(NOT FINISHED) Curiosity Mirrored the Black Bird.

Thirteen.

      When we were all seated and quiet, McGonagall's voice echoed through the class "You may begin." and turned an enormous hourglass on the desk beside her, on which were also spare quills, ink bottles, and rolls of parchment. I turned my paper over, heart thumping hard, scanning over the questions on the first page. Three rows to my left and four seats ahead, Hermione was already scribbling. I lowered my eyes to the first question,  a) Give the incantation and b) describe the wand movement required to make objects fly.

      Before I knew it, we were already through the entirety of the charms exam and up in the dorms studying for transfiguration next. My mind buzzed with the overhaul of information I had crammed today, single-handedly teaching myself the entire 5th year curriculum. Hermione had stayed close to me the entire day once exams ended, I could feel her worried stares follow me as we walked through the castle. There was not much I could do to comfort her, no reassurance lead her to believe I was okay, no matter how hard I pushed.

      The morning of the exam, I forgot the definition of a Switching Spell, but made up for it with my use of practical magic. I managed to vanish the entirety of my Iguana where as poor Hannah Abbott 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 minutes while the birds were escorted out of the Hall.

      On Wednesday, we had our Herbology exam, I struggled planting my fanged geranium, where as Harry was bitten, the exam could have gone down much worse. On Thursday, the Defense exam came, the only one I was completely confident in passing with flying colors, despite missing this entire year of learning.

      "Oh bravo!," Cried Professor Tofty, one of the OWL examiners, after I demonstrated a perfect boggart banishing spell. "Very good indeed! Well, I think that's all, Black.... unless..." He leaned forward a little, an encouraging smile on his face. "I heard from a dear friend that you can produce a Patronus? For a bonus point...?"

       A wide smile spread across my face, hearing a small 'humph' in the back of the exam room straight from Umbridge. Looking her dead in the face, I pictured her Azkaban cell once Dumbledore returned.

      "Expecto Patronum,"

      A blue and silver doe erupted from the end of my wand and cantered the length of the hall. All examiners looked to watch its progress and when it dissolved into silver mist, Professor Tofty clapped his hands enthusiastically.

      "Excellent! Much like your friend Potter. You may go!"

      As I passed Umbridge beside the door our eyes met. There was a nasty smile playing around her wide, slack mouth, but I did not care. Unless I was very much mistaken (and I had high doubts that I was), I had just achieved an Outstanding O.W.L.

      Friday passed in a blur, Ron, Harry, and I had a day off full of studying, on and off watching Hagrid teach a lesson out in the distance about unicorns, until Hermione came rushing into the common room after her Ancient Runes examination, angry enough for smoke to blow out of her ears.

      "Hey, Mione." I waved, sliding over on the love seat, making room enough for her to plop down angrily. "How was Runes?"

      "I mistranslated 'ehwaz,'" Hermione said furiously. "It means 'partnership', not 'defense,' I mixed it up with 'eihwaz,'"

      "Ah well," Ron said, and immediately I knew opening his mouth was a mistake. "that's only one mistake, isn't it, you'll still get --"

      "Oh shut up," Hermione snapped, "it could have 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,"