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✯❀ 𝐄𝐗𝐀𝐌𝐒 ❀✯
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Their first examination, Theory of Charms, was scheduled for Monday morning.
Everyone was in the great hall studying. Lottie was going through her notes, Theo was practicing a few charms, Alex was looking through a text book, Ron and Lucas were reading two years worth of Charms notes, Ron had his fingers in his ears, his lips moving soundlessly; Seamus Finnigan was lying flat on his back on the floor, reciting the definition of a Substantive Charm while Dean checked it against The Standard Book of Spells, Grade 5; and Parvati and Lavender, who were practising basic Locomotion Charms, were making their pencil-cases race each other around the edge of the table. Harry was attempting to help Hermione who just get snapping at him.
Dinner was a subdued affair that night. Nobody talked much, but ate with gusto, having studied hard all day. Hermione kept putting down her knife and fork and diving under the table for her bag, from which she would seize a book to check some fact or figure. Ron was just telling her that she ought to eat a decent meal or she would not sleep that night, when her fork slid from her limp fingers and landed with a loud tinkle on her plate.
"Hermione, you've got to relax," huffed Alex, nibbling a piece of chicken.
"Oh, my goodness!" Hermione gasped, staring into the Entrance Hall. ''Is that them? Is that the examiners?"
"Bloody hell! It is!" Lucas gasped.
Half of the fifth years whipped around on their bench. Through the doors to the Great Hall they could see Dumbledore standing with a small group of ancient-looking witches and wizards.
''Shall we go and have a closer look?'' Asked Lucas.
The odd mix of students from all houses nodded and they hastened towards the double doors into the Entrance Hall, slowing down as they stepped over the threshold to walk sedately past the examiners. Lottie thought Professor Marchbanks must be the tiny, stooped witch with a face so lined it looked as though it had been draped in cobwebs.
"Journey was fine, journey was fine, we've made it plenty of times before!'' she said impatiently. "Now, I haven't heard from you, Dumbledore, lately! You must start to respond to your letters!''
''Of course, Madam." Dumbledore said briskly, "time for a spot of tea, don't you think?"
It was an uncomfortable sort of an evening. Everyone was trying to do some last-minute revising but nobody seemed to be getting very far.
Charlotte tried her hardest to focus on her work, but she failed on each attempt. Harry noticed this.
"Want to have a break, love?" He asked, "we can wander around the castle, maybe go have a chat with my dad?"
Lottie smiled a very relieved smile, and followed him, taking his hand as he began to leave the room.
"Are you nervous?" Harry asked, "you know, about the exams?"
"Extremely," she said honestly. "I can't wait for them to be over and they haven't even started yet!"
"Me too," he chuckled, "just think, we get a nice summer of relaxation afterwards. Hey, by the way, what are your summer plans?"
"Not sure," Lottie shrugged, pushing the door of James' office open.
"Hey you two!" James waved, he was sitting with Sophia, Remus and Sirius. "Come to join us?"
For once, Lottie didn't roll her eyes at the sight of James.
"We have indeed," Harry nodded shoving his sister lightly as she stuck her tongue out at him.
"Have you been studying?" James asked.
"Non stop," Lottie chuckled.
"That's Remus, genes," he grinned, turning to Remus. "Old Moony here was a book worm, should have seen him around exam times...always stuck in a textbook."
"Can't argue that one, can ya Moony?" Sirius grinned. "Are you the same, Lottie?"
"She is," Harry didn't give her the chance to respond, "even when it's not exams, she secretly loves reading books!"
"I'm not surprised," Remus smiled softly.
"Was mum the same?"
"Reading. Painting. Drawing. Addie was something else," Sirius chuckled, "she had her own little world, we all just lived around it. You know how many times I found her asleep on the Gryffindor couch with a paintbrush in hand? She wasn't even a Gryffindor!"
"He's right," James smiled, "paint all over her hair too!"
"And always red nose on her nose, like Rudolph," Remus finished.
Charlotte grinned.
"So what exam is it tomorrow?"
"Charms," Lottie and Harry sighed in unison, smiling at one another as they did.
Sirius smiled at the interaction, in his opinion, it was quite cute. He noticed Remus wanted to say something, but he held back, he knew they weren't close enough.
𖣘𖣘𖣘
None of the fifth-years talked very much at breakfast next day, either: Lucas was practising incantations under his breath while the salt cellar in front of him twitched; Hermione was rereading Achievements in Charming so fast that her eyes appeared blurred; and Neville kept dropping his knife and fork and knocking over the marmalade. Lottie was in a slightly better mood since talking to Harry, and was going over different incarnations in her head.
Erin was showing off, as always. She apparently had no need to study because she was "better" than everyone else.
It made Charlotte laugh, she had seen Erin's real school reports before.
Once breakfast was over, the fifth- and seventh-years milled around in the Entrance Hall while the other students went off to lessons; then, at half past nine, they were called forwards class by class to re-enter the Great Hall, which had been rearranged; the four house tables had been removed and replaced instead with many tables for one, all facing the staff-table end of the Hall where Professor McGonagall stood facing them.
When they were all seated and quiet, she said, "You may begin" and turned over an enormous hour-glass on the desk beside her, on which there were also spare quills, ink bottles and rolls of parchment.
Lottie turned over her paper, her heart thumping hard--two rows to her right and three seats ahead, Alex was already scribbling, a look of worry on his face--she lowered her eyes to the first question: a) Give the incantation and b) describe the wand movement required to make objects fly.
The spell 'wingardium leviosa' sprung into her mind and she scribbled it down, making her way through each question.
"Well, it wasn't too bad, was it?" asked Ron anxiously in the Entrance Hall two hours later, still clutching the exam paper. "I'm not sure I did myself justice on Cheering Charms, I just ran out of time. Did you put in the counter-charm for hiccoughs? I wasn't sure whether I ought to, it felt like too much--and on question twenty-three--"
"Ron, relax. I'm sure you did fine."
The fifth-years ate lunch with the rest of the school (the four house tables had reappeared for the lunch hour), then they trooped off into the small chamber beside the Great Hall, where they were to wait until called for their practical examination. As small groups of students were called forwards in alphabetical order, those left behind muttered incantations and practised wand movements, occasionally poking each other in the back or eye by mistake.
Hermione's name was called. Trembling, she left the chamber with Anthony Goldstein, Alexander Rosier, Gregory Goyle and Daphne Greengrass. Students who had already been tested did not return afterwards, so Lottie had no clue on how any of her friends were doing.
"Everything will be fine," Harry said calmly, he rubbed Charlie's hand with his thumb, it was comforting both of them.
Ten minutes later, Professor Flitwick called, "Parkinson, Pansy--Patil, Padma--Patil, Parvati--Potter, Harry--Lupin, Charlotte."
"You can do this, Lottie," Theo whispered.
"Good luck," said Ron quietly. Lottie walked into the Great Hall, clutching her wand so tightly her hand shook.
"Professor Tofty is free, Lottie.'' squeaked Professor Flitwick, who was standing just inside the door. He pointed Charlotte towards what looked like the very oldest and baldest examiner who was sitting behind a small table in a far corner, a short distance from Professor Marchbanks, who was testing Harry.
"Lupin, is it?" said Professor Tofty, consulting his notes and peering over his pince-nez at Lottie.
"That's me."
"Well then" he said in his quavery old voice, "no need to be nervous. Now, if I could ask you to take this egg cup and make it do some cartwheels for me."
Overall, Charlie thought it went rather well. Her Levitation Charm was certainly much better than she thought it would be. The growth spells had gone well too and she was just proud that all her studying hand done her good.
There was no time to relax that night; they went straight to the common room after dinner and submerged themselves in revision for Transfiguration next day; Lottie went to bed with her head buzzing with complex spell models and theories.
She forgot the definition of a Switching Spell during her written paper next morning but thought her practical was pretty much perfect. At least she managed to Vanish the whole of her iguana, whereas poor Hannah Abbott lost her head completely a few tables down and somehow managed to multiply her ferret into a flock of flamingos, causing the examination to be halted for ten minute; while the birds were captured and carried out of the Hall.
They had their Herbology exam on Wednesday (other than a small bite from a Fanged Geranium, Lottie felt she had done extremely well); and then, on Thursday, Defence Against the Dark Arts. Here, for the first time, Charlie felt sure she had passed. She had no problem with any of the written questions and took particular pleasure in it, same with the practical.
'Oh, bravo!' cried Professor Tolty, who was examining Charlotte again, when she demonstrated a perfect boggart banishing spell. "Very good indeed! Well, I think that's all, Lupin ... unless ..."
He leaned forwards a little.
"Have you got anything for the bonus points?"
She raised her wand, thinking of Harry, her mum, her friends, everything that made her happy.
'Expecto patronum!'
Her silver doe erupted from the end of her wand and cantered the length of the Hall. All of the examiners looked around to watch its progress and when it dissolved into silver mist Professor Tofty clapped his veined and knotted hands enthusiastically.
"Excellent!" he said. "Very well, Lupin, you may go!"
On Friday, Charlie, Harry, Alex, Ron and Theo had a day off while Hermione and Lucas sat their Ancient Runes exam, and as they had the whole weekend in front of them they permitted themselves a break from revision. They stretched and yawned beside the open window, through which warm summer air was wafting as they played wizard chess. Lottie could see Hagrid in the distance, teaching a class on the edge of the Forest. She was trying to guess what creatures they were examining--she thought it must be unicorns, because the boys seemed to be standing back a little--when the portrait hole opened and Hermione and Emily clambered in, looking thoroughly bad-tempered.
"How were the Runes?" Asked Ron, yawning and stretching.
"I mis-translated ehwaz" said Hermione furiously. ''It means partnership, not defence,I mixed it up with eihwaz.''
"Really?" Lucas groaned. "I thought it meant friendship.... oops."
Charlotte giggled, ''that's only one mistake, isn't it, you'll still get--"
''Oh, shut up!'' said Hermione angrily. "It could be the one mistake that makes the difference between a pass and a fail!"
"You'll be fine, 'Mione."
'Such a lovely, sweet-tempered girl,' said Ron, very quietly, prodding his queen forward to beat up one of Harry's knights.
Hermione's bad mood persisted for most of the weekend, though Charlie found it quite easy to ignore as they spent most of Saturday and Sunday revising for Potions on Monday, the exam which she had been looking forward to least--and which she was sure would be the downfall of her grades. Sure enough, she found the written paper difficult, though she thought she might have got full marks on the question about Polyjuice Potion; she could describe its effects accurately.
The afternoon practical was not as dreadful as she had expected, it to be. With Snape absent from the proceedings, she found that she was much more relaxed than she usually was while making potions. Neville, who was sitting very near Harry and next to Lottie, also looked happier than they had ever seen him during a Potions class. When Professor Marchbanks said, 'Step away from your cauldrons, please, the examination is over,' Lottie corked her sample flask feeling that he might not have achieved a good grade but she had, with luck, avoided a fail.
'Only four exams left,' said Parvati Patil wearily as they headed back to Gryffindor common room.
'Only!' said Hermione snappishly. 'I've got Arithmancy and it's probably the toughest subject there is!'
Nobody was foolish enough to snap back, so she was unable to vent her spleen on any of them and was reduced to telling off some first-years for giggling too loudly in the common room.
Lottie was determined to perform well in Tuesday's Care of Magical Creatures exam so as not to let Hagrid down. The practical examination took place in the afternoon on the lawn on the edge of the Forbidden Forest, where students were required to correctly identify the Knarl hidden among a dozen hedgehogs (the trick was to offer them all milk in turn: Knarls, highly suspicious creatures whose quills had many magical properties, generally went berserk at what they saw as an attempt to poison them); then demonstrate correct handling of a Bowtruckle; feed and clean out a Fire Crab without sustaining serious burns; and choose, from a wide selection of food, the diet they would give a sick unicorn.
She could see Hagrid watching anxiously out of his cabin window. When Charlie's examiner, a tall, slom witch smiled at hee and told her she could leave, Lottie gave Hagrid a fleeting thumbs-up before heading back to the castle.
The Astronomy theory paper on Wednesday morning went well enough. Charlotte was convinced she had got the names of all Jupiter's moons right, but was at least confident that none of them was inhabited by mice. They had to wait until evening for their practical Astronomy; the afternoon was devoted instead to Divination.
Even by her low standards in Divination, the exam went very badly. She might as well have tried to see moving pictures on the desktop as in the stubbornly blank crystal ball; she lost her head completely during tea-leaf reading, saying it looked to her as though Professor Marchbanks would be losing her marriage in the upcoming weeks and after reading her palm, told her she would be having 4 kids and an early death.
'Well, we were always going to fail that one."
'We shouldn't have taken the stupid subject in the first place."
'Still, at least we can give it up."
'Yeah,' said Harry, who had been having a similair conversation with Ron from behind them. 'No more pretending we care what happens when Jupiter and Uranus get too friendly.'
'And from now on, I don't care if my tea-leaves spell die, Ron, die--I'm just chucking them in the bin where they belong.'
When they reached the top of the Astronomy Tower at eleven o'clock, they found a perfect night for stargazing, cloudless and still. The grounds were bathed in silvery moonlight and there was a slight chill in the air. Each of them set up his or her telescope and, when Professor Marchbanks gave the word, proceeded to fill in the blank star-chart they had been given.
Professors Marchbanks and Tofty strolled among them, watching as they entered the precise positions of the stars and planets they were observing. All was quiet except for the rustle of parchment, the occasional creak of a telescope as it was adjusted on its stand, and the scribbling of many quills.
Soon enough the exams had finished, and Charlotte found herself curled up in Harry's arms on the couch.
"Finally, no more exams," he whispered.
"Thank Merlin for that."
A/N
Hello lol been a while
About 20 GCSEs down and 3 to go...updates are coming back shawtys
Qotd: do you have exams rn?
Word count: 2753