As It Was *Complete*

100. Nastily Exhausting Wizarding Test

Astra had to admit that the whole school knowing about her and Draco, made things a lot easier for her. She didn't have to hide, and she could openly talk about how she was feeling or the future. Thankfully her lifestyle classes continued, and they even began to include antenatal classes explaining what to expect when you were expecting and some great parenting classes on changing nappies and feeding as well as bathing. Poor Draco was working hard arriving first to every lesson and taking endless notes. He was going above and beyond to do everything he could to prepare for the baby's arrival. 

Astoria was not only removed from the school but Daphne had told them that as yet, they had not found the man that Astoria paid to create the curses for her. Apparently the family had been to America during the Christmas holidays and that is where the man was from. It would be like finding a needle in a haystack and as Daphne's parents were like Narcissa, not a Death Eater but sympathetic to the cause, they were under Ministry observation and couldn't leave for America again. The only reason they got in the first place was to attend a family wedding and an Auror escorted them. So she would have to stay as she was for now, much to her displeasure. In all honesty, Daphne was sure that her parents were in no hurry to find the counter curse as they were just as fed up with Astoria's behaviour as Daphne herself was. 

Sophie had been doing as told and was staying away from the couple. She no longer glared at them in the corridor or whispered about them in the Great Hall. She simply acted like she was any other student. She even once picked up a book that Astra had dropped, passing it to Severus as he couldn't be in contact with Astra. 

So everything seemed to have settled and Astra was able to focus on her schoolwork and the impending due date for the baby. Draco and the Slytherin team were practising more and more now that they had made it through the first two rounds of the league. That meant that there were evenings where Astra, Maddi and Pansy were in Astra's little apartment, revising their class notes and preparing for their NEWT's. Atlas was loving the attention as Pansy always brought him snacks. 

By the end of May, Astra was feeling the size of a house and Madame Pomfrey was keeping a relatively close eye on her as she was in the last few weeks of her pregnancy, and realistically she could go any day now. Baby was in position and engaged, and holy hell could Astra feel it. She was uncomfortable 24/7. Every time she so much as sneezed there were several people leaning over her panicked, headmistress, Potions and DADA teacher included. Draco was taking his phone everywhere with him and texting Astra every opportunity to ensure he wasn't missing any big moments. It would annoy Astra if she didn't think it was sweet. She knew he was worried about her and the baby. 

By the time their exams rolled around it meant that the students rarely seen each other. Astra and Draco had stopped going to the library to study as it had become more of a hangout spot for students than a quiet place to study. Their apartment was quieter and Hermione, Blaise and Maddi joined them most evenings. Astra found that she was very tired the last few weeks, and she had to give up revising early each night to ensure she kept awake during the exams. Draco and Hermione took it in turns reading their notes to her in bed when she couldn't sleep. 

But she found that the exams weren't as bad as she thought. At the beginning of the week, they had their wands scanned to register them for their exams. Every morning was a theory test and every afternoon was a practical. Unlike their OWL exams, there were fewer students for NEWTS, so these tests took place in specific classrooms. 

Alchemy and Astronomy were on Monday. Alchemy was on Monday morning, a three-hour paper on the history of the four elements and their uses and magical properties. She then had to break down the elements and ingredients in making a Philosopher's Stone, something she remembered well from first year. She had been fascinated when Hermione, Ron, and Harry had researched Nicholas Flamell, and she did her own study into his history and his work all of which she was able to use in her exam to give a detailed answer to her paper. She felt satisfied when she finished, having a few minutes left to look over her answers a fix a few grammatical errors. 
In the afternoon, she had her Astronomy theory exam which was again pretty straightforward, filling in missing celestial objects and highlighting important dates in history and their significance on evolution. There were then a few multiple choice questions which needed to be answered after which, in the evening was an observational exam in which each student took a turn in the Astronomy tower where they would look through a telescope which showed a specific astronomical event in history, and they had to recognise the event and be able to give details and outcomes.