Chapter 17–Ordinary Wizarding Levels
"After I have finished handing out these test papers you may begin." Professor Snape picked up a pile of test papers and sent them round the dungeon.
Harry sat there waiting for his test sheet. When he got it he felt like giving out a huge sigh, but felt he ought to keep it in so as not to get into trouble. It was huge! 'There must be about twenty pages in it!' Harry thought to himself. He had an hour and a half to complete it, so he wrote his name at the top of the booklet and began.
Harry was struggling his way through it, he had answered every question that he had came across but was very doubtful that they were correct. He saw that he had half an hour left and so turned another page and began to read the next question to himself quietly.
He thought about the answer but it didn't come to him. His scar was beginning to sting slightly; he thought it was because he was thinking so hard. Then he looked up towards Professor Snape. He was staring at Harry with a glare that no one could mistake for hatred. Harry was shocked. Why was he looking at him that way? Harry knew he hated him, of course he did, but Snape had never looked at him that way before.
Draco Malfoy, who was sitting right at the front with Crabbe and Goyle either side of him, also looked up at Snape, and then looked back at Harry with a confused expression on his face. Then he leaned over his test again and started scribbling answers down really quickly. Harry tried to do the same, but the answer wasn't coming to him. He moved on to the next question. He thought about it and knew that he should know the answer. He had gone over it a million times when he was revising. Why couldn't he remember it? He moved on to the next question, hoping he would remember it later, but he didn't know this one either. What was going on? He looked up at Snape again. He was still staring as hard as ever. Fifteen minutes to go, and Harry still had five pages left.
Hermione lifted up her hand to say that she was finished, so Professor Snape ended his piercing glaze and walked over to her and snatched her paper off of her. Harry suddenly thought of all the answers that he had forgotten. He scribbled them down quickly before he forgot them. He looked up at Snape again, but he wasn't staring back. Harry instantly knew that he must have been putting a spell on Harry that would make him forget the answers or something. Snape was grading Hermione's test. Ten minutes left. Harry hurried through the next couple of pages, 'only two more left', he thought, 'and five minutes to go'. Snape looked up at him again. Harry suddenly totally forgot what he was about to write. His scar was stinging terribly now. He held his left hand up to it while his right hand gripped the quill. Two minutes left. 'Come on.' He thought 'Think!' He wrote down any old answer that he had no idea whether it was right or wrong. Only one question left to answer.
"Stop what you are doing." Snape stood up. "Time's up." He had stopped looking at Harry when he said this. So Harry rapidly wrote down the answer that had just came to him.
"Mr Potter." Snape snarled, "Put down your quill. Time's up."
Harry scribbled down the rest of his sentence and put down his quill.
*****
Harry, Ron and Hermione walked along the edge of the Lake as Harry told them what had just happened. His scar was still hurting, but not as much now.
"He wouldn't do that." Hermione said when he had finished.
"Oh yes he would." Ron argued back
"He's a professional teacher, and Dumbledore trusts him." Hermione turned to Harry. "Why would he want you to fail?"
"Because he hates me." Harry answered, "He always has done."
"That doesn't give him the right to do that." Hermione sounded extremely angry, Harry thought.
"Doesn't mean he wouldn't." Ron said, "He's a Death-eater remember?"
"I thought he was working for Dumbledore against 'you know who'?" Hermione said.
"He is meant to be. But I reckon he's really giving 'you know who' the information." Ron picked out a chocolate frog from the inside pocket of his robes.
"Ron. How many of them do you keep in there?" Hermione wondered astonishingly.
"Loads. Do you want one?"
"No thank you." She said with a sarcastic tone.
Just then Harry stopped and held his scar.
"Are you alright Harry?" Ron asked
"Yeah, fine." He said. Then he toppled over and fainted, nearly rolling into the lake.
Ron and Hermione ran over to help him. Hermione splashed his face with water, but it didn't help, so Ron ran inside the castle to get Madam Pomfrey.
After Harry was inside on a bed, she gave them all a lecture about how those three have spent more time inside the Hospital wing in the five years that they've been there than anyone else has for the whole time that she's worked at Hogwarts.
"After I have finished handing out these test papers you may begin." Professor Snape picked up a pile of test papers and sent them round the dungeon.
Harry sat there waiting for his test sheet. When he got it he felt like giving out a huge sigh, but felt he ought to keep it in so as not to get into trouble. It was huge! 'There must be about twenty pages in it!' Harry thought to himself. He had an hour and a half to complete it, so he wrote his name at the top of the booklet and began.
Harry was struggling his way through it, he had answered every question that he had came across but was very doubtful that they were correct. He saw that he had half an hour left and so turned another page and began to read the next question to himself quietly.
He thought about the answer but it didn't come to him. His scar was beginning to sting slightly; he thought it was because he was thinking so hard. Then he looked up towards Professor Snape. He was staring at Harry with a glare that no one could mistake for hatred. Harry was shocked. Why was he looking at him that way? Harry knew he hated him, of course he did, but Snape had never looked at him that way before.
Draco Malfoy, who was sitting right at the front with Crabbe and Goyle either side of him, also looked up at Snape, and then looked back at Harry with a confused expression on his face. Then he leaned over his test again and started scribbling answers down really quickly. Harry tried to do the same, but the answer wasn't coming to him. He moved on to the next question. He thought about it and knew that he should know the answer. He had gone over it a million times when he was revising. Why couldn't he remember it? He moved on to the next question, hoping he would remember it later, but he didn't know this one either. What was going on? He looked up at Snape again. He was still staring as hard as ever. Fifteen minutes to go, and Harry still had five pages left.
Hermione lifted up her hand to say that she was finished, so Professor Snape ended his piercing glaze and walked over to her and snatched her paper off of her. Harry suddenly thought of all the answers that he had forgotten. He scribbled them down quickly before he forgot them. He looked up at Snape again, but he wasn't staring back. Harry instantly knew that he must have been putting a spell on Harry that would make him forget the answers or something. Snape was grading Hermione's test. Ten minutes left. Harry hurried through the next couple of pages, 'only two more left', he thought, 'and five minutes to go'. Snape looked up at him again. Harry suddenly totally forgot what he was about to write. His scar was stinging terribly now. He held his left hand up to it while his right hand gripped the quill. Two minutes left. 'Come on.' He thought 'Think!' He wrote down any old answer that he had no idea whether it was right or wrong. Only one question left to answer.
"Stop what you are doing." Snape stood up. "Time's up." He had stopped looking at Harry when he said this. So Harry rapidly wrote down the answer that had just came to him.
"Mr Potter." Snape snarled, "Put down your quill. Time's up."
Harry scribbled down the rest of his sentence and put down his quill.
*****
Harry, Ron and Hermione walked along the edge of the Lake as Harry told them what had just happened. His scar was still hurting, but not as much now.
"He wouldn't do that." Hermione said when he had finished.
"Oh yes he would." Ron argued back
"He's a professional teacher, and Dumbledore trusts him." Hermione turned to Harry. "Why would he want you to fail?"
"Because he hates me." Harry answered, "He always has done."
"That doesn't give him the right to do that." Hermione sounded extremely angry, Harry thought.
"Doesn't mean he wouldn't." Ron said, "He's a Death-eater remember?"
"I thought he was working for Dumbledore against 'you know who'?" Hermione said.
"He is meant to be. But I reckon he's really giving 'you know who' the information." Ron picked out a chocolate frog from the inside pocket of his robes.
"Ron. How many of them do you keep in there?" Hermione wondered astonishingly.
"Loads. Do you want one?"
"No thank you." She said with a sarcastic tone.
Just then Harry stopped and held his scar.
"Are you alright Harry?" Ron asked
"Yeah, fine." He said. Then he toppled over and fainted, nearly rolling into the lake.
Ron and Hermione ran over to help him. Hermione splashed his face with water, but it didn't help, so Ron ran inside the castle to get Madam Pomfrey.
After Harry was inside on a bed, she gave them all a lecture about how those three have spent more time inside the Hospital wing in the five years that they've been there than anyone else has for the whole time that she's worked at Hogwarts.