When the sun rose above the castle on Monday morning, it purged all tender elements of spring from the grounds and corridors. When Binn's monologue ended after second period, Gryffindors already looked forward secretly to descend into the dungeons, which would be reached last by the hot summer breeze following them through the dry corridors. Many of them allowed themselves a short detour and stowed some gulps of pumpkin juice into their throats before vanishing to the ground, where Hermione, by now a familiar sight, was already tending some advanced project under close surveillance. Had there been some among them to believe, those rumors quickly subsided when several students discovered that their commonly despised potions teacher busied himself with preparing ridiculously complicated instructions, while leaving the door open to keep an eye on his best kept student.
Yet, with only four weeks until first day of their exams, the atmosphere changed to a degree where it was almost palpable, the uprising heat only adding to it. Muttering among them felt absent, at best, but strained and anxious whenever their chattering turned to requirements. Likely snares in the writing part were discussed eagerly. Binn's failed to meet their need for a calming, reassuring address, this being his hundred twenty-third O.W.L.s class. No one in their right mind expected auxiliary words from Snape or Umbridge, but Flitwick and McGonagall were quick to catch up on the unsettled, disquieted mood.
"All of you have improved their performance considerably", McGonagall addressed them in a warm, optimistic voice she had used with Hermione before, "Yes, you too, Mr Longbottom. The effort you put in your work will pay off in your practical test, as long as nerves don't get in your way. So make the most of your fellow students", she gave Harry a short, stern look, "They'd be more than willing to offer you training opportunity and encouragement. Remain supportive to each other."
Professor Sprout made an overly optimistic attempt to get them to harvest Hungarian Oats, which had to be talked into opening their shell before they allowed one to collect the iridescent seeds. She soon surrendered to the wet, thick heat in the greenhouses and its crushing effect on their concentration. "Now you guys will enrage my Oats instead of caressing them", she gave in forty minutes into their lesson, "Three inches on how to persuade sensitive seed-carrying crops, handed in by Friday. Off you go to your common rooms." Relieved by the easy assignment, students hurried back into the castle, weary and sweating, for the heat had not yet convinced building clouds to dissolve into rain. Wednesday turned out equally demanding, for they now faced the last opportunities to revise the spells most difficult and likely to be required at practical exams. The three of them spend their evenings in the common room or the library, heat blazing on them without mercy in either of these places, ate little at their shared meals and talked less. Even Hermione exercised a great deal of discipline on her mind and mood to focus on five years of diligent notes from Charms class after dinner.
"Hey", Ron poked her in the upper arm, soon after they had sat down for their routine amount of rehearsal, "Shouldn't you be in the dungeons now?"
Re-Reading an abstract on carving charms, Hermione did not hear him at once. "Hm?"
"It's Thursday. Didn't you say Snape put you in detention for failing at calculations of uneven increase in density?"
"It's non-linear viscosity we're covering", Harry threw in absent mindedly.
"Damn. Yeah, I should." She jumped to her feet, crushing her notes into her bag, and hurried to exit the common room.
"Remind me to have her explain that viscosity-thing to me when she's back", Ron said, taking her seat.
"None of us got those calculations right", Harry replied when her steps had faded away. "So you remind me to make her tell us what she's really doing down there", he added, without looking up from his parchment.
A/N: thank you for your support so far - I appreciate that very much. But life just got ahead of me, and I'll need a few days to catch up.