Disclaimer - I do not own Harry Potter, I just like paying with the characters.

This is my first multi chapter fic, after I had a stab at writing a Yule Ball themed one shot. Please gentle with me!

Chapter 1

"Can I ask you all to please take one of the parchment scrolls being levitated around your desks?" Professor Slughorn announced at the end of the Potions revision lesson. The class had already taken their written Potions exam and were attending 'booster' lessons for their remaining tests, Potions Practical being the very last exam on this year's NEWT timetable.

The bustle of clearing and tidying away utensils and ingredients was receding as the Professor began to send the parchment bundles around the room with a swish of his wand. "These contain the details of the arrangements and organisation and so forth of your coming practical examination. I expect you all to be fully prepared."

Ron gave a barely audible groan as he lazily withdrew a scroll and tossed it into his bag with disinterest. He earned himself a glare from Hermione who had already taken her scroll and unfurled it carefully on her desk, and was memorising its contents:

Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry N.E.W.T. Examination Board

Advanced Potions

Friday 26th June 1998

1pm – 3pm (2 hours)

Potions Classroom

Students will be presented with the name of the potion that they will be required to brew before the practical examination begins, on a disappearing parchment. The name will be visible for 10 seconds only after opening.

For the purposes of the examination, students will be working at separate desks. Each will be stocked with a full range of potion making apparatus. A full stock of ingredients will be available. Students will have no need to request further utensils or ingredients.

At the end of the examination, the potion must be ready for presentation in an appropriate vial, and labelled with the student's name and the name of the potion within.

Hermione breathed deeply. The Potions Practical was notoriously difficult to revise for as there was a good chance that you might end up having to make that one potion that you are less familiar with. At least in the written paper, the questions were on a range of potions so you stood a better chance. Hermione was pretty confident that she had covered every potion possible from her 'Advanced Potions' textbook in her thorough and detailed revision timetable ensuring that she didn't have 'that one potion' in her repertoire, but it didn't stop her nibbling her lip nervously at the thought of being 'caught out'.

So wrapped up in her thoughts was she that Hermione hadn't noticed the class had been dismissed and the dungeon classroom was emptying out slowly. Harry waved his hand in front of her face.

"Come in. Come in. Earth to Hermione."

She started and shook her head, smiling resignedly at Harry as she began to pack her bag.

"Sorry Harry. I was miles away! This last exam has just got me feeling really anxious."

"Oh come on!" Ron snorted as he made his way over to his friends. "You can't be serious, Hermione. You know more about potions that that Porridge bloke who wrote the book!"

"I think you mean Libatius Borage? Honestly Ronald, you've been using the book for the past two years. You ought to know who wrote it by now!"

"Porridge, Borage; LeviOsa, LeviosAH…" Ron smirked, nudging her playfully in the ribs.

"Come on, guys." Harry said as they slung their bags over their shoulders. "Exams are nearly finished, and it's the Leavers' Ball next Friday too. So we get the Potions out of the way and then it's time to party."

"P. A. R. T… Why?" Ron announced in a loud, American accent.

"Because I GOTTA!" Harry replied in an equally raucous voice, both boys chuckling in admiration of their own 'hilarity'.

"Really boys?" Hermione sighed with a roll of her eyes. "That DVD player that Dean smuggled in to the common room has been nothing but a distraction to us all this year and Merlin knows how he got it to work. You two seem to have done a better job of memorising lines from his film collection than remembering anything remotely useful for your exams. I for one intend to continue to focus on my revision, right until we walk back into this room for the exam, next Friday." she stated pointedly.

"Course she does." Ron muttered before announcing "Right, let's go! I'm bloody starving."

Hermione walked steadily after the boys with a smile. As much as their rather lax attitude to revision irked her, she did find their sense of fun completely endearing and sometimes wished she was able to 'switch off' as easily. As they reached the door, she turned back to look at the classroom. The next time she would be leaving this room, it would be after finishing her final exam, signalling that her seven years at Hogwarts would officially be at an end. With a sigh of sentimentality, she turned back to her friends as they disappeared up the staircase, talking very animatedly about something or other to do with Quidditch.

She was about to quicken her pace to catch up with them when a silky voice called out to her along the dungeon corridor.

"Granger! I need a word!"