This close to June and exams, there was no end to the pile of work that needed to be done.  Sasha's drawn out pre-NEWT study and homework schedule was a constant reminder of how much there was to do and how little time there was to do it in.  But, it was spring outside.  Bright sunlight poured across the fresh spring grass and sparkled on the lake.  Through the windows of Ravenclaw tower, the warm sun was simply inviting.  Sasha wasn't the only one that had noticed.

Baldur[1] had spent the last half an hour sprawled against one of the tall Ravenclaw windows with his nose pressed against the glass.  Mist droplets spread across the glass with each breath in as perfect an impression of a bored, house-bound child that a dog could present.  Finally, Sasha caved and closed his textbook.  He sent Baldur up the stairs to their dorm room to fetch a ball from under his bed while he set his books to the side and grabbed a small satchel and stuffed it in his pocket.  He was more than grateful for the study break.  Leaving studying behind him, for the time being, he led the dog through the castle to the grounds. 

Once out on the grounds, Sasha tossed the ball and the shepherd eagerly chased after.  Ball in mouth, Baldur spotted a younger student a short distance away and trotted towards him, dropping the ball at his feet.  "Feel free to ignore him," Sasha called to the younger student.  "He's tired of being cooped up and thinks I'll drag him back inside."   

1.	Baldur - Sasha's German Shepherd who stays with him at school as a support dog

Dan saw the dog trotting towards him and dropped to a knee to pick up the ball and scratch him under the chin.
"I don't mind," Tom called back tossing the ball up and catching it again "I love dogs"
He made sure the shepard was paying attention and flung the ball as hard as he could, sending the ball sailing far away and the dog scampering after it.
"That should keep him busy for a while," Dan said walking up to the older student "I'm Dan by the way, you're Sasha right?"

Sasha grinned as the shepherd took off after the ball.  That would keep him busy, especially if the dog caught sight of the lake.  The shepherd had taken a liking to playing with the giant squid over the past two years. 

"They're very cat-centric here.  I think he gets excited when he comes across people who really like dogs."  He extended a hand to the younger student when he introduced himself.  "Ja, Sasha Schlagenweit.  I'm in Ravenclaw, seventh year."  With all the focus on exams, it was still only settling on Sasha that they'd be finishing and leaving Hogwarts soon. 

"Pleased to meet you, Dan.  Despite my better judgement, I had to get out here into the sun.  Though, I suppose it was more his idea."  He pointed towards the shepherd who was trotting back towards them, ball in mouth. 

"Yeah way too many cats for my liking," Dan said shaking Sasha's hand firmly, "I love the sun, lets me get out and exercise without freezing me bollocks off."
Dan laughed, "Though me ma thinks I should spend more time studying, lest I end up like my cousin or something."  He smirked "Not like studying would stop me becoming a werewolf or a criminal."


He bent down to pick up the ball again and tossed it away again, he loved throwing, and the small ball was easier to toss than a quaffle.

"I'm probably not the best person to admit that to.  Some might say I'm liable to agree with your mother," Sasha offered with a grin.  "Most people seem to think I study too much but I try to impose the occasional study break.  Even with exams coming up."  He needed to enter exams academically prepared enough, of course, but also ready to face the marathon week of examinations. 

Of course, Sasha generally supported any study efforts and was quite familiar with parents and their high expectations.  But, even he thought claiming not studying would lead to life as a criminal werewolf was extreme.  Their former headmaster had become a werewolf and Sasha was fairly certain he hadn't performed poorly on his exams.  Failing grades didn't usually lead to appointments as school headmasters. 

"Is your cousin a criminal?  Or, you know, werewolf?"  It was, admittedly, a rather personal question for an initial greeting but Dan seemed comfortable enough to have insinuated as much. 

"You ever heard of Dugan MacDuff?" Dan said remembering not everyone realised he was a MacDuff, "He's me cousin on me da's side and one of the ministries most wanted werewolves. Not exactly a nice guy."
He sighed and shook his head, pretty good reason to study honestly. "So are you looking forward to your exams being over?"

"Wow," Sasha said, earnestly.  He definitely did remember the name.  Much of what had happened during those werewolf attacks was still quite vivid in his memory.  That was part of the reason Baldur had been allowed to come to school with Sasha.  Werewolves still terrified him.  "I remember him.  He was in the Prophet last year, wasn't he?  I imagine he's not a very nice guy."

Baldur trotted back over to them and dropped the ball at Sasha's feet.  Was he looking forward to being done with exams?  That was a good question.  The Ravenclaw scooped up the ball and gestured with two fingers at the dog.  "Platz," he said.  Baldur crouched into a down and the Ravenclaw tossed the ball into a patch of tall grass.  The dog quivered with anticipation and, after several moments, Sasha released the dog to go hunt down the ball in the grass. 

"It's kind of one of those things where you want to be done but you have so much to do that you wouldn't mind if the deadline never came?  I'm taking thirteen NEWTs so I'm looking forward to being done but, at the same time, I'm really not looking forward to exam week."  Then, of course, there was the other side of exams.  "It will also be weird to be done.  I started attending a muggle boarding school when I was five, so I don't really remember not being at school?" 

 

"Yeah but not much I can do about it, family is family.  Sounds like school is your life then, do you have any idea what you're going to do when you graduate? I've got a few plans but that's years away for me."  Dan rolled up the sleeves on his hoodie and readjusted his ponytail as he looked at the older student. He wasn't quite sure that mentioning he was related to a deadly werewolf was a great idea when making friends but then again if someone hated him for that, they weren't exactly friend material.

"Yeah but not much I can do about it, family is family."

Sasha smiled, slightly, and nodded.  "I get that."  In more ways than one.  "I suspect most people have some sort of skeleton in the closet.  I know I can't go pointing fingers." 

The Ravenclaw couldn't deny that school had become his life.  Some might say excessively so.  "I ride horses, too,"  Sasha offered in his own defense.  But, even before the chaos of the last couple years, Sasha had always enjoyed learning and school.  He was, undeniably the 'book smart, not street smart' sort.  Sasha blushed, slightly, and shrugged his shoulders with a half-grin.  "I'm hoping to do more school?  I'm applying to University of Cambridge as well as Laevenstrome.  All depending on exams, of course." 

"After Hogwarts might be a few years away for you, but NEWT levels are not.  What are you thinking about pursuing?"

"Horses? cool, I've never ridden a horse. A broom is more my mount of choice. That's alright if you love school," Dan chuckled "I don't know what I want to do, the way I see it I've got two choices. I either play professional Quidditch or I become an Auror either way I'm going to make the MacDuff name mean something good again."
He suddenly felt very determined and angry and so quickly switched topics, "So what's your drink of choice? Assuming you drink of course."

Sasha recognized the change of topic for what it was and nodded, following the conversational breadcrumbs down the unrelated trail.  “To be honest, I rarely have time for drinking.  My study schedule tends to be pretty unrelenting.  But, as a proper German, I suppose a good lager is my top choice.”  He grinned then eyed the younger student curiously.

“I guess it’s a good thing I’m no longer a prefect.  Otherwise, I’d feel obligated to point out you should have a drink of choice.  But, since I’m not, there’s no harm in asking."

Dan chuckled and said with a cheeky smile, "Well theoretically if I did have a drink of choice it would probably be spiced rum, theoretically of course. I mean I wouldn't have any idea what alcohol I would like or have any idea how to acquire it  in rather large quantities"  He laughed loudly and smiled again, "But I wouldn't want to get in trouble for anything theoretical."

"I suppose you're doubly safe, then.  I am no longer obligated to not get you in trouble for something theoretical."  Sasha offered with a grin.  "My grandmother used to try to slip us Austrian rum around the holidays when we were little.  It used to get us into trouble."

Sasha watched as Baldur came trotting back to them and took the ball from the dog and stuck it in his pocket.  He gestured along the lake path.  "Do you mind if we keep walking?  I feel like I've been sitting all week and would like to stretch my legs.  Are you - is your drink of choice an indication of where you'd like to go?  Are you a pirate in disguise?"

"Oh for sure, can't you see my peg leg?" Dan said smiling as they walked "I don't think the family is involved in piracy, at least not as far as I know. Though you never really know with my family. So where would you like to walk to? I'm pretty easy."

"That's hardly a valid proof of your lack of piracy," Sasha pointed out despite the obvious lack of a wooden leg.  "I'm sure wizarding pirates can transfigure their peg legs into real ones.  Assuming, you know, there are wizarding pirates."  Sasha's brow furrowed in thought.  Were there even seafaring wizards?  He assumed there must be, even though he couldn't remember anyone referring to them. 

Sasha pocketed the ball and patted his leg for Baldur to follow.  "Left to my own devices, I'd probably wander some place to study.  But, I'm officially on a break.  I'm looking for frivolous.  How about down by the forest?"