Chapter 154: OWLs Part 2
"Well, it wasn't too bad, was it?" asked Hermione anxiously in the Entrance Hall two hours later, still clutching the exam paper. "I'm not sure I did myself justice on Cheering Charms, I just ran out of time. Did you put in the counter-charm for hiccoughs? I wasn't sure whether I ought to, it felt like too much-and on question twenty-three-"
"Hermione, we've been through this before. We're not going through every exam afterwards, it's bad enough doing them once." I said, massaging my temples.
Us fifth-years ate lunch with the rest of the school (the four house tables had reappeared for the lunch hour), then we matched off into the small chamber beside the Great Hall, where we were to wait until called for our practical examination. This one made me nervous, as we were to actually demonstrate spells in front of the examiners.
Hermione's name was called. Trembling, she left the chamber with Anthony, Goyle and Daphne Greengrass. Students who had already been tested did not return afterwards, so Harry and I had no idea how Hermione had done. I found myself actually nervous for her, despite knowing full well that she had this in the bag.
"She'll be fine, remember she got a hundred and twelve per cent on one of our Charms tests?" I said to Harry, reassuring myself more than I was him.
"Course she'll be fine."nodded Harry. "It's us I'm worried about."
Ten minutes later, Professor Flitwick called, "Parkinson, Pansy-Patil, Padma-Patil, Parvati-Potter, Harry."
"Good luck," I whispered. Harry gulped and followed the others into the room and closed the door.
After awhile, my name was called along with Blaise Zabini, one of Malfoy's pompous best mates.
I ended up not doing too bad. With the exception of turning a dinner plate into a large mushroom and having no idea how I had done it.
There was no time to relax that night; we went straight to the common room after dinner and submerged themselves in revision for Transfiguration next day. Hermione played no games with us as she quizzed us and then had us quiz her even harder.
I did better during my written paper next morning but my practical was completely lousy. I did better than Hannah, who lost her head completely at the next table and somehow managed to multiply her ferret into a flock of flamingos, causing the examination to be halted for ten minute; while the birds were captured and carried out of the Hall.
We had our Herbology exam on Wednesday (which I almost bombed, but at least I didn't get bit by a plant like Harry did); and then, on Thursday, Defense Against the Dark Arts.
I may have not done as well as I had hoped with the written, but I blew the roof off with my practical exam. The examiners looked through my impressed. They all had smiles on their faces (with the exception of the toad) and two even clapped.
On Friday, Harry and I had a day off while Hermione sat her Ancient Runes exam, and as we had the whole weekend in front of us, we felt like a break from revision was in order. We stretched and yawned beside the open window, through which warm summer air was wafting as we played wizard chess.
"I'll be so glad when this shit is over and done with." said Harry as he took one of my pawns.
"You and me both mate. I've never been under so much stress in my life. I'd rather face Aragog right now than endure another exam." I said as I took his knight.
Harry nodded. "I'd fancy taking Cho out on another date."
I laughed. "Was dating one of the hottest witches in school really that painful?"
"She cried constantly, Ron. I didn't know what to do with her. And when she wasn't crying, she always brought up Cedric, which in turn would make her cry. Reckon she never got over him. And I feel bad, but I can't compete with a dead guy. Damn, I shouldn't have moved there." said Harry, snapping his fingers.
"Try competing with a famous one." I mumbled absentmindedly.
"What was that?" asked Harry.
"Nothing!" I said quickly, recognizing my mistake. Harry smirked, looking at me as if he didn't believe me, but he let it go and continued the game.
A few minutes later, Hermione walked into the common room and over to us, looking very much pissed.
"How were the Runes?" I asked, yawning and stretching.
"I mis-translated ehwaz," said Hermione furiously, as if I should have known what the bloody fuck she was speaking about. "It means partnership, not defense,I mixed it up with eihwaz."
"Ah well, that's only one mistake, isn't it, you'll still get-"
"Oh, shut up!" said Hermione angrily. "It could be the one mistake that makes the difference between a pass and a fail. And what's more, someone's put another Niffler in Umbridge's office. I don't know how they got it through that new door, but I just walked past there and Umbridge is shrieking her head off-by the sound of it, it tried to take a chunk out of her leg!"
"Good," said Harry and I together.
"It is not good!" said Hermione hotly. "She thinks it's Hagrid doing it, remember? And we do not want Hagrid chucked out!"
"He's teaching at the moment; she can't blame him," said Harry, gesturing out of the window.
"Oh, you're so naive sometimes, Harry. You really think Umbridge will wait for proof?" said Hermione. She swept off towards the girls' dormitories in a huff, banging the door behind her.
"Such a lovely, sweet-tempered girl," I said, very quietly, prodding my queen forward to beat up one of Harry's knights. "She will make a husband very happy someday."
Hermione's bad mood stuck around for most of the weekend, though Harry and I found it quite easy to ignore as we spent most of Saturday and Sunday revising for Potions on Monday. The written exam was positively dreadful, though I'm pretty sure that Hermione, Harry, and I all got the Polyjuice Potion ingredients correct.
The afternoon practical wasn't as bad as I had expected, it to be. Without Snape's presence, the atmosphere was much more relaxed. Even Neville looked happy to be there, and seemed a hell of a lot less tense than usual when we were in Potions.
"Well, I'm completely exhausted." said Parvati as she walked with Harry, Hermione, and I from Potions. "Carry me Harry?"
Harry rolled his eyes, but bent down slightly to allow Parvati to hop up on his back. Harry looked just as tired as Parvati was, but I guessed he remembered what Fred and George had told us once about opportunity knocking when it came to girls.
Hermione, equally tired, clung to my arm, having me practically drag her up the steps towards the tower. I didn't mind. I wasn't going to miss an opportunity either.
"Only four exams left," said Parvati, yawning from over Harry's shoulder.
"Only!" said Hermione, lifting her head up with a snap from my arm. "I've got Arithmancy and it's probably the toughest subject there is!"
"I can only imagine." I said with a shrug. I was determined not to say anything to tick Hermione off, as her temper had been unbearable.
Nobody else was foolish enough to snap back either, so she was unable to vent on any of us and was reduced to telling off some firsties for giggling too loudly in the common room.
Harry, Hermione, and I was determined to perform well in Tuesday's Care of Magical Creatures exam so as not to let Hagrid down. The practical exam took place in the afternoon on the lawn on the edge of the Forbidden Forest, where us students were required to correctly identify the Knarl hidden among a dozen hedgehogs (the trick was to offer them all milk in turn: Knarls, highly suspicious creatures whose quills had many magical properties, generally went berserk at what they saw as an attempt to poison them); then demonstrate correct handling of a Bowtruckle; feed and clean out a Fire Crab without sustaining serious burns; and choose, from a wide selection of food, the diet we would give a sick unicorn.
I totally missed the Knarl, but I felt I did a lot better with the Bowtruckle, having learned my lesson before. The Fire Crab only mildly singed the sleeve of my robe, and I felt I got all but one for right for the unicorn.
The Astronomy theory paper on Wednesday morning was a breeze. If I would have gotten any of the names of Jupiter's moons wrong, Hermione would have killed me. We had to wait until evening for their practical Astronomy; the afternoon was devoted instead to Divination.
Divination sucked. I didn't even try. Neither did Harry.
"Well, we were always going to fail that one," I said to Harry as we left. "I told the examiner how I had seen this man who was completely hideous in my crystal ball. He had a giant wart on his nose, it could have been an extra head. Come to find out, I was describing the examiner's reflection."
Harry busted out laughing. "We shouldn't have taken the stupid fucking subject in the first place."
"Still, at least we can give it up now."
"Yeah," said Harry. "No more pretending we care what happens when Jupiter and Uranus get too friendly."
"And from now on, I don't care if my tea-leaves spell die, Ron, die-I'm just chucking them in the bin where they belong."
Harry laughed even louder, just as Hermione came running up behind us. He stopped laughing at once, as not to annoy her.
"Well, I think I've done all right in Arithmancy," she said, and Harry and I both sighed with relief. "Just time for a quick look over our star-charts before dinner, then.."
When we reached the top of the Astronomy Tower at eleven o'clock, we found a perfect night for stargazing, cloudless and still. Each of us set up our telescopes and, when Professor Marchbanks gave the word, proceeded to fill in the blank star-chart we had been given.
I felt like I was doing extremely well with this, then suddenly, I heard the muffled barking of a large dog.
I aimed my telescope towards Hagrid's hut, the exam put out of my mind. There were lights on in Hagrid's windows and some people were standing outside it. Six people (Umbitch included) walked into Hagrid's cabin, shutting the door behind them.
A couple other people must have been distracted, because Professor Tofty gave a dry little cough and said "Try and concentrate, now, boys and girls. Twenty minutes to go"
There was a loud BANG from the grounds. Several people cried "Ouch!" when they poked themselves in the face with the ends of their telescopes as they hastened to see what was going on below.
Hagrid's door had burst open and by the light flooding out of the cabin we saw him quite clearly, a massive figure roaring and brandishing his fists, surrounded by six people, all of whom, judging by the tiny threads of red light they were casting in his direction, seemed to be attempting to Stun him.
"No!" cried Hermione.
"My dear!" said Professor Tofty in a scandalised voice. "This is an examination!"
But we were no longer paying the slightest attention to out star-charts any more. Jets of red light were still flying about beside Hagrid's cabin, yet somehow they seemed to be bouncing off him; he was still upright and still fighting. Cries and yells echoed across the grounds; a man yelled, "Be reasonable, Hagrid!"
Hagrid roared, "Reasonable be damned, yeh won' take me like this, Dawlish!"
Fang was attempting to defend Hagrid, leaping repeatedly at the wizards surrounding him until a Stunning Spell caught him and he fell to the ground. Hagrid gave a howl of fury, lifted the culprit bodily from the ground and threw him; the man flew what looked like ten feet and did not get up again. Hermione gasped, both hands over her mouth. I looked at Harry, who looked just as scared as I was. None of us had ever seen Hagrid in a rage.
"Look!" squealed Parvati, who was leaning over the parapet and pointing to the foot of the castle where the front doors had opened again; more light was spilling out onto the dark lawn and a single long black shadow was now rippling across the lawn.
"Now, really!" said Professor Tofty anxiously. "Only sixteen minutes left, you know!"
But nobody paid him the slightest attention: we were all watching the person now sprinting towards the battle beside Hagrid's cabin.
"How dare you!" the figure shouted as she ran. "How dare you!"
"It's McGonagall!" whispered Hermione.
"Leave him alone! Alone,I say!" said Professor McGonagall's voice through the darkness. "On what grounds are you attacking him? He has done nothing, nothing to warrant such-"
Hermione, Parvati and Lavender all screamed. The figures around the cabin had shot no fewer than four Stunners at Professor McGonagall. Halfway between cabin and castle the red beams collided with her; for a moment she looked luminous and glowed an eerie red, then she lifted right off her feet, landed hard on her back, and moved no more.
"BLOODY FUCK!" I yelled.
"Galloping gargoyles!" shouted Professor Tofty, who also seemed to have forgotten the exam completely. "Not so much as a warning! Outrageous behaviour!"
"COWARDS!" bellowed Hagrid; his voice carried clearly to the top of the tower, and several lights flickered back on inside the castle. "RUDDY COWARDS! HAVE SOME O' THAT- AN' THAT-"
"Oh my-" gasped Hermione.
Hagrid took two massive swipes at his closest attackers, knocking them out cold. Hagrid double over, and thought he had finally been overcome by a spell. But, on the contrary, next moment Hagrid was standing again with what appeared to be a sack on his back-then Harry realised that bangs limp body was draped around his shoulders.
"Get him, get him!" screamed Umbridge, but her remaining helper seemed highly reluctant to go within reach of Hagrid's fists; indeed, he was backing away so fast he tripped over one of his unconscious colleagues and fell over. Hagrid had turned and begun to run with Fang still hung around his neck. Umbridge sent one last Stunning Spell after him but it missed; and Hagrid, running full-pelt towards the distant gates, disappeared into the darkness.
There was a long minute's quivering silence as all of us gazed open-mouthed into the grounds. Then Professor Tofty's voice said feebly, "Um ... five minutes to go, everybody."
When the exam was over, we all made our way to the tower None of us were going to bed; we were all talking loudly and excitedly at the foot of the stairs about what they had witnessed.
"That evil woman!" gasped Hermione, who seemed to be having difficulty talking due to rage. "Trying to sneak up on Hagrid in the dead of night!"
"She clearly wanted to avoid another scene like Trelawney's," said Ernie.
"Hagrid did well, didn't he?" I said, trying to find some good in the situation. "How come all the spells bounced off him?"
"It'll be his giant blood," said Hermione shakily. "Its very hard to Stun a giant, they're like trolls, really tough ... but poor Professor McGonagall ... four Stunners straight in the chest and she's not exactly young, is she?"
"Dreadful, dreadful," said Ernie, shaking his head pompously. "Well, I'm off to bed. Night, all."
"At least they didn't get to take Hagrid off to Azkaban. I 'spect he's gone to join Dumbledore, hasn't he?" I said.
"I suppose so," said Hermione, who looked tearful. "Oh, this is awful, I really thought Dumbledore would be back before long, but now we've lost Hagrid too."
We made it back to the Gryffindor common room to find it full. The commotion out in the grounds had woken several people, who had roused their friends. Seamus and Dean, who had arrived ahead of the three of us, were now telling everyone what they had seen and heard from the top of the Astronomy Tower.
"But why sack Hagrid now?" asked Angelina, shaking her head. "It's not like Trelawney; he's been teaching much better than usual this year!"
"Urnbridge hates part-humans," said Hermione bitterly, flopping down into an armchair. "She was always going to try and get Hagrid out."
"And she thought Hagrid was putting Nifflers in her office," piped up Katie.
"Oh, shit," said Lee Jordan, covering his mouth. "It's me who's been putting the Nifflers in her office. Fred and George left me a couple; I've been levitating them in through her window."
"She'd have sacked him anyway," said Dean. "He was too close to Dumbledore."
"That's true," said Harry, sinking into an armchair beside Hermione's.
"I just hope Professor McGonagall's all right," said Lavender tearfully.
"They carried her back up to the castle, we watched through the dormitory window," said Colin. "She didn't look very well."
"Madam Pomfrey will sort her out," said Alicia firmly. "She's never failed yet."
The next afternoon, us fifth-years entered the Great Hall at two o'clock and took our places in front of our face-down examination papers. Harry felt exhausted. I just wanted this to be over so that I could go and sleep. Harry and I had planned on flying the next day.
"Turn over your papers," said Professor Marchbanks from the front of the Hall, flicking over the giant hour-glass. "You may begin "
I couldn't concentrate for shit. All the questions looked as if they were blending together and turning into mush.
I found myself not even wanting to do the exam. I was much more interested in Hermione's hair in front of me. The light was hitting it and it seemed to had found some gold strands amongst her brown, something that I had never noticed before. Studying her curls made much more sense than killing myself over the exam.
I looked back at the paper and quickly scribbled down some answers. Then all of a sudden, I heard an ear piercing scream from behind me. Harry was rolling around in the floor, screaming at the top of his lungs, clutching his forehead as if someone was trying to tear the skin smooth off of it.