TEST PREP :: OPEN

07 May 1923
Monday, 7:30pm
OWLs & NEWTs begin 14 May
Class Finals Begin 28 May

The exams were coming. OWLs, NEWTs and class finals. Tension was rising, you could feel it in the air. Students looked haggard. Eyes were red with exhaustion, many had taken to drinking copious amounts of coffee to keep them awake. The library was a warzone of discarded parchment, broken quills, towers of books used for reports, studying and research.

On more than one occasion Matilda had woken up a student who passed out in the middle of studying, which usually resulted in a loud exclamation of surprise. Only once had she been hit after the student awoke in shock, as one does, she learned from the experience and used a broom handle to wake the rest.

As a Lead Library Assistant, this was a busy time for her. Helping students find the books they needed, returning books that were left stacked in every corner of the large space, kicking out students who ignored the no eating or drinking rules and her least favorite, inexperienced therapist for those going through nervous breakdowns.

They had one week before NEWTs and OWLs began. Most tables were occupied with at least one student, but in the quieter corners, a few spots were left vacant. For the older students, that required silence, Matilda would escort them to the tucked away spots, getting them away from the hordes of younger students that didn’t understand the gravity of the tests coming.

Thankfully, she was a 6th year so all she had to worry about were her classes. Her OWLs the previous term had been brutal. No doubt her NEWTs would be the same. She was even contemplating less volunteering to focus on her studying, but the idea of not working in the Library or Hospital Wing just seemed wrong... and leaving the greenhouse would be unthinkable.

Standing at the check-in desk, Matilda waited for the next student to enter who needed assistance. It was quiet for all of three minutes, which meant it wouldn’t last much longer.