The castle gleamed in the sunlight, as if freshly painted. The clear blue sky reflected off the still, shimmering lake, and the grassy lawns rippled gently in the soft breeze. May had arrived, and for fifth-year students, it meant only one thing: the O.W.L. exams had finally begun.
Teachers stopped assigning homework entirely. Every class was devoted to reviewing topics most likely to appear on the exams.
During this time, Draco Malfoy found yet another way to get under people's skin.
Just a few days before the exams, after a Potions lesson, he could be heard loudly boasting outside the classroom to Crabbe and Goyle:
"Obviously, it's not just about how well you study. It's about who you know. My father's been close with the head of the Wizarding Examinations Authority for years, old Griselda Marchbanks. We've had her over for dinner, so naturally…"
"You think he's telling the truth?" Hermione whispered anxiously to Harry and Ron.
Anne and Fanny happened to pass by at that moment.
"Hey, Fanny," Anne asked casually, "do you know anything about the Wizarding Examinations Authority?"
Fanny immediately caught on. "I only know that the head of it is Griselda Marchbanks. Not much beyond that."
"I do know a bit," Anne added. "She's known for being strict and rule-abiding, and she's close friends with Albus Dumbledore."
"Oh, in that case, she'll definitely treat every exam fairly," Fanny said.
"Exactly. As long as we do our best, we'll be fine," Anne replied. "I'm starving. Let's go, there's a new dish on the lunch menu today!"
On May 5th, every common room notice board was updated with the full O.W.L. exam schedule and procedures.
The moment Anne saw the schedule, her face fell.
"What the? Two whole weeks of exams?" she exclaimed in disbelief. "That means...!!"
Fanny patted Anne's shoulder sympathetically. "It means poor Anne will be celebrating her birthday at school. And I checked, the Transfiguration exam is exactly on May 17th…"
"What?!" Anne looked completely stunned, then shoved her way back into the crowd surrounding the notice board. Moments later, she reappeared, visibly dejected.
Without a word, she sank into an armchair.
Fanny, wearing a sympathetic expression, sat across from her. "Look at it this way, Anne. Maybe this will be the most memorable birthday of your life?"
Anne puffed out her cheeks in frustration. "Yeah, sure. A morning full of Transfiguration theory and an afternoon of practicals, unforgettable indeed."
She had spent the past few days furiously reviewing Transfiguration, helped by Hermione, who lent her full notes from first through fifth year, so her frustration was understandable.
The first exam was Charms theory, scheduled for Monday morning, followed by the practical exam in the afternoon.
After breakfast on Monday, students from other years went off to their regular classes. The seventh-years were summoned upstairs, and the fifth-years waited in the Entrance Hall for the Great Hall to be rearranged.
At 9:30 a.m., the doors opened. The Great Hall had been transformed.
The four long house tables had been replaced with rows of small individual desks, all facing the staff table at the front. Professor McGonagall stood there, waiting.
Once everyone was seated and quiet, she announced, "You may begin." She flipped over a large hourglass on her table, beside which lay spare quills, bottles of ink, and rolls of parchment.
This is no different from Muggle exams, Anne thought, dipping her quill and beginning to write. An hour and forty minutes later, she set her quill down.
Stretching her neck and rolling her wrists, Anne took a moment to observe her surroundings. On either side of her sat Ravenclaw students she didn't recognize, both scribbling furiously. Fanny was a few seats ahead to the right, still writing away. To the left, Hermione was in the third row, five seats forward, also deep in writing.
Anne rested her chin on her hand and watched Hermione for a moment before glancing back at her own parchment. After reviewing her answers, Professor McGonagall called out:
"Time's up! Quills down. The exam is over."
With a wave of her wand, over two hundred pieces of parchment flew up and floated neatly to her desk.
"Anne, how did you do?" Hermione rushed over, anxiously. "I don't know if I wrote the full incantation for the Cheering Charm. And did you include the hiccup counter-spell? I think I wrote too much. And question twenty-three, "
"Hermione," Anne said calmly, resting both hands on Hermione's shoulders, "breathe. It's only the first exam, and it's Charms, your specialty."
Anne pulled a piece of dark chocolate from her pocket, broke off a square, and offered it. "Want some?"
Hermione still looked worried, but accepted the chocolate.
Anne gave her a warm smile and popped a piece into her own mouth too.
Fanny joined them and her eyes lit up when she saw the chocolate. "Dark chocolate? Gimme!"
Anne handed her a piece as well.
With chocolate in hand, Hermione seemed to calm down. As more students trickled into the Entrance Hall, chatting about the exam, she took another square for herself.
Harry and Ron came out together, and Anne's chocolate was promptly reduced by two more pieces. Then Luna drifted over and, somehow, finished off the rest.
When everyone had left the Great Hall, the doors shut briefly, only to reopen shortly afterward, revealing the house tables once again, now filled with lunch.
"Post-exam lunch is the best!" Anne said happily.
After lunch, the fifth-years gathered outside a side room off the Great Hall, grouped by house, waiting to be called in for the practical exams.
When Anne's name was called, Fanny wished her luck, and Anne stepped forward, wand in hand.
"Professor Marchbanks is available, Reeve. Room Three," said Professor Flitwick.
"Thank you, Professor." Anne smiled politely and headed toward a temporary wooden partition marked with a large number three. She knocked.
"Enter," said a stern, elderly voice.
Anne pushed open the door. Inside sat a small, white-haired witch with a deeply wrinkled face. Though old, her eyes were sharp and commanding.
"Anne Lorraine Reeve?" Professor Marchbanks asked, checking her list.
"Yes, Professor," Anne replied respectfully.
Marchbanks glanced up, studying Anne briefly before fixing her gaze on Anne's amber-colored eyes.
After a moment, she said, "Right then. I want that goblet in front of you to perform a series of side flips and then circle the table once..."
Anne complied fluidly, performing each task with grace and precision. The goblet completed its loop and landed steadily on the table.
Marchbanks showed no emotion throughout. When Anne finished, she gave a small nod.
"Very well. You may go," she said, pointing to a door behind her.
Anne smiled politely and walked through. After a short passage, she stepped into a courtyard on the other side of the castle.
Ah, so that's how they're doing it, Anne noted. There were four other numbered doors beside hers, one, two, four, and five. It ensured no contact between students who had finished and those still waiting, preventing any leakage of exam content.
The next day was Herbology. Theory in the morning, practicals in the greenhouse that afternoon.
The exam was two hours, but Anne finished in one hour and twenty minutes. She even used a spare parchment to write out the names and dosages of all potions that could be made with the magical plants mentioned.
That afternoon, as with the day before, the small tin of cookies Anne had brought was gone in minutes.
On Wednesday, Defense Against the Dark Arts. Theory in the morning, proctored by Umbridge, whose presence alone made people nauseous. Anne had brought double the usual amount of toffee, but it disappeared even faster than before.
"Only twice the sugar can cancel out the Umbridge effect," Ron muttered authoritatively.
In the afternoon practicals, Anne flawlessly demonstrated every counter-curse and defensive charm. But when it came time for the Boggart test, she requested to skip it before the chest was even opened, leaving the examiner with a look of regret.
Afterward, Hermione nearly sprinted to Anne.
Anne already knew what she was about to ask. She smiled and said, "It's fine. I skipped the Boggart section."
Thursday's History of Magic exam was only theory. Anne finished in ninety minutes and spent the rest of the time looking around. Her box of mung bean cakes was polished off afterward.
Friday was Ancient Runes. The theory paper took Anne almost the full time, one hour and fifty-five minutes. Her snack of the day: milk biscuits.
The weekend came, but no fifth-year relaxed. Monday meant Potions. The entire Slytherin common room was deep in revision, except Anne, who was busy practicing Transfiguration on a small mouse.
After dropping a teacup with a rat's tail into a wooden box (the mouse's temporary home), Anne wiped imaginary sweat from her forehead and sat beside Fanny with a sigh.
She picked up a cup of milk tea from the table and took a big sip.
Fanny, reading Anne's Potions notes, peeked into the box and nodded approvingly. "Nice improvement. Looks like all of Professor McGonagall's extra lessons weren't wasted."
Anne twirled her wand thoughtfully. "With this and my theory scores, I should pass easily."
"You know," Fanny mused, flipping through the notes, "it's always puzzled me how you're great at every subject, except Transfiguration."
"I've wondered that too," Anne said. "I still haven't figured it out."
She grinned. "But whatever. Once this is all over, I'm treating myself."
Monday morning's Potions theory was tough. Anne wrote feverishly until the last second. When she came out, Hermione looked genuinely worried.
"I think I messed up," she confessed. "I didn't finish two of the details in questions fifteen and twenty-seven."
Anne raised an eyebrow and gently led Hermione away from the group glaring at her for daring to complain.
"It was hard," Anne said. "I didn't finish two questions either, only had time to jot down one sentence each for twenty-two and thirty-eight."
That reassured Hermione. If Anne thought it was difficult, then it was.
"Don't stress," Anne said with a smile, pulling out a small box. "I made some kusa mochi last night. Soft and sweet, want one?"
Tuesday was Care of Magical Creatures. Anne finished the theory in one hour and forty minutes. Her snack was again kusa mochi, which was so popular she ended up promising to make extra. Fanny had even helped her sample them in the kitchen the night before.
The afternoon practical exam took place on the edge of the Forbidden Forest. Students had to correctly identify a Knarl among a dozen hedgehogs, demonstrate proper handling of a Bowtruckle, feed and clean a Fire Crab without injury, and choose the right food for a sick unicorn.
Anne finished first, unsurprising, considering the Aaron family basement had all those creatures, and she'd cared for them countless times.
Wednesday morning's Astronomy theory was smooth sailing. Afterward, Anne opened her treat box of red bean, hazelnut, and matcha mochi, it was gone in seconds.
Luna declared that red bean and matcha together were the best combo.
Anne was left sighing. She hadn't even gotten one.
Fanny explained, "Well, you did eat a few while making them last night."
Anne was still downcast, especially because Hermione had been right there watching and hadn't saved her any.
Hermione's explanation?
"I was too busy enjoying the food to speak."
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