar spoke in disbelief.
Harry waved awkwardly at the two gaping goblins who had entered the chamber, but only for a second, as Amelia Bones marched into the room, following the goblins, with a face carved out of marble, and shoulders tense as could be.
"Your visitor is here," Harry's teller said weakly - and belatedly.
Said visitor stopped in her tracks, causing the man behind her to bump into her. Most likely already on a short fuse due to Harry's supposed death, Arcturus Black's voice was very tight as he said, "Move in, Amelia."
When she didn't, her marble expression melting in the blink of an eye to be replaced by the same surprise reflected by the goblins, Arcuturus moved her aside with his own hands, shoving the younger woman.
It was almost comical how every one of the people in the room assumed the exact same expression of disbelief.
Harry laughed nervously, "I guess I have a little bit of explaining to do."
*** Hogwarts
There was a war going on. It had been for almost two years now, and it was still going strong. The Leaders of the Light were all but confined to Hogwarts as their base of operations, and they were functioning with far smaller teams than their opponents. With the disappearance and probable death of Nicolas Flamel, the definite death of Albus Dumbledore, Babajide and Arcturus had taken over the job of commandeering the forces of the Light mostly upon themselves. Strike hard, get out quick, was the crux of their strategy. Avoiding the Darkness was key. Amelia was their political leader, taking care of the Times of the Phoenix, which had been banned by the Thicknesse Administration, but was being illicitly distributed amongst citizens of Magical Britain. Hogwarts continued to function. It's existence was tied in with the ancient magical laws of Britain, and Thicknesse had proved unable to outlaw the school altogether, meaning that the young of Magical Britain were still kept safe at the school, preventing them from being targeted and used by the Darkness.
Amongst all the other things going on in life, you couldn't really blame Harry for forgetting that he had his OWLs to take at the end of fifth year.
Well, unless you were named Hermione Granger.
"We have exams tomorrow?" Harry blinked.
"I've been telling you that you should start revising for the last two weeks," Hermione said.
"It's fine, I'll be fine," Harry said dismissively.
"Don't get cocky, O Chosen One," Daphne Greengrass whacked Harry over the head with the book she was reading, seated on his other side.
"It's not being cocky if it's true!"
Hermione looked scandalised.
"It's not like you needed to study for most of these either, our training is well beyond OWL levels."
"With an intense focus on combat," Hermione reminded him, "You can transfigure rubble to projectiles but how's your table-to-horse coming along, hmm?"
Harry deflated, "Fair point," he grumbled, "Which exam is first?"
"Defence against the Dark Arts."
Harry breathed a sigh of relief, "Oh, that'll be easy."
"Start studying for the potions exam the day after tomorrow then, smarty pants."
Harry deflated. Again.
*** After Exams
All things considered, Harry's OWLs certainly could have been worse. In fact, he was quite certain that he had passed quite admirably, considering he had nearly died in Gringotts Bank the other day and had a war to think about which consumed the majority of his free time, when he was not training or spending time with his two friends.
Hermione was, of course, extremely disappointed that exams were over, while being ecstatic with herself and her performance at the same time.
Daphne was apathetic at best, detached from the entire idea of there being any importance to the exams at all.
*** End of Chapter
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