ALULA (VOL. 3)
Time to put things into perspective- into order.
When a war has begun there's no waiting for children to group up. Alula Nova Black knows this too well. The last thing needed is a government who are corrupt in thinking everything is o...
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hagrid's departure
{1996}
The Great Hall
✧･ﾟ: *✧･ﾟ:* *:･ﾟ✧*:･ﾟ✧
Hermione's bad mood persisted for most of the weekend. Harry, Alula and Ron found it quite easy to ignore as they spent most of Saturday and Sunday revising for Potions on Monday, the exam which Harry seemed to have been looking forward to least - and which he was sure would be the downfall of his ambitions to become an Auror. Sure enough, the written paper was difficult.
The afternoon practical was not as dreadful as expected. With Snape absent from the proceedings, it was much more relaxed than usual was while making potions. Neville, who was sitting very near Alula, also looked happier than Alula had ever seen him during a Potions class.
When Professor Marchbanks said, 'Step away from your cauldrons, please, the examination is over,' Alula corked her sample flask feeling that she had thoroughly excelled.
'Only four exams left,' said Parvati Patil wearily as they headed back to Gryffindor common room.
'Only!' said Hermione snappishly. 'I've got Arithmancy and it's probably the toughest subject there is!'
Nobody was foolish enough to snap back, so she was unable to vent her spleen on any of them and was reduced to telling off some first-years for giggling too loudly in the common room.
"If you don't lower your voices, I will hex you," Alula warned two second years who Hermione had given up on telling them to be quiet.
✧･ﾟ: *✧･ﾟ:* *:･ﾟ✧*:･ﾟ✧
Alula was determined to perform well in Tuesday's Care of Magical Creatures exam so as not to let Hagrid down. The practical examination took place in the afternoon on the lawn on the edge of the Forbidden Forest, where 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 they would give a sick unicorn.
Alula could see Hagrid watching anxiously out of his cabin window. When Alula's examiner, a plump little witch this time, smiled at her and told her she could leave, Alula gave Hagrid a fleeting thumbs-up before heading back to the castle.
The Astronomy theory paper on Wednesday morning went well. Alula was convinced she had got the names of all Jupiter's moons right and confident that none of them was inhabited by mice. They had to wait until evening for their practical Astronomy; the afternoon was devoted instead to Divination.
