Patrick Stump and the Flying Car Brigade

Chapter 63

Chapter 63

"Pete, what are you doing?" I asked. "Give me back my hat."

"No," Pete responded rather bluntly as he continued to levitate my fedora far above where I could reach. I tried to reach for it, but every time I got close, Pete laughed and raised it higher.

"Come on, Pete," I said. "I need my fedora."

"You told me to practise my Charms," Pete said.

"I know that you know how to do the Levitation Charm," I said. "You learned that in first year. It won't be on your NEWTs."

"You don't know that," Pete said as he bounced my fedora just above my head.

I snatched it from out of the air and placed it on my head. "Come on, Pete," I said. "Let's go back to studying."

I looked around the library. Brendon was at nearby table, trying to catch up in Transfiguration. "Don't think I've ever used a day of my education," he muttered under his breath, but I could tell that he was thankful to be back at Hogwarts.

A few weeks had passed since the battle, and the Ministry of Magic had finally dealt with the Death Eaters. All of them were back in Azkaban where they belonged, and Kingsley Shacklebolt had taken control of the Ministry again. He had reinstated most of the old Ministry employees, and replaced those who had died in the Ministry of Magic Office fire with new employees with open-minded views towards blood purity. Wizarding Britain was slowly but surely reassembling itself.

We had nearly returned to normalcy at Hogwarts too. A few days after the battle, Professor McGonagall had held a memorial service for the students that we had lost. I shared classes with a few of them, but I didn't know any of them particularly well. Nevertheless, they were all far too young to die.

"Wingardium Leviosa!" Pete said. He swished and flicked his wand, and my fedora floated into the air once again.

"Pete!" I exclaimed. "Give me back my hat!"

Pete sighed. "Okay Trick," he said. He lowered my hat and then opened his Charms book. "Quiz me, Lunchbox."

I took Pete's Charms book and looked through it. I hadn't learned most of the material yet, but there was a NEWT exam study guide at the end of the textbook, so I used that to ask him questions. "What is the incantation for the Gouging Spell?" I asked him.

Pete looked at me in confusion. "I don't think I've ever used a Gouging Spell," he said. "Why would I know the incantation for it?"

"It says here that it's one of the spells that they're most likely to ask you to perform during the Charms NEWT," I said. "You should learn it."

"I might know it," Pete said. "Is it Gougio?"

"No," I said.

"How about Gougius?" Pete said.

"Still incorrect," I said.

"Is it Gougimus Maxima?" Pete said.

"Not even close," I said.

"What is it then?" Pete asked.

"Defodio," I answered.

"How am I supposed to remember that?" Pete asked.

"I don't know," I said. "Come up with something. How would someone perform a Shield Charm?"

"I know the incantation for this one!" Pete exclaimed. "It's Protego!"

"Very good," I said. "What's the wand movement?"

"Do I make circles with my wand, or is that a different spell?" Pete asked.

"That's the Patronus Charm," I said.

"Is it swish and flick?" Pete asked.

"No, that's the Levitation Charm," I said. "You know how to do that one."

"Wait a second, I know this!" Pete exclaimed. "You just have to draw a straight line downwards with your wand!"

"That's correct," I said. "Good job."

"Can I have a kiss as a reward?" Pete asked. "Or maybe some pizza? I would take that too."

"Only after you get a second question right," I said.

It took another two hours before Pete was able to get another question right. I was beginning to think that Pete was entirely hopeless, but since he was able to tell me what spell would be used to defend against a Boggart, I gave him his kiss. Even if Pete would most likely fail his NEWTs, he was adorable.

Since Pete was clearly unprepared for Charms, I decided to help him in Care of Magical Creatures instead, but he only did marginally better. After that, we cuddled for a while. Brendon had long since left the library, and Joe was sitting in his spot. He was also studying for his NEWTs, but he seemed to be doing a little better.

Dinnertime came, so Pete and I both left the library. I sat next to him during dinner, and the two of us chatted some more. "At the very least, I might be able to pass my Defence Against The Darks Arts NEWT," Pete said. "I'm not too bad at that."

"I heard Frank Iero got straight Os on his NEWTs," Joe said. "I should ask him to tutor me."

"He must have cheated," Spencer said. "Nobody gets straight Os on their Nastily Exhausting Wizarding Tests."

"I don't know," Joe said. "Frank is fairly intelligent. Speaking of Defence Against The Dark Arts, I heard that Harry Potter is coming in to speak to the seventh years again."

"Brilliant!" Pete exclaimed. "I can't wait!"

I took a few more bites of my dinner. Pete had reminded me once again that I wouldn't be around for seventh year. I would never get to hear Harry Potter speak to my class. After graduation, I might not even see my old friends at Hogwarts again. I did still have my owl though. We would keep in touch, no matter what happened, and it would be nice to get out of Britain. For now, I decided to focus on the present. I snuggled closer to Pete, savouring his presence. It was a gift that I hoped to keep forever.