Finding the Truth (Being edited)

chapter 12 - Exams and Deaths

Ciarras euphoria at finally winning the Quidditch Cup lasted at least a week. Even the weather seemed to be celebrating; as June approached, the days became cloudless and sultry, and all anybody felt like doing was strolling onto the grounds and flopping down on the grass with several pints of iced pumpkin juice, perhaps playing a casual game of Gobstones or watching the giant squid propel itself dreamily across the surface of the lake. 

But they couldn't. Exams were nearly upon them, and instead of lazing around outside, the students were forced to remain inside the castle, trying to bully their brains into concentrating while enticing wafts of summer air drifted in through the windows. Even Fred and George Weasley had been spotted working; they were about to take their O.W.L.s (Ordinary Wizarding Levels). Percy was getting ready to take his N.E.W.T.s (Nastily Exhausting Wizarding Tests), the highest qualification Hogwarts offered. As Percy hoped to enter the Ministry of Magic, he needed top grades. He was becoming increasingly edgy, and gave very severe punishments to anybody who disturbed the quiet of the common room in the evenings. In fact, the only person who seemed more anxious than Percy was Hermione. 

Ciarra, Harry and Ron had given up asking her how she was managing to attend several classes at once, but they couldn't restrain themselves when they saw the exam schedule she had drawn up for herself. The first column read: 

Monday 

9 o'clock, Arithmancy 

9 o'clock, Transfiguration 

Lunch 

1 o'clock, Charms 

1 o'clock, Ancient Runes 

"Hermione?" Ron said cautiously, because she was liable to explode when interrupted these days. "Er -- are you sure you've copied down these times right?" 

"What?" snapped Hermione, picking up the exam schedule and examining it. "Yes, of course I have." 

"Is there any point asking how you're going to sit for two exams at once?" said Harry. 

"No," said Hermione shortly. "Have either of you seen my copy of Numerology and Gramatica?" 

"Oh, yeah, I borrowed it for a bit of bedtime reading," said Ciarra, but very quietly. Hermione started shifting heaps of parchment. Ciarra, Harry, Ron, and Hermione had plenty of opportunity to speak to Hagrid. 

"Beaky's gettin' a bit depressed," Hagrid told them, bending low on the pretense of checking that Ciarra's flobberworm was still alive. "Bin cooped up too long. But still...we'll know day after tomorrow -- one way or the other --" 

They had Potions that afternoon, which was an unqualified disaster. Try as Ciarra might, he couldn't get his Confusing Concoction to thicken, and Snape, standing watch with an air of vindictive pleasure, scribbled something that looked suspiciously like a zero onto his notes before moving away. 

Then came Astronomy at midnight, up on the tallest tower; History of Magic on Wednesday morning, in which Ciarra scribbled everything Florean Fortescue had ever told him about medieval witch-hunts, while wishing he could have had one of Fortescue's choco-nut sundaes with him in the stifling classroom. Wednesday afternoon meant Herbology, in the greenhouses under a baking-hot sun; then back to the common room once more, with sunburnt necks, thinking longingly of this time next day, when it would all be over. 

Their second to last exam, on Thursday morning, was Defense Against the Dark Arts. Professor Lupin had compiled the most unusual exam any of them had ever taken; a sort of obstacle course outside in the sun, where they had to wade across a deep paddling pool containing a Grindylow, cross a series of potholes full of Red Caps, squish their way across a patch of marsh while ignoring misleading directions from a Hinkypunk, then climb into an old trunk and battle with a new Boggart.