Harry Potter and the Ancient Order

Chpt. 28. O.W.L.'s

How Harry managed to keep up with his O.W.L. studies while practicing Quidditch every day, he never quite knew, but he suspected that Hermione's continual insistence on group study sessions had something to do with it. It was not uncommon for them to remain in the Common Room until well past midnight. He marveled at Xander as well; he was tutoring almost every fifth year for their O.W.L.'s, as well as training, and he never failed to spend several hours reading his spellbook every day. The new knowledge of his magical talents was a burden to all three young minds, but they found it quite useful, as he would use his sleeping spell nearly every night on them. Harry was glad for the dreamless sleep. Although he hadn't had any more Cedric dreams since his last talk with Sirius, the knowledge that he would definitely not have anymore under the spell made him feel better.

Malfoy was so subdued for so long after his verbal attack on Harry that it came almost as a shock when he began strutting around the school again. Whenever he was certain that no teacher was within hearing distance, he would call out "Hey, Killer!" to Harry, and for some strange reason found it absolutely hysterical when Slytherin students would pretend to drop dead as Harry walked by. Six months ago, Harry would have hexed them until they turned blue. Now he found Malfoy's ignorance amusing.

"It's funny, though, isn't it?" asked Ron one day in potions. "His own father knows the whole story about Cedric, but hasn't told dear old Draco yet?"

"Course he knows," shrugged Harry just as Malfoy simulated a stroke. "It's just better for Voldemort if everyone believes I killed Cedric. Why do you think Malfoy's been pushing the idea so hard?"

"Quiet, Potter," said Snape coldly. "You should be busy stewing your Essence of Crystall. Am I to assume by your ability to converse that you're finished?"

"No, sir," said Harry offhandedly. His potion was amazingly brewing as the procedure said it should, so whatever Snape had to say meant very little to him.

"Then get busy. Majere, are you finished back there?" he snapped at Xander, who was finishing up one of his experiments.

"Pretty much, but I would like your advice on this," said Xander, not looking up from his cauldron, which, for some reason, had frost building up on the outside despite the fact that it was over a flame. "Am I right in thinking that adding this," he pointed to something he had written down, "will bring the potion up to temperature?"

Snape peered down at Xander's work, and performed what looked like a complex series of calculations on the back of Xander's parchment before nodding. "Yes it will, as well as give you the desired effect."

"Weird," said Harry out loud despite himself. "Snape almost gave him a compliment." Adding to his amazement, Snape even shooed Malfoy away, who wandered over in an attempt to be nosy.

"What is going on here this year?" wondered Ron. "Do you think Snape knows about... Xander?"

"How could he know?" said Hermione, who was busy rereading her procedure for the tenth time. "Unless Dumbledore told him..."

Hermione's thought remained on Harry's mind for a few days. If Snape was on Dumbledore's side, wouldn't he have told Snape? If so, wouldn't Sirius know? Harry daringly asked Xander if he knew who Sirius Black was, omitting the fact that Sirius was his godfather, a week before their O.W.L.'s, when they had the Common Room to themselves.

"Sure I do," said Xander indifferently. "Do you think Sirius would've let just anybody walk up to him like I did that day I got shot?"

Harry, Ron, and Hermione's jaws all dropped. "How-?" one of them managed to stutter.

"Dumbledore saw to it that I knew the right people when I got here," said Xander. "I just wish Sirius could've hung around longer. We had a helluva good time during my detention."

"Why did he have to leave, exactly?" asked Harry, irritated that Xander knew and he didn't.

"I thought it was obvious," said Xander, his eyebrows raised. "Wormtail was around. If Sirius stayed, the Forbidden Forest would have been swarming with Death Eaters, and the Forest was where Sirius spent most of his time."

"You know about Wormtail, too?" asked Ron incredulously.

"Don't be so thick, Ron," snapped Hermione. "Don't you think he knows everything since Dumbledore brought him here to help?" Ron scowled, but didn't say anything.

"How did you find out Wormtail was around here?" asked Harry.

"Tasslehoff," said Xander simply. "After you two chased him out of Divination that day, Wormtail hasn't been seen around Hogwarts. Tas has been looking for him ever since."

"No wonder Tasslehoff hasn't been around Hagrid's hut!" exclaimed Ron. Before anyone could answer, there came a loud cawing from the windowsill again. Once again, Xander became visibly irritated. Hermione got up to shoo the black bird away, but the bird dropped a simple, unadorned gold ring on the windowsill.

"Don't touch it!" cried Xander as Hermione reached out for it. Her hand shot back quickly, causing the raven to squawk in irritation. Xander muttered something under his breath, and a small green dart of light shot out of his outstretched fingertips, striking the raven square in the breast. It hit the ground far below with a sickening THUD.

"What the hell was that?" asked Harry, running to the window.

"Do Not Touch It!" shouted Xander again, and Harry jumped back. Xander looked around frantically, and found a salamander in the fire. With a quick swipe, he snatched it up without burning himself and threw it on top of the ring. To Harry's utter amazement, both the salamander and the ring disappeared. Harry looked at Xander questioningly.

"That's how Professor Sprout went missing," said Xander, shaking his head. "I thought that when I told you about the raven on her windowsill, you'd show a bit more caution."

"I wasn't going to touch the ring," said Harry in annoyance, but Xander wasn't listening. He was muttering something under his breath that sounded suspiciously like "Shit, now they'll know I'm here".

"No matter, no harm done," said Xander, and began to walk towards the dormitory.

"Why all these ravens?" Hermione called after him.

Xander looked back over his shoulder for a second before answering, staring deep into Hermione's eyes. "Familiars," he said, then walked off to bed.

Harry and Ron stared at her expectantly, but she could only shrug. "I don't get it," she admitted.

* * *

O.W.L.'s came before anybody was really ready, with the possible exception of Hermione. Still, she was as frantic as anyone, and threatened to start taking points off from anyone who was loud, staring pointedly at the Hogwarts Hardcore Wrestling Alliance, as they had come to name themselves.

Harry was having weird dreams all week. Not about Cedric, though, about his mother. The dream he had shortly after Christmas where she came out of Voldemort's wand kept replaying in his head, and only went away when he read Why Wands Work. Xander was taking a break from his tutoring and flopped down near Harry, pretending to have just hung himself.

"Rough day?" asked Harry, looking up from his reading.

Xander shook his head, then nodded in Parvati's direction. "I think she traded in some brains in order to be pretty," he said. "Man, when her looks go..."

Harry looked over to find Parvati taking off her shoes. She had developed an annoying and rather disgusting habit of coaxing some first years into giving her a foot massage, which for some sick reason they were only too willing to do. Harry found it completely gross that she never bothered to bathe her feet first.

"See what I mean?" said Xander. "That is so gross."

Fred apparently agreed. When he saw this, he popped a candy into his mouth and began strutting around the Common Room, the palm of his right hand resting on his right hip, and swaying his hips in an over-exaggerated figure eight.

"Who loves Kitty?" he was crowing in a feminine voice. "Who loves Kitty?" Fred reached her chair, and pointed down. "Are these your shoes?" he asked her in that feminine voice, and puked violently all over them. The Common Room roared in laughter.

"Vomit Drops!" cried Fred. "They taste like lemon, but make you spew like a can of beer! See George or myself for purchase information!"

Apparently, Parvati did not wish to buy some Vomit Drops, as she stood up, slapped Fred in the face, and stormed off to her dorm after magically cleaning her shoes.

"What're you reading?" asked Xander as he wiped tears from his eyes. Harry held up the book for him to see. "You know that book almost by heart. Why read it now when you have your Potions O.W.L. tomorrow?"

Harry hesitated before answering. "It's the only thing that keeps my mind off my dreams," he said rather quietly.

"You're having those dreams again?" asked Xander, careful not to be overheard.

"No, not about Ced-" Harry paused as a thought occurred to him. "You know about my dreams too?"

"Kinda hard not to," said Xander. "You talk in your sleep when you have nightmares."

Despite his embarrassment, Harry decided to tell Xander. After all, he was trusting Harry with some of his own deepest secrets. "I have this dream about my mum," he said, and described his dream. Xander had that annoying look of knowing something that he didn't want to say. "What is it?" asked Harry, more harshly than he intended.

Xander sat still for a few minutes, thinking. Finally, he reached for Harry's book, turned to the passage about magical blood in the core of a wand, and tossed it in front of Harry. "Remember that conversation we had when you were reading this passage?" he asked. "Think of that, then think about your dream." He stood up to leave, then leaned over so that only Harry could hear. "You have the shittiest way of finding things out," he whispered, and left Harry to mull his thoughts.

Harry spent the rest of the day alone, thinking about the conversation as he read the passage over for the hundredth time.

About fifteen years ago, said Xander's voice. Two were found within a year. Both were killed.

Who killed them? said Harry's voice.

Can't you guess? said Xander's voice.

Voldemort killed two people with magical blood in their wands, thought Harry. About fifteen years ago.

The second person went into hiding when Voldemort found out about her wand, said Xander's voice. He found her and killed her.

I have this dream about my mum, said Harry's voice.

Her wand was useless to him, said Xander's voice. He couldn't use a wand anymore.

It's the only thing that keeps my mind off my dreams, said Harry's voice.

Voldemort couldn't use a wand after he killed the second one, thought Harry. About fifteen years ago.

Think of that, said Xander's voice. Then think of your dream.

Mr. Ollivander had told Harry that his mum's wand had a unicorn hair in the core, and was very strong for charms work.

About fifteen years ago, said Xander's voice.

His mum's wand was so powerful because it had unicorn blood in the core.

Her wand was useless to him, said Xander's voice. He couldn't use a wand anymore.

Harry's scar tingled.

You have the shittiest way of finding things out, said Xander's voice.

"No shit," said Harry bitterly, though no one was around to hear him.

Harry chose not to share this bit of information with Ron or Hermione and had trouble getting it out of his head. He asked Xander to perform his sleep spell so he didn't have to dream, and was grateful when he offered it every day the week of O.W.L.'s. The finals of the International Scholastic Quidditch Cup was to be held the day after his final O.W.L. exam, and he was very disheartened to find out he still had training sessions every day, leaving very little time for anything else other than eating, sleeping, and studying.

The written portion of his Potions O.W.L. was more complicated than Harry expected. He had to explain why animal parts were needed for potions involving cures for diseases, while fungi were needed in most anti-venoms, which to Harry made very little sense. Then he had to explain the difference between simmering and stewing, but not before a lengthy explanation of proper procedure. It had suddenly become a report on cooking techniques in Harry's eyes.

The practical wasn't much better. They had to concoct the potion that Snape had assigned as a project before Christmas from memory. Even though they had already earned half of their score by handing in the assignment on time, most assumed that they would be allowed to use their procedure on the exam. Harry kept a sharp eye on Hermione and mimicked her every move, praying that nobody saw him. For a bonus O.W.L., they were given a blank copy of the Periodic Tables of the Elements to fill in. Harry and Ron played Hangman with theirs.

Herbology was relatively easy, as Hermione had forced Harry and Ron to memorize almost all of their textbook in preparation, and Neville was a bit more lenient than most teachers by hiding the answers inside the questions themselves. Harry caught Neville's eye and winked a silent thank you. The practical portion was utterly disgusting, however, as they had to identify several fertilizers by odor and texture. Most didn't need Fred and George's Vomit Drops that evening, having done quite well on their own without them.

Professor McGonagall had warned the class that their O.W.L. would be one of the most arduous exams, and Gryffindor Tower was in a fever that night. Books, goblets, chairs, and even Parvati's shoes kept changing into select animals at different times. Harry had to laugh when Parvati's bunny slippers turned into real bunnies and she ran shrieking into a corner, the bunnies chasing her.

"That Potions O.W.L. was a nightmare," Ron huffed as he slammed shut his Guide to Advanced Transfiguration and rubbed his eyes. "Copy the Periodic Tables? C'mon."

"Well, at least we got the Bonus O.W.L. in Herbology," said Hermione brightly. They had to explain why the fluxweed in a Polyjuice Potion had to be harvested on a full moon.

"Wonder what McGonagall's gonna have for her Bonus O.W.L," thought Harry aloud.

"Change Snape's hook nose into a woodpecker?" said Ron hopefully. "Turn Malfoy into a ferret?"

"Ugh, I can't find the cross-species change in pronunciation," complained Hermione, who was flipping pages frantically. Xander came over and took her book, flipped to the correct page, and tossed it down in front of her before walking away to another student who had hailed his assistance.

"What's up his butt?" muttered Ron.

"He's doing even more work than we are, tutoring almost every fifth year in the school," said Hermione, not looking up. "When does he sleep?"

"He doesn't," said Harry automatically, and both Ron and Hermione looked at him. "Krum's got him staying after every practice to go over his scouting report, and he stays up every night to read his spellbook," he said quietly.

The Palone twins caused a distraction, as they had begun another 'title defense'. Before Hermione could even think of scolding them, Xander picked up a huge Rune dictionary and chucked it across the room, striking Marvin square in the chest and into Lavender's lap. Alicia yelled at Xander for Hermione.

"Testy," said Ron. "Hermione, gimmie your notes on Mammalian Transfiguration, I can't find mine."

"I will not!" said Hermione indignantly. "It's not my fault you ruined yours playing Gobstones instead of studying them."

"C'mon, I'm begging here," said Ron, dropping to his knees. "If you let me read them, I'll-" he cut himself off and whispered into Hermione's ear. She blushed at whatever he said, and they both giggled drunkenly.

"I'm going to bed," said Harry, and left the table, not sure whether Ron or Hermione heard him, let alone cared.

Professor McGonagall's written O.W.L. was easier than Harry thought, as all he really needed to do was copy Hermione's notes from memory. To his surprise, he knew much of the information without her help anyway, wondering how it possibly stayed in his head. He finished writing just before Professor McGonagall called "Quills Down!" and summoned the examination papers with her wand (Ron was still writing at the time, and he ended up with a long ink line across his paper).

For their practical, they had to transfigure several difficult items as fast as they can. There were notes in front of each item, telling them what they had to turn it into. Harry was surprised to find Xander standing at the end of the line, smiling, with a note in front of him saying bonus: lion.

"If I may give you a tip before I say go," said Xander, "think of each incantation before you begin your test, then clear your mind. Don't think about anything else other than your spells, then fire them off one after the other. Ready? Go."

Harry quickly scanned across the row and saw a desk (a note that said pig), cauldron (rock), firecrab (tweezers), a lemon (lemon drop), and a salamander (fire poker), with Xander at the end, a stopwatch in his hand, which Harry thought was ticking quite loudly and ruining his concentration. He closed his eyes, thinking of each one, and they all came to him almost immediately. Before he even thought of what he was doing, he began waving his wand and reciting spells, ending with "inverte leo!". Xander the Lion roared his approval as Harry smiled.