Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter

A step too far

"Hang on," said Harry, as part of the previous night's conversation came back to him. "I think Dumbledore said that our OWL results would be arriving today!"

"Today?!" shrieked Hermione. "Today. But why didn't you - oh my - you should have said something -"

She leapt to her feet.

"I'm going to see whether any owls have come..."

But several minutes later, Harry and Ron joined the others in the kitchen to find no owls and Hermione in a state of great agitation. Fleur was giving her two knuts on the topic of how she'd sat her OWLs when she was interrupted by Hermione again.

"I know I messed up Ancient Runes," said Hermione feverishly, glancing around the kitchen. "I definitely made at least one serious mistranslation. And the Defence Against the Dark Arts practical was no good at all. I thought Transfiguration went alright at the time, but looking back -"

"Hermione, will you shut up, you're not the only one who's nervous!" barked Ron irritably. "And when you've got your ten 'Outstanding' OWLs..."

"Don't, don't, don't!" said Hermione, flapping her hands nervously. "I know I've failed everything!"

"What happens if we fail?" asked Harry, but it was Hermione who answered.

"We discuss our options with our Head of House, I asked Professor McGonagall last year."

Fleur's comments were drowned by a scream from Hermione. Plainly visible in the sky were three black dots, getting larger as they neared the house.

"They're definitely owls..." said Ron hoarsely

"And there's three of them," said Harry, joining Ron at the window.

"One for each of us," whimpered Hermione. "Oh no... Oh no... Oh no..."

The three owls, handsome Tawny Owls, flew in through the open window and promptly held out their legs, to which were tied large envelopes.

"Oh no!" squeaked Hermione.

Neither Mrs Weasley, Ginny or Fleur said a word as the three took their owls and opened the envelopes. Hermione was shaking so much she was making the owl itself shake excessively. Upon detaching the letter, the owl pulled itself free, gave Hermione a look of contempt and flew off promptly. Harry and Ron studied their sheets quietly before swapping them. Hermione huddled over hers, quaking with increasing violence. Ginny tapped her on the shoulder.

"Hermione, are you alright?"

Hermione didn't respond. Ginny spoke a little louder as Harry and Ron compared results, laughing about Divination and History of Magic.

"Hermione, what did you get? How did you do?"

Finally, Hermione spoke up, in a tiny, squeaky voice.

"I... failed everything."

She burst into floods of tears as Ginny, Ron and Harry picked up her list and scanned it, to their growing disbelief. Rather than the O's they had expected to see after every subject, there were 8 T's and 2 P's. Hermione wailed in distress, much like the house elf Winky had done, oblivious to everybody's attempts to console her as she rocked back and forth on the floor. Unseen by anyone, a fourth owl flew out of the kitchen.

In Diagon Alley, Fred and George looked in the other two way mirror they had. The other was in their home, watching Hermione's reaction to their prank. Fred looked up at his twin, an amused yet slightly abashed grin on his face.

"Well ok, maybe we went a little bit too far."