Exam Season

Slytherin winning the Quidditch Cup seemed to be the most popular topic around the school during the next few days. What-if scenarios and Quidditch statistics were discussed at length: what if Harry Potter had upgraded to a Nimbus 2001? How had Oleandra survived such an impact without injury? With many Quidditch team mainstays leaving, with all the seventh years graduating at the end of the year, who would be replacing them? Was Oleandra rejoining the team?

In other news, Draco's father finally sent his response considering the Starshower Club's extracurricular activities, which had led them to wander blindly into another world. At first, Lucius Malfoy had thought his son was pulling his leg, but Draco had also sent home a magical artefact of great power he had obtained as a gift from the Dwarfs, when they had mistaken him for Loki, prince of Asgard. Whatever it was he sent back (Draco wouldn't tell), it immediately convinced his father. 

Of course, Draco was severely admonished for taking such risks, but Malfoy Sr also offered Draco congratulations for his initiative; which was a rare enough occurrence indeed to make Draco smile.

"Father also wants to meet you, Oleandra," Draco drawled. "Since our families already have common business ties regarding St Mungo's, he'll add this topic to the agenda, when we're off school in the summer and we're done with exams."

"He didn't tell my parents about this, did he?" Oleandra asked worriedly. "I haven't breathed a word of any of this other world stuff to Mother or Father."

"Well, now they know," said Draco, amused. "Anyway, we'll all have some time off during the pre-Quidditch World Cup Finals gala. Everyone who's anyone will be there; so that's when the meeting will be."

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Time passed, as it often does, and soon June rolled around. The teachers were no longer giving homework, only review sessions, as exam week was about to start. A bit of sad news reached Oleandra, Buckbeak's appeal for stay of execution was due for the sixth— except an executioner would also be coming that day, which meant the Committee had no intention of letting the Hippogriff live.

Unfortunately, though, Oleandra couldn't exactly sneak out of the castle to get to Buckbeak; due to Black's invasions, the castle security was through the roof. And she was also really busy with preparing for her exams.

On Monday, Oleandra had her first exam: Transfiguration. Third years had to transform a teapot into a tortoise. Now that the mental block on her was gone, Oleandra had no trouble performing such a Transfiguration, and she passed with flying colours. Professor McGonagall wasn't going to grade Oleandra any differently, even if she hated her guts!

After lunch, Oleandra had a slight problem: both Charms and Ancient Runes had their exam at the same time! Whoever had designed such an exam schedule? Were they stupid? 

In the end, Oleandra decided to go to her Ancient Runes exam first, then go complain to whoever would listen. Of course, she could have used Daphne's Time-Turner, but that would have revealed that Daphne hadn't been keeping it a secret, and she would be deprived of the privilege of having one next year.

The exam was fairly easy for Oleandra; the only thing the students needed to do was translate a few pages of text. The other tongues she had needed to learn weren't even on the exam, only the Futhark Runes! She used rune magic daily, so this wasn't difficult at all.

At the end of the exam, Professor Bathsheda Babbling called out a few names, including Oleandra's.

"Miss Daphne Greengrass, Miss Granger, I trust you can find your way to Charms on your own. As for those I've named, you'll come with me," she said. "I'll lead you personally to your Charms exam."

Dutifully, a few students rose from their seats and followed the teacher out of the classroom. Included among them were Oleandra, Tracey and Draco. Professor Babbling took the little group and followed an obscure, out-of-the-way path that led to a corridor that they had never seen before. In Oleandra's mindscape, Dagaz began slowly rotating anti-clockwise as they progressed through the tight hall. 

They were going back in time with each step they took, Oleandra realized. So this is how they held exams in the same time slot without having students use a Time-Turner! The corridor itself was some sort of fixed Time-Turner, and the students who passed through it were none the wiser!

After taking another weird route, they emerged in the Astronomy Tower's basement. From there, they simply climbed the stairs and ended up in the Charms classroom.

Professor Flitwick presided over the exam; they were going to be tested on Cheering Charms. Oleandra felt bad for Daphne's partner, a brightly smiling Hermione, who had just been on the receiving end of a Cheering Charm.

"Exhilaro!" Hermione cried desperately, her smile not fading a single bit, as she pointed her wand at the icy-faced Daphne. "Oh, if only I hadn't fallen asleep that day! I knew I was missing something!"

"Hmm…" Professor Flitwick frowned upon seeing Hermione failing again and again. He wrote something in his notebook before moving on to Oleandra and the random Hufflepuff boy that had been assigned to her.

Oleandra yawned as her partner tried his best to make her laugh using the Cheering Charm. Seeing that he was close to tears, Oleandra decided to throw him a bone and chuckled a bit. Professor Flitwick nodded and scribbled something in his notebook. Next up was Oleandra; but she only managed to make the boy smile a little. It truly was karma; if only she'd pretended harder to be happier, then he'd have also been easier to cheer up!

"Why didn't you pretend to laugh for Hermione, Sis?" Oleandra asked Daphne after the exam was done.

"Why should I have?" Daphne responded. "She didn't do it properly; it wouldn't be fair to everyone else if I'd faked laughing. Hermione wouldn't have wanted special treatment, anyway."

"I'm fairly certain we're all immune to mental magic," Oleandra said. "Haven't I told you before?"

"No."

"Oh."

There was no way in Hel any Cheering Charm would manage to elicit any kind of reaction from any of them! Oleandra's gang were all protected to a certain extent against mental attacks; this was something Oleandra had vaguely become aware of during her various interactions with Dementors. Her suspicions had only been confirmed when even Professor Flitwick's magic failed on her two months ago. And unbeknownst to her, she'd been repelling the headmaster's mental intrusions since day one!