In Between Two Worlds (HP/PJO Crossover)

Chapter 110: Professor Trelawney's Prediction.

My 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 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 we couldn't. Exams were nearly upon us, and instead of lazing around outside, we were forced to remain inside the castle, trying to bully our brains into concentrating while enticing wafts of summer air drifted in through the windows. Even Fred and George were studying for their OWLs. Percy was even more uptight than normal. The only person who seemed more anxious than Percy was Hermione.

Harry, Bailey, me, and Ron had given up asking her how she was managing to attend several classes at once, but we couldn't restrain ourselves when we 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 any of you seen my copy of Numerology and Gramatica?"

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

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

We had Potions that afternoon, which was an unqualified disaster. Try as Harry 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. had no issues with mine. It looked just like Snape's but I saw him mark it as a 5/10. He must have been in a pissy mood. Unsurprisingly.

Then came Astronomy at midnight. Which was the one reason I hate Astronomy class. Because it had to be awake at midnight. I loved the subject but really. Midnight. History of Magic on Wednesday morning, in which I scribbled everything Hermione had ever told me about medieval witch-hunts. Wednesday afternoon meant Herbology, in the greenhouses under a baking-hot sun(which was amazing); then back to the common room once more, everyone with sunburnt necks but me, thinking longingly of this time next day, when it would all be over.

Our second to last exam, on Thursday morning, was Defense Against the Dark Arts. Uncle Rem had compiled the most unusual exam any of us had ever taken; a sort of obstacle course outside in the sun, where we had to wade across a deep paddling pool containing a Grindylow, cross a series of potholes full of Red Caps, squish our 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.

"Excellent, Karlee," Uncle Rem muttered as I climbed out of the trunk, grinning. "Full marks. "

Flushed with my success, I hung around to watch Harry, Bailey, Ron and Hermione. Ron did very well until he reached the Hinkypunk, which successfully confused him into sinking waist-high into the quagmire. Bailey and Harry got full marks too. Hermione did everything perfectly until she reached the trunk with the Boggart in it. After about a minute inside it, she burst out again, screaming.