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𝐌𝐀𝐑𝐈𝐍𝐀'𝐒 𝐒𝐔𝐏𝐑𝐈𝐒𝐄 at finally winning the Quidditch Cup lasted at least a week. Even the weather seemed to be celebrating too; as June approached, the days became cloudless and sultry, and all anybody felt like doing was strolling onto the grounds and flopping down on the grass with several pints of iced pumpkin juice, perhaps playing a casual game of Gobstones or watching the giant squid propel itself dreamily across the surface of the lake.
But they couldn't. Exams were nearly upon them, and instead of lazing around outside, the students were forced to remain inside the castle, trying to bully their brains into concentrating while enticing wafts of summer air drifted in through the windows. Even Fred and George Weasley had been spotted working; they were about to take their O.W.L.s (Ordinary Wizarding Levels). Percy was getting ready to take his N.E.W.T.s (Nastily Exhausting Wizarding Tests), the highest qualification Hogwarts offered. As Percy hoped to enter the Ministry of Magic, he needed top grades. He was becoming increasingly edgy, and gave very severe punishments to anybody who disturbed the quiet of the common room in the evenings. In fact, the only person who seemed more anxious than Percy was Hermione.
As Marina had finished her longs hours of studying with Hermione and Lavender, then looked over at Hermione's exam schedule. The first column read:
"Hermione?" Lavender said cautiously, because she was liable to explode when interrupted these days. "Are you sure you've copied down these times right?"
"What?" snapped Hermione, picking up the exam schedule and examining it. "Yes, of course I have."
"Is there any point asking how you're going to sit for two exams at once? Unless your using a time turner, I read about those last summer." said Marina.
Hermione looked up, pale. "No, have either of you seen my copy of Numerology and Gramatica?"
"Oh, yeah, I borrowed it for a bit of bedtime reading, Trelawney said she said I would pass Arithmancy with an excellent!" giggled Lavender, but very quietly.
Hermione started shifting heaps of parchment. The three, along with Pavarti had plenty of opportunity to speak to Hagrid, unfortunately the boys couldn't come along as they were "studying" themselves.
"Beaky's gettin' a bit depressed," Hagrid told them, bending low on the pretense of checking that Pavarti's flobberworm was still alive. "Bin cooped up too long. But still... we'll know day after tomorrow — one way or the other —"
They had Potions that afternoon, which was an unqualified disaster for Harry. But a success for Marina, like usual. Try as Harry might, couldn't get his Confusing Concoction to thicken, and Snape, standing watch with an air of vindictive pleasure, scribbled something that looked suspiciously like a zero onto his notes before moving away.
