Magic? || Years 5-7

Transfiguration O.W.L. (Year 5)

"As you can see," Professor McGonagall stood next to her blackboard as they jotted down the dates and times of their exams down, "your O.W.L.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 exam 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 harbor 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 paused, drawing out the word as if it were refusing to be said, "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..."

Her nostrils flared.

"However, that is no reason not to do your best. You have your own futures to think about," She continued.

Hermione lifted her hand, "Please, Professor, when will we find out our results?"

"An owl will be sent to you some time in July," She replied.

"Excellent," Dean whispered quite audibly, "so we don't have to worry about it till the holidays..."

Amisty stifled a snort.

Their first exam was Charms on Monday. The entire day prior was full of studying and stress and last minute double-checking. Harry had made the mistake of helping Hermione study after lunch. By the end of it all, with Hermione's frantic snatching of the book back from him, she ended up smashing the corner against the bridge of his nose with Achievements in Charming.

"Why don't you just do it yourself?" He asked, placing the book back in Hermione's hands firmly.

Ron was going over the past two years of notes with his fingers stuck in his ears, mouthing along silently. Amisty was halfway through her outline notes, switching between scanning the textbook and scribbling something along the edge of the margin almost every second. Seamus was studying with Dean, lying on the floor and reciting definitions of charms and Dean checked him through The Standard Book of Spells: Grade 5. Parvati and Lavender were making their pencil cases chase each other around to practice locomotion spells.

Dinner was quiet. Everyone was either still studying -- Hermione and Amisty -- or shoveling food into their mouth as quickly as they could swallow -- Ron and Harry. Hermione, though, had taken a rather dramatic version of studying. Instead of leaving her textbook and notes out on the table like Amisty, she decided that she should dive under the table to snatch up her book and quadruple check yet another fact she had been running over in her head.

"Hermione, you've gotta eat something -- " Ron began.

"Oh, my goodness," Hermione interrupted, her voice faint and eyes wide. "Is that them? Is that the examiners?"

Amisty spun around in unison with the boys toward the entrance of the Great Hall. Umbridge -- who, to Amisty's utter delight, was looking rather green -- was standing with a tiny group of elderly witches and wizards

"Shall we go and have a closer look?" Ron suggested quietly.

They nodded and gathered their things, hurrying off toward the entrance and then slowing as they passed the examiners.

One witch, in particular, seemed to be hard of hearing considering Umbridge was practically shouting even though they were a foot apart.

"Journey was fine, journey was fine, we've made it plenty of times before!" She waved her hand impatiently, peering around the hall. "Now, I haven't heard from Dumbledore lately. No idea where he is, I suppose?"