Echo in the Night|| OC

Chapter Nineteen:The Completed Prediction

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Echo could never understand the hype around Quidditch. So when the entire Gryffindor house — including McGonagall — started to sob and cheer loudly when they won the Quidditch cup, was baffling to say the least. Even Percy, was jumping up and down like a maniac, all divinity forgotten. She swore she saw Lupin tear up a bit as well.

The Gryffindor's euphoria lasted for about week, then exams hit. Echo's tutoring sessions had grown from seven to fifteen, prior two weeks to the exams. The first and second years were bundles of nerves. They obsessed over the smallest amount of information, and Echo couldn't calm their worries because she's never taken an exam before so she couldn't clarify what was on the tests.

For Echo, her exams were a bit difficult; she's never had to remember this much information, although, she's able to remember oddly specific things, so listing the correct dates of the goblin war was pretty easy.

The second to last exam, on Thursday morning, was Defense Against the Dark Arts. Professor Lupin had compiled the most unusual exam any of them had ever taken: a sort of obstacle course outside in the sun, where they had to wade across a deep paddling pool contains a grind glow, cross a series of potholes full of Red Caps, squish their way across a patch of marsh while — to Echo's distaste — ignoring misleading directions from a hinkypunk, then climb into an old trunk and battle a new boggart.

"The fastest yet," Lupin muttered as Echo climbed out of the trunk, looking as if she just watched paint dry for an hour. "The hinkypunk didn't give you any trouble, did it?"

"I regret telling you that," she mumbled, standing to the side of him. Lupin half-suppressed his chuckle.

Harry came out next, grinning widely.

"Excellent Harry. Full marks," Lupin said as Harry stood next to Echo. The two hung around to watch Ron and Hermione. Ron did very well until he reached the hinkypunk, which successfully confused him into sinking waist-high into the quagmire. Hermione did everything perfectly until she reached the trunk with the boggart in it. After about a minute inside it, she burst out screaming.

"Hermione!" said Lupin, startled. "What's the matter?"

"P-P-Professor McGonagall!" Hermione gasped, pointing to the trunk. "Sh-she said I failed everything!"

It took a while to calm Hermione down. When at last she had regained a grip on herself, she, Harry, and Ron went back to the castle. Echo stayed behind, not wanting to go to lunch just yet.

"Are you going to continue teaching next year?" Echo asked when the next student climbed into the trunk, keeping her expression carefully blank.

Lupin glanced up from his clipboard, looking to the side of him where Echo stood. His eyes did a quick once over. Echo was chewing the inside of her cheek.

"I believe so," he smiled sincerely. "Professor Dumbledore hasn't said anything different. And I would like to continue teaching — I rather enjoy it," he said thoughtfully. There was a double meaning behind his words, a meaning both parties understood.

Echo nodded while humming in reply, internally relieved.

Lupin, sweating slightly, brought his had to his forehead and closed his eyes, groaning silently. The sun was beating down onto the open Quidditch pitch.

"Why haven't you taken the remedy?" said Echo with a hollow tone. She pulled her wand out and conjured a chair out of thin air.

Lupin gratefully sat down, resting his clipboard on his lap. Echo moved to stand so her head blocked the sun; Lupin didn't miss the intentional movement. "I see you mastered the chair summoning charm," he noted absentmindedly.