The first week of June, the OWL's began. I didn't do so well. Even though I was passing all my classes, the OWL exams were brutal. It was hard for me to remember lessons from all of those years ago. My memory failed me. Yet, I also failed myself by not studying harder and taking it more seriously. However, I felt like I aced the magical creatures section.

When we wrapped up our exams in the Great Hall, my friends and I went to the courtyard to sit around and enjoy the warm weather and the sunshine. Magdalene, Leon, Daphne, and Agatha all felt confident that they did well on numerous subjects. Leon was the only one in our group that impressed the proctors with a summoned Patronus. Daphne was too nervous, and so was I. Bran and Edna both felt comfortable about their O.W.L. exams.

"I have to say, Rollie, I'm surprised you don't really care that you did poorly in the exam. You're not counting on becoming a professional quidditch player, are you?" Bran asked me.

I smiled. "To be honest, I would love to be a professional Quidditch player, but those guys are so good nowadays. You really have to play at the next level. People say there were scouts at our game, but not a single one of them talked to me or sent me any letters."

"Oliver said he never received any communication either from scouts," Magdalene said. "Sorry, I hope you don't mind me mentioning his name."

"Of course not.” I rubbed Magdalene's back as she sat next to me.

"So then why are you so indifferent about doing bad on your OWL's? They're a significant exam," Bran said.

Edna elbowed him. "Why are you being so rude?"

"Ow! Rollie and I are mates! It's just a simple question!"

I chuckled. "And it's a good question. I guess I don't really care if I do poorly on all the other subjects because as long as I get a career with magical creatures, I think I'll be one happy wizard."

"I feel the same way about potions," Daphne said.

"You see, all the other subjects of the exam are a waste of time for me. Y'know?" I said.

Bran shrugged. "But if you ever want to be an Auror, you have to have good marks in more than just one area."

"But like I said, I don't want to be an Auror. That's for someone like Leon."

Leon tried to hide his smile as he looked down at the ground, shaking his head. "Hopefully."

"Oh, come on. You'll get it. You're the only kid who can do a Patronus consistently," I said. "Don't worry about me, Bran. I know the exam is important for some people, but not everyone."

Bran nodded, and we spent the rest of the day relaxing in the courtyard, exchanging jokes, and enjoying each other's company.

The next day I had a meeting with Hagrid in his hut.

"Rollie, wha' a crazy year 's bin, eh? It reminds me o' some o' the crazy years we had at Hogwarts back before yeh were even born. Around the time o' the Second Great Wizarding War, lots o' strange things were happening," Hagrid said. "I'm proud o' yeh, Rollie. Yeh've remained sturdy through this year like a boulder. After everything yeh an' some o' your friends have bin through.” Hagrid shook his head. "None o' yeh kids should have ter go through tha'."

"Thanks, Hagrid. It's been a tough year, but we got through it. The future should be bright from here on out."

"Tha''s the attitude ter have, Rollie. Glad tha' Hawthorne is bein' jailed at Azkaban too. I still can' believe tha' happened."

I paused for a moment and nodded. Part of me wasn't surprised about what happened with Hawthorne. I always had a feeling he was cruel and corrupt deep down.

“An' Leon.” Hagrid sighed. "He's bin through hell."

"How so?" I asked.

"Oh, I uh, shouldn't've said anything," his face reddened.

"Hagrid, you have to tell me now," I said.

"I learned me lesson back in the day not ter go around telling other people's secrets."

I rolled my eyes, but Hagrid didn't notice. "I understand," I said. "So, what did you want to talk to me about?"

"Yes! I almost forgot! I received a letter from me good friend Charlie Weasley, yeh know, the one yeh wrote ter fer the magical creatures internship?"

"Yeah! So what did he say?" I said. I leaned forward, dying to know what my schedule might look like for the summer so I could start making plans with my friends and Magdalene.

"Why don' yeh see fer yourself.” Hagrid gave me a sealed envelope. I opened it up and read it silently.

Dear Rollie,

I appreciate you writing to me to for a fellowship in studying dragons. As someone who's recently been considered an expert in the field, I haven't had anyone to mentor yet. My original answer was yes when I received your letter a little over a month ago. But now that I've learned about you saving the forest next to Hogwarts along with interacting with the majestic silver jackalope, my answer is a resounding yes. In fact, I would be honored if you accepted the offer to join my fellowship. But you may be the one who teaches me a lot of lessons. The silver jackalope is a mysterious critter, one that has no documentation of specific behaviors, but you've been able to make it sing (I mean that figuratively, of course).

Ensure your favorite authors get the support they deserve. Read this novel on Royal Road.

Hagrid has also assured me that you have a unique touch regarding animals; they trust you and appreciate your presence. To give you a fair warning, studying dragons can be dangerous at times. You will need to buy a special plate of armor and a helm. More details on that in a following letter. If you can’t get your hands on the armor, that's fine, you can still study them from afar, but if you want to get close up to dragons, it's best to be prepared for any fire breathing.

I'm sure you're wondering about the duration of the fellowship. First, I'd like to say I'm sorry it took a while to get back to you. I can only imagine that you're trying to make summer plans at the moment.

In July, would you be able to stay in Romania for the month? There is a wizarding inn you can stay at, and you can also have guests visit you on the weekend. I wouldn't recommend leaving unless you have an emergency you must tend to. Plan to stay in Romania. On the first day of July, I can send a wizard your way to apparate you to the location. I just need your current home address.

I know I'm writing this to you later than I should have, but it's been a busy year for me. Exciting developments are happening for my career, and I would be humbled to have you join me, Rollie.

Sincerely,

Charlie Weasley.

I beamed as I finished reading the letter. I skimmed through it again to feel another rush of excitement. "Hagrid! This is amazing! I feel like I'll finally have an adventure for once over the summer!"

"So 's a yes then?" Hagrid's lips curved up. "Tha's terrific news! I'm so proud o' yeh, Rollie! Your grandpa is goin' ter be excited too! We should celebrate with some butterbeers. Gather your friends around if yeh'd like!"

I smiled so hard my face ached. But something lingered in my mind that lowered my lips. "Hey Hagrid, do you know what happened to Jolly?"

Hagrid paused and frowned. "No, unfortunately, I have yet ter find Jolly. But don' worry 'bout it. I'm sure Jolly can take care o' itself. 's a resilient critter, no doubt. Hopefully, Jolly turns up, but if not, at least we learned a ton."

"What exactly did we even learn? I feel like I have more questions now than answers."

"Well, we know tha' Jolly can handle a land curse like 's nothin'. An' it can create a bubble ter protect people. See? We learned some things."

"Yeah, that's a good point. Even with those breakthroughs, I just felt like I had a special bond with Jolly, and now it's... lost."

"I'm sorry, Rollie. It'll be okay.” Hagrid patted my back. "We should still celebrate your fellowship acceptance with Charlie. Jolly would be proud o' yeh too!"

I smiled. "Thanks, Hagrid."

"Bring your friends over here fer some butterbeers after dinner. We'll celebrate. Oh, Rollie, I’m so happy, I've finally helped steer a student towards a potential career with magical creatures."

"You bet, Hagrid; I'll see you later. You deserve a lot of credit. If it wasn't for you, this would've never happened."

It was one of the last few dinners before the end of the term. I told all of my friends about how Hagrid wanted us over to the hut to celebrate my fellowship.

"Rollie! Congratulations! I'm so excited for you!" Magdalene kissed me on the side of my head, and I blushed.

They agreed to go to Hagrid's after dinner. All of them congratulated me, beaming.

"Thank you, I appreciate it a lot," I said.

Zita clinked on her chalice with a floating knife at the professor's table and stood up. "Good evening, everyone. We've reached the end of another year at Hogwarts. I'm sorry all of you had to endure the unsettling fear of the Forbidden Forest the entire time, and some of you experienced more difficulty than others. But I'm proud of how we all pushed through the adversity together. While I wish the events that occurred never happened, we must look forward and appreciate each other and what has been accomplished." Zita threw her arms up in a shrug. "Anyways, who really cares about all that. Let's focus on happy things!"

Everyone paused and side glanced at each other but applauded, cheered, and pounded their fists on the table.

“We’ve witnessed a variety of notable events over the year that have garnered attention from each house, and I find it joyous to reminisce on some of those moments. Layla Moors of Ravenclaw excelled with her transfiguration abilities when she turned a mouse into a hawk. That definitely raised some eyebrows. Perhaps a future McGonagall on our hands?" Zita said.

"Ugh, who cares what Layla's done," Daphne muttered.

"The Ravenclaw-Hufflepuff rivalry is still going strong. You love to see it," Agatha whispered.

Zita said glowing remarks about students from each house, but none of my friends were mentioned. As she went on, we looked at each other, wondering if we'd receive any recognition.

"Lastly. I'd like to give a thank you to a team of students comprised of a representative from each house. Daphne Poisonwood, Agatha Hart, Magdalene Berry, Leon Strix, and Rollie Magpie joined together and, against all odds, exhibited the courage to save our beloved students, Bran and Edna Lyptus. Let's give them a special round of applause."

I was expecting just a brief moment of clapping. Instead, everyone stood up from their seat and cheered. Ground-shaking applause and smiles all around.

"Please, stand up, all of you," Zita said.

My friends and I stood up and bowed. The firework claps and whistles died down after a moment.

"Now, let's announce the house cup. I'm sure it probably doesn't come as a surprise, but Hufflepuff wins. They saved Bran and Edna, and they won all their Quidditch matches. Need I say more? Congrats, it's the first time they've won it in almost two decades. Hooray, and huzzah." Zita pointed her hand at the enchanted ceiling, and a floating trophy descended from above.

It landed on our table, and all of the students dropped their jaw and ogled at it like a treasure chest of gold coins.

I'll never forget the smiles on everyone's face at the Hufflepuff table. We began singing the Hufflepuff fight song too. I thought I'd be annoyed by it after hearing it so much, but each time was a treat. Especially since the moment was filled with immense happiness.

At Hagrid's hut in the evening, my friends and I all had a glass of butterbeer, sitting outside on the grounds watching the sunset. I sat next to Leon in a wooden chair. There was a lot I wanted to say to him, but I wasn't sure where to start.

"Leon, I feel like earlier in the year, you were going through some tough things," I said.

He looked at me, and his smile faded.

"I just wanted to let you know you can talk to me if you ever need to.” I patted his shoulder.

"I appreciate that, Rollie. I'm okay now," Leon said quickly.

"You should come visit me out in Romania. I'm allowed to have guests on the weekend."

The corner of Leon's lip curled up. "Maybe I will."

Magdalene already said she would visit me. Daphne, Bran, and Edna said they would as well.

I felt incredibly lucky, and I couldn't be more grateful. Leaning back in my chair, I took a swig of butterbeer. Looking to my left, the castle towered over me.

My home.

And then I looked to the right, out onto the lake as the sun sank on the horizon.

I was looking forward to the next two years at Hogwarts. But at the same time, I relished the moment with my friends. How lucky was I to be surrounded by Hagrid, Leon, Daphne, Magdalene, Agatha, Bran, and Edna? They all looked so merry as they chugged their butterbeer and discussed summer plans. I never wanted the moment to end.