✓ | Constellations; Fred Weasley [Book One]

Chapter 19

Ordinary Wizarding Levels

The celebrations of Gryffindor winning the House match did not last long. With the summer starting as the month June was, everyone was busy with their studies. Their final examinations were about to start. For some, it was lighter, but not to those who had OWLs or NEWTs. In the case of Venus and her best friends, they had their OWLs that particular year.

The twins had already stated that they were not expecting much. Their best subjects were DADA, Charms and Transfiguration for George and DADA, Charms and Herbology for Fred. Both did quite well in Potions too, since they usually used those for the products. Apart from that, they did not think they would pass in the other subjects.

"Besides, we are going to open our own joke shop anyway," they had told her.

Venus, however, wanted to become a Curse-Breaker. She had to admit, that she had been inspired by Bill, but for that job, she need OWLs in Arithmancy, DADA, Transfiguration, Charms, Potions and Ancient Runes. While most students took five subjects for their NEWTs, she would be taking six and this was enough to stress her. Ravenclaws were sure known for their intelligence but not all of them were all rounders. Venus was not bad at any of the subjects she needed to become a Curse-Breaker; she actually did exceptionally well in all of the classes and yet, here she was, in the library, a stack of books and parchments filled with notes in front of her.

Her studies had caused her visits to her father become less and less frequent. She only dropped by to give Sirius food, that she got from the kitchens. She had thought of sneaking him in the Room of Requirement, where it would be easier for her to give him food and visit him, but she was not able to do so due to Filch and sometimes, the other teachers, patrolling the entrance to the castle.

"Don't fret, Venus. You'll do great," Grace said as she sat down next to her. Venus looked at her friend and then down to the books in the latter's hand.

"Don't look at my books like that! You're great at all subjects! But not me. I want to become an Auror but I'm so bad at Potions. There is no way that Snape will ever let me take Potions if I do not get at least an 'E'."

Grace whined from beside her. Venus put down her book and turned to her friend.

"What do you need help with exactly?" She asked.

"I'm usually good at theory but I cannot seem to remember instructions," Grace said.

That was how Venus found herself helping Grace in memorising instructions in the library. It was only when the former felt herself getting hungry that the two realised the time. They hurried to the Great Hall, taking their usual seats at the Ravenclaw table just as Professor Dumbledore was about to start his speech.

"As I am sure, all of you are aware, the end of the year marks the start of your examinations. For fifth years, this means your Ordinary Wizarding Levels, also known as OWLs. For seventh years, this means your Nastily Exhausting Wizarding Tests, also known as NEWTs. Here to introduce you to your OWLs and NEWTs, is your examiner from the Wizarding Examinations Authority, Professors Cattermole and Tofty."

Dumbledore gestured to the two middle aged men beside him. Professor Cattermole stepped up to the enchanted megaphone.

"As I am sure you all know, the OWLs are a series of exams that determine your skill in a particular subject. You will be examined in both theory and practical. There are six possible results for each subject; three passing scores, which are Outstanding, Exceeds Expectations and Acceptable, and three failing scores, which are Poor, Dreadful and Troll. If you do well on your OWLs, you will be able to carry on with your NEWTs. The grading scores NEWTs are the same as OWLs. Many careers require marks in your NEWT level classes and some in your OWLs."

After Professor Cattermole's speech, dinner started. An array of food appeared on the table, and the students dug in. The speeches did nothing to resolve Venus' stress. She still stayed awake till late on most days as her exams approached. She and her best friends spent more time studying together instead of planning pranks together. Fred helped her with Herbology while she helped him and George with Arithmancy.

Soon their exams started. Each of her subjects took a whole day, since there were both practicals and theory. Venus had Astronomy on the first day, with the practical being at night. It made her relax slightly due to Astronomy being her hobby. According to Sirius, that was to be expected due to the subject being his favourite too. Besides, she was named after a constellation. Most of her examinations had gone smoothly, except for Herbology. She was quite sure she was failing the subject.

Soon the day of her DADA examinations came. All of the fifth years sat in the Great Hall, where the long dining tables had been replaced by smaller desks, one for each student. One of the questions was that she had to describe the five signs of a werewolf. Given the fact that it was those signs that made her realise that her uncle was one, it was quite easy for her. After the theory exam, all of the fifth years went for their practical. Her supposed last name being Figg, she was among the firsts to go in the classroom. She had done extremely well at the counter jinxes, defensive spells and the Patronus charm.

Her last task was to banish a Boggart. Professor Cattermole opened the trunk containing the creature. A man got out of the trunk. It was her father. However this time, he was injured. Blood was dripping to the floor, creating a puddle at the man's feet. His grey eyes looked straight into hers. Venus' hand trembled. She heard his voice, telling her that she could have saved him, that she let him die. Her eyes became watery as she tried to tell him that she could do so. The ticking of her watch was what brought her back. Having realised that the bleeding Sirius in front of her was actually a Boggart, she raised her wand.

"Riddikulus!"

She was still shaking when she got out of the classroom. The twins and Lee hurried over to her but she assured them that she was okay and that she would see them later. The quartet did see each other again at dinner, where she told them about her Boggart and how it had changed.

That night, however, as she sat in front of the fireplace in the Ravenclaw Tower, her mind still wandered to her father. She had a really bad feeling in her gut. Wanting to make sure that he was still safe in the forests, she took out the map.

"I solemnly swear that I am up to no good," she said as she tapped the blank piece of parchment with her wand, making the map appear.

The girl looked for the sign that said 'Sirius Black' on the part of the map, covering the forests on Hogwarts' grounds. Upon not seeing him, she started getting stressed. Frantically, searching on the map, where he might be, she finally saw six persons, whom she all knew very well in the Shrieking Shack.