Ari was happy to go home on Friday and told his family that there was some sort of battle at the ministry where six members of the DA fought death eaters. His parents were naturally concerned while his grandmother wondered why he didn't go with them.
Sunday's paper brought the news that you-know-who is back. It was all anyone would talk about for the rest of the term.
Ari thought it was very entertaining when Peeves chased Umbridge out of the school. He knew that nobody would miss her.
Ari sat on the Hogwarts Express with Terry, Ernie, Justin, and two Hufflepuff girls. Michael didn't want to join them as he was sitting with a girl instead. When they saw Malfoy start up with Harry, they all ran out and hexed him and his cronies. Ari ate some of his food from home as his friends congratulated each other on a job well done.
Ari was happy to go home. Michael managed to catch up with Ari and Terry at the station to remind them to write.
During the summer, it was obvious that the wizarding world was at war. Ari mourned with his family for the many who lost their lives when a bridge snapped in half. Oma regretted not putting up protective spells in West Country, but she didn't know where the death eaters would attack. It was also disappointing to hear that Amelia Bones and Emmaline Vance were murdered, although at least they knew what was happening at the time. It was a relief when Fudge was forced out of office.
The Goldsteins took out a subscription to the Daily Prophet in order to keep up with the war. They also got a pamphlet about protecting your home and family. Oma made Ari show her his shield charm and tried teaching him a disillusionment charm. Tatti told her that he's still underage, but Oma wasn't concerned.
Ari and his friends wondered what their next defense teacher would be like. They were all planning on taking the NEWT for defense and hoped they would have a competent teacher.
A few weeks into the summer, Ari received his OWL scores. He was relieved to see he passed everything and shared the good news with his family.
"What did you get?" Tatti asked eagerly.
"O in Arithmancy and Potions, E in Ancient Runes, Defense Against the Dark Arts, and History of Magic, and A in Astronomy, Charms, Herbology, and Transfiguration," Ari reported.
"So you got mostly As," Tatti commented.
"What do the letters mean?" Mommy asked.
"O is outstanding, E is exceeds expectations, A is acceptable, P is poor, D is dreadful, and T is troll," Ari told her.
"How come you only got A in Herbology?" Mommy asked curiously. "You always liked gardening."
"I didn't study," Ari told her, "so I forgot names and properties of some of the plants."
"I thought you would have done better," Tatti told him.
"Why?" Ari asked. "How did you do on your OWLs?"
"We're talking about you now, not me," Tatti said.
"In other words, you didn't do so well," Mommy teased.
"It was a long time ago," Tatti said. "I don't remember my marks."
"Well then, you can't complain about my Herbology mark if I did better than you," Ari said cheerfully.
"I think I got an E in Herbology," Tatti said.
"Was that your only E?" Ari asked.
"No, I also got an E in defense," Tatti said.
"Did you get any Os?" Ari asked next.
"I don't remember," Tatti told him.
"In other words, no," Ari corrected.
"Did you pass everything else?" Ari continued.
"It doesn't matter," Tatti said, "It's over and done with."
"I guess not," Mommy told Ari.
The Goldsteins continued following the news for progress on the war. The dementor attacks sounded scary and the random deaths and disappearances reminded them not to take their safety for granted.
When Ari got his school list, he met up with Michael and Terry to do school shopping. None of their parents wanted them to be alone, so all three fathers tagged along. They got their robes and books before checking out the Weasleys' new store.
Ari quickly fell in love with the reusable hangman. He also bought shield cloaks, hats, and gloves for family.
Ari reluctantly went back to school on September 1st. He felt safer at home, but knew that as a prefect, he had no choice but to make the train. He joined the other prefects in the prefect carriage for a repeat of last year's meeting.
"Are you doing the DA again?" Ari quietly asked Hermione.
"Hopefully, we'll have a competent teacher this year," Hermione told him. "We only did it because Umbridge wasn't teaching."
"If you start it again, let me know," Ari said eagerly. He sat with Ernie and wondered why Malfoy missed the meeting.
Eventually, Ari was able to join Michael and Terry for the rest of the ride. When Ari took out his lunch, the others looked envious as the lunch trolley was late, so Ari shared his roll with them. They discussed what was happening with the war and hoped that school would be safe this year. Ari mentioned that Hermione was not continuing the DA if this year's professor is competent, so that led into a discussion about who would make a good professor. After a while, Ari had to leave his friends to supervise the platform.