Snakes And The Moon

Chapter 18

The next day in Transfiguration, Ron was muttering away grumpily about how he wished he'd found out about Myrtle sooner.

"We could have found out all these answers, ages ago! She could know who did it and Hagrid wouldn't be in prison!" he snapped.

"I know, Ron. But it's too late for Hagrid now. All we can do is try to get information from Myrtle and go from there," Harry said with a tired sigh. "Then we may be able to clear Hagrid."

"Fine," he muttered.

"Enough! Silence!" McGonagall interrupted. "We will have no discussions. One week from today, you will be sitting your final exams so you need to keep your heads focused on your school work."

"We're still getting exams?" Seamus exclaimed. "Why?"

McGonagall's lips thinned. "Would you like an education, Mr Finnegan?" she asked sternly.

"Well, yeah-"

"Then I suggest you cut it out with those comments," she snapped. "The whole point of keeping the school open at this very time is for you all to receive your proper education," she snapped. 

"The final exams shall take place as usual. I expect you all to study hard," she said, glaring at everyone in the class.

Lots of people shrunk back, obviously having been caught out in their flunking. Harry rolled his eyes at them, they were pathetic. Just because there was some trouble going on at the school doesn't give them the right to act like delinquents. Even Harry has still been studying up in the privacy of his dorm late at nights, and he knows for a fact that he's going to pass all his classes with Outstandings.

He nearly got killed by Quirrell and Voldemort last year, then ended up killing his teacher, yet he still passed all his exams easily. There was no excuse for any of these people except laziness.

He turned to Ron. "Have you been studying?" he asked with a raised eyebrow.

Ron scoffed. "You know I haven't. I've had bigger things to worry about."

"Hmm," Harry said plainly.

"Why? Have you?" Ron asked with wide eyes.

"Obviously," Harry said.

"When?" he asked incredulously. "I've never seen you in the library recently."

"I already know tons of stuff from simply listening in class. Plus, I study my notes nearly every night before bed," Harry said with a frown.

"How can your brain possibly take all this in?"

Harry shrugged. "Determination and ambition to succeed."

'Ah yes, my Slytherin qualities. Definitely not so bad at certain times, believe me,' he thought smugly.

Ron scoffed. "Whatever. Besides, how am I supposed to take exams with this?" he said, taking out his snapped wand.

Harry shrugged. "Your problem, not mine," he muttered, not offering any comforting advice to his friend.

He doesn't know why he's being so crabby, just that he doesn't want to surround himself with idiocy right now.

He sighs deeply and buries his head in his hands.

It was midnight and everyone was fast asleep. Harry glared at Neville from across the room and cast a Silencing Charm on him, immediately shutting him up. He sighed in relief, although he knew he would have no success in falling back asleep. He was suffering from a lot of insomnia and aches in his bones lately yet he had no idea why.