Professor Snape took it as a challenge to deter Ronan from the path of taking the OWLs. He asked questions that were not only high-level but advanced even for a fifth-year student. But somehow, he was able to answer every single one of them. And for the first time since he had come to Hogwarts, Ronan saw Snape genuinely smile at a student.
After the rounds of questions were over, Snape then wrote a few words on a piece of parchment and showed it to him.
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I Severus Snape, Head of Slytherin hereby permit Ronan Johanson to appear for Ordinary Wizarding Levels this year.
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“You see this?” Snape asked, “That is the permission slip that you will need to gather from all of your teachers and submit to the Headmaster in order to appear for OWLs this year,” And then Snape snatched the parchment from him. “Tomorrow is double potions of Slytherins with Gryffindors. Seeing that you were able to answer most of my questions, you won't need to attend tomorrow's class. Instead, you will be going through a practical exam, if you can brew the potions to my satisfaction during the class, you will get this parchment,”
“I understand sir,” he replied.
“If you failed. You will have to clean the cauldrons for the rest of the year,” Snape said, “Do you agree with the terms?”
He nodded, “I agree,”
“Good. Now off you go,” With that Ronan went back to the common room…
When the next morning rolled around, Ronan with the rest of the Slytherins came down to the dungeons, and he was feeling rather nervous. Although he believed that with his combined knowledge of potions books that he had read, there was no way that he would fail the exam. But he still had that iota of doubt in his mind, which was driving him crazy.
They all sat down on the benches, waiting for the lecture to start. Snape when strolled into the class, he went to the blackboard, and at once called him out,
“Johanson,” he stood up, “You will 2 hours to prove me your worth. Everything that you need to know is in the brewing room. Go.” He nodded and went running out of the class, leaving everyone present confused about what had happened there.
When Ronan got to the brewing room, he saw that there were two cauldrons before him. There was a piece of parchment on his chopping board..
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Brew Deflating Draught, Babbling Beverage, and Wiggenwald Potion. You can take ingredients from my personal stock, waste anything and you will be punished. You have until the end of the period to brew everything up.
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“FUCK ME!” he yelled and got to work. The potions mentioned were all difficult to brew. Especially Wiggenwald Potion which used Billywig Stings as its main ingredient. It is very hard to extract poison from those stings and it could take a lot of time in the extraction process. Still, he had to do the things.
Ronan didnt know what he did, why he did and how he did it. But by the time Snape walked in, all the potions that he had started brewing were almost at the end. He was worried about the Wiggenwald potion because instead of becoming Crimson Red, it looked like faded red. Deflating draught was perfect. At the same time, the babbling potion was still brewing and from the looks of it would not be finished in time appointed to him.
“Back away johanson” Snape ordered. And then with his black robe tucked, Snape started looking at the potions one by one. Like a hawk, he checked the consistency and potency of the potions.
When he was done, he turned towards Ronan, “The Wiggenwald potion is not very potent. You went stingy with Billywig stings. Delfllating draught is excellent. While the Babbling Beverage needs some time to brew, its consistency and potency tell me.. That you have done a good job in that as well.” Snape then gave him the piece of parchment.
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But Snape was done yet, “Keep in mind, Johanson. If you want to study potions for NEWTS, I only have students who had an “O” in their OWLs.” He said. Ronan nodded, “I understand sir.” And with that, he went to the great hall to have lunch…
Ronan didnt expect his friends waiting for him outside the hall. As soon as they spotted him, they all started bombarding him with questions.
“Why didnt you tell me that you were trying to give OWLs this year?” Blaise said.
“How did your exam go?” Daphne asked.
“How do you even study that much?” Pancy asked.
While he was confused by their bombardment, “How did you guys know what I was doing?”
“Malfoy,” Daphne said. Then Blaise added, “That bloke was very curious about what you were doing. So he pestered Snape into telling him?”
“Wait, he pestered him?”
“Oh yeah,” Pancy said, “We were all curious about you, but that bloke was on another level. He asked Snape twice before the Professor finally gave up and told us. The best thing was, that Malfoy got detention.” Pancy repeated herself, “Snape gave him detention,”
“What? Really?” Ronan couldnt believe it. He knew that Snape was a little bit biased when it came to Malfoy, which is why he believed that he would never get detention from Snape. This was really surprising.
“By the way, how did your exam go?” Daphne asked again.
“It's good news,” he said with a smile, “I passed the test,” Everyone started smiling, when someone said, “Ronan,” he turned around to see Hermione standing behind him.
“Hey Hermione!” he greeted her. Blaise then put a hand on his shoulder and said, “We are going inside.” To which he nodded.
After Pancy and Blaise left, Hermione asked him. “How did your exam go?”
“I passed!” he said, making her smile as well.
“So what does this mean? Will you be able to give OWLs this year?”
He nodded, “Yes, but to give the OWLs, I would need permission from Head Master and get permission slips from all my elected subjects. I have a lot of work to do,”
“All the best then,” Hermione said, “I will see you later then” he nodded and she went away. But when Ronan turned around to see Daphne standing behind him, looked rather pissed, “What happened to you?” he asked, rather confused because she was just smiling a few moments ago. She didnt say anything, and went inside the hall. He just followed her inside, curious about what was going on with her…
Professor Lupin wasn’t there when they arrived at his first Defense Against the Dark Arts lesson. They all sat down, took out their books, quills, and parchment, and were talking when he finally entered the room. Lupin smiled vaguely and placed his tatty old briefcase on the teacher’s desk. He was as shabby as ever but looked healthier than he had on the train, as though he had had a few square meals.
“Good afternoon,” he said. “Would you please put all your books back in your bags. Today’s will be a practical lesson. You will need only your wands.”
A few curious looks were exchanged as the class put away their books. They had never had a practical Defense Against the Dark Arts before unless one counts the pixies from the last year. Ronan hoped this class would be different from Lockhart’s because Lupin knew the remedy for Dementors. He believed that Lupin could be the DADA professor they had been looking for.
“Right then,” said Professor Lupin, when everyone was ready. “If you’d follow me.”
Ronan believed that Lupin would take them to an empty classroom nearby, but was pleasantly surprised to see that Lupin brought them all to Staffroom. When they entered it, it was not empty. Professor Snape was sitting there, having some tea.
As Professor Lupin came in and made to close the door behind him, Snape said, “Leave it open, Lupin. I’d rather not witness this.”
At the doorway, he turned on his heel and said, “Possibly no one’s warned you, Lupin, but this class contains Neville Longbottom. I would advise you not to entrust him with anything difficult. Not unless Miss Granger is hissing instructions in his ear… But there is Johanson, a Slytherin that won't disappoint you,”
All Slythrin smiled, while Neville went scarlet. Professor Lupin had raised his eyebrows. “I was hoping that Neville would assist me with the first stage of the operation,” he said, “and while I am sure Ronan would not have any problem as well. I have seen him cast a Corporeal Patronus, this might be as well child play for him.” Snape went away when Lupin turned toward them.
“Now, then,” said Professor Lupin, beckoning the class toward the end of the room, where there was nothing but an old wardrobe where the teachers kept their spare robes. As Professor Lupin went to stand next to it, the wardrobe gave a sudden wobble, banging off the wall.
“Nothing to worry about,” said Professor Lupin calmly because a few people had jumped backward in alarm. “There’s a boggart in there.” Most people looked puzzled, they didnt know what Bogart was.
“Boggarts like dark, enclosed spaces,” said Professor Lupin. “Wardrobes, the gap beneath beds, the cupboards under sinks — I’ve even met one that had lodged itself in a grandfather clock. This one moved in yesterday afternoon, and I asked the headmaster if the staff would leave it to give my third years some practice… So, the first question we must ask ourselves is, what is a boggart?”
He and Hermione put up their hands up. Lupin chose her, “It’s a shape-shifter,” she said. “It can take the shape of whatever it thinks will frighten us most.”
“Couldn’t have put it better myself,” said Professor Lupin.
Ronan smiled. Although he had never fought a Boggart before, he was curious to know what he was most frightened of. And seeing where this class was going, he started getting riled up.