Chapter Eleven: O.W.L.'s
The next day Ron and Neville learned that Buckbeak had been sentenced to death and the twins found out, not much later. Easter holidays passed in a blur of studying and mounds of work. Hermione had so much, that she hardly got any sleep anymore.
After the holidays, the teachers gave up on homework and began reviewing all of the information they had learned in the past five years. The common room was silent each night as the third and fourth years trudged through mounds of homework, and the fifth and seventh years studied for their exams. The fifth years had to take their OWL's (Ordinary Wizard Levels) and the seventh years had NEWT's (Nastily Exhausting Wizard Tests). Prefects would give detentions out and take points from any student that made too much noise.
Then, the Friday after Easter, there was a new notice put up in the Entrance Hall.
Career Advice
All fifth years are required to attend a short meeting with their Head of House during the first week of the Summer term, in which they will be given the opportunity to discuss their future careers. Times of individual appointments are listed below.
Harish looked down at the list and saw that he was expected in Professor Snape's office at half past two on the next Wednesday, which would mean that he would be missing most of Care of Magical Creatures. The rest of the weekend was then spent reading up on different careers. There were several different pamphlets; one for Healing, Business, Muggle Relations, Curse Breaking, Aurors, Troll Training…and the list went on.
Harish and the twins each looked at the business pamphlet. That would be the career they would have to list in their meeting if they wanted to start a joke shop. The main thing was, Harish knew absolutely for certain that he didn't want to work for the Ministry…not while it was under the influence of Dumbledore, anyway. Harish also didn't want to be a healer; he would have to make an Exceeds Expectations on his NEWT in almost every class to qualify. Curse Breaking did sound interesting, though. He suggested it to the twins as a back-up for if they couldn't find the funds to start a joke shop.
So, that Wednesday, instead of going to Care of Magical Creatures, the fifth year headed for Professor Snape's office. He waited outside until it was half past two before knocking.
"Come in," Snape replied.
Harish smoothed his hair down slightly before going in.
"Sit," the surly professor said shortly, indicating to the chair across from his desk.
Harish plopped down. His back was fully straight, making it feel as though he were in attention.
"Well, Blake, this meeting is to talk about any career ideas you might have, and to help you decide which subjects you should continue into sixth and seventh years," Snape said in a bored tone. "Have you thought about what sort of career you might want to go into when you leave Hogwarts?"
"Uh," the teen said. "I would like to go into business."
"Business?" Snape asked. All boredness left his voice. The thought of the Blake boy in business was a strange one, what with his prankster reputation.
Harish nodded in reply.
"Well," Snape said, extracting a little leaflet from his desk and opening it. "You don't need much for business. Just an Acceptable in Ancient Runes and Arithmancy…I suppose it really depends on what sort of business you are looking into."
"I was thinking of—of starting a joke shop," Harish mumbled, almost ashamed of saying something like this out loud.
Snape cracked a smile. So that was why the boy wanted to go into business. It made a lot more sense, knowing that he wasn't planning on getting a job where he sat behind a desk all day.
"In that case," Snape replied. "You will need high grades in Potions, Charms, and Transfiguration as well. To create your own business, you really only need to have a clean record. The other subjects just help if you are making your own products."
Harish smiled and nodded.
"If that is all, you may leave," Snape said, waving a hand at the door.
BUSINESS—NO-JOKESHOP-BUSINESS!
The next week, OWL's finally came. The examiners arrived during dinner the night before causing even the twins to lose their appetite. That night everyone did some last minute cramming, stuffing their brain with so much information that was near to bursting.
None of the fifths years talked all that much at breakfast the next morning either. Some would be practicing wand movements at the table while others would flick through their books in between bites. Marcus Belby sat with his fork stuck, motionless above his plate. Harish had almost thought that the boy had been stunned until he noticed that the boy was mouthing spells silently.
Once breakfast was over, all of the fifth years milled around in the Entrance Hall, waiting for their exams to start. Then, at half past nine, they were called forward class by class to take their written exams. When they entered the Hall, Harish almost didn't recognize it.
All of the tables were gone, each replaced with many desks, all facing the staff-table end of the Hall where Professor Flitwick stood facing them all. Once everyone was seating and quiet, he turned over an enormous hourglass squeaking, "You may begin."
On the desk beside him were spare rolls of parchment, quills, and ink.
Harish turned over his paper, his heart thumping hard. He lowered his eyes to the first question: a) Give the incantation and b) describe the wand movement to make objects fly…
When Fred read this question, he had a fleeting memory of Enfolding String, a troll, and a soaring club. With a smile, he jotted down the answer with ease…
"That wasn't as bad as I expected," George said lazily as the three of them exited the Great Hall together nearly two hours later.
"Yeah," Fred replied. "I thought it was going to be horrible—"
"It was actually quite easy," Harish said.
"That's for you to say," George complained.
"Mr. I-Could-Cast-the—"
"Cruciatus-When-I-Was-Eleven."
"Shhh!" Harish hushed them, smiling nonetheless.
They ate lunch with the rest of the school before returning to the small antechamber where they were to wait for their practical exam. Then, each of the students were called forward in Alphabetical order. Harish grinned. As he was a 'B', he got to get it over with.
The pale teen entered with the first group of students and went over to one of the examiners and slid his wand out of his holster.
"No need to be nervous, son," the examiner said in a quivery, old voice. "I just need you do make this eggshell here do some cartwheels for me…"
On the whole, Harish thought that he did pretty well. His levitation charm was perfect, of course. He had almost mixed up the incantations for the Color-Change and the Growth Charms, but he had caught himself before he had cast anything. Everything else was relatively easy.
Then, that night there was no time to relax. They went straight to the common room and submerged themselves into Defense Against the Dark Arts for the next day. The trio went to bed, their heads buzzing with complicated theories and numerous wand movements.
The next day he did his written exam fairly well and he knew every single spell for the practical. Then, his examiner had gone so far as to ask to see his patronus for a bonus point. Harish cast it, receiving a cheer from the dotty old man. On Wednesday, they had the Herbology exam. Harish got off with only one bite from the Venomous Tentacula. Then, on Thursday was their Transfiguration exam. That one was by far the hardest, but they all trudged through it. Then, on Friday, the trio had their Potions exam.
Finally it was the weekend. They studied some more and spent the entire time indoors, but Harish enjoyed the chance to sleep in a little.
On Monday they had the day off, as their Astronomy exam was that night. Harish remembered all of the stars well, as he knew most people that were named after them. Then, on Tuesday they had their Ancient Runes exam. Harish was sure he had mistranslated 'ehwaz', mistaking it for 'eihwaz'. Wednesday, they had Care of Magical Creatures where they had to list how to handle a Clabbert, how to approach a hippogriff, and how to take care of bowtruckles. Then, they had their Divination exam last. Harish completely lost his head. He was already tired from two weeks straight of late studying, but the heat of the tower hadn't helped. Harish had ended up saying that his examiner was going to meet a foggy, wet stranger the next day.
Professor Trelawney was sitting outside her classroom, jotting down grades for her third year classes. When Harish walked out, she stopped him.
"How did you think you did?" Trelawney asked in a misty voice. Harish shrugged. "Ah, the Fates had told me that this year would not be a good one academically for some students."
Harish shrugged again. Harish turned awkwardly to leave, but then an odd, raspy voice came from behind him, making him jump nearly straight out of his skin.
"It will happen tonight…"
Harish whirled around. Trelawney had gone rigid in her chair, her eyes were unfocused, her mouth sagging. It look slightly scary, if Harish was to be honest. "Excuse me?" Harish asked.
Trelawney hadn't seemed to have heard him. Her eyes started to roll. Harish stood there, torn between disgust and horror. She looked as though she was about to have some sort of seizure. He hesitated, thinking of running away and trying to forget the whole thing, but then she spoke in the same harsh voice:
"The Dark Lord has been secluded all these years, hidden away…His servant has been chained for twelve years. Tonight, before midnight…the servant will be set free…set free to be short-lived…The Dark Lord will rise, greater and more powerful than ever before…beware the Light…beware the Phoenix…Will be set free…Master…Beware…"
Trelawney's head fell forward onto her chest. She made a grunting sort of noise. Then, quite suddenly, her head snapped back up again.
"I'm so sorry, dear boy," she said. "Must have drifted off…Are you quite all right?"
Harish nodded wordlessly and ran down the stairs out to the lawns where he found the twins sitting. Finally, the exams were over but Harish was feeling slightly unnerved by his encounter with Professor Trelawney. Then, as they were laying on the grassy lawns near the Forbidden Forest, they saw the Minister arrive. He walked up to the castle, along with the executioner.
BUCK-BEAK'S-IN-IT-NOW!
Ron and Neville went down to Hagrid's as soon as they found out that Buckbeak had lost his appeal. Ron set to making tea, as it was what his mother did when he was upset. Then, he had almost jumped out of his skin.
"Scabbers!" he suddenly cried out.
"What?" Neville asked, confused.
"I—look! Scabbers!"
And sure enough, Scabbers was there, hiding in the milk jug. Ron tipped it upside down and the rat came tumbling out with a squeak and much scrambling to return inside. He grabbed the struggling rat and held him up to the light. He looked worse than ever. He was thinner and so much fur had fallen out that he look nearly bald. He writhed in Ron's hands as though desperate to free himself.
"It's okay Scabbers!" Ron said. "No cats! There's nothing here to hurt you!"
Hagrid suddenly stood up, his eyes fixed on the window. His normally ruddy face was very white.
"They're comin'…"
SO—DRAMATIC!
"There you three are," Hermione said, a hint of a scold in her voice. "We've been looking all over for you!"
"We?" Harish asked.
"Draco, Daphne, and I," Hermione replied. "The other two are looking inside for you. Come on. It's about time to return to the castle, or we'll be in trouble."
Harish stood up and stretched. Then, Dumbledore strode outside, the dying sun gleaming off of his white beard. Behind him was the Minister and then the executioner, Macnair. Harish recognized him as one of his father's followers. The three men were striding down the hills to Hagrid's cozy cabin.
"What's this?" Harish asked.
"I think they are going to execute the hippogriff," Hermione replied in a whisper.
The four of them froze to watch as the official men stopped at Hagrid's door. They could tell that the giant man said something, but it was so faint they couldn't hear what it was. Then, just as the men entered the cabin, Harish saw two heads poke out the back door.
Soon, Ron and Neville had exited, keeping low so that they wouldn't be seen. Then, once they had gotten far enough away, they straightened up and began walking the rest of the way. Darkness was falling fast, and the four Slytherins had started making their way to the castle.
"Here," Harish said, pulling out his cloak. "Get under here so we won't be in trouble when we come back in…"
The four of them got underneath the cloak. Harish was fairly sure their ankles showed, but it was so dark, it would have been hard to spot them. There was a soft padding noise as something ran past them. Then, just as they reached the front steps of the school, they heard a shout, a bark, and a low growl.