_The truth behind the face_

Chapter 2 : The Special Exams

_HERMIONE'S POV :_

I started my exams with charms, it asked a whole bunch of multiple choice about what charms did what or to name the charms according to the description. It was amazingly easy, 3rd years could do it. I thought twice about that...lots of people can be completely and utterly clueless. I sighed at the thought of how many times I've heard "I don't understand!" after it being explained a minute after it being repeated for the 5th time. I could almost fall asleep in class! But that would be a horrible thing to do. All those people who are always sleeping in class...don't they sleep at night? What else would they be doing? It's not like they can blame it on all their studying.

Am I done Charms section already? I review all my answers. Yes yes yes yes yes...okay. I look around briefly, and see many people struggling with questions. Poor babies, I think sarcastically. I roll my eyes. Maybe they should study...or listen in class...or do their homework...I sigh. Next I'll do...Transfiguration, it looks like a pretty small package. Oh! An essay! And such an easy subject too.

Name and Explain in detail the rules about the limitations, in at least 200 words. /10

ONLY 200 words? Ugh...that's ridiculous...how much space do I have? I peer at the half page that had been granted to us, that's not a lot... guess I'll have to write K.I.S.S. (Keep It Simple Stupid) and with extremely small writing.

I scribble properly structured sentences with as much information I can place in them down on the paper in my small calligraphy. Well, that seems to be a good text. I smile at myself. I look around once more. I think some people are still on their first packages of paper. Gits. I look at the clock in the corner of the room. It reads 10:36. Still an hour and 24 minutes to go. I move onto ancient runes, leaving Divination for last, since, out of all the classes, it's the one I dropped, but still passed. The subject is just so frustratingly unpredictable and always changing. I'm not manipulative in that subject. Unlike potions, I am fairly good at that. I smile at myself, remembering the polyjuice potion I did and it was in my second year too! Half way through developing some of the graphs, my name along with Susan Bones' name is called by the professor that comes to and from the classroom for the practical parts of the exam. I neatly pile my stuff of my desk, making sure that if someone wanted to steal my answers they'd have to move just about everything there.

I fix my skirt as I got up, and walked to the door or the room, where the professor stood. As I passed, students looked up at me, their faces blank. I felt awkward, trying to avert my eyes from the sunken faces and crossed my arms against my stomach. We walked down the hallway and in to the first room to the left.

"I will leave it up to you ladies. What would you like to do first? There's potions, transfiguration, defense against the dark arts, and the dueling." Said Professor Vector. I always liked him, he's great at teaching… but he gives loads of homework in Ancient Runes – which I don't mind, of course, but you know, I have other professor's who give me homework.

"You can choose Susan." I said placing the decision of her.

"Um..." she stammered, "Potions?" it sounded more like a question than an answer.

"Okay, go to the cauldrons." he said pointing across the room, and we made our way there quickly. "There's a list of three potions..." I read along with him. "Felix felecis, Polyjuice, and Wolfsbane. Take your time, there's no rush."

"Um Professor..." I raised my hand "doesn't it take at least a month to make...well some of these potions...?"

"Why, yes...we put an aging spell on the cauldrons, my dear. "Put it's a very complicated one that only the Ministry Workers are disclosed to use,"

"Oh..." Wow, I hadn't thought that was possible. I furrowed my brow.

"Start with what you want." he sat down on a chair and crossed his legs lazily.

I decided to start with the easiest one; the polyjuice potion, I've done it before so I'm sure I can manage it again. I followed the instructions given and finished within ten minutes or so. I poured it in the cup labeled with POLYJUICE.

"Um...Professor..." I called. "Do we have...eh...hair or something?"

"Oh, no. We're going to do that part later. Just leave it ready to go." he replied.

I shrugged and started on Felix Felexis. I remembered the instructions that were left by the Half Blood Prince in the potion book that had been destroyed with the fire in the Room of Requierment. And that too, I poured it in the designated cup. And finally move onto Wolfsbane and finished that one in a record of time, I poured the potion carefully into the last labeled bottle and set it with the others.

"Professor." I called out again while I left my station.

"All done are ya?" I nodded before he accioed my potions and placed them in a special cupboard with lots of other potion bottles that matched my own. "Come along my dear." he said reaching out towards me. I followed him across the room. And saw a few objects placed around on tables. "Now, Miss Granger, will you please transfigure all of these? And do so with silent spells," Good thing I briefly brushed up on that the other night! I came up to a parakeet and transfigured that with ease to a cream china plate with a design of beautiful gold flowers. "Now, would you, Miss Granger, transfigure that object into an apple for me?"

I looked at the object he was pointing at; it was a leaf, "I'm sorry, According to the five principal exceptions to Grawp's law, you can't transfigure anything into food," Believe me…. I know.

"Brilliant!" exclaimed the Professor, "Now if you could finish transfiguring the rest of the items, if you will,"

I did as told and right as I finished the last item and Professor Vector had examined it, all the items went back to normal as Susan Bones stepped in.

"Alright Miss Bones, would you please transfigure this Parakeet into a piece of cutlery? Good," said Professor Vector, "Now, Miss Granger, would you follow me into the next room and work on this course? It's Defense Against the Dark Arts, something I'm sure you will excel at," I was led behind a curtain and had to do the exact same course as we did with Professor Lupin in our 3rd year, with exception of a patronus that needed to be cast.

When I was finished the course, Susan started it; repeating all the things I finished. Susan Bones was slowly catching up with me. I waited for her to finish, watching her cast the spells. She was a weak spell-caster and stammers a lot.

"Alright then. Now for the Dueling." Announced professor walking towards a spaced out area. "Make sure they aren't any dark spells. You don't want to seriously injure each other." We went to opposite sides of the room, facing each other in a dueling position; I was sure to pass this… Susan? Well she looked like a stammering baboon. "On my mark, ready… set… dual!"

"Anteoculatia!" I yelled with a twitch of my wand. Immediately antlers began forming on top of her head.

"Aqua Erecto!" Susan said quietly. A small stream of water leaked from her wand. She waved her wand and repeated the spell again… this time it made its way a meter from my feet.

I held back a smug expression. "Avifors!" I called out as small bright yellow birds flew out of my wand and towards her face.

"Protego!" she yelled out, clearly frightened. My birds were blasted into nothing but feathers by the time it reached the surprisingly strong bubble that enveloped Susan. She smiled to herself, clearly proud.

"Ascendio!" I cried as I felt myself rise in the air briefly. "Bombarda! Confundo!" I yelled before I fell from the ground. Small explosions weren't off around her small bubble of protection and because of my well thought out Confundus charm her protection spell was broken when she lifted her arms up to protect her face. "Averte Statum," I said as Susan fell on her back. "Petrificus Totalus!" Susan's body went rigid.

"Well done, Miss Granger!" cried the professor before muttering finite at Susan, thus creating her to be released from the full body bind curse. "Good try, Miss Bones. Have a fine day," he left us there; me grinning foolishly and Susan rubbing her sore muscles.

_RONALD'S POV :_

"Okay Students!" said Professor Slughorn, "5 more minutes. Finish up what you're doing." Shit!, I thought, panicked. I hurriedly finished my work before I took a deep breath to calm my overdriven brain. All my limbs went numb as I slid down my chair into a more relaxed position. Professor Slughorn and Professor Trelawney walked around picking up the papers. I closed my eyes for a moment. Ugh. I'm so tired already; it's probably a little past lunch time about now...

"Hello Ron" Said a light voice from behind me, her dainty little fingers poked at my back. I leaned my head back to see who it was, too lazy to move. I saw a blonde scraggly head of hair and a small face of innocence that only the one voice could fit.

"Oh, hi-ya Luna." I said in a cheery tone. As I closed my eyes again, a second later, I furrowed my brows together. "Aren't you supposed to be in the 6th year again?" I said suddenly as I sat up glaring at her in confusion.

"Why, yes, and no." she replied, "See Professor McGonagall and Professor Flitwick talked amongst themselves over the course of the summer and decided that I needn't redo all the work I had already learned. So as you guys were doing your reviewing, they tested me in all the subjects too."

"Wait, does that mean you get to graduate a year early?"

"Why, I guess so..." she dazed off.

"So that makes you one of us 7th years." I concluded, "Congrats."

"Thank you!"

I smiled at her before I tuned back to settle down in my lazy position once more. When they had finished collecting the exams, Professor Slughorn stood a front the class.

"For lunch, we have a variation of different sandwiches." Just then, a trolley much like the ones they have on the train came in accompanied by one of the cooking elves. "There will be enough for two each. If you certainly must have more, seconds will be passing around shortly after."

The house elf seemed to pass out 2 sandwiches to each student in the room starting with the far side. My stomach gurgled in hunger, two sandwiches are definitely not enough, I thought to myself. By the time it reached us the amount of food there was already halved. I received my 2 sandwiches and when he'd left I'd finished.

"Wow Ronald, you must have worked up quite the appetite." she said so matter-of-factually. I laughed a bit at the comment.

"Yea, I'm like a bottomless pit."

"Well, I do presume every pit must end at some point in time. Otherwise it would have to pass through the core of the earth: which wouldn't turn out so great." She was still nibbling her first sandwich. A couple minutes passed and the house elf returned with a new stack of sandwiches. I almost leaped out of my chair in joy.

"How many Master?" the rough voice of the house elf asked when he arrived.

"Uh...as many as you can give me really." I answered. He turned back to his stacks of sandwiches and handed me 5. "Thanks." Mmmmm...so good...I was so hungry. I thought to myself as I wolfed down bite after bite.

"Wow. You eat fast. You sure you won't get a stomach ache?" Luna said from behind me.

"Mmmm...no.." I said, it was muffled by the food I was chewing.

"Now is a great time to go to the Lavatory, if needed." Announced Professor Trelawney, in her faked out melodramatic mysterious voice.

"Why, yes, it is." Agreed professor Slughorn. "If you wish, I shall accompany all girls who wish to go to the lavatory in just a moment and come back for the boys." he propped himself up, out of the chair, shoved his hands to the bottom of his pant pockets and headed for the door.

Most of the girls got up. Don't girls always have to pee? And they left not a moment later. I looked around the room at all the guys that were here. I hadn't noticed before this point in time how many people there really were at Hogwarts...I mean especially if this was half of one year... after the lavatory and lunch break, it was time for some more exams.

"Well, well, I couldn't imagine how uncomfortable it would be to sit all day straining your brain to come up with answers to all these questions!" professor Slughorn huffed. "I have an idea. Let's do some breathing and stretching exercises." he jumped up. "Come on! Up. Up! Get up!" Some people reluctantly got up as some others groaned. "Come on everybody! It'll be good for you." he cheered the ones who were still stubborn enough to stay sitting. Eventually everybody got up and Professor Slughorn shot his hands in the air above his head. "Stretch up!" he commanded. Professor Trelawney looked back and forth in confusion and the also, poorly, followed along with everybody else. "I'd like you all to close your eyes as you try to touch your toes and take deeeeep long breath." Everyone bent over and closed their eyes, some people giggled to their neighbors. "Now, remember," He said in a strained voice, "this test does not count for anything. It will only determine whether you can or cannot be in this ...Classis Specialis...thing." he chuckled. "There won't be any exams on it, or anything. It's just the lucky few with this one teacher...get together and...I don't actually know what you do in the course..." He did a few more stretches and calmed down everybody's nerves.

"Now that, that's settled..." he turned to his desk, and pushed around some papers and picked one up. "Part 2 of the exam..." he licked his lips. "Arithmancy, Care of magical creatures, history of magic and Herbology…..." Professor Trelawney walked around the class passing around the packets of paper. "Remember, the people who were not yet called will be named this half of the exam." When she was done he looked at his watch. "You may start in 10...9..."Everybody shuffled their papers around looking at the subjects and placing their quills. "8...7...6...5..." Deep breaths could be heard throughout the classroom, "4...3...2...1...now!" and he buried his hands into his pockets.

Bloody hell this is long! I thought to myself as I ran my fingers through my long wavy red hair. Just then Hermione's hand shot up.

"Professor! What do we do when we're done?" She asked. Done?

"Oh, well, you leave I suppose" Professor Slughorn replied, caught off guard. "Are you done already, Miss Granger?" He said as he riffled through her papers.

"Yes, Sir."

"Well, it doesn't say anything about being finished. There are only about half an hour left." The atmosphere in the room changed abruptly at this. Everybody panicked and began scribbling furiously. "I suppose you should revise your answers and bring it up here."

She did as she was told and about a minute later she headed to the desk and handed him her paper and left. Everybody one-by-one left for, what I thought to be, the next 20 minutes, until I got up, handed in my papers "Have a good evening." he said.

"You too Professor." I replied politely and left as well. I decided to make my way to the Great Hall to see if they had served or were soon going to serve Dinner. I'm so hungry. It's like it never ends. I thought. As I reached my destination, people were just getting ready for dinner. I made my way to our normal spot where I sat in front of Hermione. Harry, Luna and Ginny were there already.

"Ron, where were you?" Hermione asked angrily. I looked at her in confusion.

"What are you talking about?" I glanced around at my friends for answers, Ginny and Harry were in their own world of conversation, and Luna...well...just in her own world...

"It's been 45 minutes since I left. Everybody else is already here." he looked around, lowering her voice. "Where were you?"

"I was finishing my exam..." I said flabbergasted "Where else would I have been?"

"Well I was worried sick! Tell me first next time!"

"Hermione, I couldn't tell you, I was still in my exam."

"Yea, but you could have told me before the exam."

"Well it's not like I would have known"

"What do you mean?"

"I didn't know it was going to take me an extra 15 minutes, I hadn't done the test yet. I don't even know what time it is!"

"Well, maybe you should get a watch!" she yelled, as the food got here. She grunted and got up. Harry, Ginny and Luna snapped back into reality. Hermione looked around at everyone and just said in a quiet tone. "I'm not hungry. Maybe bring me a bun later Ginny?"

Her eyes widened and shifted across the room and replied. "Er, Okay." and with that she left. "What happened, Ron? What did you do this time?"

"I don't know, she mad that I didn't tell her I was going to take 45 minutes longer than she for the exam or something." I replied, utterly confused at the scenario. "She's been really pissy all summer."

"Well mate, you should sort things out with her." advised Harry.

"yea..." I agreed as I dug into my plate. Luna sat down where Hermione had been seated.

"She looks very upset, I wonder if Wrackspurts have entered her brain." Luna said simply.

"Wrackspurts?" said the girl from the train with dark wavy hair. She sat beside Luna with her friend beside her.

"A Wrackspurt is an invisible creature which floats into a person's ears, making his or her brain go fuzzy" replied Luna somewhat insulted.

I ate some food in my plate and began stuffing my face with as much as I could fit on my spoon.

"So mate, how was the examination?" I asked Harry

"Was okay, it was too long for anyone's liking," he answered "how about you Paige?" he asked the quiet girl with brown hair.

"it was okay." She said looking up with wide eyes, "how was yours, um, what's your name again?"

"Good, I guess, it's Ron," I said before gulping down all my Pumpkin juice in one sip. The glass refilled itself immediately.

"Cool… I'm guessing you're a Weasley?" she said with a slight blush.

"You know it," I said between bites.

"It's cause you have flaming red hair and…" she retorted, stammering over her words, "I don't want you to get offended or anything-"

"Offended over red hair?" laughed Harry.

Paige's blush deepened. "Well no…" Wow, Paige is kinda cute... really cute.

"We met on the train remember?" exclaimed faith

"Yeah , I remember…" I trailed off.

"Pardon?" Faith said, "I can't hear you,"

"Ron always mutters," Harry explained looking at Faith.

"I see that," Faith laughed and Harry joined in. I watched Paige pick up a dinner roll and nibble at it.

"Where's Hermione?" Asked Faith after she stopped laughing along with Harry; the git.

"I don't know" Harry replied as he pushed his plate back. "I'm going to go sleep… used too much of my brain juices today,"

"Goodnight, mate," I said.

"G'night," said Paige in a small voice.

"Night," he replied as Ginny got up and followed him. Was that a glare I caught from Faith? Probably not.

"Ugh, it's late come sleep with me, Paige," Faith said as she stood up.

I looked at both of the girls with wide eyes... Surely they didn't mean….?

"But I'm still eating…"

"Fine…" Faith replied with a sigh. "Whoa… why are you looking at me like that, Ron?"

"Waaa?" I retorted, I shoke my head, "I was just a tad bit shocked at the bluntness of your invitation to sex…."

"OH!" Faith cried out as Paige sniggered rather loudly. "Paige and I aren't in a relationship- wait no! We're not fuck buddies!" she sighed. "It was a joke… seriously,"

"Oh…" I replied.

"Well… off to bed I guess," Faith said as she turned away.

"Goodnight, Faith! Beware of those Wrackspurts!" Luna called after me.

"Er… okay!" Faith replied as she exited the Entrance doors.

"She's a nice girl," Luna said as she turned to us before she took out the Quibbler and flipped it upside down.

"Interesting…" said Paige.

"Agreed,"

"How are you?" Paige asked randomly after an awkward pause.

"Okay," I replied without thinking twice.

"You sure?" Paige retorted, "You don't seem to sure," she giggled slightly.

"Well… in fact… I'm just having a small fight with Hermione… you know the usual," I laughed.

"Small fight?" Paige said with a cock of her pretty head.

I explained to her what happened prior to her arrival with Faith.

"Ah," she retorted after I was finished.

"What's Hermione's problem? During the summer, I'd invite her out and she'd decline to study. To study! Not only that but when I finally did get her out, we went to this movie theater? I believe that's what it's called," I said as Paige nodded her head, I continued on. "But we spent an hour and thirty minutes arguing!"

"Isn't a Muggle movie normally that long?" Paige frowned.

"That's exactly what I had said to her… and guess what I got in return?" I paused to add effect, "A SLAP! She slapped me and called me disrespectful!"

Paige's eyebrows shot up with a look of sheer shock.

"I know right?" I retorted. Once I began telling Paige things… I couldn't stop at all, I just blurted out everything; my jealousy for Harry… my problems with him dating my sister… my mother… and mostly Hermione, "She doesn't even appreciate the little things I do for her! The other day I picked up her books when they fell and placed them gently in her book bag and hung it down… without even being told to do so! And all she had to say was: here's my quill. I didn't even get a thanks or a nod! Nothing! Nada!"

"Guess what I did for her on the day we left for Hogwarts?"

"What?" Paige replied.

"I made her breakfast in bed… I sorted out her trunk and brought it into the car! I made a small duffel bag which consisted of two books, a quill, parchment and her small pouch of spending money… she didn't even thank me!"

"Oh wow…"

"Sometimes I don't even think that she notices me and others… well it seems like she needs to know where I am every single second of my life! I'm so confused!"

"Have you tried talking to her?"

"Yes! I have, she just avoids it completely; it seems as though she doesn't want to even recognize that we have a problem with our relationship… most of the time I wonder why I even asked her out!"

"Well, obviously there is a problem here that needs to be recognised by both parties of the relationship... from what I'm hearing; you guys don't seem like a connecting couple…"

"So what should I do?" I asked her. "I don't want to break up with her... It'll ruin our friendship and make everything awkward… but I can't keep living like this!"

"Maybe with a little of away time, you two can differentiate the problems and fix them or end the relationship,"

"So are you saying I should break up with her?"

"Not necessarily… All I'm saying is that you should take a 'like break'"

I didn't say anything as I mushed everything in my brain and think over everything that Paige had advised me.

"Okay… well bedtime! And, Luna, you know it's really late,"

"Oh!" Luna replied surprised, "I was just so caught up in my article that I lost track of time!"

"G'night Ron," Paige waved me goodbye before exiting the Entrance doors with Luna, leaving me to my thoughts.

A/N: hiya! Here's another wonderful chapter that I co wrote with sk8er chikz rokout! :D also follow me on twitter to know what's up and what part I'm at: /#!/lovetobeFaith