Endgame

Chapter 37

(Please don't play the song yet, thank you! This is a long chapter, so stay tuned!)

"Quick, come outside!" A third year Gryffindor shouted at the entire common room. "All of Umbridge's decrees have been knocked off the wall!"

Suddenly, a crowd of around thirty or more students came bursting through the portrait door. Those coming from Ravenclaw and Hufflepuff common rooms were running just as fast as the Gryffindors. Hallie bumped into Ana and a few of her friends on the way

"So are the rumours true then?" Anastasia asked. "Did someone bust up the Great Hall during a NEWT exam?"

"I have no idea," Hallie laughed.

"Quick, this way!" Ana's friend added.

They made their way towards the front of the building where fireworks were going off in the darkening sky. Colours of red and gold and yellow sparkled and complimented the light summer breeze. Hallie, who squinted through her spectacles, caught a glimpse of ginger hair.

It was at that moment she had realised this was how Fred and George's departure from Hogwarts was going to go.

"They always wanted to go out with a bang," Hallie laughed. "Quite literally."

Ana and her friends began to laugh.

"Give her hell from us, peeves!" Fred bellowed towards the poltergeist.

"OI UMBRIDGE!" Peeves shouted. "I'M COMING TO GET YOU!"

"Leave me alone!" She shouted. "I'm a ministry official!"

A group of Hufflepuff students began to laugh as Peeves chased after her. Umbridge's little feet were barely able to keep up. Suddenly, a large 'W' was formed in the air which was embedded in gold font. The roar of applaud grew louder and came much closer to the amount of noise made whenever Cedric Diggory was announced as a Triwizard champion. Hallie began to clap as well and with one pop, they vanished; their mark of magic still in the sky.

Hallie slowly began to open up the letter that Fred had given her:

Hallie,

I really do hope you've decided to open this after I've left. If not, I think you'd be balling your eyes out over my departure and I'd never get to leave. Anyway, I just wanted to let you know that Hogwarts wouldn't have been Hogwarts without you in it. There are very few people who can say that George and I are more than the pranks and jokes that we pull. For once, I'm glad you're one of them. Your next years at Hogwarts are going to be fine. Come on now Hals, this is you we're talking about here. You better be thankful for this. I haven't wrote this much on a piece of parchment since fifth year (and even then I think I've written more here than I did on my charms OWL)

Love ya Hals,

Freddy.

To Hallie's surprise, she didn't cry. She didn't want too. Instead, she smiled. Out of the millions of people in the world, she had the pleasure of calling Fred Weasley her best friend.

***

After a few weeks of laborious exam work, Hallie was finally glad to sit her last exam which was History of Magic. To be brutally honest, she was sick of the sight of the Great Hall. For the last time until her NEWT level examinations, Hallie was glad to hear the examiners state good luck for the last time.

Please choose one exam question from the option of three.

1) During the witch hunts in the fourteenth century, muggles were punished for the practise of magic. Please elaborate on this subject, and how those prosecuted were treated.