Harry Potter: Raised By Roses

Chapter Sixteen: Idiot Gryffindors

In years to come, Harry would never quite remember how he had managed to get through his exams. He thought that he might die of boredom. Classes like Charms, Transfiguration, Potions, and History of Magic were the harder ones. But that was more because Flitwick and McGonagall were tough teachers, Snape seemed to hate him and tried to fail him on purpose, and Binns didn't actually teach what was on the exam. Krinos and Melody both told him that they had similar experiences.

It was sweltering hot, especially in the large classroom where they did their written papers. It made the three mystic souls very envious of the air-conditioning spells back home. They had been given special, new quills for the exams, which had been bewitched with an Anti-Cheating spell.

They had practical exams as well. Professor Flitwick called them one by one into his class to see if they could make a pineapple tap-dance across a desk. Harry got extra points for making it do the Charleston. Professor McGonagall watched them turn a mouse into a snuffbox. Points were given for how pretty the snuffbox was but taken away if it had whiskers. Melody got extra for making the box pure silver. Snape made them all nervous, breathing down their necks while they tried to remember how to make a Forgetfulness Potion. Krinos said that was all kinds of irony, much to the amusement of his siblings and their friends.

Harry did the best he could, trying to ignore the stabbing pains in his forehead. It had been going on since his first exam, which was Defense Against the Dark Arts. Neville thought Harry had a bad case of exam nerves because Harry couldn't sleep, but the truth was that Harry kept being woken by his old nightmare, except that it was now worse than ever because there was a hooded figure dripping blood in it. He had no idea where that latest image came from.

Their very last exam was History of Magic. One hour of answering questions about batty old wizards who'd invented self-stirring cauldrons and they'd be free, free for a whole wonderful week until their exam results came out. When the ghost of Professor Binns told them to put down their quills and roll up their parchment, Harry couldn't help cheering with the rest.

"That was far easier than I thought it would be," says Melody after the siblings met up as they joined the crowds flocking out onto the sunny grounds. "I needn't have learned about the 1637 Werewolf Code of Conduct or the uprising of Elfric the Eager."

The three were very relieved for the exams being over, so they wandered down to the lake and flopped under a tree. The Weasley twins and Lee Jordan were tickling the tentacles of a giant squid, which was basking in the warm shallows.

"No more studying," Krinos sighed happily, stretching out on the grass. "You could look more cheerful, Harry. We've got a week before we find out how much better we've done than anyone else, there's no need to worry yet."

Harry was rubbing his forehead.

"I wish I knew what this means," he burst out angrily. "My scar keeps hurting. It's happened before, but never as often as this."

"Why not go to Madam Pomfrey," Melody suggested.

"I'm not ill," said Harry. "I don't know what it is."

"Maybe that mirror did a lot more than you thought," Krinos says. "Magic mirrors are tricky things if they aren't like our mirror pads or phones."

Of course, Harry had told his siblings about the Mirror of Erised. He's never kept a secret from them before and will not start now. The two had been disturbed by such an artifact being in a school, a little jealous of Harry seeing their parents, and then happy how he got to at least see what his birth parents looked like.

"I don't think it was the mirror. I only ever looked into it once," Harry pointed out. It's more like someone's trying to get into my head."