In love with a Weasley (Charlie Weasley)

OOTP 21

The castle grounds were gleaming in the sunlight as though freshly painted; the cloudless sky smiled at itself in the smoothly sparkling lake, the satin-green lawns rippled occasionally in a gentle breeze: June had arrived, but to the seventh years this meant only one thing: N.E.W.Ts were upon us at last. The teachers were no longer setting homework; lessons were devoted to reviewing those topics the teachers thought most likely to come up in the exams. The purposeful, feverish atmosphere drove nearly everything but the exams from my mind. I spent most of my time with Hermione studying.

"What career was you looking at Rory" She asked as we took a quick break to get something to eat.

"Healer" 

"Really" She looks slightly shocked.

"Yeah" 

"How comes no-one knew that" She questions.

"Well the twins knew that's why they didn't want me anywhere near them for those last pranks and Charlie knows as well as Pad's and Moony. No one else asked" 

I received my examination schedules and details of the procedure for N.E.W.Ts during the next Transfiguration lesson. 

"As you can see," Professor McGonagall told the class while we copied down the dates and times of the exams from the blackboard, "your N.E.W.T.s are spread over two successive weeks. You will sit the theory exams in the mornings and the practice in the afternoons. Your practical Astronomy examination will, of course, take place at night. Now, I must warn you that the most stringent Anti-Cheating Charms have been applied to your examination papers. Auto-Answer  Quills are banned from the examination hall, as are Remembralls, Detachable Cribbing Cuffs, and Self-Correcting Ink. Every year, I am afraid to say, seems to harbour at least one student who thinks that he or she can get around the Wizarding Examinations Authority's rules. I can only hope that it is nobody in Gryffindor. Our new headmistress"  Professor McGonagall pronounced the word with the same look on her face that Aunt Petunia had whenever she was contemplating a particularly stubborn bit of dirt "has asked the Heads of House to tell their students that cheating will be punished most severely because, of course, your examination results will reflect upon the headmistress's new regime at the school." Professor McGonagall gave a tiny sigh. "However, that is no reason not to do your very best. You have your own futures to think about. You will get an owl some time in July with your results," I spent the next few days with Lee revising ready for the exams to start on Monday. 

It was an uncomfortable sort of an evening on the Sunday. Everyone was trying to do some last-minute studying but nobody seemed to be getting very far. None of the fifth or Seventh years talked very much at breakfast next day either. Once breakfast was over, the fifth and seventh years milled around in the entrance hall while the other students went off to lessons. Then, at half-past nine, they were called forward class by class to re-enter the Great Hall, which was now arranged for the exams. The four House tables had been removed and replaced instead with many tables for one, all facing the staff-table end of the Hall where Professor McGonagall stood facing us. When we were all seated and quiet she said, 

"You may begin," and turned over an enormous hourglass on the desk beside her, on which were also spare quills, ink bottles, and rolls of parchment. I turned over the paper and started filling it in glancing at Lee every so often as he sent me a quick smile. We ate lunch with the rest of the school before then trooping off into the small chamber beside the Great Hall, where we were to wait until called for the practical examination. As small groups of students were called forward in alphabetical order, those left behind muttered incantations and practiced wand movements, occasionally poking one another in the back or eye by mistake. "Potter, Aurora." 

I walked into the Great Hall, clutching my wand so tightly my hand shook. 

"Professor Tofty is free, Aurora," squeaked Professor Flitwick, who was standing just inside the door. He pointed toward what looked like the very oldest and baldest examiner, who was sitting behind a small table in a far corner