Everyone except Hermione had Divination for their final exam. Hermione had Muggle Studies.
The Four Little Ones had grown numb to Hermione taking exams at the same time and had long since stopped questioning it. This was the magical world, after all. Even if Voldemort suddenly gave birth to a monkey, that would be perfectly normal.
They headed up the Marble Staircase together. Hermione parted ways with them on the first floor, while Zhang Xiao and the others continued all the way to the Seventh Floor, whispering about going to see the Quidditch World Cup over the holidays.
They were not particularly early. Many young witches and wizards were already sitting on the spiral staircase leading to Professor Trelawney's classroom, hoping to cram a few more things into their heads at the last minute.
Ron slipped into their midst with remarkable speed, quietly sharing his "experience":
"Listen, mate, don't bother memorizing the textbook. It's useless!"
"When you're doing the reading, cover your mouth. Squeeze out a couple of tears if you can, and make sure you shake, too. But not too hard, understand?"
"Then just keep saying you saw misfortune in there. The worse, the better. Your pet dies? That's a pass. You break your leg? That's a good mark. If you dare say you died-good heavens, that's definitely outstanding!"
Many of them scoffed at Ron's advice, but still secretly pricked up their ears and listened closely.
Malfoy stood to one side with his arms folded, giving Ron a sidelong look as though he were a stupid baboon.
As everyone knew, the Malfoy family never believed in prophecies, nor would they ever make one... right?
Harry did not want to hear Ron's "exam tips," because Ron had already explained this theory countless times yesterday.
He sat down beside Neville. The