Hey everyone! Sorry it has taken me so long to get this chappie posted! I have been so unelieveably busy with everything lately... Please forgive me! I will try to post more often!

Disclaimer: If I were J.K. Rowling, would I be online writing fanfics? The answer, for those of you who can't figure it out, is no. So we can therefore assume that I am not J.K. Rowling, and that I therefore do not own Harry Potter.
Over the next few days, Hermione started taking walks every day, at first just once around the outside of the house, then wandering through the hills around it. Every morning at breakfast, they discussed whether she was strong enough to play Quidditch again (this time without the bludgers), and every morning, Mrs. Weasley told them that if Hermione so much as touched a broomstick, they would all have sore backsides. One such morning, Hermione was listening to Ginny and Mrs. Weasley arguing about this when an owl swooped in with the daily prophet. She paid it, and before the owl had even gotten to the window, she gasped loudly and knocked over her orange juice. Everyone turned to look at her, and Mrs. Weasley went to find a rag to clean up the orange juice.

"What is it, Hermione?" Ron asked.

"That," she said, pointing to the headline that spanned the front page. They all leaned in to read the article.

NEW MINISTER CHANGES OLD LAW
Amelia Bones, the new minister of magic, has decided that her predecessor's attempts at good defense are not enough.

"It is not good enough to provide manuals for good defense in each home if half of the household cannot use these spells without appearing in court to prove that the situation was dire enough to use defensive magic," she stated this morning,

"Therefore, we are, until such time that Lord Voldemort and a majority of his followers have been successfully detained, lowering the age at which a or wizard can be called responsible enough to use magic outside of schooling, to sixteen."

Representatives of the ministry will be visiting Hogwarts School of craft and Wizardry once a month to test students who have come of age to evaluate whether they can responsibly use magic outside of school.

Harry, Ron, Hermione, and Ginny all stared at the paper in utter disbelief.

"When do you suppose we'll get tested? The three of us are all old enough," Harry said.

"I don't know," Hermione said, "Most likely once we get to school. I mean, they aren't likely to track all of us who've already turned sixteen down and test, right? No, they'll probably wait till we're at school and do it then."

Several days later they went to Diagon Alley to get some their books. All three of them were only taking the subjects they needed for their chosen professions. Harry and Ron were both surprised to hear this about Hermione- "You're such an overachiever, though," Harry said.
"Well N.E.W.T. level classes are bound to be harder than O.W.L. level, aren't they? I want to be able to concentrate on the classes I need," she said. After they had gotten all of their books, they went to the ice cream parlor to wait for everyone else. Once everyone had everything they needed, they used the fireplace in the Leaky Cauldron to get home. Once they were there, Mrs. Weasley quickly made them lunch. They were discussing the new law change when an owl swooped in with three envelopes. Harry reached out andgrabbed them as the owl swooped over his head, and it turned around in air and flew away.

"Funny," he said, handing two of the envelopes to Ron and Hermione, "They've got the Ministry seal on them."

Hermione opened hers and scanned the piece of parchment, her eyes wide.

"They want us to come for 'evaluation.' I'm going tomorrow. When're you two going?" They opened their envelopes.

"Mr. Harry Potter- You are expected to be at the Ministry of Magic for evaluation of Apparition and your magical abilities tomorrow, August 27th, at 11:30 AM," Harry read from his letter. Then he looked up. "What time do you have to be there?" he asked Ron and Hermione.

"I have to be there at 11:15," Ron said.

"11:00 for me," Hermione said.

"Right, well, sounds like you lot are coming in to work with me tomorrow," Mr. Weasley said.

When they arrived at the Ministry at 10:45 the next morning, Harry noticed that what had been left of the fountain Voldemort and Dumbledore had destroyed had now been cleared away.

"Right," Mr.Weasley said as they took the lift down to his level, "I've got to go to work right now. Harry, do you remember how to get to my office?" After Harry had nodded, he continued.

"Right, well, come to my office when you're all done with your testing and I reckon I could take a break to make sure you apparate correctly." he said, and headed off in the direction of his office, leaving them by a plain white door. They walked through it to find themselves in a small, square room that was almost empty except for the chairs that lined the walls, with gaps for only two doors- the one they had come through and another to their right.

"What do you reckon we do now?" Harry asked.

"Sit down, I suppose." Hermione said. No sooner had they sat down when a cool female voice filled the room.

"Hermione Granger, please enter the testing room." it said. She looked nervously at Ron, then got up and went through the other door.

Once again, she found herself in a square room, this this time slightly larger, with a door straight across from her. Not sure what to do, she stayed by the door she had just entered through, hoping something would happen. A few seconds later, the other door opened and she couldn't help being surprised at who it was that entered the room.

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