In perhaps the greatest injustice of the last few minutes, Ron was taking his exam in his sickbed.
"Of all the rotten luck- 'least I get a bit of extra time." Elsewhere he expected Hermione was already finished with her practice Transfiguration exam, though he was only finished with the first few questions of the real thing.
What is the difference between transfiguration of the magical out of the mundane and enchantment of Muggle artefacts to engender magical properties?
̶M̶y̶ ̶d̶a̶d̶ ̶w̶o̶n̶'̶t̶ ̶a̶r̶r̶e̶s̶t̶ ̶y̶o̶u̶ ̶f̶o̶r̶ ̶t̶h̶e̶ ̶f̶i̶r̶s̶t̶ ̶o̶n̶e̶ ̶a̶f̶t̶e̶r̶ ̶f̶i̶g̶u̶r̶i̶n̶g̶ ̶o̶u̶t̶ ̶h̶o̶w̶ ̶y̶o̶u̶ ̶d̶i̶d̶ ̶i̶t̶.̶
The time it takes for the normal thing to go back to normal is based on weight in transfiguring and the nature of the enchantment in the latter.
What is Arabesque's Law of Complexity?
̶T̶h̶e̶ ̶m̶o̶r̶e̶ ̶c̶o̶m̶p̶l̶e̶x̶ ̶i̶t̶ ̶i̶s̶,̶ ̶t̶h̶e̶ ̶c̶l̶o̶s̶e̶r̶ ̶i̶t̶ ̶i̶s̶ ̶t̶o̶ ̶t̶h̶e̶ ̶t̶e̶s̶t̶ ̶o̶n̶ ̶i̶t̶.̶
As the complexity of the transfiguration increases, the time required increases.
Staring down at his previous answers, he sighed and skipped to an essay question regarding the simple arithmancy required for transfiguring multiple forms into multiple forms of a different number. Seventy five percent sure it's the first number multiplied by the second number determines the complexity value, then that over the product of the weights gives you the time factor. He took a drink of healing potion and nearly gagged. Well, more like fifty percent. Setting the vial down again, he hit the quill with a repair charm. Fifty-ish.
Earlier that day he had a visit from Hagrid, which was only allowed under the condition that he was the only visitor, and Hannah was pleased to hear his voice. Apparently she had taken an interest in Dementors and their ability to draw memories out involuntarily.
"Yeh don't want ter go messin' with them, Hannah." the mountain of a man said quietly. Ron's face changed, having expected him to be fascinated by the monsters. "Most things, people, yeh see people fear 'em 'cause they're different. Interestin' creatures like grindylows're no harm to wizards if yeh keep yer wits about yeh, same with kelpies, trolls, dragons even. Don't harm 'em and they'll do no harm to you."
"The Dementors are different?"
"I've seen 'em, darlin'. Nothin' in the world could get me to... look at one ever again. Can't contain 'em, can't trust 'em, not even to follow ther instincts, 'cause they don't have any, and yeh can't kill 'em. Just about the only creature, being, or thing yeh'd ever want to- and yeh can't get 'em out o' the way fer good." Ron remembered Hagrid having recounted his brief time in Azkaban. Having asked his father about the short sentence, he learned it was most likely a nominal punishment to scare him away from further law-breaking.
It was after a vague description of the tall, vaguely humanoid figures that the grounds keeper moved on to less serious matters, like the Red Caps being happy that their names had been cleared- or they would, if he knew of any in the Forest. Perhaps it was simply that Red Caps in general were happy about it, having always been suspected for things that they would never do. It was great fun, really.
The pair of them were visited by the Fat Friar, who also seemed determined to raise Hannah's spirits, telling her about snooping around in the kitchens for some reason. Her questions of him mostly had to do with the paintings of Hogwarts, which he supposed must still be a fascinating concept for her, since they imitated life in a way unlike Muggle film.
He might have been bitter about the fact that most of the visitors had been for the Hufflepuff across him thus far, though he supposed she needed it more. Reckon it's not easy for her, being blind. Can't say I know what it's like.
It occurred to him that he also did not know what Dementors were like, which was fine by him. I've got enough problems.
Ron was finished with most of the ones on the Transfiguration exam by the time Madam Pomfrey returned, though she had nothing new to tell him regarding his condition or the visitors he was allowed. His twin brothers had been permanently banned from the Hospital Wing, which was reasonable, but it did nothing to raise his spirits. He had hoped to apologize to them for forcibly roping them into his plan, but would be unable to do that as long as he did not see them.
He found his Charms exam on the foot of his bed, scowling that his condition allowed him to forgo practical demonstration of magic, which was where he had hoped to make up points he expected to lose on explaining the theory. What I need is a curse that keeps me from explaining things.
Looking across the room at Hannah, staring up at the infinite darkness, he turned back to his work with a frown. He expected Hermione would comment on the benefits of thinking before speaking if she were there, and an accomplished Legilimens.
Please explain, to the best of your ability, the casting time of spell types, in order of shortest to longest.
The shortest are jinxes, followed by hexes and charms, which are really the same, if you think about it. The second slowest are curses, then enchantments.
He considered elaborating that these were generalities, and that there were faster and slower spells of each category, but the succeeding questions seemed to acknowledge that. At least I can understand this.
When, logically, is the appropriate time to cast a charm?
You cast a charm when you can. If it takes more time to cast than you have, you should move or get behind cover rather than use the wrong jinx just because it's faster.
While the question did not specifically ask about a combat scenario, it seemed obvious enough. A common criticism of Charms he heard from a few of the older students was that they weren't going to stand around waving their wands when killing curses were coming after them. It's just their way of calling it a useless class. At least Flitwick takes the idea of a free response question literally.
How may a witch or wizard tell if a form has been charmed?
He or she can't. Charms leave no obvious signs. Their effects can be explained by other means.
It was something he remembered the old half-goblin going over rather diligently in class. It was a common assumption that if you forgot something, you must have been hit with a memory charm, but if you thought about it, the idea was silly. Of course, if you were hit with one you would forget things, but it didn't work the other way around. There were times Ron wondered how much Professor Flitwick was trying to teach them Charms and how much he was trying to teach them logic.
After finishing with his second exam, he considered moving on to Defense, but remembered hearing from his father that as Lockhart was being discredited in the Ministry, there was a chance the scores would not be counted. There's also a chance I don't get an easy O for this stupid class.
It was true that he hated the professor before it was a common rumor among the students that he was a fraud, which he was quick to believe, but Ron had legitimate reasons for hating the class. He had come to school with every intent to acquire magical knowledge and experience almost for the sole purpose of protecting Ginny and the new professor had been a spectacular disappointment in that regard. Independent learning seemed to be the focus of the class out of incompetence rather than a specific teaching philosophy, though he reckoned retrospectively that the only reason he had arrived at that conclusion was his particularly uncharitable perspective of the instructor. Not like he deserved a charitable perspective.
The questions on the exam mostly revolved around Lockhart's life experiences, which he supposed was at least true to the class, but the fact made it more likely that the scores would be thrown out. He decided to hope that if there were an investigation, they would look into both the class and the exams, and not one or the other.
What is Gilderoy Lockhart's favorite instrument?
The school governors are all his favorite instrument together.
He decided against crossing it out. Worst they could do is mark it wrong and I don't remember the answer anyway. His books were next to him and the one other resident of the Hospital Wing would be quite unable to report him for anything, but he doubted he could stomach reading them again. Copying off Hermione went against Weasley principle as well, but at least it was time-efficient. I'd do it more often if we were near each other- and she'd let me.
What spell did Gilderoy Lockhart use against a vampire?
He used a memory charm to trap it in a room of all mirrors.
It was a story that did not seem terribly plausible as he was reading it, but it was more plausible than the instructor's reasoning for constantly referring to himself in the third person. Objectivity my arse-
Ron went on to the next question.
Where does Gilderoy Lockhart, world traveler, feel most at home?
On an adventure, of course.
The truth was that he had contradicted himself several times on that point. From the most charitable perspective he could manage, the young Gryffindor imagined that he simply did not have a consistent answer, though in his mind the more likely explanation was that it allowed for a bit of flexibility in the grading. If the students came up short of where they were supposed to be, a few points could be added. If they came up ahead of where they were meant to be, a few could be subtracted.
The remainder of the exam followed the form of the first three questions without variation, though there was an opinion essay question requiring him to explain the most interesting part of Lockhart's adventures. Partly because it required no research at all and partly because it very well might be the only true part, Ron chose to write about his adventures at Hogwarts, defending the Chamber of Secrets by shielding himself with enemy combatants. It was a challenge to emphasize the wizard's bravery, at first, so he turned it into a tale of sacrifice. No need to specify that it was a sacrifice he wouldn't have been willing to make- if Snape had given him more than two choices.
His final for Potions had been entirely practical, with no written component, so technically he had gotten out of it entirely. Don't reckon Snape'll be pleased, but there probably isn't anything he can do about it. If only I could get out of my Astronomy and History of Magic exams the same way.
Unfortunately for him, the exams were entirely written, but his curses got him out of having to do all of them on the same day, which was the normal procedure. He supposed he could cheat by helping Hermione for a change, since she would be taking all of her exams the following day, including those he had already completed. Her studying regimen this year was comprised of practice exams she had made for herself, though having looked at them, he had an idea that they were much harder than the final actually was.
Trying to get out of bed, he managed to get his feet to the ground, but putting pressure on them was a different matter entirely. His legs were really no better, so riding a broom would be out of the question. He had an idea that his physical wounds had mostly healed if not fully, and it was the curses causing him pain, though he could not be sure what with the bandages still all over him. I reckon if Madam Pomfrey keeps me thinking I'm injured as long as possible, that's longer I don't come back injured again.
As a distraction from Hermione's exam material, he had looked into indefinite curses, which only showed how desperate he was getting for relief from the core subjects. As near as he could reckon, the curses he had would not go away until broken, which was the standard advantage with curses, though there were those with only temporary effects. Counting them and trying to figure out what they all were had been a pain, because every time it seemed he had an idea of one, Hannah suggested something else. He knew better than to hate her for it, since she could be right and had nothing better to do, but it made the process more frustrating. He had hoped to discern what the effects were to provide Bill with an advantage going in. It was easy enough with the Hufflepuff across from him, since she knew she only got hit with one curse, and it was pretty obvious what it was.
"Hey Hannah."
"Yeah?"
"Sorry I got you into all this."
"That's okay. At least your brother can fix my blindness." she responded, sitting up in bed as if to look at him while talking. "I don't plan on getting out, you know."
"Well, no, that's just what you have to do when you're in it. Someone like- I don't know, Parvati could just say 'well, it's not my job' and never be in it in the first place." He adopted a downcast expression, hoping it would not show in his voice.
"Would you think any less of me if I just left?" the blonde witch asked, her voice sounding sincere.
"What?"
"I've been doing some thinking about it after some of the things you said. You didn't seem to hold it against Hermione or Anthony for leaving."
"Well, no, it's not their fight-"
"Is it yours?"
"I involved myself, Hannah- it's all you have to do." He exhaled, frustrated without direction. "I don't want to get into all the stupid stuff I did last year that got me into all the business with Quirrell- I can't ask other people to risk their lives. I don't expect them to, not even if they've got some dumb reason like I do."
Hannah stared out into nothing, without any way of knowing she was not facing him directly, and for a moment he felt like moving into the way.
"Well, maybe you don't have to be involved. Maybe you don't have to expect more of yourself than you expect of anyone else."
"Part of it's that I have a stake in it. My family's been here for centuries- I don't know how long, longer than I'd be bothered to find out. Really, though, I think it's heroic of Hermione to keep at it." he added quietly. "The less you have to do with something, the more- I don't know, selfless it is to try to help. Do you have any brothers or sisters?"
"No." Hannah responded simply. "I think I get it, though. You wouldn't really expect anyone else to look after Ginny, even though it would be the right thing to do." She exhaled, still not facing him. "When it seems like people don't really have...standards...principles, I don't know, things you would imagine they would have, it doesn't make sense to expect them to do the right thing. I'm sorry if your sister is a bit of a sore spot for you. I don't know, but I can imagine..."
Ron did not know how to apologize for what had come over his friend, how absolutely crushed she looked, whatever losing battles were going on inside her mind, or perhaps her soul. All the same, it seemed like the right thing to do.
"Hannah-"
"Please don't apologize." she interrupted, guessing it somehow. "It's not your fault. None of this is your fault- if anything's your- responsibility, it's only a millionth of as much your responsibility as it is everyone else's-" the girl trailed off again.
For a moment it felt like either she would leave the room or he would. The red-haired wizard could not identify a reason why; that was simply what you did when things got like this- perhaps to think about something else, perhaps to let the other person think about something else, perhaps simply to move on, taking a step in a less painful direction. He could not count all of the times things had played out that way, all of the times he had left Hermione or she had left him on an unpleasant note, not because they wanted to leave it like that, but because the displeasure made them want to leave, and if the worst occurred and they left it like that, at least they would see each other again soon. It was for this reason that the last time he had seen anyone so crushed was when he looked in the mirror in a washroom after hearing that she had been attacked, possibly killed.
Hannah could not see, so he put his feet back on the ground and forced himself to them. I'll find Hermione. I'll have to keep the door quiet as I leave.
