Ordinary Wizarding Level
As June came upon them almost all fifth-yearers were sent into a frantic revision frenzy. Harry leaned back and watched as it happened. He had learned his study methods over several years both before and in the College of Winterhold and knew that frantically trying to study now wouldn't make him any better at the subjects. Hermione had taken to muttering to herself as she sat leaned over various tomes, but just like the year before when Harry had helped Fleur calm down before her NEWTs, he now helped Hermione. For two straight hours on the weekend, he would pull her away from her books just so she could have some time to process.
Ernie Macmillan from Hufflepuff, who was working with Harry and Neville in Herbology one day, started asking them how much time they placed on revision every day.
When Harry had shrugged and calmly said that he didn't fret over it, Ernie had almost fainted.
Draco on the other hand was playing his famous 'father this' card. He sent Hermione into a panic wondering if her grades didn't matter. It had almost made Harry laugh. He knew for a fact that Lucius was expecting his son to do well on his own merits just like any Malfoy before him. Lucius had told Kato as much the last time they had met for lunch.
Harry looked at his classmates in amusement as the Blackmarket for brain stimulants bloomed up. He, Neville and Hermione did their best to keep the scammers from ruining their house.
Neville did the smartest thing he could think of and asked Harry to help him revise. The two of them had a lot of fun despite the stress going around.
10th of June, 1996.
Monday was their first exam. They would sit their written exam in Charms first. Harry walked into the Great Hall with the rest of his class and sat down. He lifted the quill they had handed him and looked up at Professor McGonagall. She gave them the signal to start, and he turned his test around. He scanned the page and went over the different answers before he started writing. Most of the questions were simple and to the point. He wore a small smile as he wrote down his answers. He was probably the only one smiling. He had missed this kind of testing at the College. There was something really satisfying about knowing all the answers. He looked over his answers again an hour and a half later before placing his papers down. He leaned back until a witch came walking up to him. "Is there something wrong?" she asked kindly.
Harry shook his head. "I'm finished ma'am," he said.
"You can leave the hall or take out a book to read as long as you are silent," the witch said.
Harry nodded. She took his test papers, and he removed a notebook from his bag. He was working on a rune array that he considered adding to the entrance room of his house. He headed out of the Hall with everyone else once the time was up. Hermione looked nervous. "Don't worry about it," he said before she could say anything. "You cannot change anything now, just move on to the next part."
She looked like she wanted to argue, but then she must have thought better of it.
Harry headed outside until it was time to do the practical exam. He called for Winky to get something to eat. He needed a break from everyone for a bit just so he could breathe. He ate and then he brought out his guitar for a bit. Tanya and Natalie came over and sat down with him for a while and he played for them.
"Good luck," Tanya said as Harry had to pack up and leave.
"Thank you."
Harry walked back into the school and rejoined Neville and Hermione. The practical test was taken by a few students at a time. They were called into the Great Hall in alphabetical order. Hermione left first and then Neville. Harry looked over at Ron. He felt a little sorry for the guy. He had to wait until last. He heard his own name being called, and Professor Flitwick sent him off to Professor Tofty.
Harry took a calming breath. He could do this. He knew the spells.
"Potter, is it?" Professor Tofty asked as he consulted his notes while peering over his pince-nez. "The famous Potter?"
"That would, unfortunately, be me, sir," Harry said.
"Ah, that's good you can joke. Not so tense then," Professor Tofty said. "Now if I could ask you to take this eggcup and make it do some cartwheels for me."
Harry pointed his wand at the eggcup. He cast the spell and the eggcup moved. He even finished with a bit of a flourish.
"Oh, very good," Professor Tofty said. "Now please levitate this." He placed a stack of blocks down on the table.
Harry focused and cast the spell. It was a bit tricky to keep the stack intact but he managed.
Professor Tofty nodded approvingly.
Then it was time to colour a rat and Harry gave it some thought before he coloured it like a lion. A lion rat.
Professor Tofty seemed to really like that.
Harry left the examination quite pleased with himself.
Fred and George were sitting down by the lake revising when Harry joined them. He grabbed their things and started quizzing them.
"How come you are helping us when you have your own tests to take?" Fred asked.
"Because I'm not worried about my tests and I'm responsible for you even taking yours," Harry said.
"Well, if you put it that way," George said.
The three of them ate dinner outside before heading back in. Hermione managed to rope Harry into a rehearsal session that he only listened to with half an ear. She was worrying too much.
…
That first week they had Transfiguration, Herbology, DADA and Ancient Runes.
In Transfiguration, Harry felt confident.
In the Herbology written exam, Harry and Neville kept making funny faces at each other once they were done with the test. They kept completely silent during it so the examiners didn't stop them though they did get some stern glares.
DADA was a breeze. The one examination Harry was nervous about that week was Ancient Runes since he hadn't taken the class. Hopefully, he had done alright though.
15th of June, 1996.
Early Saturday morning Harry headed out. He left Hogwarts' grounds and wandered around non-magical London. It was too early for shops to be open but he didn't mind. He just wanted to spend some time away from school for a bit. He was glad summer was coming. He needed a break. He was going to head over to St Mungo's later to heal Alice. She was doing really well, and he was glad it was going as well as it was.
He saw a nice set of pens and notebooks and recalled that Alice had wanted to write things down lately. The store opened in just a little bit so he decided to hang around. He hummed as he left the store. Alice would be pleased.
He weaved in and out of stores for a little while before heading to the hospital.
17th of June, 1996.
Harry walked down to the Great Hall and sat down by the Gryffindor table. A plate appeared before him and he started eating while studying the few people that were up as early as him. He had noticed the dark circles under people's eyes and wondered if there was something he could do about it. Unfortunately, he didn't know a way to make sure that everyone fell asleep at a good time that wouldn't be just a little too noticeable. Instead, he brought out a notebook and continued on his latest rune array. He could hear someone join him across the table as he finished off the rune he was drawing before looking up. It was Cedric. He looked tired.
"How is it going, Cedric?" Harry asked. If he remembered correctly the seventh-year students were in on their third week of testing by now. With the extra electives, there were a few more tests added in. At least they still kept it to only one subject a day.
"Tired," Cedric said. He sighed. "I had a fight with Cho last night," he said.
"I see," Harry said. He wasn't sure why Cedric wanted to speak to him about that, but he guessed it might be because he could stay objective.
"She wants to spend time together and I just don't feel like I can do that right now," Cedric said. "I have exams to think about and she is… distracting."
Harry thought about it. "Well, you could tell her that, but it might not go over well. I'd say just ask for some time and think this over after the exams are done. You won't be as stressed and she will most likely have cooled down," he said.
Cedric nodded. "It's not like I don't want to spend time with her," he said. He sighed. Why did everything have to be so complicated?
"Do you have plans together this summer?" Harry asked.
"No, I start work right away so I won't have that much time," Cedric said.
"Then I suggest making the best of the time between exams and the end of the school year. Take her someplace nice. Treat her a bit and make sure you spend time with her on the weekends once summer starts. Don't worry so much about it. If it doesn't work out you weren't meant to be. You are both young."
"It almost irritates me that you are so much wiser than I am," Cedric said.
Harry just shrugged. "I'm just looking at it logically that is all," he said. "It doesn't always work out either, but at least I'm not lying to myself."
"Thanks, man," Cedric said. "I needed that."
Cedric's friends called for him as they entered the great hall, and he left to join them. As Cedric walked away, Tanya and Natalie showed up and started asking questions. They were very curious about the OWLs.
The hall was full of people when the post owls arrived. A big mean-looking European eagle owl landed in front of Harry. Its red eyes bore into him as it held its leg out.
"Thank you," Harry said as he took the offered letter from the owl. He opened it up.
Dear Mr Potter,
Clan Alfknif has received a request from
Clan Pilangt. They wish for us to send
some of our best warders to aid them in
Egypt. If you accept you will head out on the
28th of June with a team of five.
Jora will lead the team.
Your other teammates have already
been selected.
Please respond as soon as possible.
Sincerely,
Master Ragnarok
Harry pulled some parchment out of his bag and wrote a reply. He handed it back to the owl and it took off. Egypt sounded nice. He could use a change in scenery for a bit.
"Something interesting?" Hermione asked as they left the table.
"Just summer plans," Harry said.
"Viktor wants me to come over, but mom and dad aren't so sure about letting me go on my own," Hermione said. "I would really like to go."
"How about you ask your parents if they would be more okay with it if Kato comes along," Harry said. "We can tell Viktor the truth if you want."
Hermione nodded slowly. "If you are alright with it," she said. She certainly didn't mind having Harry along. "I'll send them a letter tonight."
"What are you doing this summer?" Hermione asked Neville.
"Taking care of my plants," Neville said.
"How about we celebrate our birthdays together?" Harry said. "Meet up for a few days then."
Neville smiled. "That sounds nice," he said.
"We'll work out the details later," Harry said. "Then we could go to Bulgaria after that." He looked at Hermione.
Hermione nodded. "That sounds good," she said. "So we would head out on the…?"
"Second," Harry answered. "And be back on the twenty-fifth with plenty of time to go shopping for our school things. Want to come over then as well Neville?"
"Yeah sure," Neville said.
The Great Hall was rearranged and then they were called in for the written Potions exam. Harry worked his way through the questions methodically until he had answered everything. This time he headed out of the room. He wanted to go over a few things before the practical portion of the test. He wanted to nail the practical bit for Rashall and Rhavaniel's sake. He was pointed to a caldron. He took a deep breath and looked at the instructions. He could do this.
Neville's hands were shaking as they left the room. "I think that went alright," he said.
"Hopefully," Harry said.
Ron looked green when he came out of the hall. "You guys did okay?" he asked.
"Yeah, we think so," Harry said.
"I think it went to shit," Ron said. "If I don't get an outstanding grade then I can't continue and then I can't become an auror."
"You don't need potions for that but you need something else that makes you interesting to them. Or I could just help you continue your studies outside of class. Fred did that we can borrow his notes and lesson plan. He took his NEWT in it earlier," Harry said.
Ron perked up. "Really?" he said.
Harry shrugged. "Yeah, why not," he said.
Ron looked less green. "Thanks, mate," he said. He straightened up and joined Dean and Seamus as they came out.
Hermione looked frazzled as she came out of the hall.
"You did fine," Harry said before she could say anything.
Hermione glared playfully at him. "Can we go outside?" she asked.
"After you, my lady," Harry said with a fluent bow.
They headed outside and Hermione pulled out some parchment so she could write to her parents. It would be really fun to head to Bulgaria during the summer. She hoped they would be alright with Kato chaperoning. "How would we get to Bulgaria?" she asked Harry. "My parents will want to know."
"Goblin certified port-key," Harry said. "Remember that you are my sister so I can get everything set up for us with no problems."
Hermione smiled. Harry was right. That would make things easier for them.
"Dumac will get everything ready for us," Harry said. "Tell them they don't have to worry about cost either. As a member of the Clan, I don't pay for those portkeys."
Hermione rolled her eyes. "What about passports?" she asked.
"If you have one that is current bring it and the goblins will make sure you get what you need. I'll have one made for Kato. I'll need it for other reasons too," Harry said.
Hermione finished the letter and Hedwig landed next to them. "How does she do that?" she said.
"Hedwig is a very smart owl," Harry said.
"Have you considered finding a mate for her?" Hermione asked.
"She'll find one when she is ready," Harry said. He laid back and looked up at the sky.
"This isn't so bad," Neville said. "I hope we survive tomorrow."
"Hagrid isn't overseeing it so we should be fine," Harry said.
"True."
19th of June, 1996.
Hermione joined Harry as he headed down for breakfast. Her hair stood on end and she looked tired. "Do you think that maybe I'm worrying too much?" she asked Harry in a small voice.
"Maybe a little," Harry said. "But I get it. This is important."
Hermione nodded. "Thank you, Harry," she said.
"No problem sis," Harry said. He smiled as Hermione took his hand and they headed into the Great Hall.
"Hey, Potter got yourself a girlfriend finally," Malfoy called from the Slytherin table. "Shame she is such an ugly one."
Harry rolled his eyes. "Sometimes I wonder if Malfoy has a case of pulling your pigtails," he said.
Hermione raised an eyebrow. "Really? Malfoy?" she said.
"Yeah, not that I would ever recommend going for him. The guy isn't worth it," Harry said.
"Hey, Pothead!" Malfoy called. "I'm talking to you."
"And I was promptly ignoring you since you aren't very nice Malfoy. My sister and I don't need people like you in our lives," Harry said.
"Sister? You're an orphaned only child, Potter," Malfoy taunted.
"There is this thing called potions that can do all kinds of interesting things. Like adopting someone into your family line for example. Hermione is a Potter. She has just opted out of changing her name to match mine," Harry said. "It isn't that complicated a potion and there are secure sources from where to acquire them. If you don't understand this, then maybe your Head of House can explain things to you." Harry turned him and Hermione back around and headed outside. He called for Winky and they had their breakfast by the Black Lake instead.
Hedwig joined them eventually. She carried the response from Hermione's parents with her.
Hermione smiled as she read the letter. "They approve, but father wants to talk to you first," she said.
"I'll come pick you up for the birthday extravaganza and he can threaten me a bit," Harry said.
Hermione snorted. It wouldn't surprise her if that was exactly what her father wanted to do. He could be such a child sometimes. She pulled out her notes for Arithmancy and looked them over. This was one of the exams she was the most worried about. She wanted to do well.
20th of June, 1996.
Harry felt like his head was spinning come Thursday morning. They had been up late for the Astronomy exam and he wondered why on earth that wasn't the last exam they had. It would have been so much smarter. At least all they had was History and then there was only Muggle Studies to go. He had decided he might as well sit in on that exam, but he wasn't expecting much. He just wanted to see what they would be asked to do, to be honest. He was out by the lake again. He liked it there. The water was smooth and black. It looked almost like a velvet carpet.
"Hello, Harry."
Harry turned around. He recognised the voice. It was Blaise Zabini. He just would not give up. He kept trying to flirt with Harry, and Harry just wasn't interested.
"You have been avoiding me lately," Blaise said.
"Not really," Harry responded because he hadn't. He'd just been doing things that didn't have them cross paths.
"So why don't the two of us have some fun?" Blaise asked. "Get rid of some of that stress." He gave Harry a look that was meant to be seductive, but Harry just found it funny. If only Blaise knew the truth.
"Come on Harry," Blaise said. He reached out and took Harry's hand.
"You want to have some fun?" Harry asked mischievously. He moved closer to Blaise and turned them around. "Then let's have some fun." He pushed forward and the two of them fell into the lake together.
Blaise spluttered as he clawed his way back to the surface. Harry was just watching him amused.
"What did you do that for?" Blaise asked.
"It was fun and relaxing," Harry answered innocently. He swam up to the edge of the lake and got out. "I think I have had enough fun for today though. I need to find Hermione before she explodes. Bye Blaise," he said before he started heading towards the school. Behind him, Blaise pulled himself out of the water. He wished he could read Potter. One second he was sweet and innocent and the next he could be a mischievous vixen. He just wanted a piece of that. He swore to himself that before they had finished Hogwarts he would have bedded Harry Potter.
22nd of June, 1996.
The exams were finally over. It was as if all of Hogwarts had taken a calming breath. Everyone slept in on Saturday morning. Harry headed out and had another long session with Alice before the summer.
Then the party started. Fred and George were relentless. The teachers gave up safe in the knowledge that the twins would not be back. Hopefully, next year would be calmer.
The last party was held by the Gryffindor quidditch team and it went on for two days straight. Though Harry did make sure that their younger members slept. It had been a good year and the train ride back to London was uneventful.
