The next morning, Harry took his seat in the large, sweltering classroom and gave a shuddering yawn. He couldn't believe he'd stayed up until three o'clock that morning, and felt a tinge of embarrassment as Professor Snyde looked at him from behind her desk. She was wearing a white flannel shirt with a plaid pattern, a pair of navy-blue jeans, and a pair of black boots with thick soles.
"Everyone settled?" Professor Snyde asked, standing up from her seat. "You've got one hour to finish. Begin."
Looking down (and feeling his eyelids become heavy), Harry turned over his question paper and read:
1) List and explain at least three types of spells, providing at least one example of each.
Simple enough. Harry dipped his quill and started writing about charms, jinxes, and hexes (with examples), and even added curses and Transfiguration spells as well. Then he clenched his jaw hard in order to stifle his second yawn, and moved on to the next question, which read:
2) Give the incantation, wand movements, and the colour of the spell which is meant to disarm.
Another simple question. Harry fought off another yawn as he wrote 'Expelliarmus', the fact that it didn't really have a wand movement, and that it usually came out as a flash (or jet) of scarlet red.
3) Give the incantations and wand movements of the Red-Sparks Spell and the Green-Sparks Spell.
Barely a challenge. Harry wrote 'Vermillious' and 'Verdimillious', as well as their respective wand-movements. They weren't the hardest of spells to remember after all, though Harry was having a hard time preventing himself from staring into space and slipping into a nice, deep sleep.
4) True or false: lycanthropy can be cured.
False, obviously.
5) Name one method used to treat werewolf bites.
Yawning, Harry wrote about mixing powdered silver and dittany for the above-mentioned purpose. (This paper was much easier than he'd expected so far.)
6) Name and provide a brief description of at least two types of trolls.
From what Harry could remember, there were forest, mountain, and river trolls out in the wild. He gave a brief description of their appearances and behaviour.
7) Name one spell which specifically targets spiders.
Questions like these made Harry smile. The first spell which came to mind was Arania Exumai, which Harry wrote a decent amount of detail on.
8) Give any spell and its counter-spell that you know of (excluding Finite Incantatem).
Well, that was easy. The first answer which came to mind was the Snake-Summons Spell, Serpensortia. Harry had first come across it in a library book on Parselmouths, and knew that its counter-spell was the Snake-Vanishing Spell, Vipera Evanesca (obviously).
9) Name and describe at least one spell which can be used to stop pixies.
The only time this information came up in class was in the final one, when Professor Snyde had mentioned one of her previous Defence Against the Dark Arts teachers having trained her students to stop Cornish pixies. She had done so by using spells such as the Freezing Charm, Immobulus, and the Knockback Jinx, Flipendo, though Harry supposed Professor Snyde would be open to other answers as well (provided they made sense).
10) Which creatures guard the prisoners of Azkaban?
This one evaded Harry for a few seconds, especially as he stopped to stifle another yawn. Then he remembered Professor Snyde having mentioned Dementors during her final lesson of the term.
11) Name any creature that is classified as an undead.
'Zombie', Harry wrote, giving a brief description as well.
12) Name the human-like creature known to feed on children.
Harry wrote whatever came to mind regarding hags.
The last three questions involved dealing with the Jelly-Brain Jinx, the Jelly-Legs Jinx, and the Leg-Locker Curse, respectively. Harry blazed through his answers and, with fifteen minutes left on the clock, decided to fold his arms on his desk and rest his head upon them. He just needed a few minutes' rest, that was all.
When Harry woke, the classroom was as silent as ever as Harry opened his eyes. He was still sitting in the same position in which he'd fallen asleep, with his head in his arms and his neck turned to face the wall on his left. There was a soft scratching of quill on parchment nearby, which Harry supposed was Draco, Roger Malone, Hermione, or Daphne finishing their exams. But then, just as Harry came to his senses, he realised that the sounds of writing were coming from the desk in front.
Professor Snyde's desk.
"Good morning," said Professor Snyde, who was busy marking a stack of papers. Harry jerked up and looked around at the empty classroom. It was already twenty past eleven.
"What –"
"You fell asleep," said Professor Snyde, double-checking the parchment she'd marked. "So I left you and told the others to leave quietly at ten."
Harry couldn't believe this. He felt his heart-rate increase and his cheeks heat up as he thought about having slept in public. What if he'd farted? What if it was a smelly one? Did he perhaps talk in his sleep or something?
"But why didn't you wake me up?" Harry asked. He stood up from his desk and rolled up his question paper. Professor Snyde smiled, and shook her head.
"Because you were knackered, that's why," she said. Then she paused for a moment, and added: "Look, I know you're eager to score high and all that, but you're way too young to be pulling all-nighters. Please don't do it again, OK?"
Feeling rather silly (though it would be worth it if he did, indeed, score high), Harry scratched the back of his hair as he stood facing Professor Snyde's desk. "Professor ... did I, erm, you know ..."
Professor Snyde lowered one brow, and raised the other.
"I didn't, erm ... fart or anything, did I?" Harry said in a rushed voice. The sooner he got it out, the better. Professor Snyde stared at him with those large, violet eyes of hers, and chuckled.
"No, Harry. You didn't do anything but snooze."
Harry gave a slight, red-cheeked smile as he politely excused himself from the classroom.
Did I really just ask her that?
Lunch was a quick affair that day. Harry and his classmates had no intention of flying on a full stomach, and therefore ate just enough to keep them full for an hour or two ... or perhaps more.
"I still can't believe you fell asleep like that," Daphne said beside Harry. "What if you farted or something?"
They all laughed.
"That's what happens when you study all night," Theodore said opposite Daphne, having just finished his second mackerel-sandwich. "Everyone ready? Father said he'll get me a Cleansweep Seven if I score at least seventy per cent on this exam."
"I'd've asked for a Nimbus," Draco said beside him.
"Yeah, well, maybe next year or whenever.
Once finished, the group of ten made their way out of the castle and onto the lush, green lawn outside. The sun was high in the sky, and there was a moderate wind which rustled the blades of grass and shook the bushes nearby.
"Great weather for flying," said Draco. "Just hope the wind doesn't pick up."
Everyone agreed, and they picked up the pace while descending the sloping lawns.
Upon their arrival at the Quidditch stadium, Harry and his housemates saw that most of the other first-years were already seated in the visitors' stands, while Madam Hooch was standing on the side of the field below. Madam Hooch then waved her wand and conjured a seven-foot-wide green sliding board from the stands to the centre of the field. Daphne cupped her cheeks and gasped in delight.
"That's a sliding board!"
"Duh," said Pansy beside her in the top row. "We can tell."
Draco, however, looked more thoughtful than pleased. "Think we're going one by one or in groups?"
"Dunno," said Daphne, shrugging. "But that would mean I'm with Granger, and she's not exactly super-confident on a broom, you know."
Theodore laughed. "Imagine she bumps into you and ruins both your marks."
"Shut up," said Daphne, which was exactly what Harry thought. "Quit being a divvy."
Meanwhile, down on the field, Madam Hooch held a large purple megaphone to her mouth as she said, "Slide down when I call your name. Hannah Abbott, Susan Bones, Terry Boot, and Mandy Brocklehurst!"
Susan jumped up from her seat and went to join Abbott, Boot, and Brocklehurst at the slide.
"Good luck, Susan!" said Daphne, waving her hand in the air. Tracey glared at her.
"What d'you think you're doing? This is an exam, not a Quidditch match!"
Daphne snorted with a laugh. "Seems awfully chill for an exam, though. We can all see what the others are doing anyway."
"Yeah," said Blaise, sitting beside Draco and Vincent nearby. "I'm surprised Hooch didn't put up a barrier or something. Not that I'm complaining, of course."
"Lucky you," said Daphne.
"'Unlucky', you mean," said Draco. "He's got Weasley."
Vincent, Gregory, Draco, and Theodore guffawed. Over a dozen students turned to glare at them from below.
"For God's sake!" said Tracey. "Shut up before you get us in trouble again!"
Harry was about to speak when he heard a very familiar (and pleasant) voice say "My thoughts exactly" from the stairwell to his right.
It was Professor Snyde.
"And what are you doing here?" said Draco, leaning back in his seat. "You're not a first-year."
"No need to be so rude," said Harry. Professor Snyde shrugged.
"Just felt like watching the show. Brings back some memories, I guess."
She descended the steps and went to stand in front, at the railing.
"Oooh, look!" said Daphne, hopping in her seat. "They're starting!"
Madam Hooch began setting up an obstacle course involving large, numbered hoops in the air, numbered crates on the ground, a large basket up ahead, a line of twenty-foot-high poles; and a large, fifty-yard-long semi-transparent tunnel through which you could probably pass a double-decker bus. From what Harry could tell, the exam involved passing through the scattered hoops in order, retrieving a package from one of the crates, delivering the package to the basket, slaloming past the poles, and then flying through the tunnel at the end. Simple.
"What's up with that tunnel, though?" Harry asked, scratching his chin and furrowing his brows. "Doesn't look like a challenge at all."
"Who cares?" said Pansy. "Just watch."
At the sound of Madam Hooch's whistle, Abbott and Susan stood beside their Comet One Eightys and summoned them with the command of "UP!". Both brooms jumped into their would-be fliers' hands, at which Abbott and Susan mounted and kicked off into the air. Then, about ten seconds later, while Abbott and Susan were making their way through the arrangement of hoops, Madam Hooch gave Boot and Brocklehurst the go-ahead to start. From there on, things went pretty much the same as Harry had predicted, with the package turning out to be a Quaffle.
"Ohhh," said Harry, eyeing the four students like a hawk. "So that's what's in there. At least it's easy to grip."
The Quaffles, it seemed, had been enchanted to stay in the basket once deposited. Susan got there first, followed by Boot, Abbott, and then Brocklehurst at the back.
"Is this a race?" Draco asked, leaning forward. "'Cause I'm definitely coming first in my group."
"And what if we go together?" Theodore asked. Draco grinned.
"Still the same."
Susan was overtaken by Boot during their slalom, at which she sped around her last two poles to catch up. Brocklehurst and Abbott came up from behind, and the four students ended up approaching the tunnel just a few yards apart from one another.
"Hey! That's not fair!" Harry heard Lavender Brown shout a few rows beneath him. She and the rest of the first-years watched, open-mouthed, as the four students were met with a blast of turbulence in the tunnel, pushing them back as they fought to press forward.
"Looks like she's testing us for hectic weather," Harry said to Daphne beside him.
"But I don't wanna fly through that!" said Daphne, stomping her foot. "Who do I look like? Marcus?"
About twenty seconds later, Susan, Abbott, Brocklehurst, and Boot shot forward as the wind died down within the tunnel. But just when the others thought it was over, the four students assembled at the base of the goalposts on the right, and took off in an upside-down 'V' across the field. Madam Hooch kept her yellow, hawk-like eyes fixed upon them, and seemed to be marking the students based on their ability to maintain their formation.
"Seems easy enough," said Harry, once the students had landed and were told to exit the stadium. "I don't think she'll penalise you if someone else screws up their part of the formation."
"Let's hope so," said Blaise down the row. "Otherwise I'll hex Weasley if he costs me marks."
And so it continued. Lavender Brown, Millicent Bulstrode, Michael Corner, and Stephen Cornfoot were called up next. Then, about ten minutes later, the group of Vincent, Tracey, Fay Dunbar, and Kevin Entwhistle slid down for their shot at the exam.
"Am I going next?" Daphne asked Pansy, who shrugged.
"How must I know the list, huh? I know Goyle must still go, and then there's that idiot Finnigan ..."
"Don't forget Goldstein," said Theodore beside them. Pansy scoffed.
"Can't stand that annoyance."
Draco added his bit as well. "And there's still Finch-Fletchley, the Mudblood."
The group of Finch-Fletchley, Finnigan, Goldstein, and Gregory went up at about half past one, and performed rather well overall (though Gregory was a bit stiff on the loops and on the slaloming task). They finished at around twenty minutes to two.
"Next," said Madam Hooch through her megaphone. "Hermione Granger, Daphne Greengrass, Wayne Hopkins, and Megan Jones!"
Harry was about to comment on Hermione's nervousness when he saw Professor Snyde watching her as well. For some reason, there was an odd, almost saddened look on Professor Snyde's face as she watched Hermione pass her at the railing. Now what was that all about?
"You see that?" Harry asked Pansy beside him.
"See what?"
"Professor Snyde," said Harry. "She looks a bit sad."
Pansy cocked her head to the side, and wrinkled her nose in confusion. "No, she doesn't. Must be your imagination or something."
Harry couldn't help but yawn all of a sudden.
"Yeah, you really need a nap," said Pansy, crossing her arms. "I'll wake you up when I go."
As much as Harry preferred not to fall asleep out here, he knew that it would be better if he took his exam refreshed. The warm weather in addition to the lengthy wait had already taken their toll on Harry, who chose to lay on his side across the last two seats of the row and close his eyes.
Sometime later, upon being shaken awake, Harry lifted his head from a pillow that wasn't even there when he'd fallen asleep. Then he stretched out and saw ...
"Professor?"
"Yep," said Professor Snyde, sitting with her left leg crossed over her right. "Where you going to sleep next, huh? Snape's office? Seriously, Harry, that paper of yours better be worth it."
Feeling his cheeks heat up in embarrassment, Harry straightened his glasses and focused his gaze on the field below. He saw the group of Pansy, the Patil twins, and Sally-Anne Perks now flying towards the line of poles.
"But how come Pansy didn't wake me up like she said?"
Professor Snyde smiled. "She tried, but you slept like a log."
At this point, the only students left in the stands were Blaise and Harry in the top two rows, and Oliver Rivers, Sophie Roper, Alice Runcorn, Dean Thomas, Lisa Turpin, and Ronald Weasley sitting below.
"You'd better not pull that stunt again, you hear?" Professor Snyde said, shaking a finger at Harry. "Binns's paper's going to be boring enough as is."
Harry creased his brows in a frown as he said, "You're not supposed to talk bad about your colleagues, you know."
"Oh, right." Professor Snyde chuckled. "I'm a teacher, yeah."
Six minutes later, Madam Hooch levitated the four Comet One Eightys to the centre of the field and dismissed Pansy's group (who'd flown rather well). Then she brought the megaphone to her mouth and said, "Harry Potter, Oliver Rivers, Sophie Roper, and Alice Runcorn!"
"Good luck," said Professor Snyde.
Smiling, Harry descended the steps and made his way towards the railing in front. Then he climbed onto the sliding board and, with his heart thumping in his chest, released his grip from the sides. The wind roared against Harry's face as he slid faster and faster until coming to a stop at the end, courtesy of Madam Hooch's protective enchantments.
"Over here, Mr Potter," said Madam Hooch, pointing to one of the Comet One Eightys lying at her feet. She waited for Rivers, Roper, and Runcorn to arrive before adding: "Now, as I'm sure you've seen thus far, the exam will be as follows: summon your broom as per our first lesson, kick off towards the hoops, pass them in numerical order, then descend towards your designated crate. After that, you're to retrieve your Quaffle and take it to the basket before slaloming your way past those poles.
"Next comes a thirty-second endurance test against the wind in that tunnel. Should you fail to remain on your broom, well, that's that and you move on to the final test regardless. Last but not least, you'll be flying in formation across the field. Any questions?"
Harry and the others shook their heads.
"Good," said Madam Hooch, stepping aside to give the students their space. "Each of you will be marked based on your performance throughout this exam, as well as the time taken to reach the tunnel. Mr Potter, you're to take the Quaffle from crate number one, Mr Rivers – crate number two, Miss Roper – crate number three, and Miss Runcorn – you're crate number four. Begin."
Harry summoned his broom in no time and kicked off from the ground, speeding towards the first hoop up ahead. He shot through it and pulled the front of his broom hard to reach the second hoop, which he passed through without even breaking a sweat. Leaning forward, Harry felt the wind howl against his face as he dived at full speed to pass through the third hoop. Then he swerved hard to the left and passed the fourth and fifth hoops with minimal effort. Finally, Harry sped through hoops six and seven before climbing to streak through the final hoop.
Piece of cake.
Next came the Quaffle task, which Harry blazed through by diving to snatch the Quaffle from the first crate. Then he sped up and dropped the Quaffle into the basket up ahead, and slalomed his way past the ten-foot-high poles thereafter. Next, Harry leaned low on his broom to streak towards the tunnel, though he'd finished the timed section so quickly that he had to wait a minute or two for the others to catch up.
"Remember, thirty seconds!" Madam Hooch said in her megaphone, once the students had assembled at the tunnel's entrance.
Bracing themselves, the four students gripped their brooms hard as they entered the turbulent tunnel. They held on for dear marks over the next thirty seconds, after which they shot forward and came to a stop at the base of the goalposts.
"Form up in an inverted 'V'!" Madam Hooch said in her megaphone. "Potter upfront. Runcorn and Roper on his sides. Rivers with Roper. Go!"
Harry took the lead as the group pushed on with their formation. Every now and then one of them slipped out of position, though their overall performance was enough to elicit a nod of satisfaction from Madam Hooch.
"You may leave," she said to the group, gesturing towards the stadium's exit. Harry felt a rush of excitement from having excelled at his tasks, not to mention that tomorrow would be their final exam.
"This is ridiculous! It's my birthday, for crying out loud!"
Friday morning went exactly as Harry had predicted. From the moment they climbed out of their beds, Harry, Blaise, Theodore, Vincent, and Gregory were subjected to rant after rant by the birthday boy, himself. Draco refused to serve his detention tonight, and made it a point to approach the prefects right then and there in the common room that morning.
"Ah, shut up, Malfoy," said Prefect Vance, flipping through his notes on Alchemy while sitting at a table. "Why don't you go bother someone else, for a change?"
"Agreed," said the other seventh-year prefect, Abberton. "Go play with your presents or something."
Draco stomped his foot as he said, "You can tell those servants that I'm not joining them! End of story!"
"You'll serve your punishment no matter what," Prefect Vance said.
Meanwhile, Harry and the others chose to head out into the corridor and make their way up to the Great Hall for breakfast. Then, once that was finished, they went upstairs and settled once more into the large, sunlit classroom on the third floor. Professor Binns made his usual entrance through the blackboard and distributed his question papers to the desks.
Gotta come first. Better make this count.
Feeling refreshed after a good night's sleep, Harry dipped his quill and started on his first question.
1) Who led the Gargoyle Strike in the twentieth century?
Although Harry had had a rough time cramming in all of these boring facts, he could at least remember that this one ought to be 'a group of wildcat Gargoyles'.
2) In what year did the Gargoyle Strike take place?
The answer to that, according to verifiable fact, was '1911'.
3) What does the term 'wildcats' refer to?
The answer to that was the Gargoyles, themselves, who had gone on an unauthorised strike, according to wizarding facts.
4) In what year did the Soap Blizzard occur?
Now this was something that Harry could not recall. He remembered reading about a storm of soap which crashed the wizarding economy back in the day, though the exact date eluded him. Taking a guess, Harry simply wrote '1438'.
That's definitely wrong, he thought, frowning.
5) Who was Emeric the Evil?
Harry wrote about how Emeric the Evil terrorised the south of England during the Middle Ages. He couldn't recall the finer details (while Hermione, it seemed, was scribbling non-stop), but at least he had a correct answer.
6) Describe at least one thing which Emeric the Evil was feared for.
In addition to writing about the man's aggressive use of Dark magic, Harry gave a brief mention of how Emeric the Evil was known to possess a wand made of elder that was particularly powerful and dangerous.
Imagine if I had that wand, Harry thought. But before he could slip into wild daydreams of doing all kinds of flamboyant magic, Harry moved on to the next question.
7) What was Emeric the Evil's fate?
'He was slaughtered by a wizard named Egbert', Harry wrote, though Egbert's title evaded Harry. Was it 'the Agracious', perhaps? Harry couldn't remember.
8) Which wizard was best known for wearing a jellyfish as a hat?
Uric the Oddball, without a doubt.
9) In which period did this wizard live? And in what Hogwarts house was he Sorted?
'The Middle Ages. Ravenclaw', Harry wrote.
10) Who invented the Self-Stirring Cauldron, and when?
'Gaspard Shingleton', Harry wrote, though he forgot the exact date.
The last five questions were plain and simple facts regarding the goblin uprisings, though Harry hadn't remembered as much as he'd hoped. He skimmed through the section and only provided a brief overview in his answers, as opposed to Hermione scribbling away at her desk.
Professor Binns came to collect the answer sheets as soon as the bell rang. Nobody said a word until he disappeared through the blackboard, at which they stood up and cheered as loud as they could (except for Hermione, who was busy re-reading her question paper). They banged their fists on the desks, threw up their question papers, and jumped up and down at the conclusion of their exams.
"WE'RE DONE! WE'RE DONE! WE'RE DOOOONE!" yelled Daphne and Pansy together. They were joined by the rest of the Slytherins, while the other students kept to themselves.
"NO MORE EXAMS!" yelled Theodore and Blaise. They snatched up the leftover chalk and scribbled them all over the blackboard and on a few desks nearby.
Draco, Vincent, and Gregory joined in as well, and started upending as many desks as they could on their way out the classroom. They even moved to upend Hermione's desk with her in it, at which she drew her wand and threatened to curse them.
Regardless, with the exams having come to an end, it felt as if the weight of the world had been lifted from their shoulders, though Harry felt that there was still one more hurdle left for him to deal with.