Harry.realised.that.Hermione.was.looking.sideways.to.see.what.grade.he.had.received;.he.slid.his.moonstone.essay.back.into.his.bag.as.quickly.as.possible,
.feeling.that.he.would.rather.keep.that.information.private..
Determined.not.to.give.Snape.an.excuse.to.fail.him.this.lesson,.Harry.read.and.reread.every.line.of.instructions.on.the.blackboard.at.least.three.times.before.acting.on.them..His.Strengthening.Solution.was.not.precisely.the.clear.turquoise.shade.of.Hermione.s.but.it.was.at.least.blue.rather.than.pink,.like.Neville.s,.and.he.delivered.a.flask.of.it.to.Snape.s.desk.at.the.end.of.the.lesson.with.a.feeling.of.mingled.defiance.and.relief..
.Well,.that.wasn.t.as.bad.as.last.week,.was.it?..said.Hermione,.as.they.climbed.the.steps.out.of.the.dungeon.and.made.their.way.across.the.Entrance.Hall.towards.lunch...And.the.homework.didn.t.go.too.badly,.either,.did.it?..
When.neither.Ron.nor.Harry.answered,.she.pressed.on,..I.mean,.all.right,.1.didn.t.expect.the.top.grade,.not.if.he.s.marking.to.OWL.standard,.but.a.pass.is.quite.encouraging.at.this.stage,.wouldn.t.you.say?..
Harry.made.a.non‐committal.noise.in.his.throat..
.Of.course,.a.lot.can.happen.between.now.and.the.exam,.we.ve.got.plenty.of.time.to.improve,.but.the.grades.we.re.getting.now.are.a.sort.of.baseline,.aren.t.they?
.Something.we.can.build.on…..
They.sat.down.together.at.the.Gryffmdor.table..
.Obviously,.I.d.have.been.thrilled.if.I.d.got.an..O..‐..
.Hermione,..said.Ron.sharply..if.you.want.to.know.what.grades.we.got,.ask...:.‐.
.I.don.t.‐.I.didn.t.mean.‐.well,.if.you.want.to.tell.me.‐....‐
.I.got.a..P.,..said.Ron,.ladling.soup.into.his.bowl...Happy?..
.Well,.that.s.nothing.to.be.ashamed.of,..said.Fred,.who.had.just.arrived.at.the.table.with.George.and.Lee.Jordan.and.was.sitting.down.on.Harry.s.right.
.
.Nothing.wrong.with.a.good.healthy..P....
.But,..said.Hermione,..doesn.t..P..stand.for…..
..Poor.,.yeah,..said.Lee.Jordan...Still,.better.than..D.,.isn.t.it?..Dreadful.?..
Harry.felt.his.face.grow.warm.and.faked.a.small.coughing.fit.over.his.roll..When.he.emerged.from.this.he.was.sorry.to.find.that.Hermione.was.still.in.full.flow.about.OWL.grades..
.So.top.grade.s..O..for..Outstanding.,..she.was.saying,..and.then.there.s..A..‐..
.No,..E.,..George.corrected.her,...E..for..Exceeds.Expectations...And.I.ve.always.thought.Fred.and.I.should.ve.got..E..in.everything,.because.we.exceeded.expectations.just.by.turning.up.for.the.exams...
They.all.laughed.except.Hermione,.who.ploughed.on,..So,.after..E..it.s..A..for.
.Acceptable.,.and.that.s.the.last.pass.grade,.isn.t.it?..
.Yep,..said.Fred,.dunking.an.entire.roll.in.his.soup,.transferring.it.to.his.mouth.and.swallowing.it.whole..
Then.you.get..P..for..Poor.‐..Ron.raised.both.his.arms.in.mock.celebration.‐..and.
.D..for..Dreadful....
.And.then..T.,..George.reminded.him..
.T.?..asked.Hermione,.looking.appalled...Even.lower.than.a..D.?.What.on.earth.does..T..stand.for?..
.Troll.,..said.George.promptly..
Harry.laughed.again,.though.he.was.not.sure.whether.or.not.George.was.joking.