Endgame

Chapter 25

"Oh Freddy look, look who is in the front page of the quibbler!" She ran over and handed him the newsletter.

"Wow, this is great Hals!" He smiled at her. "Why are you at the front of it?"

"Luna asked me to do an interview," she added. "About what it's like trying to do your OWL's in the middle of a crisis. Go on, have a read will you?"

"Given these tumultuous times, it can never be easy trying to live a normal life amidst the chaos. Hallie Blackwell, now in her fifth year at Hogwarts school of Witchcraft and Wizardry, explains the fears and worries she has faced while sitting her OWL exams in the year you-know-who came back to power."

Interviewer: Xenophilius Lovegood

X: Miss Blackwell, have your previous years at Hogwarts been as incredulous as this one?

H: Well, there is always some type of adventure going on at Hogwarts (laughs). This one has certainly upheld a challenge for me however. Sometimes you feel as if the exams are pointless, because you're unsure of what the future holds.

X: Do you still study for you exams?

H: Yes, I do.

X: Why do you do so if you don't know what the future holds?

H: Hope is the driving force for many things people do. I guess it's, eh, the want to better yourself aswell in the field of magic. Preparing is necessary because absolutely anything can be thrown at you.

X: What has been the hardest thing to happen to you this year?

H: Well (thinks carefully), I believe the hardest thing I've done is accept that things are falling apart around me and sometimes you just can't do a thing about it.

X: Is this in regards to your personal life or the wizarding world?

H: Hmm yeah, pretty much a combination of—er—both. Some people don't realise the emotional strength it takes to understand what is going on around us. Our society has been divided, and that then creates conflicts between friends and families.

X: What do you think should happen next?

H: Well, I'm only 16 years old, so I could name a long list of people who would answer this question better than I could (laughs). However, I'm a very firm believer that when people are unified under the same cause, well, that helps a great deal.

X: Thank you very much for answering these questions, Miss Blackwell.

H: Thanks for the opportunity, Mr Lovegood

X: For our daily subscribers, stay tuned for next weeks article on how to tend to your nargles in the garden.

"This is truly great!" He nodded. "You were brilliant!"

He threw his arms around Hallie in a brotherly hug, she returned it with great passion and happiness, so grateful someone was proud of her. The feeling was refreshing, comforting almost, knowing someone could share her smiles. When they let go, George entered, speaking to Fred.

"Hey Georgie," he said.

"I'm away to show this to Hermione," she said, walking past George as if he was nothing more than a ghost. She felt his eyes burn into her back of her head as she disappeared into the girls dormitory.

"Hermione?" She looked around to see that she wasn't there, only Parvati who was tying her lace.

"Oh," she said, awkwardly and avoiding her eyes. Parvati and Hallie had only really remained on minimal talking terms. "Haven't seen Hermione have you?"