𝘁𝗶𝗰𝗸 𝘁𝗼𝗰𝗸, harry potter

˗ˋ 171

CHAPTER ONE HUNDRED
AND SEVENTY ONE
✧
-: fifth year :-

── IN WHICH INFORMATION 
IS SHARED

. . .

Each class of fifth years, from each of the houses, received a thorough talking-to on what exactly they were expected of and expected to do during their O.W.L.s in their very next Transfiguration lesson. Unlike Potions and Defence Against the Dark Arts, Slytherins and Gryffindors were not once more lumped together in an unruly jumble of clashing personalities and overt displays of apt disapproval for their teacher and instead, they were lumped with the Hufflepuffs.

Which Aviana didn't mind so much as a whole. Whilst she avidly disapproved of blatant house stereotyping and the projection of three core traits onto each of it's students, she generally found of them all that Hufflepuffs to be the most agreeable of the lot, and aligned easily with the traits given to them - that being said, most those she encountered were kind and patient and hard-working.

But given the fact that every lesson shared with the Hufflepuffs had included Zacharias Smith glaring a hole into the back of her head every time she even dared raise her hand to answer a question, even if she wasn't called on by McGonagall to answer, she had decided that the Hufflepuffs in her year were simply the bad apples of a good bunch... or tree, she supposed, if she wished for her metaphor to work.

Not to mention now, after her, Harry and Ron's conversation with Ernie Macmillan about how much revision they were doing, he was watching her like a bloody hawk as if he was trying to prove her wrong. Bloody annoying, Aviana concluded, the lot of them.

The first hour of their lesson was made up of the usual content. McGonagall would take them through one specific area of their course - this time they were reviewing the switching spell - and they would practise the spell until perfect before moving onto their own revision of the subject. As a result, they would be able to thoroughly focus on their studying until the hour was up, instead of the class devolving into discussion about their exams.

Once it came to the final half-hour of the lesson, Aviana looked up just as McGonagall was cleaning the board of the spell formerly written out in syllables upon there. The sound of chalk magically writing out a new title drew further attention to the front of the classroom, as the Transfiguration professor located a stack of parchment and directed her wand at them. Each piece of parchment floated up from the desk and began distributing amongst the students, their names at the top of each in shining black ink.

Below it was a table, which Aviana studied thoroughly and made note of within the calendar section of her cloth-bound diary. The table contained the time and place of each of her many exams, as well as the amendments made when her chosen subjects' examinations overlapped.

"As you can see," McGonagall began, as each student poured over their given timetables, "your O.W.L. examinations are spread over two successive weeks. You will sit the theory exams in the morning and the practical exams in the afternoon. Of course, your practical Astronomy examination will, of course, take place at night."

Aviana nodded along, making notes upon her timetable of the message. Blaise did the same from beside her. All the while, she could feel Ernie's eyes rapidly darting between her and her own notes as though he believed himself to be racing against her as to who can complete their own notes first.