Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter.
Weeks of Hell
The Wizarding Examination Authority arrived on Sunday. Leaving them enough time to enjoy Hogwarts' hospitality and settle in before the onslaught began the next morning. Normally, as Percy told us, the test proctors arrived on the day of their test and left at the end. However; given the current threat of intruders, *cough* a change had been made. The Wizarding Examination Authority would be staying within the castle until both the OWLs and the NEWTs were over. Something that was scheduled to last four weeks.
A second table had been set up on the teacher's dais for the proctors. Witches and wizards of various ages and appearances sat together as they feasted on what the school had to offer and reminisced about their times as students. Completely unaware that their presence was causing a rough estimate of 28% of the student body to lose their appetite. Many in my year and Percy's year were watching these strangers like they were grim reapers here to harvest our souls. If it wasn't for Fred and George keeping our plates full and threatening to shove food down our throats, Percy and I probably would've lost weight.
The schedule for the OWLs had been released the week prior. Offering everyone the small silver lining with the fact that classes were canceled for all fifth years at this time. We'd tackle one subject a day with the written portion in the morning and the practical in the afternoon. The time before, between, and after exams were our own. "But I better see every single one of you attending meals", Lupin said in our last defense class before testing would start. His face was set in an unwavering fashion and his manner was uncharacteristically stern.
The written charms exam was scheduled for Monday morning. Making Sunday evening dedicated to reciting theory out loud to be compared with the contents of our textbooks. No matter where you looked, someone was casting a charm. Disarming charms, levitation, elemental charms, household charms, counter charms. If it existed in the curriculum, somewhere a fifth year was casting it. I mean, hell. Wrapped up in all the frenzy, I cast lumos just to reassure myself I could. It was something that made Fred and George cackle for a good solid minute when they saw me do it. The only reason they stopped laughing was because they were getting dangerously close to being thrown out of the common room for being too disruptive.
At eleven o'clock, Lupin aided by Sirius arrived to order all fifth years to bed. "You won't do yourselves justice on the exams if you're too tired to focus", he told us as we grumbled at him in complaint. The seventh years were not given the same treatment. Since the NEWTs wouldn't start for another two weeks.
But Lupin's attempt at protecting our health didn't work. The night was passed in the company of Alicia, Angelina, and our no-name roommates as we lay on our beds; whispering incantations and tracing wand movements in the air with our fingers.
"It's not going to be that bad", Adrian said for what had to be the hundredth time as we stood with the rest of our year in the entrance hall; waiting for the doors to the great hall to open.
"Easy for you to say", I grumbled as I flicked through my notes for the third time. My notes wouldn't be allowed in. I'd have to toss them before even setting foot into the great hall. Hopefully, they would still be where I left them after the written portion was over. But any risk of losing them for good was worth it for a few extra minutes of cramming. Besides, this was just the summarized version. I had a more detailed set in my trunk. "Why did charms have to be first?" I asked in rhetorical complaint.
Across the hall, Fred and George stood with Lee as they tried to calm him down. Or distract him. With those two it could easily go either way. A little further down from them, Flitwick was running through some dates relevant to charm theory with some of his Ravenclaws; assuring them that they had all their facts down pat.
Adrian placed a hand on each of my arms and squeezed. "Charms is your best subject", he reminded me. His tone made me feel like he found me to be very silly. But Adrian didn't understand. Not that that was his fault. I haven't told him yet. But after meeting with Lupin and Sirius', I was now banking on getting excellent marks in charms.
Taking a deep breath, I nodded repeatedly as I stared at my shoes; trying to steel my nerves. Following their advice, I did meet with Flitwick. Asking if it were possible for me to be his teacher's aide again. The way Flitwick lit up and jumped into action like he had an on-switch would make you think I'd found a long-lost relative of his.
"This is very exciting, Miss Weasley", Flitwick had exclaimed as he waved his wand in all directions; causing books to fly out of his office. A few times I had to duck to avoid being smacked in the head. "I can't remember the last time a student was interested in teaching. And in my own area of expertise nonetheless".
I wanted to point out I was only asking about being a teacher's aide. That I was still unsure if teaching was for me. But I couldn't get a word in.
"Now, if you're going to be my aide for the next two years, I'll have to design a course of study for you. Learning to write lesson plans is a must. And of course, there's classroom management, progress monitoring, and how to handle your colleagues' personalities at staff meetings". Um… What? "But all that can wait". Flitwick said as he started to hand me the first of the books he summoned. "First, you'll have to pass your charms OWL. With high marks preferably. An outstanding isn't required. However, it would benefit you in the long run".
Uh… The only thing I could do at that moment was stare at the first book Flitwick forced into my hands. Charming Your Own Cheese. Would cheese be on the exam? Though my musing about cheese was cut premature when the book was covered by another. This one was titled, An Anthology of Eighteenth-Century Charms. Bloody hell.
"Revising with these should aid your knowledge. Provide a little more background before you sit for the exam", Flitwick explained as he placed more books in my arms. The next one was simply titled, The Book of Charms & Spells. At the addition of Chadwick's Charms, my arms started to feel the strain from all the extra weight.
"Now, as a NEWT student specifying in Charms-" Wait, was that what I was doing?
Despite Flitwick placing more stress on my shoulders and giving me more things to study, hearing him gush about how wonderful teaching was as a profession, from watching a struggling student succeed for the first time to committing yourself to being a lifelong learner… well, it made me want to try.
"Pucey, Weasley", Flitwick announced his presence as he approached. "Good, good", he said as he looked us over. We probably passed his inspection by the mere fact that we were here and not about to collapse. "Some last-minute advice. Pucey, in the essays you've written for my class you have a habit of leaving out defining qualities about the effects of different charms. Be mindful of that during the short answer and essay portions of the exam. Less is not more when it comes to charm theory".
Adrian nodded in acceptance of the feedback. Although, he didn't seem particularly moved to keep it in mind either. "Thank you, sir", he said as Flitwick moved on to me.
"Weasley. In the multiple-choice section, if a question stumps you, don't just guess C. Slow down. Take your time. Move on and come back if you must. But think through the question. I know the correct information will come to you if allow yourself to think". Uh.. right. Because apparently, everyone believed I was good at charms, meaning I had to know more than I let on. No pressure. With one 'good luck' to each of us and a promise that we would be able to find him in this same spot an hour before the practical in case we wanted any last-minute charms casting practice, Flitwick moved on to the next cluster of fifth years.
Adrian waited for Flitwick to be out of hearing distance before asking, "Why in the world would you guess C for every question you didn't know?"
Absentmindedly, seeing as I was running through key facts from An Anthology of Eighteenth-Century Charms in my head, I could only manage to give Adrian a one-word response. "Statistics". The look on Adrian's face wasn't one of comprehension. But he had the sense that asking for further explanation at this time would not be wise.
When it was finally time, the doors to the great hall swung up and silence fell on everyone waiting. Like we were about to take part in a funeral. We filed in two by two and were greeted with the sight of a changed great hall. The four house tables were gone and in its place were enough desks for everyone; evenly spaced out.
Seating was assigned; ordered by last name. This placed Fred, George, and me in the last three desks. The other person in our row was Warrington. Adrian took the time to walk me to my seat. "You don't need to worry", he whispered; squeezing my shoulder before walking away. On my left, Fred and George smiled confidently and gave me encouraging thumbs-ups.
As everyone settled, I passed the time by rolling my shoulders to loosen them. Up at the teacher's table sat three of the proctors. Probably the same ones we'd be seeing this afternoon. Their posture was stiff and authoritative. Very different from how their group behaved last night.
On every desk were two quills and a full ink well. With twitchy fingers, I picked up one of the quills. The feather was longer than the quills I was used to, and it was black in color. Rolling it between my fingers lead to a tingling feeling caused by magic that wasn't mine. Probably an anti-cheating spell, if I had to guess.
Five minutes before nine o'clock, one of the proctors, a balding man with a round belly, stood. "We will now pass out the exam. It will arrive at your desk face-down. Do not peek or turn over the exam until we say so". His voice was magically enhanced so everyone could hear and no one could claim otherwise.
As the wizard waved his wand; sending sheets of parchment flying around the room before they landed on people's desks, I saw George mimicking the man's posture out of the corner of my eye. He mouthed in sight words that had Fred covering his mouth to hide a snicker. How were they so bloody relaxed!?
When my test floated onto my desk, I kept my hands close to my chest and refused to touch it. Just for the off chance that doing so would end with me getting accused of cheating. At exactly nine o'clock, the balding man spoke again. "You'll have two hours to complete the exam. During that time, any use of magic is prohibited. If you finish before the time limit is over, raise your hand. Someone will be around to collect your exam. Then, and only then, may you quietly leave the hall". Holding us in anticipation, the balding man checked his pocket watch. "You may begin".
The sound of forty papers turning over all at once filled the hall. But then the only thing to be heard for the next two hours was the scratching of quills.
Question 1. Give the correct name and incantation for the shield charm. Name the spell it cannot deflect and explain why.
Slightly rested, fed, and caffeinated, everyone reported back to the Great Hall a little before two o'clock. Most of our year was already there by the time us triplets and Lee made it. Some were talking about the written portion; trying to compare answers and guess who was right and who was wrong. Others stood to the side so they could practice spells with minimal risk of accidentally hitting another student. Most were listening to Flitwick as he explained how things would proceed. "You'll be called one at a time going by your last name". Great. That means I'm last again. "There are three proctors, so no more than three students will be allowed in the great hall at a time". At least, I would be with Fred and George. They wouldn't mock me if I turn out to be a humongous screw-up.
At exactly two o'clock, Flitwick sent in the first three students and the rest of us were left to fidget as we waited. No one was in there for less than fifteen minutes. But the longer someone was inside, the happier they looked when coming out. Lee and Angelina went in together. Lee reappeared twenty minutes later. He looked relieved as he waved to us before dragging himself up the stairs to nap before dinner. While Angelina exited the great hall thirty minutes after going in. She looked just as tired as Lee but there was a triumphant upturn to her lips that was telling.
Out of everyone, Adrian was in the great hall the longest. He was called in before Alicia by five minutes or so. But Alicia returned before Adrian. Exiting the hall, Adrian stood out quite a bit. For one thing, he was the only one acting like it was just another day at Hogwarts. He even had the gall to look bored. As Adrian made for the dungeons, his eyes swung to where I was standing with Fred and George. "You're going to be fine", has said as he passed. Heh, wouldn't Adrian be embarrassed if I proved him wrong?
Fred and George were called three or so minutes apart. And then it was just me and Flitwick standing in the entrance hall. "Do you remember the self-study you did for me last year?" Flitwick asked. Even though making conversation was clearly the last thing on my mind.
"Yes, sir", I assured him as I drew the wand movement for the metelojinx in the air with my finger. Flitwick was referring to the busy work he gave me that I'd told Adrian about back on Valentine's day. It was hard to forget Adrian being so impressed with my ability to light a candle.
"Nonverbal magic isn't taught until sixth year", Flitwick informed me. "Even for simple spells like conjuring a small flame. Some may figure it out instinctually, but a student who can perform a nonverbal spell always scores a few extra points". Warrington exited the great hall; barely noticing we were there as he hauled himself away from the first day of testing. Flitwick took the time to wink at me, before gesturing towards the door. "Good luck, Weasley".
Entering the great hall, I noticed the desks from this morning had been cleared away. Instead, three tables were in their place with one proctor behind each one. George was at the table that had the balding man from this morning. Based on the miscellaneous objects floating above his head, it looked like he was being tested on how many things he could levitate at once. On his left was Fred. Fred's proctor had to be the youngest out of all of them. Meaning, that she looked like she was somewhere in her fifties. She and Fred were focused on different colored shards sitting on her table. Well… some of them were sitting. Others were moving around as they needed; connecting to piece a broken object back together. Oh, good. The repairing charm was something Fred was well-versed in. Being one we use often when one of his and George's experiments goes poorly.
The last table was on George's right. On shaking knees, I made my approach. Don't hold your wand too tight, I told myself as I made eye contact with the last proctor; an elderly witch with short grey hair, wrinkles around her lips, and a hunched back. Her appearance kind of reminded me of a turtle.
"Holly Agatha Weasley?" She asked with a grandmotherly smile. Suddenly, I felt very grateful I had her as a proctor. Maybe she'd offer me knitting patterns instead of giving me spells to cast.
"Yes, Ma'am", I confirmed; wincing only a little at the sound of my middle name.
She was slow-moving as she took in the look of me. Then her eyes wandered over to where Fred and George were still expressing their magical prowess. "Triplets", she connected the dots. "How do your parents manage?"
Every word she said melted some of my nerves. It was almost like she knew talking about my family was something that would help me relax. "We have five other siblings", I shared. "People mostly just ask Mum and Dad how they haven't lost their sanity yet".
Letting out a tittering chuckle, the witch gestured to an emptying goblet sitting on the table. "Let's get started, shall we? We'll start out with an easy one. Please fill this goblet with water, but be mindful to not let it overflow".
Okay. I thought as I raised my wand into a ready position. I can do this.
The following days passed in a similar fashion. On Tuesday, we sat for the transfiguration OWL. For this one, George employed all the concentration he could muster. I even caught him studying in between the written and practical portions. While Fred spent the exam answering the questions he knew. However, he admitted to just jotting down random nonsense for the ones he did it. "Might as well give the bloke who has to grade it a laugh", he answered with a shrug when I asked why he didn't leave them blank.
I think I did alright. The question about switching spells was a breeze, but I know I forgot at least two of the laws created from the animagi legislation act. But hopeful there's some extra credit to be earned for being able to go into detail about the reversal spell.
Herbology was the next day. Ironically… or maybe not, this was the only OWL I wasn't nervous about. The night before, I got a full eight hours of sleep without a single urge to review my class notes one last time. This was the exam Fred put on his thinking cap for. While George and I treated the written portion like it was just another day in class. During the practical, I was one of the first to be dismissed. No one was surprised.
But come Thursday, all my anxiety returned. We had the defense OWL on this day and this one we all took seriously. Like Flitwick had done, Lupin was there in the morning to answer last-minute questions and attempt to soothe nerves. The written was harder than the practical. Or at least, I thought so. The question that asked us to discuss how counter-curses are discovered threw me for a loop. But Adrian seemed like it had amused him when we talked about it later.
Friday was potions. Unlike Flitwick or Lupin, Snape was not in the entrance hall to offer encouragement. Though if he'd tried it probably would have had the opposite effect. Just like our potions master, this exam proved to be the most challenging. Anyone hoping to take potions next year was on edge. After all, Snape was the only professor who required NEWT students to have gotten an outstanding on their OWL. We were asked about the taste, color, smell, and texture of certain mixtures and ingredients. At one point, I had to write down the entire recipe for the draught of peace. From whether it needed to be stirred counter-clockwise or clockwise to how many minutes it needed to simmer before the final ingredient could be added. Again, I was one of the last people to finish; using the full two hours we were allotted.
Potions had a longer practical than the other subjects. And unless you blew up your cauldron, you weren't dismissed until a sample of your potion had been turned in. For our practical, we were instructed to brew the invigoration draught. Fred and George didn't bother; choosing instead to brew the boils cure potion we learned in our first year. I, however; struggled not to cheer when my potion turned the right shade of blue.
With the end of potions came the weekend and we were officially halfway through. In my dorm, everyone slept late. No one got out of bed until noon. And sadly, that was the highlight of our weekend. All time afterward was still spent studying. The ancient runes exam was scheduled for Monday. And by the time Sunday evening had rolled around, two people had accused me of going barmy because I kept muttering strange gibberish under my breath.
Tuesday was a free day for me. But Fred and George had to sit the care of magical creatures exam. They told me about it; describing the practical as the most fun they'd had since the OWLs started. Something about nifflers and bowtruckles... I don't remember, having used up my mental capacity on cramming for astronomy.
Astronomy was the worst. Why did the higher powers schedule this exam for Wednesday? Wednesday meant a late night in the astronomy tower charting stars and constellations. Which was time wasted I could have used to revise for the arithmancy OWL tomorrow and get some much-needed sleep.
Needless to say, I drank a lot of coffee on Thursday morning. At breakfast, I thought about staking a claim on a carafe full of it and defending it from others until I drained every drop. But that would've probably been going too far.
The arithmancy OWL had one thing going for it; there was only a written section. Instead of two hours, we had three. And it was grueling; provoking many migraines and causing a line to form outside of the hospital wing as students waited for pain relief. But at least I didn't have to stand up in front of a blackboard and make calculations with a proctor criticizing my every move.
On that second Friday, the last OWL we had to take was history of magic; another exam that only had a written section. Although, the poor sods who signed up for muggle studies had to take that OWL in the afternoon.
During the history of magic OWL, many gave up or answered the questions half-heartedly. Based on how many turned in their papers within the first forty-five minutes of the test. But those who stuck it out ended up with cramping hands, spinning heads, and a profound desire to never think about the international confederation of wizards or the warlocks of Liechtenstein ever again.
And that was it. For better or worse, the OWLs were over. Whether I passed or failed, it didn't matter anymore because there wasn't anything I could do about it. As I made the trek up to Gryffindor Tower, I let my thoughts wander. Too tired to give provide any directions.
OWLs reminded me a little about Jessie's college days. Although, it wasn't a direct comparison. Back then (or in the future?), Jessie and her friends would have celebrated the end of finals by getting dressed up and hitting house party after house party. While the only thing me and my fifth-year friends would be doing tonight was turning in early.
If I ever saw Jessie's image again, in person, I'm not sure I'd recognize myself. As Jessie, I had done the bare minimum to pass the classes I needed to graduate from college; more concerned with living in the moment. While as Holly… it felt good to give school my best effort. Fulfilling, if I had to describe it.
Of course, Jessie didn't have to worry much about her grades after she met- NO!
On the third-floor landing, I came to an abrupt halt. What was that? Raising a hand, I started to massage my forehead; closing my eyes to block out the light as the mother of all headaches hit me like a bludger. It felt like I ran face first into a barrier. A metaphysical one. But I don't think mental blocks are supposed to give you physiological feelings.
What was I even thinking about? Forcing myself to endure the light for as long as it took me to reach my dorm and hide under my blankets, I sighed and pushed forward. I just need to sleep and eat, and then sleep again. I'll be fine by tomorrow.