JILY - AN UNEXPECTED RETURN

61. OWLs - 4

PREVIOUSLY IN JILY RETURNS

The OWLs and NEWTs begin.

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Wednesday brought with it their Herbology exam. There was no written test for this, only a practical, but it took quite some time, as they were brought in a few at a time to one of the Greenhouses, tested, then taken to another Greenhouse while another group of students went into that one. They had to show the examiners that they could handle plants such as Fanged Geranium, Devil's Snare, Mandrakes, Puffapods, as well as how to harvest ingredients such as bubotuber pus and shrivelfigs.

It was several hours before they were finished, filthy and exhausted. Neville was beaming, though, and Harry knew that their friend had likely just gotten an O in that exam. More than one of his classmates, though, needed to go to the Hospital Wing for treatment on a few of the plants that had secreted, bitted, or sprayed something on them.

That evening, Harry didn't bother studying. It was DADA the next day, and he knew that he was ready for it. He had likely been ready for it the year prior, but he wasn't going to brag like that to anyone else. As he didn't want to be seen not studying and be lectured by Hermione, Harry decided to go to Remus' office for the evening.

Remus welcomed him with a smile, and gestured to his office. "Come on in," he said, and sat on the chair next to him rather than behind his desk. "How're your exams going?" he asked. Harry gave him a basic rundown of the ones he'd had, and admitted that he wasn't concerned about the next one. Remus laughed.

"I'm not surprised. You are quite gifted in Defense, I have to say. What are you most worried about?" Harry thought about that. "I'm a bit worried for Potions, just because I know that I have to get an O in it to take the NEWT classes. I'm also not sure about Runes and Arithmancy."

Remus waved him off. "Considering I saw how well you were doing in Runes and Arithmancy over the summer, I don't think you have anything to worry about with that. As far as Potions, just relax. You won't have Professor Snape there to make you nervous, so just focus on what you're doing, and don't blow up the classroom."

Harry laughed at that, and assured his honorary uncle that he wouldn't. Sure enough, the next day was a breeze, not only for Harry, but for the majority of the DA members. Harry sped through the written exam, thinking idly that he could have done a better job of finding questions. True, he had read quite a few Defense books over the past year, but some of these were far too easy, in his opinion.

List the five signs that identify a werewolf.

What is a boggart, and how does one fight them?

Give the difference between the Stunning Spell, and the Impediment Jinx.

The practical was nearly a copy of a typical review day in the DA. He had to show proficiency in Disarming, Stunning, Shielding, and another dozen spells that he'd mastered for the Third Task. He walked out of the room, certain that he'd gotten an O in at least one exam.

Ron had the evening free, since he didn't have an exam the next day, but Harry and Hermione spent the evening with Anthony, Lisa, and Justin going over their Runes notes. It was a long evening for all of them, though they hoped that they would do fairly well the following day.

As it was only the OWL, the exam was not two parts, only one. For the NEWTs, there was a practical to show your abilities with carving, but for them there were only translations. By the end of the exam, Harry was nursing a headache and was thrilled that it was the weekend. Not only did they have time to study without panicking, but they could do it outside in the sunshine.