Ginny's New Life
Chapter Nine
N.E.W.T.'s
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Hermione's euphoria over being engaged was infectious and seemed to ooze all around the Gryffindor Common room. The weather outside broke and small flowers were popping up everywhere. Students spent their free time outdoors in overly happy moods. Everywhere you lookedstudents seemed to be excited over every little good thing that happened. Hermione had made sure that every girl in the entire castle knew about her engagement and showed off her rather large shining diamond ring.
Even now, almost a month afterwards Hermione would walk around absentmindedly with a huge grin on her face and every time the name "Ron" past her ears she would jump around and get all giddy. Ginny couldn't have been more excited for her, the fact that she was going to have a sister made her want to squeeze Ron as hard as she could. Ginny was even nice enough to give up her mirrorso her and Ron could talk at night.
But as everyone knows, what goes up must come down. And on a bright sunny morning in mid April a large notice was found pinned to the Gryffindor Common room with giant letters on top that read, "Attention Seventh Years!"
Ginny, who could only see the top of the notice because of the small group of people around it, had pushed her way thru the crowd and read the notice out loud to Hermione.
Attention Seventh Years!
A six week training session is being held to prepare you for your N.E.W.T.'s this coming June. All seventh years and returning eighth year students may sign up for this course. Meetings will take place every Monday and Wednesday night at 8:00 until the week of Exams. To take part in these preparation courses please sign below.
"Oy! Hermione do you want me to sign you up?" Ginny called over the heads of people still reading the notice.
Hermione called back, "I guess you better!"
Ginny signed their names then squirmed her way out of the crowd and made her way over to Hermione who was sitting on the edge of the couch, dressed and ready for classes that morning. As Ginny approached and pick up her books she left on the couch she said, "I almost forgot about N.E.W.T.'s they didn'tpush them down our necks like they did with O.W.L.'s. I guess we better start studying."
And just like that, the happiness and excitement for Hermione's future wedding was busted. It was a week before the preparation lessons were to start but Hermione and Ginny were already hitting the library every night looking up every jinx, hex, charm and potion they were ever taught and cramming as much new information into their heads as possible. They were hardly alone however, the rest of the seventh years as well as the fifth year O.W.L. students were pushing the capacity of the library to the limits night and day.
The N.E.W.T. preparation lessons proved to be difficult. They would spend two hours listening to a witch from the Ministry talk about the various things bound to be on the tests and then another hour practicing in small groups. By the time they made it to bed every Monday and Wednesday there minds were racing with information and there bones sore from constant abuse.
Neither Hermione nor Ginny had the time to talk to Ron or Harry over the mirror and the letters between them almost ceased. Hermione and Ginny even skipped out on the last Hogsmead weekend of the year so they could spend the afternoon practicing various spells outside with their fellow seventh years as Professor Sprout supervised them. Most of the seventh years seemed to be suffering from exhaustion or mental instability.
The week before they were to sit their tests, Hermione and Ginny could be found sitting under the large oak tree on the Hogwarts grounds reciting various facts from History of Magic.
"Honestly, when are we ever going to need to know this?" Ginny asked after Hermione asked her a question she couldn't answer.
"Well, we need to know it for the test for one thing…" Hermione said as she shrugged her shoulders.
"Funny Hermione, Ok it's your turn. In 1962 how did they solve the crisis between Muggles and Wizards?" Ginny asked as she lazily flipped thru pages in her book.
"By signing the International Statute of Wizarding Secrecy." Hermione replied evidently proud of her knowledge.
"Yup, you're going to pass this test with all O's Hermione." Ginny said.
Hermione suddenly looked fearful then shook her head violently, "Don't say that you will jinx me!"
Ginny just rolled her eyes and went back to looking at her book. "Well I'm done studying for today if I do anymore my head is going to explode." Ginny made a wild motion over her head with her hands, demonstrating what an exploding head may look like.
Hermione laughed and closed her book, "Well I wouldn't mind practicing transfiguration a bit more but I suppose a break would be nice. Let's go grab some lunch."
The day before the examsstarted, all the seventh year Gryffindor's could be found in a small group, sitting on the common room floor. They were quickly tossing facts back and fourth to each other only stopping when someone missed a question. Each one was as nervous as the other and almost seemed in hysterics when they hesitated to answer a question.
While they were sitting on the floor two large owls came flying up and thru the open window. They flew over top of the group of studying students then dropped a large package each on the floor in the center of them. The owls hooted loudly then flew back out of the window. The students alllooked curiously at the two packages as Neville picked one of them up.
"Hey Ginny, this one is for you." Neville said then he picked up the other package. "Oh and Hermione this is yours!"
Hermione and Ginny looked at each other then their packages. They were square and didn't indicate who they were from. They opened the wrapping slowly only to instantly smell cookies and sweets. They opened the boxes to find them both jammed packed with cookies and pies, a new sweater, red with a lion head on the front and several products from Weasley Wizard Wheezes. They also found several envelopes that contained thick letters. Harry, Ron, Mr. and Mrs. Weasley, and the twins wrote them a letter each.
Hermione ripped open the letter from Ron first to find that this package was a good luck package for the N.E.W.T.'s and a congratulations package for finishing Hogwarts. Hermione and Ginny slipped their new sweaters on and everyone around them laughed.
"You know they areawfully sure that were going to even pass these things!" Ginny exclaimed. "They will feel foolish if we fail horribly."
"Ginny don't say that! You will jinx us all!" Hermione said, stunned.
"Ok so I can't say that you will pass it and I can't say that we will fail…what can I say exactly?" Ginny asked jokingly.
Hermione smiled and said, "You can say that we will do our best."
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The next week went by in a blur as they each in turn sat their exams. Hermione and Ginny would take that day's exam, meet in the common room for a cram session during lunch then head back down to the Great Hall for that day's practical exam. They continued to hit the library each night, only getting a few hours sleep before they awoke for that morning's written exam.
On the last day of N.E.W.T. exams Hermione and Ginny could be found dancing nervously on the balls of their feet as they waited for their names to be called for the practical transfiguration exam. Hermione had a scroll of notes that trailed the floor in her hands as she went over a few last second ideas.
"Oh I hope we don't have to do any human transfiguration." Hermione said nervously.
"Why? You got perfect marks on that topic." Ginny said.
"Because I'm not sure if I will remember how to do it once I'm in there." Hermione said looking at the great hall doors.
"Oh, get off it Hermione, you will do great."
An older looking witch appeared from a small crack in the doors. "Miss Hermione Granger please."
Hermione jumped and squeaked at the same time, "That…that's me."
"Follow me miss." Said the witch as she opened the door wider for Hermione to enter.
Hermione disappeared leaving Ginny standing with a few seventh years including Neville and Luna who were sitting in a corning looking at a copy of the Quibbler in Luna's hands. Ginny walked over and sat on the other side of Luna and looked at the magazine too. And to Ginny's shock they were reading an article about Ron who's photograph was large and in full color.
"What is this article about?" Ginny asked as she moved closer to Luna.
Luna smiled and pointed to the headline on the page, "Ron is getting an award from my dad for selling Tinflagners in his shop."
Ginny looked down and read the headline, it said: "Weasley brother saves lives of many."
"What is a tinflangner?" Ginny said as she tried to stifle a laugh.
"They ward off kappas." Luna said brightly. "No one in Europe has ever been able to get a hold of them before. Ron's the first shop to sell them."
Ginny wanted to bust up laughing but resisted, "Is there a fear that kappas may jump out of the water and get us?"
"Oh yes, don't ever walk too close to the edge of a lake without one of Ron's tinflangners." Luna said.
"I'll keep that in mind." Ginny replied.
Just then the door to the great hall opened once more and the same older witch as before pushed her head outside. She looked down at a chart and read, "Miss Ginny Weasley." Ginny got up and walked thru the doors.
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A/N: I don't normally leave authors notes anymore but I just wanted to say sorry for such a short and boring chapter but I needed to end up their stay at Hogwarts or the next part of the story wouldn't make much sense.
Thanks for reading and reviewing!
SilverWilver
