Gryffindor had turned the tables and won the Quidditch Cup for the school year, and the lingering excitement hung over the Castle for a long time.
There had been nothing but clear skies outside the windows for ages. The air was so hot that all anyone wanted to do was stroll around the grounds with some chilled pumpkin juice, sit beside the Black Lake, and play a few rounds of wizard's chess or Gobstones.
Or simply sit there watching the Giant Squid swim around in the Black Lake and have a water fight with it.
But that was out of the question. The approaching exams left the students no time to enjoy themselves outside. They had to stay in the Castle, ignore the warm summer breeze blowing through the windows, and concentrate on revising for the upcoming exams.
Even Fred and George had quieted down. They had their O.W.L. exams to face.
If the Weasley brothers failed those exams, Mrs. Weasley would definitely resort to corporal punishment.
Without the troublemaking brothers, Mr. Filch finally no longer had to prowl around the Castle with a dark expression. Instead, he had time to stand peacefully on the lawn and bask in the sunshine. Su Er had spotted the old man through his dormitory window several times.
"I still have thirty-four pages to read. Where are you taking me?" Hermione grumbled reluctantly to Su Er, who was holding her little hand and mysteriously leading her somewhere in the Castle.
"You can't spend every day reading. You need to relax once in a while," Su Er said gently. "Resting better helps you study better."
"Besides, the professors aren't teaching us anything new now. And the exams won't cover anything beyond third year, so reading fourth-year textbooks won't help."
"What if they do?" Hermione suffered