Winifred was particularly nervous about her exams. She had been studying with her friends, and had been doing a lot of extra practice. Though she still wasn't very good at her wand work- she had certainly made a lot of improvements, and had not set anybody on fire in quite some time, which was very good for Winnie. Her confidence had increased, which was making her less fidgety when trying new spells. She would never be a whiz, and would probably have to struggle to even cast at an average level, but at least she was getting better.

So, with exams coming up- Winifred needed to practice! She knew that her older friends that had been helping her with her wand work were busy studying for their own exams, especially for the OWLs and the NEWTs- and Winnie was afraid to bother them because of it. So she was trying to do some things on her own, and it was going okay so far. So long as she didn't get too distracted.

Winifred had been working on the charm that they had practiced- the one that made things get bigger and smaller. She had been too afraid to try it on a live rat, and still was. She wanted to be sure that she could do it before her exam- in case she had no choice but to try it on a rat. Winifred didn't want to kill it.

She was currently working on making one of her stuffed animals grow and shrink. She was in the midst of enlarging the stuffed pig when she heard the door to the open classroom open. Winnie looked up, startled- and the spell went off early. Instead of the stuff animal just enlarging, it enlarged and then flew straight toward the door. "Watch out!" she yelled.

Peter was in studying overdrive himself. It was a Saturday, and somehow instead of playing Exploding Snap or goofing off in the common room, he was looking for somewhere secluded to study. The library was starting to get crowded most days, now that a number of students were realizing just how behind they were, and they couldn't procrastinate much longer. In any case, Peter couldn't really focus on practicing spells in the library so he needed someplace to himself.

Coming from the Hufflepuff Common Room, he poked his head into the first unoccupied classroom he came across. Sometimes when he tried to get some time alone he'd run across a pair of students snogging. Ugh. This time he found something rather more unusual. Upon opening the door, he was immediately greeted with something large, pink, and fluffy smacking into his face. "What—?!"

He reached down to pick the thing up off the floor. It was a very large stuffed pig. Well, at least it hadn't been a live pig. Holding the toy in both hands, he glanced over the top of its head to the lone girl in the room; presumably, she was responsible for it. Or possibly Peeves. "Um, this yours?"

Winifred felt just awful when the stuffed pig flew across the room, smacking another student in the face. She could have just died. (But- it could have been worse. At least she didn't beat up some super hunky older boy with her enlarged stuffed pig. Winnie supposed that would have been much more mortifying.) But the boy was obviously younger than she was, and was holding the toy out to her.

"It is," she said- still blushing when she took the pig from him, setting it on one of the desks that she had moved back and out of the way. "I was practicing charms for exams and... I'm sorry I hit you in the face with it," she offered with a nervous smile. "I'm not very good at wand work," she explained.

"I didn't hurt you, did I?" she asked. The boy didn't look hurt- but sometimes little kids (as she thought of all younger years) could be a bit over dramatic and would cry if you so much as accidentally bumped into them. (Not that she wasn't over dramatic- but still, that was different.)

Peter shifted from one foot to the other as the older girl took the stuffed pig from him; outside of class, he rarely talked to older students. Her face was flushed, though, and she seemed much more uncomfortable than he did.

"I was practicing charms for exams and... I'm sorry I hit you in the face with it. I'm not very good at wand work. I didn't hurt you, did I?"

Hurt him? It was only a soft toy, it wasn't as if she'd thrown a desk at him. But she seemed so genuinely concerned. He shifted on his feet again, but tried to smile at her. "No, I'm ok. It would take more than a bloated farm animal to take me down." She'd mentioned Charms; had she been trying to do Wingardium Leviosa? She was at least a year above him, surely she could do such a simple Charm as that by now, even if she wasn't very good at wand work. "What were you trying to do? Maybe I could help." Without pausing to wait for an answer, he set his bag of books and other supplies on one of the desks and pulled his wand from a pocket.

Winifred was relieved that she hadn't hurt the boy with her stuffed pig. He said it would take more than a bloated farm animal to take him down- and she giggled. The Hufflepuff girl imagined a real pig, huge and bloated, flying around and squealing. That would be really funny to see! Winnie would have to keep that in mind for later on.

Then he asked what she was trying to do- and offered to help. Winifred didn't want to be mean, but doubted that a first year would be able to help her figure out a spell she had just recently covered in her third year class. She knew that there were a lot of people who were just very good with her wands (she definitely wasn't one of them) but even so- two years above your standard spells was stretching it, especially for a Hufflepuff. (Or so she thought.)

"It's a spell we were doing in class a couple months ago," she responded. "It's a growth charm. When we did it in class I was too afraid to practice on the rats because I wasn't sure if I would hurt it or not. So I've been trying to practice on stuff that isn't alive in case I have to do it on my exam. I think if I kill the rat on the exam I might get a Troll on the final, and I've been trying really hard to get in extra practice before the exam."

"Can you do a third year spell?" Winifred asked.

Oh. So she was a third year. And she was practicing a growth charm, which he didn't know. That would certainly make things a little more difficult. Wand work usually wasn't his forte, though Charms was something he did better in. Well, he was committed now so all he could do was hope for the best. He walked over to where the third year's Charms book was out, trying to make casual conversation as he went.

"I'll see what I can do. It'd be a shame if you got a T, I think I'd die if I failed my Charms final. Not to mention killing a rat. Rats are great. I'm going to try to talk my mum into getting me one for next year."

He picked up the book and skimmed through it quickly. Blah blah blah, correct pronunciation, blah theory of the thingy... There we go, wand movement. Working from the book without seeing someone do it first would be very hard, to say the least. And he would have rather been able to read the whole section; the theory stuff actually did help a lot. But with the girl standing there watching, he couldn't very well plop down and read the lot of it.

"How about you give it a go and I can critique you?" Realizing he hadn't introduced himself yet, nor did he know the girl's name, he quickly added, "By the way, I'm Peter."

After lunch on weekends Obderedria had taken to walks along the castle. There was so much in Hogwarts to see: the many paintings and portraits, the staircases that switched on you, the towers, alcoves with benches or window seats, statues and suits of armor, tapestries, doors that refused to open or appeared in different halls on different days. These were leisurely strolls unlike the rush from class to class during the week. After a stretch of walking Drea would stop to gaze out a window or an interesting art piece for several minutes before wandering elsewhere.

While walking down a particularly wide width of corridor Drea had an odd thought. Beverly and I should ride motorcycles down here. Even if there was room for motorcycles the notion was ridiculous. Obderedria had never ridden on a motorcycle (her mum Patricia thought they were dangerous) let alone the fact unknown to her that complete muggle mechanical constructs did not run properly in places such as Hogwarts without certain modification. But Beverly could probably ride a motorcycle easily. She could do anything.

Ahead there was a door open. Obderedria found this curious as it was a classroom she had never seen used. There seemed to be many unused classrooms in the castle since all the years sent to the same rooms on rotating timetables. She caught the odd word before poking her head inside. She recognized two faces from the Hufflepuff common room. They were talking of practicing charms.

"Excuse me," she said. "Is there a Hufflepuff study session occurring in here?" If there was, Obderedria would be happy to get some Transfiguration pointers before finals.

Winifred was usually a very pleasant girl. She liked to laugh and have fun and was in a good mood about ninety percent of the time. But, like every teenaged girl, and every fickle person it was not uncommon for Winifred to be a bit short tempered- and yes, over dramatic. And Winifred was actually quite alright until the first year- the boy named Peter- decided that he was going to offer to critique her work. Winifred was (mildly) outraged! He was a first year! What did he know!

But before Winifred could properly berate the boy, another girl poked in, asking if there was a study session. Winifred crossed her arms on her chest and frowned at both of them. "This is most certainly not a Hufflepuff study session!" she said to the girl. "I was just practicing for charms, that doesn't make it a study session!"

Then she looked at Peter. "And you're just a first year. I don't think you know enough about third year charms to critique anyone on it! I grew the pig, which means I must be doing something right." Really! What did he know? He was eleven. "That's just rude."

To say that the period preceding the Finals was a stressful one in Ravenclaw was an understatement. Well, it wasn't for Alvis - he'd never been one to sweat over tests, grades, or anything academic - but it was for a number of his housemates, especially the perfectionists who took such pride in their intelligence. Most of Alvis's housemates were buckling down for their studies, and the library was no better, and Alvis knew that they probably wouldn't appreciate his sort of research going on in their midst; especially with the explosions. So, he'd packed up his Potions supplies and gone in search of an empty classroom.

He'd just located one and was about to settle in when a somewhat familiar female voice echoed from around the corner. "This is most certainly not a Hufflepuff study session! I was just practicing for Charms!"

Curious, Alvis stuck his head around the corner. A first-year girl with green-spotted hair was standing in the open door of a classroom, through which Alvis could see another pair of Hufflepuffs. He recognized the fuming third-year as Winifred Oliver, and the need for Charms practice suddenly became very clear. The girl was sweet, but hopeless at the subject, to the point of being dangerous at times.

Still, it wasn't like her to go off against first-years this way. She must be rather stressed...

Alvis worried his lower lip. He'd never been good with conflict, and it really wasn't his place to step in. But Winifred was a good person, and he didn't want to get a reputation for picking on first-years in times of stress. So he steeled himself against his every flight instinct and drifted towards the open door. He hovered behind the first-year girl for a moment, gathered his thoughts, and cleared his throat.

"Oliver, please calm down. They're only trying to help." He offered her a placating smile. "I think a study session might be an excellent idea, especially with first-years. You know what they say...the best way to learn something is to teach it. Perhaps we...you...could give that a try?"

Peter blinked owlishly behind his glasses. Drea had suddenly popped in on them, and then out of nowhere the third year girl just blew up at both of them. (Not literally, thank goodness.) Just because he was a first year didn't make him stupid. He could read, and at least get a reasonable idea of what the spell was supposed to look like. Sometimes two brains were better than one and all that. His face was burning, and his ears. Why didn't she appreciate that he was just trying to help, and now Drea, of all people, had to walk in on this."Yeah b—"

"Oliver, please calm down. They're only trying to help." His attempt to defend himself was interrupted by a voice he didn't know. He glanced over to where a tall, gangling boy stood behind Drea. Great. More of an audience. He didn't need some boy sticking up for him that he didn't know. He dropped the Charms book back onto the desk with a loud thud and stomped toward the door, barely pausing to grab his bag on the way. Drea and the tall boy were blocking the door but he kept walking and hoped they'd take the hint to move.

"Doing something right, yeah sure," he grumbled, still red-faced. "Good luck on your exam." You'll need it, he didn't bother to add.

Obderedria regretted asking if there was a study session. Peter and Winifred were tearing into each other and then this other boy, she knew him to be in Ravenclaw, was seeing her Hufflepuff housemates acting very un-Hufflepuff like. She put her hands to her face, shamed not only for interrupting but as if she was in Peter and Winifred's places arguing with the other. It's just...what was she supposed to do?

Peter tried to leave in a huff but was blocked by Obderedria and the boy next to her. Not by any conscious action but because she was frozen in trying to figure out what to do. Sh found her voice, slowly, at the softest register of volume. "P-Peter, Winnie...please don't argue. I'm sure we're all nervous about the exams...I'm going to stink in Transfiguration," she offered. "But please, don't take it out on each other."

She felt her pockets of candy, a sweet usually made her feel better. She found a somewhat rumpled packet and offered it with one hand. "I-Ice Mice?"

Winifred would have snapped when she was told to calm down- but saw that it was a boy not only in her house, but in the same year as she was. "I'm sorry but I don't see how a first year is going to help me perform a spell that's two years above their level, that's all," Winifred sniped.

But it truly wasn't Winnie's intent to upset either of the first years or to make enemies. Her bad wand work was always a sore spot, and she had enough of kids her own year picking on her for it and she didn't want younger years to poke fun at her too, or think she was so bad that she needed their help. But she didn't want to bite their heads off either.

Alvis was right- she was overreacting a little. And the other first year- the one who was now offering around candy- had said not to argue. Winifred forwned a little, and exhaled loudly. She tapped the stuffed pig with her wand, stating the incantation to shrink it back to size. Surprisingly, it shrank back down properly.

"I'm sorry for snapping at you," Winifred offered quietly. She meant it, but she felt a little embarrassed at having made an ass out of herself in front of so many people. "Thank you," she said to Obderedria, taking one of the candies from her.

"Maybe Alvis is right, and we should have a real study session?" Winifred asked. "I just get nervous and agitated with my wand. It's... a little finicky." To say the very least.

Alvis tapped his nose thoughtfully, regarding Winifred, her wand and, almost as an afterthought, the Ice Mice, which he accepted from the first-year girl with a smile. He sucked on it as he contemplated his words, setting everything up in his head. He moved across the room and lay his bag on one of the empty desks, to get it out of the way. He'd volunteered the idea of a study session after all. It would be rude if he walked out on it now.

When the mouse had melted on his tongue, he took a deep, slow, cold breath and started to speak again. "You're thinking about it the wrong way. The wand's not exactly seperate from you, as far as the spell is concerned - just think of it as an extention of your arm And it's not about whether they can help you, it's if you can help them. Don't try casting the spell just yet. Try walking Miss, um..." He trailed off and realized, with a slight flush of embarrassment, that he didn't know either of the first-years' names.

"I'm sorry," he said, directing his attention briefly to the girl. "I'm afraid I've been terribly rude. My name is Alvis Norling, and I should have introduced myself before. You are?"

Well, it looked like he wouldn't be given the chance to go sulk. The door was still blocked. Peter was debating trying to shove his way past them (he had a feeling that wouldn't go down well) when Drea begged them not to argue, and then offered up some sweet called Ice Mice. He felt a tinge of guilt for making Drea feel bad, but really this was none of her business. He still wanted to push past her and the Ravenclaw boy when the other girl, Winnie, spoke up again.

"I'm sorry for snapping at you," he turned to look at her. How dare she apologize?! Now if he stayed mad that would make him the bad guy. "Don't worry about it," he muttered.

He had no choice but to stay and be part of the "study session" now. He took one of the Ice Mice and stomped back over to a nearby desk to put his things down... again. He popped the sweet into his mouth, crossed his arms, and watched in silence as the Ravenclaw boy, who introduced himself as Alvis Norling, talked. He didn't trust himself to say anything else without being snarky yet, and he knew he was probably still glowering but he couldn't help it.

Obderedria about choked on her Ice Mice (Ice Mouse) when Alvis asked her name. "Obdere-(squeak!)-dria P-(squeak!)-Pienas, but please call me (squeak!) Drea." She clamped her hand over her mouth. Because she had eaten the Ice Mice so quickly her speech was getting peppered with squeaks.

After her teeth stopped chattering she asked "Does your wand really make that much of a difference? Because mine has a Hippogriff Talon core, and I've been told that's bad. Or at least unusual." She did well in Charms class but it seemed her wand didn't always work with her in Transfiguration or Defense, so she could sympathize with Winifred easily.