2

NEWTs and Graduation

Chapter Text

Chapter 2

Six Years Later

I splashed water on my face and I looked at myself in the mirror. Checking myself over for any imperfections in my face before I made my hair Ultramarine.

I made sure my eyes weren't bloodshot, and made sure there were no bags under them.

I made the length of my hair just below my chin, with a few choice strands just making their way past.

I then stepped out of the prefect bathroom and made my way to the first NEWT Test. Charms would be first.

I looked at the classroom door one I had been used to after almost seven years of coming here.

I took a deep breath, and tried to focus my mind on what I knew of charms. I opened the door and stepped inside.

Professor Flitwick looked up from his desk and on seeing me smiled and signaled to a desk before speaking, "Ms. Tonks,first to arrive as usual I see, you do that head girl badge proud."

"Thank you Professor. I can't believe I'm nearly done learning, it feels like a dream." I sat down and looked at the back of the paper laid out on the desk in front of me.

"I'm sure you already know, that we never truly stop learning."

"You're right Professor. When Headmaster Dumbledore gave me this badge he said as much."

"Well he is wise, be sure to take that note to heart." I then noticed a few other students started trickling in.

"Hello Dora. Professor." One of the students in a Gold trimmed robe greeted. I think his name was Martin.

After that the rest for this test group made their way in. Professor Flitwick greeted everyone taking the Charms NEWT wished them good luck on the written portion of the test and we were off.

I started filling out the questions. Some I knew right away others I had to search my memory for.

I made my way through half of the test. I was confident in my knowledge of charms. This was going to be one of the easier classes. I've been doing charmes since before Hogwarts.

I wasn't the first done. I looked around after I flipped my test back over. A Ravenclaw named Marabeth had. She looked like she'd been done for awhile.

Flitwick whispered from next to me, "The next portion of the test will be the practical. So you can take a break if you want to."

"I'll take you up on that Professor." I stood up from the desk in front of me. The small class size I started with in first year had grown smaller over the six years of being here.

Some dropped out for family reasons. Others left after taking their OWLs. only those that seemed to want those extra special jobs stuck around.

Charlie stuck around to get his NEWTS in Care of Magical Creatures and Charms. His test would be later today.

I couldn't tell if I envied or pitied the fact that some of this year had to take their test later.

On one hand they got to study just that bit longer. On the other, the wait was just as if not more painful than just taking it.

If I was going to get the career I wanted, I needed to pass the classes my head of house recommended.

My plan was also explained to Dumbledore. With the Defense Against the Dark Arts position as cursed as it was. My idea was to simply change the position slightly.

Dumbledore seemed to be willing to give it a try if I passed my DADA test with high marks.

My plan was to stay in school and become a teacher right away. It just made sense. If I hold the position no others can.

That means no Quirrell, no Lockheart, no fake Moody, and Umbitch would have to find another position to torture kids from.

After that, well who knows. Maybe I'd stay at my job. I could just leave the school and work with the Order on missions.

They haven't happened yet for me to really have any real feelings on it. I do have a plan once I get in that position. Kill the horcrux in the Room of Requirement.

But that was only when I could establish myself. I don't want to mess with anyone's soul before I'm good and ready.

I looked at the time on my watch. It was time for me to head back. I walked back to the charms classroom.

I reopened the classroom door and joined the rest of the class. Only two people were left, both Gryffs.

The rest of the class and Professor Flitwick waited for the two. Once they were finished Flitwick spoke, "It is time now to begin spell casting. Remember to cast non verbally."

He looked at me and told me to come to the front. I did so, "I want you to fill this vase and then you are done."

I stage whispered, "One spell?"

"Oh yes, trust me, I know your abilities this is just a formality."

Fine with taking advantage of my Professors kindness. I cast Aguamenti and filled the vase.

"Very good Ms.Tonks now go enjoy the rest of your day." He picked out another student to come forward.

I stepped back outside of the classroom and threw a fist into the air. Tomorrow would be Transfiguration.

While I wasn't as good at Transfiguration as I was with Charms and DADA.I knew that I'd pass with at least an E.

The advantages of being a metamorph. I knew part of the practical was transfiguring part of myself and I had just the transformation planned.

Then it was Tuesday. This time I was in the latter class. I was correct it was much worse waiting.

I started daydreaming about my time in Hogwarts up to this point. The sorting that was nerve racking. When I was selected as a prefect.

Being a prefect really soaked up my studying time and whatever existed of my social life. Fun times of catching children trying to escape.

Not so fun times with defense teachers. Some going missing. Some turning evil. One leaving after getting pregnant. Sometimes they just didn't work out.

I hoped my theory worked. Magic was weird enough that specificity was necessary. It would really be for the best.

Also the fact that they didn't even try at all until this point proven enough to me that they needed another perspective on this sort of thing.

Then I thought about Jörmungandr and I still felt the loss of my first pet. To one of the DADA teachers. It involved a group of students and curse breaking.

I wasn't involved, until a student was cursed and I had come across them. Jör attacked the teacher. It Poisoned the twisted teacher, but it wasn't a fast enough poison to stop the killing curse from striking my snake dead.

It was a harsh lesson. Everyone involved turned out fine in the end except for my snake. I'm sure I'd do it again. Those students needed help I'm glad I was there.

I know it didn't measure up to people for some. But I would protect these kids as best I could from the pains that would come.

It was almost time, I chose to pack up then and slowly make my way to the transfiguration classroom.

I passed by Charlie on the way there. He had a free day in this week of testing I think he only really needed to take Charms and Care of Magical Creatures.

He was all about Dragons, and flying. He had changed throughout the years. He had become aloof in a way couldn't exactly describe.

While we were still friends as the years went by he had told me more than a few times, he was going to be moving to a dragon sanctuary and that he wouldn't really be able to communicate with anyone at that point.

I think it was his way of splitting off from people so it didn't hurt him as bad when he did have to go.

Bill had graduated and gone into curse breaking. As he was always going to. He did come back here to Britain, when he came back.

So it was a bit different than the always living on site story Charlie gave everyone.

I'd catch up with him, we didn't exactly always hang out with one another. But he was an older student that I knew and would always be comfortable getting advice from.

He never did get over his fear of snakes. But he did pay respects to Jör when he heard the news.

I do wonder how debilitating a fear of snakes is, when you have to go curse breaking. He always did come back with cool historic items.

So I guess it can't have been too bad. I did get him a sable fedora for one of his birthdays. I do think the joke was lost on him thought sadly.

I then thought of the other Weasley's I met in my time in Hogwarts. There was Percy Weasley.

Bit of a nerd. He was always eager to please and would be the first to volunteer for anything that a prefect needed to do.

He wasn't a prefect himself mind. He was only a fourth year now. No it seemed he just wanted to surround himself with other prefects.

It was honestly a load off my back. Any time someone would do something wrong and Percy was around to see it he would come reporting it to the nearest prefect.

When he becomes a prefect himself he will be a major help. Next year would be when he would get his badge.

I had seen the rat with him a couple of times but I was in no real position to take it. Not that I'm sure I would if given the option.

At some points in the year the rat would just disappear. Yes Pettigrew really stayed in the Gryffindor dorm room or disappeared for most of the years he was in Hogwarts.

The twins, were anything but useful. While they didn't cause me direct harm or annoyance.

They did cause problems, that all of the prefects needed to deal with at some point or another.

They weren't old enough to realize some of the things they did as jokes took it too far.

It came pretty close to bullying especially the younger Slytherins. Marcus Flint was on the receiving end of a few of these pranks.

One of the pranks involved doing even more damage to his already ugly teeth. It felt strange the thought of maybe having to teach some of the children I went to school with.

I can see why it was uncommon to hire someone so young for this job. But I made my case clear enough to all my future colleagues.

If they wanted a stable person for teaching starting with someone young who knew the people they were going to teach might be more beneficial.

The transfiguration test went well. Mcgonagall had added her own questions to the test.

I don't think I did as well on the written as the practical. The questions she added didn't go with how I knew transfiguration.

It wasn't exactly her fault. Everyone else doesn't have to constantly live with constant morphing.

It both helped me cast spells, but also ruined any theory based learning. Feeling over describing how to cast something was just to difficult a gap to expand on.

The practical went better. I had to transfigure myself, and conjure a complicated item. The first was an easy task for me to accomplish.

I channeled the Tonks from the media I knew her from. And made myself a duck bill. I also added a syrinx and quacked to try and get the stern professor to crack a smile.

That was a particular trick I enjoyed learning how to do. It was just so neat to form. Just the idea of having a whole other throat box.

But for all my efforts not even a smirk graced her face. It would have to be a thing I needed to work on once I graduated.

We didn't exactly have many interactions. She wasn't my head of house so there was no real reason to go to her for important things.

But she didn't turn me away when I went to her to ask for advice on my metamorph powers.

I think it was more clinical and professional than any real kind of relationship she clearly had with Hermione in the books.

Then she asked me to conjure a complicated item. She explained that it could be a jewelry box with a hinge.

I thought for a few moments before conjuring a multi colored cube. "What might this be Ms. Tonks?"

"Well it's what Muggles call a Rubik's cube, it's a kind of puzzle that shifts." I explained, "The goal being after you mix it up to get all sides to be the same color."

"You are saying each block can move?"

"With certain restrictions sure."

"This is quite the object, you did very well, your results will come with the rest."

I left the classroom with a skip in my step. I had finished two of the major NEWTs required of me.

My next test will be Thursday, two days from now. Defense Against the Dark Arts. The class I needed an O in. And I knew just the spell to go above and beyond.

I had today off, and I didn't know what to do. I could check on students and make prefect rounds but anyone here would either be practicing for their tests or in class taking said test.

I had time to kill, and since my head of house didn't have any tests to give anyone this week. I chose to drop by.

And there he was the king of brooding and brewing. Professor Snape head of Slytherin House.

The head of my house. Man that was kind of a shock. I knew I was probably suited for a few houses. And I did have a snake at the time.

I just didn't expect to end up in Slytherin. I knew the least likely house would probably be Gryffindor.

With Mom being kicked out of the Black family. I thought that maybe trying to get along with Slytherin classmates would be tough.

I think Snape was also shocked to have me in his house. It took me awhile to find my way around the behavior of all the other students in the dungeons.

While they weren't as bad as the image I had of them from the books and movies, maybe cause of the blood-purist side losing they mainly kept out of my way.

I had a strange rapport with Professor Snape. I don't know if it was because he knew my mom just a little. Or if it had to do with how he put it, "Not a total dunderhead when it comes to potions."

It might even have been the fact that I was a fellow powerful half-blood. Meant for greater things.

Learning to read the lines between the lines was a fun task with Snape. I think he was my favorite teacher. For all the fear I had of his class and teaching method.

While I wouldn't say he was the best or a great teacher. I will say he knew his potions. The problem was he only became a decent teacher when he saw that you weren't going to waste his time.

That doesn't make for a great teacher. However he was forced into this position and had no reason to think he was going to be sacked.

The classes I ended up being pants in and not enjoying the teachers at all were flying, herbology, astronomy, and the year I needed to take the extra class and chose divination.

I knew the future I just wasn't a seer so the only reason for taking it was because I needed another class and muggle studies sounded like torture if you actualy knew anything.

While he was my favorite teacher, and I did well in potions. I did not love class. I just still found it boring.

It was still a step above herbology, which felt like just collecting ingredients for potion brewing.

As much as I didn't enjoy it, I had to pass the potions OWL and NEWT "If you are attempting to take a job from me I've wanted since the start of my teaching here, then you'd better impress me girl."

The translation being "Please you are my favorite student, don't leave me here with these people, if you do I'll never let this happen one way or another." Or something like that.

"Knock knock" I called out. Leaning on the door frame to the potions classroom.

"What are you doing here?" Snape asked.

"I was bored and wanted to check in with my head of house to see if he could give little old me any advice."

"I advise you to go and leave me alone, don't you have some tests to study for?"

"Nope, I already have something up my sleeve to pass with flying colors in my Defense class."

"I'm sure you do."

"Was that sarcasm Professor, by now you should know I wouldn't go into a situation like this without already holding all the cards first."

"Fine if you insist on bothering me make yourself useful and make sure there are enough ingredients for next week's tests."

"Which potion will we be making so I know which ingredients to check?"

"It won't be that easy Ms. Tonks, check all of the stocks. I'm not giving you any advantage."

I went through each shelf, making sure he had enough to test everyone that was going to take the test.

The advantage for Snape was if someone that took their OWL didn't meet his exact expectation for an E.

They wouldn't even get an A. If they really wanted to advance to NEWT level they'd have to take the test again during the break.

So his NEWT classes had very little people. He still needed to do the first through fourth years as a big batch though.

But I'm sure that he made use of the cheaper ingredients, which seeing what was left of the higher grade stuff. Allowed me to see which potions we might end up making.

"Professor?"

"What is it now?"

"Is there a way to take the test earlier, I know that secret presences have to be in the room to stop any cheating."

"You can't wait just like everyone else does?"

"The sooner I'm done, the sooner I can plan for a curriculum for all the years I'd need to teach."

"Are you planning on going off standard?"

"Of course, I'd like to show immediate results from hiring me."

"You're not even sure this plan of yours will work."

"Well we haven't tried it yet, plus I've heard some rumors."

"It's best to put little belief into rumors as possible."

"Ah, but this would be more of a timing rumor."

"Well then what is it?"

"Harry Potter should be making his way to Hogwarts this year."

"Is that what this was all about, make sure you become a teacher just to meet some brat?"

"Woah, there's some hostility there Professor."

He cleared his throat, "I just see past the whole story of a baby defeating one of the most powerful dark wizards of our time."

"Well no one really knows what happened that night, and the one that survived was just a baby so no way he knows either."

"Exactly all of this hero nonsense will only cause problems with Potter."

"Who knows, but to go back to answer your question, no I didn't do it for Potter."

"So you just did it to improve the education of all young students?" He peppered his words with skepticism.

"Well there are a few reasons, Charlie wanted me to look after all his brothers and sister, also a more personal reason." I made my way out of the room.

I heard one last thing from behind me, "And no, you can't take your test early you'll have to wait just like everyone else."

That sure was my favorite professor getting his last words in. Sometimes it was hard to let him keep that position but I knew that with timing the fact I held him in such high regard would drive him up the wall.

Then it was the day of the Defense Against the Dark Arts test. We didn't have a teacher left to give the test.

Apparently during the break they'd gotten themselves locked up in St Mungos. It seems they came across a fully matured mandrake plant that turned his brain into mush.

So we had an appointed teacher just for the test. He did his job quickly and made sure no one cheated on the written test.

Then in alphabetical order, made sure we could cast the required spells. I was near the bottom of the list.

I asked if I could throw in another spell at the end. I needed to make sure that this news got out of this classroom.

He approved and after a few offensive and defensive spells, he asked me to perform the last spell I wanted to.

That's when I cast my corporeal patronus. I had been able to cast it since my fourth year. By now it was insticutal to do.

As it turns out, it's not that hard of a spell to cast. The only reason it was beyond NEWT. level was that it wasn't taught.

Why bother making a niche spell part of the curriculum, when no one was really taught it. I was sure it had something to do with the fact that Defence teachers had to keep getting replaced.

It became hard to do by exclusion. Which while impressive to some adults and other students anyone could technically pull it off.

A second grade student could cast it with little magical drain. The hardest part about the spell was finding the right memory to pull it off.

My patronus fittingly enough was a butterfly. At least I found it fitting, it might have been lost on everyone else.

But it just wasn't impressive enough. I needed to spice it up just that little bit more. Not many know this.

You can cast multiple. I'm not exactly sure why you'd need to unless you were looking to deliver multiple messages at once.

So all out once, out of my wand came a dozen butterflies. They fluttered around the room.

Then after exploring the space of the classroom the magic disappeared into the air.

The swarm was to show off. It is known that you can hold off over 100 dementors with a single patronus no matter the size.

The trick in creating a swarm is to cast it multiple times. The buzz in the room was palpable.

This was just to make sure that rumors spread. The goal being, that just because Dumbledore wants to hire a young Professor it doesn't mean the board of governors would agree.

However if that young Professor were powerful enough to cast something like that. It might draw in the press.

Knowing who was on the board, this was a very good thing. Some would love to be the one who approved the youngest professor.

The plan wasn't just mine. The biggest person behind it was Mom. After telling her my plan,she seemed to attach herself to the idea.

It was nice to have such staunch approval from my Mom. I wouldn't think she would be upset with my career choice.

However I never expected her to become a driving force planning out anything that might help or hurt me.

She even had a conversation I wasn't part of with Dumbledore. Maybe that was a big push in getting this opportunity after this year.

Maybe I was making myself a too big of a target for Tom. Accomplishing what he couldn't.

In the end no matter what happens. I think it's just right to take away the things he truly wanted out of life.

I was going to help get rid of his horcruxes and his chance at immortality. And I would do my best to make sure he was a footnote in history.

I was going to make what was left of his existence as miserable as possible. In doing that, maybe improve some of the lives he would have strongly shaped had I not been here.

A large break had me in a bit of a funk. Normally some would want that break. I was not one of those people.

I had momentum going. A break would only kills all that speed I had built up. I wanted to blame Professor Snape.

He may have volunteered to take the first day of the second week. Maybe it was just drawn out of a hat.

No matter what, I felt better in my mind placing the blame on Snape. It was around that time making my way around the castle that a house elf stopped me in my path.

"Ms. Tonksey, be needing to meet with Headmaster Dumbledore." It was a small thing, I couldn't really pick it out of a line up of other house elves.

I would guess that maybe she was a female, but I wouldn't put money down on that guess alone.

That's how I found myself walking up the steps to the Headmasters Office. The Gargoyle normally blocking the stairs had moved before I had gotten there.

Standing near a large bookshelf was Albus Dumbledore. It was always a strange feeling seeing him.

The man that always seemed to have everything planned out even after his death. Some called him a master chess player, a grand strategist, a master manipulator.

Others would call him senile, irresponsible, and just a bit mad. My personal opinion was that he was just a more intelligent human that knew the way the world worked.

His age gave him an advantage, and his life was rounded enough to put that experience to use.

I didn't fully trust him, I didn't exactly know him. The most we had truly interacted was when he gave me the badge I wear now, and when Snape dragged me here.

After telling my head of house that I wanted to become the DADA teacher, Snape had rolled his eyes. But after explaining my simple plan of just tricking the curse with a minor alteration.

Well he had to take me to see the Headmaster about it. He kept muttering to himself about students and why it took one to come up with a plan that might work.

The meeting was done fast I explained to Dumbledore what I explained to Snape, and after a few minutes of considering he nodded once.

Then, well he gave me the offer if I passed the class with an O. Snape added on his idea of having to pass with E's in the other basic classes needed.

I snapped back to reality. I also knew that at any time he could try to use his Legilimency on me. Which really made me keep my guard up.

Not that he could get anything, but if he tried that would really drop him in another scarier box entirely.

I also knew Snape could attempt it at any point so far I had no idea if either of them did. All I knew from my sorting hat experience was that something was keeping my mind a locked book.

"Ms. Tonks, words of your performance in your Defense Against the Dark Arts test have reached me." He faced toward me as he spoke. "A very impressive use of magic, one I'm sure you had planned for awhile now."

"Yes sir" I acknowledged.

"I am pleased to say, that the board of governors has come to me with an interest in you."

"The I would say my spell work has paid off."

"It would seem so, with the help of the head badge you wear right now and the grades you've had up to this point being great help."

"I once again thank you for the boost up in giving me the head girl title."

"Nonsense, I wouldn't give it to anyone who wasn't already going to obtain it."

"I thank you non the less."

"The board also asked about your NEWT scores so far, it's a shame that they haven't finished grading."

"Is this you giving me one last chance to back out, because I won't accept that."

"This is me letting you know that, despite your promise to Severus, that the board and I would accept you in your teaching position right now."

"As much as I would like to speed things up, I feel like it would be wrong to go against a co worker and burn a bridge that I've had for seven years."

"Then I will do my best to make sure that the board only sees the results when they have all been finished and graded."

Thus ended the third conversation I ever had with one Albus Brian Percival Wulfric Dumbledore. I think it was a test, I wasn't sure what for, but I'm sure it was.

Over the weekend I received a note from the headmaster. It was basic permission to start putting my things in a private room in the castle.

So most of my weekend was spent packing up my school robes except one, and my school supplies to send home.

My room was provided with a bed some basic furnishings, such as a writing desk, some chairs, and empty bookshelf.

Straight ahead from the door was a fireplace. Which I assumed would be connected to the Floo Network.

It was definitely more spacious than the room I had at home. And it wasn't a dorm room so I was thankful for that alone.

On the left side of the room if you looked in through the entrance was a door. It was dark wood and had a basic latch at the top of it.

Spartan would be the word to describe my chambers. No paintings or personality were contributed to the room.

It would be on me to make this mine. I moved my trunk to the foot of my bed. The only things inside were my casual clothes, my nightwear, some books for light reading and my school books.

The rest of my stuff was in boxes ready to be dropped off. I pulled out all the books I had and started putting them away onto my new bookshelf.

They didn't fill much of it. I made a note to fill it up with books that would help me throughout my years here.

Including things that I knew were coming that had nothing to do with my teaching.

I then walked up to the door in my room unlatched the lock and opened the door. On the other side was a wooden wall.

There was room to step inside but nothing much else. At first I thought it was a closet. After casting lumos I could see more clearly.

Near the middle was a handle that was indented. On that handle was a button that pushed into the right side of the wooden wall.

I reached out and pressed the button which sprung back once I let it go. I tried again and this time pulled at the handle as I kept the button pressed.

The door slid to the left side and went into the wall. On the other side of the now hidden away sliding door was more wood.

I wouldn't be shocked if at some point one of the twins came out laughing at me. However Hogwarts did have it's strange pre-built things that just stuck around.

An example being the room of requirement. So it's not all that shocking that things like this happened.

At least this time there was an obvious light so there was no need for lumos. It shined right down the middle of the wood. I didn't need to think too hard on this one.

I pushed outward and both sides opened outward. And I was standing in what looked to be an office.

From the layout of having been here a few times to talk to whichever defense teacher we had, I knew exactly where I was.

Did a room always connect here or did Hogwarts shift to allow this to happen. Maybe it was Dumbledore making it as convenient as possible for me.

I walked right out the door leading to the landing before the stairs. From above I looked at what would become my new classroom.

The back of the blackboard, the big metal chandelier in the center of the ceiling. In front of that was the dragon skeleton, all stretched out.

I feel like that would probably need to go as much of a cool look it was, it didn't exactly lend itself to dark arts. It was more of a care of magical creatures item.

Maybe I would donate it to that class as a teaching tool. Then again which other class would be useful in teaching you to take down a dragon.

Something that would be possibly useful twice in the coming future if nothing changed, or if things only got to change slightly.

I didn't think any students had defense during the second week of testing. Leaving this room empty from this weekend and past break.

The next time this room would hold a student would be when September 1st rolls around.

Testing would start back up by Monday and that was when I took my last test. Potions with professor Snape.

I woke up with the sun shining brightly through the window above the fireplace. For what felt like the first time in Hogwarts I had slept in a place with natural lighting.

I couldn't tell if it was a good sign that the first thing I did was hiss up as a conjured thick and heavy curtains to cover the small window.

It would definitely take some getting used to. It's not something you realize. How much you adapt and get used to where you sleep.

I slept okay for being in a completely different place. The bed was definitely bigger, but I missed the subtle things like the shifting of the lake just above. Now I had sounds of wind and birds.

I grabbed my last set of not packed school robes, and got ready to leave. As I was about to open the door a piece of paper caught my eye.

A note had been slid under the door. The note said that there was a painting just on the other side of the hall from this room that led to a private bathroom equipped with facilities and a bath.

I then opened the door and looked for the painting with a group of kappas enjoying a river. Once spotted I made my way too it and spoke the password. "XXXX"

The painting opened toward me and I stepped inside the medium sized bathroom. It was no prefect size. But having one's own privacy made up for it.

I cleaned and changed into my school robes affixed my badge and started my walk to the dungeons.

I stepped inside the already open door to the potions classroom. Inside were cauldrons on each table with a long table at the front of the room.

I sat down at the long table as there were no chairs at the tables with the cauldrons. After a fair bit other students started arriving.

In total in seven students had made it to NEWT level. I wouldn't know the record but I can say to have this little amount of people really made things much easier to get things done.

As soon as all of us were in our seats Snape came in with a stack of sheets. The written portion of the test.

As soon as the sheets were passed out he commanded us to start. And we did. It was definitely one of the harder tests to finish.

Especially when you had the teacher just staring down on you. Daring you to cheat in any way.

After a full hour of writing and looking over each answer given it looked like everyone was done.

Snape then told us to pick a table and bring our chairs. We each sat ready to make whatever he asked us to.

He assigned each of us a potion to do from memory. He tasked me with a Euphoria potion.

It was a more recently learned potion. So trying to remember how to make it wasn't the hardest it's not like I had to remember something I did on a random day in second year.

Which is strange, while more complicated to make advanced potions. The biggest trouble someone would have would be remembering a throw away potion rather than a 6th year one.

It could be that was only me but that's how I felt. I made the base liquid much like everyone else.

I then only slightly turned on the burner, it was just below a simmer. Now much like cooking there was a by the book way to do a potion. Then there was a go off the road and end up with something that might just be that bit more potent.

As I added the seven castor beans, I felt a presence over my shoulder. It seems I'd caught the interest of Snape.

I knew I was going to get to where I wanted, maybe just not the way the books would tell you to.

As the potion cooked an orange color. He walked away I couldn't tell if it was a storm away or him just walking away.

I then added the wormwood stirring once each new time another was added. By the end of it the yellow potion could probably produce light in a dark room.

That's when I hit it with a cheering charm to finish the potion. Then the potion was bottled and prepared for grading.

Professor Snape dismissed each of us after we handed him our bottles. When it was my turn he spoke in only the way he could. "I have received news that the board had gotten wind of all your efforts, I will get done grading this when there is time."

Translation. "I heard that before you can get your position on the staff, you need to have all your tests graded so I'll be sure to get this done as soon as possible."

"Thank you for putting up with me through all thes-" I tried to start.

"I would rather not have this emotional display taint our future working relationship and just have your comments be unsaid."

"Yes sir." I saluted. The translation being that he would be embarrassed he really was emotionally stunted. But to ever even think about working for Tom I guess one would have to be a bit messed up.

I then made my way out of the classroom, out of the dungeons, and to the third floor. The last thing to do was wait for the end of the week and graduate.

In all the things I had watched I never got to experience the graduation ceremony for anybody.

It sure was strange looking at all the faces left of all the years I had been here. A speech was given about how our life was really only starting and that we had our whole lives ahead of us.

About the people we've met and will meet. To be honest it was beyond sappy and only the Hufflepuffs cried.

I didn't, and there is no way that you can prove I did. Especially since I have the option to close my tear ducts.

We got into the boats, which either got smaller or it really has been a long time since I had seen them.

As we left the underground dock I looked up at the castle. My soon to be new life, and I felt many emotions.

Fear, anxiety, melancholy, going onto, excitement, and just an undeniable rush at the thoughts of what would come.

My last thoughts were of the next year and what I knew. I took the spot Quirrell would have so I don't know what Tom's plan would be going forward.

Then there was the stone. Which got me just a bit worried. My classroom and new room were on the third floor. Dumbledore wouldn't just give me something new just to block it off cause of a dumb plan first years could get by. Right?