As far as the Potter Heiress was aware, she and Morag MacDougal had had the best marks of the first-years this year, and now that the final exams approached, the other boys and girls they were supposed to call 'housemates' were trying their best to improve their chances by illegal means. It was not a problem for Alexandra. The first time Antony Goldstein had tried to put a bottle of Weasley potions on her homework, the Heir of House Goldstein had been sent directly to the Hospital Wing with the warning next time she would not be so gentle. Morag MacDougal on the other hand, was taking the behaviour of a trapped animal, and in a certain fashion so did Parvati Patil and Su Li.
Fortunately for her mental sanity and the rest of the Ravens, the exams came on schedule in the middle of May. For the first years, who had only seven classes to pass (Flying was not a graded class to everyone's disappointment), the tests were in the late afternoon after every other year had finished. The temperature was as a result hellishly hot, at least compared to the usual warmth found in Northern Scotland. As for the exams, Alexandra impression of them was too easy. The written exams, in particular, were basically a sum up of everything they had seen in class during the year. No imagination or any creativity was required.
The practical exams were more advanced work, as the test was usually a spell which had been covered only in April or May and had to be demonstrated in a new way. For the first exam of Charms, they had to make a pineapple tap-dance across a desk. Professor McGonagall watched them in Transfiguration turn a mouse into a snuff-box – points were given for how pretty the snuff-box was, but taken away if it had whiskers. Alexandra obtained a shining silver coloured one, but Hermione had been by far the best as her snuff-box was golden with a sapphire jewel. In Herbology, they had to recognise different species of mushrooms and fungus, classing the ones which were toxic and the ones who entered the composition of valuable potions. In Defence Against the Dark Arts, they had to demonstrate five low-level jinxes under Quirell eyes. Alexandra noticed many of her year-mates proved themselves unable to do so: with the dreadful teaching of Quirell and his inability ( or was it unwillingness?) to explain wand movements correctly, it was not a surprise but still a confirmation one of their most important classes had been utterly and completely sabotaged for the year. For Astronomy, the whole class had to complete a star chart at midnight. This exam was not so different from their 'normal' class.
The Potions exam was dreaded, for the simple reason Professor Snape's was present, his appearance of bat-like creature making everyone really nervous. The Forgetfulness Potion was the object of the exam, and during the hour and half that was necessary to brew the potion, many boys and girls forgot to take the elementary precaution of not breathing over the cauldron and as a consequence forgot crucial steps. Less than a dozen students managed to come up with the perfect pale white colour signalling success, and Hermione was the only Gryffindor who achieved it. Alexandra managed it too. Nigel unfortunately had missed a stir anti-clockwise and his cauldron contained afterwards a white-blue substance. It was still better than the livid green and the bright red obtained by Crabble and Goyle respectively, not to mention the putrid black slime Ron Weasley got.
The last exam was History of Magic, which for obvious reasons had no practical. One hour of questions on a few important wizards and witches who had been pioneers in cauldron inventions and the period of exams was over. So far, Alexandra judged it was the test where most of her classes of the year had proven irrelevant, as neither Binns nor Tiroflan (she would never qualify those two attractions as 'professors') had been interested in teaching them anything besides goblin rebellions and laziness. But when the ghost of Binns told everyone to put down their quills and roll up their parchment, Alexandra couldn't help cheering with the rest of her year-mates.
"That was far easier than I thought it would be," said Hermione, as their trio joined the crowds flocking out the castle into the sunny grounds. "I needn't have learnt about the 1637 Werewolf Code of Conduct or the uprising of Elfric the Eager."
"Only you, Hermione." Smiled Nigel. The shy Gryffindor was a lot more confident than he had arrived at Hogwarts, and if one forgot his score of Potions thorough the year in the final rankings, his performance would likely be more than average.
"You do not hear Alexandra complain." Replied Hermione. Alexandra rolled her eyes at that.
"It was only a definition in Charms, Hermione." The black-haired Ravenclaw smirked."I'm sure you will be the best of the class in all the other subjects. You don't have to worry, no one is going to take you the first place."
The brown-haired witch had such a big advantage in points over Alexandra before the first final exam started the name at the head of the ranking had never been in doubt.
Hermione always liked to go through their exam papers afterwards, but Nigel and Alexandra politely and firmly told her they didn't need a headache right now. Instead, the two Gryffindor and the Ravenclaw wandered down to the lake and sat under a tree. The Weasley twins and Lee Jordan, servants of chaos as ever, were tickling the tentacles of a giant squid which was basking in the warm water.
How and why a wizard had amused himself to bring a giant squid was a mystery Hogwarts: A History had never been able to answer.
"So it's over for the year." Alexandra sighed happily. "One more week and we will know our grades. After that holidays!"
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