It was the home stretch.  Bottom of the ninth.  Final jump off.  They had two more weeks to prepare before the masochistic marathon that would be NEWT week. 

There would be absolutely no time for extraneous preparations during the week of exams so the final countdown had started.  Sasha was becoming increasingly single-minded and did very little that wasn't studying-related. 

This study session with Moira was no exception.  At the end of Care of Magical Creatures class on Friday, they'd made arrangements to spend some time reviewing the practical spells they would likely to encounter during the NEWTs before Sasha had made the familiar dash from the COMC paddocks up to the Astronomy Tower.  He assumed their practical exams would be similar in format to their OWL exams - just more potential for ending up in St. Mungo's, if Professor McGonagall was to be believed. 

Sasha was waiting in the Room of Requirement for Moira.  For their purposes, the room was sparsely furnished - just a few cushions, a couple chairs and a small side table.  Sasha's book bag was leaning against the side table and a small container, a potato and several different sized balls sat on top of the table.  Baldur lay curled up on one of the cushions, sound asleep. 

The Ravenclaw was reading through a scroll of notes when the door to the room or requirement slid open; no second was wasted these days.  "Are you getting excited, yet?"  Sasha asked, with a grin. 

The 7th year students were steadily moving towards their NEWT exams and beyond that graduation, starting their adult lives officially. Some of course knew what they were doing and had been leading up towards it like her study partner for the evening while others had an idea and then there were those who had no clue. Moira knew what she wanted to do though not where but there was no immediate rush. She'd help her dad for a few months first.

The young woman who had come a long way, as had all the others in her class, since she entered Hogwarts for the first time was thinking towards the evening's activities which included spell reviews to find or work on any potential weak spots to get better results in the exams. If something else came up during the review then that would be addressed later.

As she entered the Room of Requirement Moira gave a small laugh at Sasha's greeting. Pulling her hair back in an uncaring, messy sort of fashion with a hair tie she replied, “I dinnae know if excited is the right word for it. Of course, I dinnae have thirteen exams ta study for.”

Sasha had always been a bit of an over achiever in Moira's eyes. However the Ravenclaw did seem to enjoy it in an almost sadistic way. The Hufflepuff had admittedly used that to her advantage and borrowed his notes on any classes they shared if she needed help with a particular subject.

“So, what are we tackling first?”

Sasha grinned and shrugged.  “Maybe not the right word,” he admitted.  Though, the closer they got to June (and the more the massive workload fell behind him), the more he started to look forward to the exams.  They were going to be a true, undeniable challenge and what the last seven years had been building up to; the pièce de résistance of his magical education. 

“But, it’s our last hurtle before freedom, right?  That’s got to be exciting?”  Unless Moira was one of those that was dragging their feet against the demands of adulthood beyond the Hogwarts gates. 

“So, what are we tackling first?”

“I thought the best approach would be to, you know, mix it all up.  I don’t know for sure, but I suspect we won’t have a lot of forewarning when it comes to practical spell work.  Other than which class the exam is for.  So, last night, I put all the spells we’ve ever covered on little mini howlers.”  He reached in the container and pulled out a mini-sized folded envelope.

“It shouldn’t be nearly as loud or obnoxious as the real thing, if the spell worked right.  It’ll just … call out the spell.  And we can use those to practice on.  But, we have to finish casting before the next slip comes out.” Sasha said, pointing to the balls.  "Some of the slips that prompt defensive spells might explode - they don’t tell you what the spell should be, they just trigger something in the ball you have to defend against.  Two points for nonverbal casting.  One point for verbal.  So - like…”

Sasha put the jar back down on the little table and flicked his wand at it.  One of the miniature envelopes floated up and a mouth cracked open along the seam.  Turn it yellow and green striped a voice called before the slip floated back into the container.  Sasha flicked his wand at the ball, turning it the requested color just as another slip drifted out of the jar.  It exploded in a small puff of smoke just as the ball burst into flame and started hurtling towards them.  Sasha doused it with a stream of water before quickly flicking his wand at the container before another slip drifted out.

“Got it?” he asked, turning to Moira.  "Does that make sense?"

“Ah suppose the part when exams are over is exciting.” Moira had no qualms about picking up new expectations from life. Working on a farm from a young age was good at teaching a person all about hard work and responsibility.

She watched as he demonstrated what he had set up for their practice session. The setup was very much what she had expected from her Ravenclaw friend, clever and useful. It was a simple enough exercise to understand and one did not always need something complex to get good practice. Spell manipulated slips with some possible consequences would be more than enough.

“Aye, it does.” Of course, he would add a point system to it making their study session into a bit of a competition. Moira's odds of coming out with the higher amount of points between them was not great, however that didn't mean she wasn't going to try if for no other reason than to prove her capability to herself.

“Both of us at the same time or do we take turns?” The two options had pros and cons each, as did most everything. Unless there was an automatic tally system it might be difficult to keep score but on the other hand it would add the difficulty of potential distraction by the other and how they were faring, for starters. Life had a tendency to not wait patiently until the turn was run.

"Take turns," Sasha answered.  "Just in case we both cast a spell that could cause something unexpected.  You know - if you cast an engorging charm while I cast a shrinking charm it might rip a whole in the fabric of the universe.  That might trigger a dalek invasion or something.  I'd hate to get expelled so close to exams for daleks." 

The Ravenclaw grinned then realized it was highly unlikely Moira got any of that.  Another clever line falls victim to cultural differences.  With a sigh, the grin faded and Sasha returned the ball to the small table.  It was a shame more witches and wizards weren't aware of muggle cultural elements; he might have had a more clever reputation throughout his school career.  In fact, he'd gotten the idea for this exercise from that new game Fruit Ninja.  It had just popped up on his mobile phone over school break. 

Oh well. 

He had no idea how this was going to go.  But, it had to be good practice!  The Ravenclaw gestured in Moira's direction.  "Want to go first?  Just flick your wand at the jar when you're ready."  Perhaps he should have integrated some emergency shut off.  Oh well, between the two of them, they should be able to handle whatever came from the jar.  After all, they'd been introduced to everything in class. 

Moira listened as her friend went on about something called daleks and a rip in the universe without any clue as to what he was referring to. It wasn't the first time they've had these kinds of instances in conversation. "Muggle stories?" Usually if she had no inkling as to what was being referred it was generally something muggle related. Being that she had never heard of a universe fabric rip, especially in the muggle world, she assumed it was story related.

Sasha then offered her the first to take a turn and she nodded, stepping forward to the appropriate area where the sleeping Baldur wouldn't get any possible misfire. She flicked her wand at the jar and immediately the first slip rose from the jar and told her the first objective. The first couple were relatively easy, others she had not practiced as much and did require verbal responses.

Her last slip said simply, "Stop it." The ball then hurled itself at a high velocity towards her. Her quick reflexes along with a silent impedimenta had the ball  halted in place, albeit it was much closer to her face than she would have liked when it did stop.

Moving back to Sasha, the jar of slips idle once again, Moira grinned. "You're turn."

The Ravenclaw opened his mouth to protest.  To categorize Doctor Who as a 'muggle story' was to put it in the same general category as Pat the Bunny and Romeo and Juliet.  Yes.  The statement was fact.  But, it was about as useless a description as they came.  However, for now, it would have to do.  He didn't have the slightest idea how to further explain Doctor Who when the very concept of science was so foreign.

"Yes.  A good one, though.  It's hard to explain." 

Moira took aim at the ball, immobilizing it in thin air and Sasha watched as it quivered a short distance from the Hufflepuff's face.  "That was a close one!"  Sasha remarked, relaxing when Moira returned to the jar, nose intact and in one piece.  "Nice job." 

At her prompting, Sasha flicked his wand at the jar and slip floated into the air.  Instead of speaking, the envelope exploded into a little puff of smoke.  A moment later, the ball darted up into the air and fractured, breaking apart into hundreds of sharp shards.  The shards started hurtling across the room like a cloud of shrapnel.  He cast a quick freezing charm and the cloud froze, suspended in the air.  A quick reparo and the ball knitted itself back together. 

"It's so crazy," Sasha murmured as he lowered this wand.  Seven years in the wizarding world and there were times it still seemed so incredible.  "It's hard to imagine.  But - you're turn, again!"  He shook his head and looked at Moira. 

Moira watched as he froze the broken pieces and then repaired it so they were a ball once again. She didn't respond to his commentary feeling as though he were speaking to himself and not necessarily to her. Of course, there was also the fact that she didn't entirely know what he was talking about granted it could be due in part to their vastly different upbringings.

Nodding in recognition that it was her turn she took her position and casts the spell(s) that was required to accomplish the objective for that turn. They went back and forth for a while with varying degrees of success and neither of them willing to slack in their endeavors.

When they stopped for a reprieve Moira took a drink of water and looked to her friend curiously, “Once we are done with the exams what are ye planning ta do with all that free time? From what ye've told me tis no' something yer familiar with or accustomed to.”

The need to catch their breath brought the rapid-fire spell practice to an end and Sasha set his wand down on the side table before flopping down onto one of the cushions.  The sudden lack of activity and noise caught the shepherd's attention and he lifted his head and scanned the room.  Spotting Sasha at ground level, Baldur trotted over and flopped down on the ground next to his master and settled his head in the Ravenclaw's lap. 

“Once we are done with the exams what are ye planning ta do with all that free time? From what ye've told me tis no' something yer familiar with or accustomed to.”

The corner of Sasha's mouth twitched up in a half-grin.  Of course, Moira would notice the pending freedom.  While many of their classmates were looking forward to being set loose from the castle, albeit with a little trepidation about their first attempts at proper adulting, Sasha was growing increasingly nervous about the change. 

"I'm not really sure," he admitted.  "Spend time with the horses; maybe go to a few shows.  Get the new house built.  Probably spend some time in Germany.  Wait anxiously for exam scores.  Catch up on some television programs."  His teammates had dutifully collected a number of episodes of a few choice programs and Sasha was looking forward to some binge watching.  Anything, really, to keep his mind occupied. 

That was something he wasn't used to at all.  It was terrifying.

"What about you?"

Relaxing on her own cushion Moira couldn't help but think it sounded like he didn't really have much of an idea of what he was going to do except fill his time with whatever possible. Getting the new house built sounded like a potential time killer though. At his mention of television, though, she gave a bit of a nod. Thanks to her cousin Juni she understood what television and electronic games were, they were something Juni made sure she knew about.

"If ye need more time ta kill let me know. Ah'm sure we could come up with something."

At his question about her plans she shook her head a bit. "Not too much different than any other summer, probably. Work with dad except I'd keep an eye open for potential jobs." Rather for something more specific than the broad magical creatures answer anyway. "Ah might explore the countryside a bit more though." Of course by that she meant run around as a wolf for a few days even if she'd have to avoid people.

What Sasha did next, the direction he took, depended entirely on his exam scores and he wouldn't know those until the end of August.  Until then, it was a wait and see game.  He couldn't remember ever having a stretch of time when he had no direction or goal.  The prospect was a bit disconcerting. 

"I'll keep the offer in mind.  I'll probably have more time than I know what to do with."  Literally.  "That much free time is probably making me a bit more anxious than it should." 

"That sounds like an a good plan."  Sasha felt a somewhat familiar pang of envy when Moira spoke of her summer plans and he glanced down at his hands.  The contrast between their respective home lives couldn't be more stark and Sasha had long harbored some jealousy towards the closeness Moira felt with her father.   

"It's going to be weird when September rolls around and we aren't rushing to pack.  I always looked forward to the end of summer since it meant getting away from home.  You're probably looking forward to not having to come back next year, though." 

"Aye, Ah'm sure ye will find plenty to do to occupy your time, what with your horses and muggle past times like tv shows." She wasn't sure if she could sit down and watch something like that though Juni assured her it was very easy if you liked the show.

Growing up learning how to watch the body language of animals, and in time people, Sasha's slight fidget was not lost on her. Their backgrounds were a black and white comparison in many, if not all, aspects though there wasn't anything Moira could really do except to move on with the conversation and not linger.

"Four, maybe three, years ago Ah would have agreed with that statement full heartedly. Ah think part of me will miss seeing the same annoying faces day after day, at least until Ah have ta see other annoying faces day after day. Ah'll definitely miss seeing ye though, whenever ye would emerge from yer studies. There is the mail but tis not the same."

Sasha grinned and nodded his head.  “There are a lot of good shows to get caught up on.  My first week back home will probably involve a lot of that.”  After exams and the school trip, he would probably be overdue for some serious downtime.  If he could convince himself.
 
“I am looking forward to spending more time with the horses.  Maybe get back into the show circuit.  Maybe even off riding lessons or something.  I’m sure you’re looking forward to being back around your father’s animals.”
 
Sasha looked over at Moira and smiled, nodding his head.  Most of his classmates seemed to have a similar reaction to hearing Sasha was pursuing muggle university: they all seemed to offer some iteration of ‘hope you don’t forget us and keep in touch.’  As if he were moving to another country or falling off the ends of the earth.
 
“I’ll probably have more free time than I do now,” he pointed out.  “Muggle university isn’t like Hogwarts.  I won’t be living there all year and I will be taking fewer classes.  So, I will be around.  I will be able to see people; you’re welcome to visit and vice versa.  I won’t be disappearing.”

"If ye do go back into the show circuit Ah expect ye to win." Moira responded with a grin of her own. It wasn't a guaranteed thing naturally, just her own vote of confidence in his abilities... and dedicated hours of practice.

Working with her father's animals was something she was looking forward to, as Sasha had said. It wasn't just her dad's she wanted to work with though. The hard part was figuring out who else would allow her to her study and mess with their animals.

Moira couldn't help but chuckle as Sasha spoke about his muggle university. What he said made sense, it rarely didn't though it was at times nonsensical in a confusing way. "Aye, ye probably will have more free time than ye do now but yer under the assumption that Ah'll not have less free time. As ye know beasts are very time consuming."

“I expect me to win, as well,” Sasha offered in return.  “I have a lot of points to catch up on.”  During his first few years at Hogwarts, his parents had kept him to a grueling show schedule during school holidays to try and catch up in the standings.  Since their death, he’d cut himself some slack on that front but that meant he’d fallen behind.  “If you’re ever curious, you’re welcome to come.  Granted, I’m biased, but it’s pretty fun.  And, there are some handsome animals.”
 
The Ravenclaw arched his eyebrows and nodded.  She had a point.  Especially for the knowable future, their workload would probably reverse.  “They can be time consuming.  I wouldn’t be surprised if you did end up busier.”  She, like many of their classmates, were going straight into the next phase of their lives, whatever that may be.  Many of them were going into the jobs or next stage of training.
 
“Are you going to go on the school trip?”  Sasha asked.  “One final adventure with our classmates?  At least, last school-sponsored adventure.”