~§~

Hello,

It's me, Redd.

I have another chapter for you guys. This one is (hopefully) out quicker than the last.

First of all, the Discord Link: /zwpshsfKJn

Feel free to join, feel free not to. If you want to talk to me or other people about the fic this is probably the best place to do it. You can stick to writing reviews as well though.

This chapter is (surpise, surprise) betaed by Jono (FFN Phosphofinite, check him out) once again. (Everyone cheer for him, WOOOOO) Some errors always manage to slip through but I'm certainly content with the rate of mistakes there are in the final product.

Today we finally see more of Emily again and also embark our travels into the final weeks of the year, meaning: EXAMS. (No Charms though, hehe.)

We have a lot of world, character, and relationship building as well. (Like pretty much every chapter, I know)

There are probably one or two more chapters left for this year, so it's not going to be long until we finally see Harry reunite with his lovely family. I hope you're as excited as I am.

Also, once again, thanks for the continued support. We have nearly 5000 views by the time I'm writing this, and I'm quite impressed. Your reviews, favourites, and follows are -as always- most welcome and appreciated.

Let me know what you think about my work!

Anyway, don't let me keep you from enjoying your read any longer.

Have a good one!

Redd

~§~

Down in the Chamber - Chapter Five: Exams

'Morning.' Harry yawned, as he stepped through the door leading into the inner chamber.

Emily was -as always- propped up behind the large desk, sitting on her conjured chair and reading a book. He absentmindedly noted that it wasn't the one on alchemy he'd seen her read the last few times he'd been here.

She looked up from her read. 'Morning.' She nodded. 'Had a good night?' She asked.

He rubbed his eyes, shrugging carelessly. 'More or less. Wood's Quidditch schedule is a nightmare but otherwise…'

Getting up at half past four thrice a week truly didn't do him any favours in terms of sleep, but so far he was still managing admirably. The theoretical part of the herbology exam had gone well enough yesterday. Probably an E. Harry reckoned.

'You read the book?' Emily asked.

Harry frowned. Oh, right… rituals. 'Yep. Understanding it was easy enough. The book is just not very… detailed, is it?'

She snorted. 'Definitely not. As I already said, reading the book is only one half of the work, the other one is making your own arithmetical calculations to make sure you don't spontaneously combust.'

His eyes widened in alarm. 'Can that really happen?!'

When Emily started to laugh, his expression darkened. 'No, of course not. At least not with the more harmless rituals. Worst case, you end up bedridden without any benefits for a few weeks.'

'That's still not a very enticing thought.' Harry glowered.

She rolled her eyes. 'Don't be a baby, Harry. Nothing will go wrong-'

'Because you are helping me… I know, I know.' He snarked, making her laugh again. 'Anyway, what was it you wanted to talk about?'

It took a moment until she regained her composure again, though the humorous expression on her face didn't entirely fade.

'The specifics.' She answered. 'Which ingredients you need to get from Knockturn Alley, and the runes you need to learn before your birthday.'

He nodded tiredly. 'There were some celtic ones mentioned in the book, weren't there?'

'Yes.' She nodded smugly.

Harry sighed. 'Which means I'll have to learn another runic language. Just great. As if Elder Futhark wasn't complicated enough already…'

'Stop whining.' Emily interjected amusedly.

'Are you sure you can't just prepare the whole thing for me?' He pleaded only half-seriously. I already know she'll say no.

'No.' She grinned. 'I want you to actually learn something. Your days of lazing around are over, Harry Potter.' She added dramatically.

Harry sighed again. 'Fine…' He muttered. 'You got any book recommendations?' He asked.

To his surprise, she nodded. 'There's one in the library down here. Celtic runes are only rarely used outside of ritualistic magic, so you'd be hard pressed to find any tomes that aren't in the restricted section of the school's library.'

He shrugged in acknowledgement. 'Makes sense.'

'Take it with you when you leave for classes, but don't let anyone know what you're reading. Especially not the professors. It certainly wouldn't do you any favours with them, if they found out.' She warned. 'But that's for later. Let's get into the thing with the ingredients, shall we?'

Harry nodded for her to continue.

'Most of the stuff we need can only be bought in Knockturn -at least if the ministry hasn't radically changed its views on anything dark in the time I was gone- and since I can't risk being seen anywhere, that leaves the task of buying everything to you.' She surmised.

'As I already said, it would be plain stupid to send a twelve-year-old into Knockturn Alley without any contingencies, so we obviously need to brew an ageing potion sooner rather than later.'

Harry's expression contorted into a grimace, remembering the Slytherin infiltration fiasco earlier this year. He'd already read up on the ageing potion after the last meeting with Emily, and many books had described its effects to bear numerous similarities to those of polyjuice. It wasn't a particularly enticing thought, but it seemed he hardly had a choice in the matter.

'I don't have all the ingredients we need for the potion.' He interjected suddenly. 'Newt Spleens weren't on our assigned list this year.'

Emily frowned. 'The spleens aren't very expensive though. Slughorn used to provide us with any ingredients we asked for, at least as long as they weren't too extravagant. Can't you just ask… whoever the potions professor is now?'

Harry snorted in disbelief, making Emily's expression only deteriorate into a deeper frown. Me asking Snape something and him agreeing to it? Fat chance of that ever happening.

'No.' He chuckled humorlessly. 'Rest assured, that won't be an option.' He told her.

'You're not on very good terms with the Professor then?' Emily asked nonchalantly.

'That's one way of putting it.' More like we hate each other's guts.

'How good are you with potions?' She asked interestedly.

Harry snorted again. 'Depends on who you ask, really. Personally, I think I'm actually not too bad, though the subject is definitely not my forte. Snape on the other hand… he's convinced I'm the worst student Hogwarts has seen since its founding days.'

'He hates you then? Why?' She asked.

'Don't think I bloody know. First lesson he asked me what I'd get if I added powdered root of asphodel to an infusion of wormwood.' He pinched his eyebrows.

'Draught of Living Death…' Emily muttered. 'That's a sixth year potion.'

'Yeah. That's what Hermione told me as well.' Harry responded. 'A bloody wanker, he is.'

'We'll have to wait until summer then.' Emily said, her lips tugging upwards at the crude language. 'You can buy the spleens in Diagon Alley and bring them here. The time frame is tight, but it's doable…' She muttered. 'How do you think you'll do on the exams by the way?' She added after a moment of silence.

'In potions?' He questioned.

She nodded. 'Among other things. If potions are a problem, you could read up on the arithmetic side of things. It helped me a great deal in third year, though -of course- Slughorn already liked me before that.'

Harry nodded thoughtfully. 'Maybe something to keep in mind for later.' Arithmancy and Potions… my two favourite subjects united. He grimaced inwardly. 'I don't really want to talk about potions though, to be honest. There are much more… enjoyable subjects.'

She frowned. 'Potions are important. But maybe they're something to revisit at a later point.' She paused, accepting Harry's disinclination towards the subject. 'How about the wanded classes? They're what's most important anyway.'

That brightened up Harry's expression considerably. 'Charms went perfectly. Flitwick gave me an O.' He grinned.

'I thought the herbology theoretical was the only one you had yet?' She shot him a questioning look.

He nodded. 'It was. He let me off the exam after I completed a… challenge he gave me during the last lesson.' He said happily. 'Never thought I'd manage, but I did.'

Emily raised an eyebrow. 'And what did he have you do to warrant that?'

Harry did his best to look modest but failed. I don't think I've ever felt as proud of something as with this… It's not arrogance though, is it? I don't want to look like Malfoy… He shuddered, composing himself.

'I enchanted a pineapple.' He answered simply.

'You enchanted… a pineapple?' She asked dryly. 'And pray tell, how did you enchant this pineapple?'

'I made it into a children's toy that works on password activation. Last lesson's topic was the cheering charm, and since I managed to cast that on my first try, Flitwick ended up offering to let me off the exam and give me an O, if I managed to make the charm's effects more… permanent.' He explained quickly.

Emily snorted, though she seemed impressed. 'And I'm sure he just randomly offered to do that?'

Maybe revealing my knowledge about portkeys was a bit reckless… Harry had enough shame to avert her gaze. 'Not really…' He muttered. 'I just asked him something, and-'

'You randomly ended up talking about enchanted childrens' toys with word activation clusters, I'm sure.' She said amusedly. 'Still, that's pretty impressive. You didn't mess up?'

He hesitantly shook his head. 'I took my time, but no. Retrospectively, it was definitely easier than making my first portkey, but difficult nonetheless.'

She gave him an unexpected smile. 'You're really good at enchanting, you know?' She said amusedly. 'I don't think I would've managed that at my age.'

Harry blushed slightly at the praise, then grinned. 'Well… I had a good teacher, didn't I?' He asked.

Emily snorted. 'A flatterer, are you?' She ignored Harry's splutters of protest. 'Anyway… that's good to hear. How about the other subjects? From what I understand, defence won't even be an issue, but how about transfiguration?' She asked.

Harry grimaced. Transfiguration had consistently been one of his more… mediocre subjects. He still remembered McGonagall's words about his father's prowess in the subject and the almost disappointed gaze whenever he failed in her class. So, -naturally- the subject was a sore spot for him.

'Well… the theory should go down alright.' He began slowly.

It was true enough. He'd certainly need Hermione's help, but an E or even an O was easily manageable in the written exam. The practical on the other hand…

'I'm not so sure about the other half though…' He trailed off, hoping Emily wouldn't hear him. Naturally, she did.

But to his surprise, she didn't seem angry, or even disappointed. She simply adopted a thoughtful expression and started drumming her fingers on the desk in concentration. After a moment of silence, she spoke.

'Perhaps you're not unlike me in that regard, then.' She muttered. 'Transfiguration was a… tough subject for me as well. At least until I transitioned to nonverbal magic. Maybe- yes that might work, why not…' She suddenly straightened her back, looking him straight in the eyes. 'You should try your hand on some nonverbal casting, I think. It might take some effort until you show progress, but you need to learn how to do it sooner or later anyway.'

Harry's eyebrows vanished into his hairline. 'Wordless magic?' He asked disbelievingly. I remember Hermione mentioning it as part of the NEWTs a few times. 'There's no way-'

Emily interrupted him with a challenging look. 'You managed just fine with the portkey. There's no reason why you wouldn't be able to learn nonverbal magic. At least if you stop looking for excuses.' She said, her voice losing its edge. 'You're underestimating yourself, Harry, and that's not a bad thing per say, -certainly better than falling victim to arrogance- but it's a habit you'll have to let go of sooner rather than later, because it will only hinder you in the long term.'

'But-'

She cut him off with a raise of her hand. 'Trust me, Harry, you're a lot more talented than you'd like to believe. Just listen to what I say and you'll succeed, okay?' She said softly.

The protest died in his throat. It was a strange feeling, knowing someone believed in him so… wholeheartedly? - but at the same time it warmed him to the core. Hadn't he promised to do his absolute best from now on? To live up to his parents' memory?

He sought out Emily's eyes and found them shining with conviction and a question. He inhaled deeply, before nodding curtly.

'Alright.' He exhaled. 'How do I start?'

She smiled. 'Do you know how nonverbal casting works?' At his shake of head, she continued. 'It's rather uncomplicated, really. You learn casting nonverbally, by simply forcing yourself to be quiet while practising spells.'

'It's just a matter of determination?' Harry asked sceptically.

'And power, of course.' She answered. 'But similar to myself, you won't have any issues in that regard. When is your transfiguration exam again?' She asked.

'Ten days or something.' He shrugged.

She shot him an amused look. 'Or something… sure.' She paused. 'That should give you enough time to learn at least a few spells wordlessly. Start with something easy, like levitating or a Lumos, and you will see results rather quickly.'

Harry frowned. 'And I wouldn't be better off just practising… transfiguration?'

She shook her head. 'No, I don't think so. Transfiguration just comes… harder to some people, and unfortunately it seems you are one of those people. Just trust my advice and pick up a book on nonverbal magic, in case my knowledge isn't really up to date anymore… though I highly doubt it.'

'Alright.' Harry agreed with a sigh.

'And do your best on the exams, Harry.' Emily added sharply. 'Not because you want to be a teacher's pet, but because you shouldn't insult your talent that way. Okay?'

Or insult my parents memory… It brought a slight smile onto his face. He still remembered talking to Flitwick about his mother the day after their Charms lesson. If she'd been great, he would be as well.

'Of course, Emily.' He nodded. 'I think I might actually accept Hermione's help with the written exams this year.' His lips tugged upward.

He still remembered her desperately trying to get Ron and him to hop onto her preparation schedule last year. They had politely declined, though it had -in retrospect- perhaps been a mistake. I'll talk to her about it… She'll probably be ecstatic.

'You do that.' Emily nodded. 'Don't bother with history of magic though, just write yourself a crib/cheat sheet and be done with it. Trust me, Binns won't notice a thing.' She smirked.

Harry returned a grin. 'Will do, Emily.' He sighed. 'I'll come by sometime next week to bring more food, yeah?'

'You will.' She agreed. 'I'd wish you good luck on the exams, but you won't need any.'

'Thanks.' He scratched his neck. 'See you then?'

She nodded. 'See you, Harry.'

~§~

The quiet, rhythmic tap of Harry's foot on the floor was the only sound that filled the hallway. It was ten days -or something- later and he was currently waiting to be called up for his transfiguration practical, outside of McGonagall's classroom.

The last two weeks had flown by in a haze. Between studying for the exams with Hermione, -and Ron, to a lesser extent- following Emily's advice and getting started on nonverbal magic, torturing himself through pages upon pages of Celtic runes, and quidditch practice, not a lot of time had been left for him to spare.

Not that it bothered him too much. He had come to almost enjoy the stress that being this busy brought. The best word he could find was… that he felt content, even if all things considered, he really shouldn't be.

But he didn't want to entertain such thoughts. At least not right now, when he was only minutes away from his transfiguration exam.

The written part had gone well -at least he was confident it had- and the only thing left now, was to show off his prowess to McGonagall, with a wand rather than a quill.

His practice in nonverbal magic had certainly gone to great lengths in clearing any self-doubts he might've had, but confidence wasn't a word he would use to describe his newfound ease in the subject. Emily would've probably told him he was being insecure, but he'd rather succeed humbly than fail arrogantly.

Thinking about Emily, he remembered he'd definitely have to thank her for the advice again. It was rather strange to think how much she had turned his life around in such a short span of time.

She'd been right that -initially- trying to cast a spell without uttering a syllable was difficult. But the more time he dedicated to blunt practising, the easier it became. Nonverbal magic was still a lot harder than verbal magic, of course, but at least the drain in energy wasn't so noticeable anymore now.

He still remembered passing out on the floor for a few minutes while trying to cast Wingardium Leviosa for the first time. He had glared at his book as if obsessed for a good fifteen minutes, desperately trying to get the thing to levitate, only for nothing to happen at all.

I kind of understand why we aren't taught nonverbal magic as first years now. He mused.

'Potter.' A cold, feminine voice interrupted his musings. 'McGonagall's waiting for you.'

Harry looked up to see a vaguely familiar blonde Slytherin girl staring at him aloofly. Her hair was flowing down past her shoulders and she was gripping her wand rather tightly. Perhaps it didn't go very well? Better not ask…

He nodded curtly. 'Thanks, Greengrass.'

Alright. Sneaking one last glance towards his stranger of a classmate, he politely knocked on the door to the classroom, before a short -and decidedly scottish- 'Come in.' echoed from the other side of the door. He did just that.

Professor McGonagall was neatly sitting behind her desk, wand in hand, eyeing him sharply. 'Mr. Potter.' She greeted him simply.

'Professor.' Harry nodded.

She stood up. 'Well, let us get into it, shall we? First of all, your theoretical part of the exam managed to… impress me, seeing as it was well above your usual standard. The only thing left to see is if you can convert this newfound success into your work with a wand.' She said primly. Her eyes were shining with the faintest glimmer of hope. She's trying to see my father again…

'I'd like you to perform a switching spell on this book-' She propelled a brown, titleless tome towards him. '-and its partner on my desk.' His eyes drifted towards the object in question. 'Begin.'

Harry took his wand out of its holster and smiled at the feeling of the holly in his hand. Softly, he spoke the incantation.

'Vermuto.'

Quickly, the two objects switched in place, resulting in him suddenly holding black leather instead of brown in his hand. This was probably the easiest part of the exam. Switching spells are more of a charm than transfiguration, really…

'Very good.' McGonagall vanished the two tomes swiftly. 'Now,' She levitated a small cage up onto the desk. 'I'd like you to return this mouse to its original form.'

The squeaking -and rather tiny- grey vermin was running around the cage panically, and Harry struggled for a moment before finally catching it with a body-bind.

What could it have been before she transfigured it… a stone maybe? Size and colour were about right. It was his best guess.

Imagining the petrified animal turning back into an equal-sized pebble, he pointed his wand at the mouse with a steely grip.

'Contransmuto.' The un-transfiguration spell.

Harry looked up to see McGonagall's lips tugging upward ever so slightly. She nodded in acknowledgement, before vanishing the pebble with a smooth wave of her wand.

'Onto the next then.' She concluded, repeating the wave of her wand.

A metallic goblet -bronze, Harry assumed- shot out of a drawer on McGonagall's desk before settling on top of the table. He was eyeing the object curiously, quite sure he'd never attempted whatever this particular transfiguration was before.

Perhaps she wants to test our raw talent rather than just if we practised? He asked himself. Not that the answer would change anything about the outcome.

He looked up into McGonagall's eyes, expecting her to elaborate. Unsurprisingly, she did.

'Please transform this goblet into an object of your choice. Decide according to your own level of competence.' She told him.

A goblet… he pondered. Perhaps another utensil? A fork or spoon, they're metallic as well… not the right size though. A plate? Made of what though… ceramic? He shrugged inwardly. That could work.

Performing transfigurations with the general transformation spell was certainly way harder than using an object-specific incantation. But in this case… he hardly had a choice. Hopefully this works.

'Transmuto.' He said clearly.

To his surprise, he managed well enough. A ceramic plate just like he had imagined -looking eerily similar to Petunia's set he had once accidentally destroyed a few years back- stood on the desk, any traces of the goblet entirely gone.

He looked up to see McGonagall give him a full-blown smile. Harry couldn't help but reciprocate.

'A well executed transformation.' She said, the usual edge in her voice replaced by fondness. A bit like Flitwick really. 'Would you like to show something for extra credit?' She asked.

Extra credit… He hadn't accepted her offer last year. He had been too shameful of his performance on the previous tasks to even try. This time though… he had something up his sleeve.

'I'd love to.' He replied softly. 'Would you mind conjuring a matchstick for me, Professor?'

Confusion briefly washed over McGonagall's face but she simply nodded, waving her wand and following his request. She looked at him questioningly, but Harry's slight smile didn't waver.

He levitated the matchstick to the very front of the desk, as close to the edge as he could without it falling off. Closing his eyes, he pointed his wand at the match and commanded it to change. No syllable ever left his mouth.

He opened his eyes to see McGonagall's eyebrows rise up to her hairline. She was staring back between the perfect silver needle in front of her and the student that made it.

'Impressive.' She said after a moment of silence, composing herself surprisingly quickly. 'A magnificent practical by any standards. You will receive the grade attached to your written exam next week…' A pause followed. 'Perhaps you are more similar to your father than I had first assumed.'

'Thank you, Professor.' Harry said with a smile. 'I'll see you next week then.'

McGonagall nodded fondly. 'Have a good weekend, Mr. Potter.' She said sincerely.

'You too, Professor.'

As Harry exited the classroom, he was humming a quiet tune under his breath. I really didn't think this would go this well…

~§~

Harry was lazily leaning back into one of the comfy armchairs by the fire, enjoying the homely atmosphere of the Gryffindor Common room, and reading a thick, black book.

He wasn't entirely sure what he disliked more about said book. That it was about potions… or that it was about their arithmetic properties. Thankfully, it was -at least- an informative read.

Grudgingly, he had to admit that Emily's advice had once again proven exceptionally useful.

He felt like he had learnt more about potions in the last two days of reading the book than in the last two years of Snape's class. The text explained why potions were brewed the way they were, why an ingredient was pulverised or diced or crushed before it was added to a kettle, and why you were meant to stir clockwise instead of counterclockwise or the other way around.

Harry knew Snape was a potions master, the youngest of his kind, even, and after what he had learned in only a few hours of reading, he was now absolutely sure Snape was not teaching them properly on purpose. Unfortunately… Harry didn't see himself being able to do anything about that anytime soon.

The only chance of one-upping Snape he had, was performing so well on the exams that the Lord of Grease -as Fred and George had once called him- had no choice but to give him a passing grade. It would inevitably put a characteristic sneer on the man's face.

It wasn't much… but a petty victory over Snape was certainly worth studying for. He had, of course, promised Emily to try his best on the exams anyway, but in his opinion… annoying Snape still remained the better motivator.

His eyes briefly flickered over towards Hermione and Ron, the former of whom was firmly absorbed in her charms book, and the latter of whom was brooding over their female friend's already completed notes on the subject.

Harry was once again incredibly grateful that Flitwick had let him off so… easily. Potions was the last real exam he had left -in his opinion neither History nor Astronomy qualified- and he doubted he would've had as much time to spend on extracurricular activities if Charms had still been part of that very short list.

Right as he finished his thought, Hermione clamped her book shut with a snap, a loud groan escaping her mouth.

Harry would've chuckled, had it not been for the compassion he felt for his friend. Despite what they thought… Celtic runes most certainly made up for the effort he had escaped by being let off Charms.

'I need a break.' She said in a voice that screamed finality. 'There's no way Professor Flitwick expects us to learn everything that's in this book.'

Ron snorted. 'He never said we had to. You just assumed.' Harry could feel his lip tug slightly upward as well.

Hermione glared at Ron in response. 'I still can't believe he let Harry off the exam so… nonchalantly. Of course it's allowed… but it's never really happened before in recent history.' She rambled. 'I don't think it's particularly fair either.' She added in a mutter.

Harry didn't feel particularly offended hearing her words at all. He was quite sure she was speaking out of frustration rather than conviction. They were all rather stressed these days, even Ron.

'Well… he did impress Flitwick enough to do it. And it's not like Harry wanted to be let off. It just happened.' Said boy came to his defence.

Hermione simply sighed in response. 'I know…' She muttered. 'I feel bad about even thinking like that, but…'

Ron nodded understandingly. 'It's fine, 'Mione. Perhaps you're right and it really just is time for a break.' He paused, then grinned. 'Dinner is coming up anyway.'

Hermione smiled, shaking her head. Then her attention shifted towards Harry, who was only absentmindedly reading his book.

'Harry?'

'Hm?' He looked up from the tome, acting as if he hadn't heard his friends' previous conversation. 'Yeah, what's up?'

'We're heading to dinner soon. Are you coming?' She asked.

He glanced at the book in his lap, before shrugging.

'Sure. This thing is rather dry anyway.' He said nonchalantly, getting up from his armchair.

Ron and Hermione followed. 'What are you reading anyway? You don't have to study for Charms, do you?' The redhead asked him.

Harry shook his head with a quiet smile. 'No, not charms. Potions though.'

'Potions?' Ron asked confusedly. Then a horrible realisation hit him. 'We still have Potions.' He said emptily.

Hermione raised an eyebrow. Whether at Ron's forgetfulness or his own answer, Harry wasn't sure.

'That's not our Potions book though.' She pointed out, glancing at the leather in Harry's hand.

He grinned in response. 'It isn't. It's about the arithmancy of potions. Way better than Snape's lump of parchment.'

Hermione tried her best not to look offended, but failed. 'Professor Snape is a renowned potions master-' She protested, before being cut off by Ron's snort.

'Yeah, right. That doesn't mean he's a good teacher.' He grimaced. 'All he does is tell us what to brew. If we mess up, we mess up, and if we don't, we don't. Neville could teach that class and he'd be at least as good as Snape, Hermione.'

Harry laughed. Both at the imagination of his roommate in Snape's outfit, as well as Hermione's sour look. She looked towards him for support, but he just shook his head.

'Sorry, 'Mione, but I'm with Ron on this one. Snape's a git. I really don't know why Dumbledore even bothers keeping him around.' He said only half-apologetically. 'You also can't deny he's biassed against everyone that's not a Slytherin.' He pointed out.

'Well… he can be a bit biassed at times.' She admitted reluctantly. A bit. Sure. Harry and Ron snorted.

'I don't even know why you bother learning, Harry. He'll find an excuse to fail you anyways, no matter what. He made that clear in the first lesson.' Ron turned towards him.

Harry adopted a thoughtful look. 'I think passing might actually be possible. As long as my name doesn't change to Malfoy in the next few days an O is pretty much impossible, sure. But an A or even an E?' He shrugged. 'I think that's doable. Especially with the help of the book I'm reading.'

Ron frowned but Hermione beamed at him. 'Of course it is, Harry. I'm really glad you're finally starting to take your studies seriously.'

'Thanks, 'Mione. Your help in Transfiguration was invaluable though.' He smiled.

And it was true enough. He definitely could've learned for the theoretical exam himself, but using Hermione's notes as preparation had saved him a lot of work he would've had to do himself otherwise. And that would've meant less time to learn about Celtic runes and less time practising nonverbal magic.

He was very thankful to have her helping him. Ron was -of course- too, but sometimes it felt like his friend fell a little bit short in terms of expressing this gratitude.

'It wasn't a problem, Harry.' She blushed lightly, before her eyes flickered downwards to the book he was still holding in his hand. 'What did you say you were reading again, earlier?'

'It's called The Arithmetical Mechanisms of Potioneering.' He answered nonchalantly. 'I picked it up a few days back, after… growing sick of our useless class book.' He explained.

Hermione looked like she had a follow-up question, but Ron was the first one to respond. 'Arithmancy again? You really are trying to pick up a mastery in that class before you even start it, are you?'

Harry had to concede a tiny bit. For how much he disliked the subject -it was dreadfully dry- he really seemed to spend a lot of time studying it. It has certainly proven useful though. He relayed as much to Ron.

'What can I say? It's really useful. I've learned more about potions in the last few days than in the last two years of Snape's class.' At Hermione's disbelieving look, he reiterated. 'Seriously. I finally understand why potions are brewed the way they are. It even explains how to correct some mistakes after they happen. I can't remember Snape ever doing that.'

Hermione still looked like she didn't entirely believe him. Not that it surprised him.

'And you really think you're better off reading that than actually reading our Potions book? She frowned. 'Can I have a look at it later?'

Harry grimaced inwardly. He was rather sure Hermione wouldn't understand the book's contents. Not because she was stupid, or untalented, but simply because she hadn't spent nearly as much time studying the subject as he had.

Ever since… waking up, she'd been busy catching up on missed classes and frantically preparing for the exams. He was sure she had picked up some basics in one of her daily visits to the library, but for more she simply hadn't had the time.

It really felt like choosing between bad or worse. Either he'd give Hermione the book and she'd probably grow frustrated and irritated that she didn't understand the material to the level he did, or he told her that he thought the book was over head right away. There isn't really a good option here, is there?

Ultimately, he decided to save her the effort of trying to understand something she probably wouldn't. She has enough on her plate already.

'I can give it to you once I'm done, but I think you should wait before jumping into the more advanced branches of arithmancy. You might end up just wasting your time.' He answered swiftly.

He knew Hermione struggled with insecurities in regards to her academic competitiveness, even if she managed to hide it rather well. Not that he thought of her any worse because of it.

She had never talked about it directly, but by things she'd let slip over the past two years, Harry knew that she'd probably suffered a similar fate in muggle school as he had. And she had used books and studying as her escape.

Hermione frowned. 'Are you sure? It can't be that hard. It's Potions, Harry, isn't it? I did brew the polyjuice, if you remember.' She pointed out.

'Of course.' Harry smiled softly. 'But you still have to study for Charms, don't you? Maybe you can pick it up after we're done with exams? I just don't want you to waste your time.'

Hermione looked at him strangely, then sighed. 'Alright, Harry. You're probably right, I have much more important things to do at the moment.'

'And you really think arithmancy will manage to make Snape give you a passing grade?' Ron cut in again, clearly still sceptical.

Harry shrugged. 'I think so. I don't really have anything else to do anyways. It's not like I'll actually bother with Astronomy or History.' He said. 'Not that I won't study of course, but the effort is rather small compared to our main classes.' He added, seeing Hermione's disapproving look.

Ron seemed like he disagreed with the sentiment, but simply yawned. 'If you think so, mate.'

Then, a loud growl of Ron's stomach filled the Common Room, making Harry and Hermione burst out into laughter.

'Let's head to dinner, yeah?' Ron asked embarrassedly.

'Sure, Ron. Let's head to dinner.' Harry chortled.

~§~

Hallo meine Freunde,

I'm not completely happy with how this one turned out. I got a nasty cold around the middle of the chapter (I still have it, actual bs) and I really feel like it decreased my efficiency of writing.

Nevertheless, it's finally here. This time I won't make any promises that the next one will be out quicker. I won't tempt the fates again!

Anyways, this chapter was the last one of the insubstantial Hogwarts chapters. I got the exams done and got Harry started on some more advanced magic, while hopefully still keeping things interesting for you to read.

Next Chapter, we'll see Dumbledore again, and not just at the welcoming feast! It will -by my estimation- be the last one at Hogwarts. After it, we'll have the train ride and Harry's return to the Dursleys. Finally some action again!

Once again, if you enjoy the story, feel free to join the Discord: /zwpshsfKJn

In terms of pacing… I have concluded that the summer will probably stick to a similar pacing as the last two chapters have. Maybe three to four chapters until we get into year 3? I should probably know, I'm the author, but -unapologetically- I don't.

I'm not much of a planner. I have ideas floating around my mind and already have specific scenes mapped out in my head, but connecting all the elements is something I do on the spot. I usually only start plotting out the next chapter once the previous one is done.

By the way, you can feel free to write any ideas or suggestions you have into the designated channel in the Discord. Perhaps your concepts might make it into the story - as long as I like them of course.

Whatever… I don't want to keep you from doing whatever it is you're doing after this any longer. Stay tuned for future content, and once again thanks for all the support!

(Also once more, shoutout to Jono (FFN Phosphofinite) who betas this crap, so you don't have to go over my moron mistakes!)

Bis zum nächsten mal,

Redd