May had come and gone so quickly that Basil felt like he’d missed practically all of it. How was it that he was already knee-deep in exam preparation for his students? Where had the final Ravenclaw quidditch match gone? How had the Hogsmeade weekend passed? He frankly wasn’t even sure he remembered the outcome of the match, he was so immersed in exams. This year, like most others, Basil had decided to do a puzzle box - of sorts - for his students. Each of them had to follow a set of written instructions to transfigure a portion of the box. Each transfiguration - color, shape, size, swapping, etc. - would unlock the next set of instructions, or, open a compartment. The exam was completed and considered ‘passing’ when each student returned to him the prize at the very depth of each box. The first and second years would find a golden frog at the bottom of theirs to be transfigured back into a coin; the O.W.L students would find a golden snitch - to be ‘switched’ back with the key that would be sitting in the quidditch chest out on the grounds; and finally, his N.E.W.T students would find a riddle. The answer to the riddle would determine their level of competence and understanding of transfigurative hexes.

Basil was pleased with this year’s puzzles. It had taken him a good few weeks to figure out all the clues and pull together the instructional sheet revealing charms. He still had to wrap up a few more anti-cheating charms on the N.E.W.T instructions, but for now he’d decided to take a break. He was sore from being cooped up in his office all these past hours, and on a Monday no less. So instead, he’d decided to go swap his key prize for the O.W.L examinations with the snitch.

As he walked across the castle grounds down towards the Quidditch Pitch, Basil turned his face up towards the sun. It was only partly cloudy out today, but those few sunbeams made all the difference. He could practically feel the castle buzzing with student excitement for summer break and the sunshine only amplified that sense of looming freedom. Today marked the start of the Charms and Astronomy exams. Idly, Basil wondered how the other professors were fairing with their preparations. He couldn’t help but think about Lissington in particular.

It had been one month, almost to the date, since their last disastrous encounter. Basil still felt warm under the collar at the thought. He wasn’t angry anymore. Not really. Not like he had been. In fact, they’d managed to be quite civil as of late. Almost… friendly. It was painfully awkward on Basil’s part, and frankly just painful all around. He still had the ruinous urge to kiss the other silly whenever they met and the memories that accompanied just seeing Lissington… well, they didn’t help any. But somehow they’d managed to look past all of that. Or at least, they were pretending to. Today, as Basil’s thoughts turned towards the quirky red-head, he wondered how Lissington was doing with his own exam preparations. He knew the man had been anxious about his abilities as a professor.

As Basil deposited his query and began his trek back to the castle, he spotted a bright red speckle out of the corner of his eye just across the grounds. It was like his very thoughts had summoned the man out of thin air. (Because really, who else could it be zipping back and forth erratically like that?) The brunette let out a harrowing breath as something akin to doxy wings brushed against his intestines. He squashed the feeling even as his feet began to move in the other’s direction of their own accord. He would check in. He owed Lissington that much. They were supposed to be friends after all, right?

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