The Scars to Prove It

“You did what?” Farren asked, scandalized, as they walked down to the great hall for breakfast. “And you didn’t tell me?”

“I’m telling you now, aren’t I?” Carina replied, hiding her smile.

“Almost four weeks later! It’s too late for me to tell you to march down to the Hufflepuff common room and snog him.”

“Well I wouldn’t have done that anyway, so there was no great loss.”

“Carina, you’ve got to make a move. He obviously fancies you.”

“We can’t all have your confidence, Farren. Besides, we’re friends. I don’t want to bugger that up. Have you started studying for your O.W.L.s yet?”

Farren rolled her eyes in exasperation, but let the subject go as they sat down next to the boys. “Not yet; I’m not particularly worried about anything besides History of Magic.”

“Already worrying about O.W.L.s are we, Ri?” asked George through a mouthful of toast.

“And you aren’t? You need at least an Exceeds to continue in Transfiguration and an Outstanding in Potions. Both of which you’ll want if you insist on going through with your ridiculous joke shop scheme. I’ll need both of those as well as Charms, Defense, and Herbology. And chew with your mouth closed.”

“At least you’ve already got Herbology in the bag, Carina,” said Lee. “That’s more than I can say.”

“Shove off, Lee. You don’t need any O.W.L.s to be a Quidditch commentator,” said Farren.

Fred laughed. “Says the girl who has the best chance out of any of us to actually get O.W.L.s, and then won’t even need them.”

Just as Farren was about to retort, Carina interrupted. “We all have a great chance, so long as we start studying now.”



And study they did. The next four months passed in a blur of textbooks, parchment, and ink stains. When Farren, Fred, and George, weren’t busy with Quidditch, they joined Carina, Lee, and the other fifth years in the common room for a nearly continuous study session. Angelina took full advantage of her prefect authority for the first time all year, kicking boisterous younger students out of the common room at will.

Farren found herself with many fifth years coming to her with transfiguration questions at all hours of the day. The most memorable was Alicia cornering Farren on her way to bed, ink smeared all over her face, frantic about a foot and a half of parchment due the next day.

She had been seconds away from a mental breakdown, so Farren took pity on her. She came downstairs in her pajamas and outlined the entire essay. And if she got leers from every boy in the common room—except Lee—she was too exhausted to notice.



Doomsday came sooner than expected, or at least Farren thought so. As much as she had studied, she still didn’t feel prepared enough. The only subject she felt remotely confident in was Transfiguration. However, her nerves were nothing compared to Carina’s: she paced the foyer of the castle, wringing her hands and muttering Charms to herself between quick breaths.

“Accio, to summon objects. Depulso, to banish objects . . .”

Farren, nearly driven to distraction, jumped in front of her friend and braced her by her shoulders, halting her pacing.

“Carina, calm down. Take a deep breath. You’ve studied for this. You’re gonna do great, but only if you don’t pass out, okay?”

Carina nodded, slowing the rise and fall of her chest. Farren smiled at her and tried to hide her own nerves. She released her shoulders and turned to the twins who were leaning against a wall, nonchalant as always.

“I hope you two are ready.”

George shrugged. “We’re as ready as we’ll ever be. What’s the use in worrying now?”

Farren was about to reply when the great hall doors swung open to reveal rows of desks. She spared Carina one last thumbs up before they were shepherded into the room and the test began.



After finishing her History of Magic exam, Farren nearly skipped out of the Great Hall. She was finished. It was done. Her last exam. Complete. She had to resist the urge to sing with joy as she leaned against the wall in the foyer. She had been the first of her friends finished, and she was waiting for them.

Fred and George came out next, simultaneously, like usual. They felt they did rubbish on the exam, but were just as glad to be finished. They joined Farren to wait.

Lee finished next. He was a bit more confident in his answers than they twins, but only just. He flopped on the floor next to Farren to hold vigil until Carina emerged.

They waited for a while. They watched the other fifth years leave the hall, a smile on everyone’s face. Finally, after almost every other fifth year had left the hall, Carina exited.

Farren stood quickly and asked, “Well, how was it?”

“It was. . . It was good, actually. I think I did well,” she said, a grin spreading across her face.

“Excellent!” exclaimed Lee.

Fred and George nodded in agreement, and then both began chatting excitedly about the end of term feast and some spectacular prank they had planned. The group of five walked out onto the grounds where they saw other students celebrating the end of exams. Farren trailed behind them for a moment and smiled, grateful for her four friends and excited for all that was to come.