Harry Potter 06 - Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince

table in a neat line. All three of them lifted their right legs.
    Harry moved forwards. The letter addressed to him was tied to the leg of the owl in the middle. He untied it with fumbling fingers. To his left, Ron was trying to detach his own results; to his right, Hermione’s hands were shaking so much she was making her whole owl tremble.
    Nobody in the kitchen spoke. At last, Harry managed to detach the envelope. He slit it open quickly and unfolded the parchment inside.
     
    ORDINARY WIZARDING LEVEL RESULTS
     
Pass Grades:
Outstanding (O)
 
Exceeds Expectations (E)
 
Acceptable (A)
 
 
Fail Grades:
Poor (P)
 
Dreadful (D)
 
Troll (T)
     
    HARRY JAMES POTTER HAS ACHIEVED:
     
Astronomy
 
A
Care of Magical Creatures
 
E
Charms
 
E
Defence Against the Dark Arts
 
O
Divination
 
P
Herbology
 
E
History of Magic
 
D
Potions
 
E
Transfiguration
 
E
     
    Harry read the parchment through several times, his breathing becoming easier with each reading. It was all right: he had always known that he would fail Divination, and he had had no chance of passing History of Magic, given that he had collapsed halfway through the examination, but he had passed everything else! He ran his finger down the grades … he had passed well in Transfiguration and Herbology, he had even Exceeded Expectations at Potions! And best of all, he had achieved ‘Outstanding’ in Defence Against the Dark Arts!
    He looked round. Hermione had her back to him and her head bent, but Ron was looking delighted.
    ‘Only failed Divination and History of Magic, and who cares about them?’ he said happily to Harry. ‘Here – swap –’
    Harry glanced down Ron’s grades: there were no ‘Outstandings’ there …
    ‘Knew you’d be top in Defence Against the Dark Arts,’ said Ron, punching Harry on the shoulder. ‘We’ve done all right, haven’t we?’
    ‘Well done!’ said Mrs Weasley proudly, ruffling Ron’s hair. ‘Seven O.W.L.s, that’s more than Fred and George got together!’
    ‘Hermione?’ said Ginny tentatively, for Hermione still hadn’t turned round. ‘How did you do?’
    ‘I – not bad,’ said Hermione in a small voice.
    ‘Oh, come off it,’ said Ron, striding over to her and whipping her results out of her hand. ‘Yep – nine “Outstandings” and one “Exceeds Expectations” in Defence Against the Dark Arts.’ He looked down at her, half-amused, half-exasperated. ‘You’re actually disappointed, aren’t you?’
    Hermione shook her head, but Harry laughed.
    ‘Well, we’re N.E.W.T. students now!’ grinned Ron. ‘Mum, are there any more sausages?’
    Harry looked back down at his results. They were as good as he could have hoped for. He felt just one tiny twinge of regret … this was the end of his ambition to become an Auror. He had not secured the required Potions grade. He had known all along that he wouldn’t, but he still felt a sinking in his stomach as he looked again at that small black ‘E’.
    It was odd, really, seeing that it had been a Death Eater in disguise who had first told Harry he would make a good Auror, but somehow the idea had taken hold of him, and he couldn’t really think of anything else he would like to be. Moreover, it had seemed the right destiny for him since he had heard the prophecy a month ago … neither can live while the other survives … wouldn’t he be living up to the prophecy, and giving himself the best chance of survival, if he joined those highly trained wizards whose job it was to find and kill Voldemort?

 
     
— CHAPTER SIX —
     
Draco’s Detour
    Harry remained within the confines of The Burrow’s garden over the next few weeks. He spent most of his days playing two-a-side Quidditch in the Weasleys’ orchard (he and Hermione against Ron and Ginny; Hermione was dreadful and Ginny good, so they were reasonably well-matched) and his evenings eating triple helpings of everything Mrs Weasley put in front of him.
    It would have been a happy, peaceful holiday had it not been for the stories of disappearances, odd accidents, even of deaths now appearing almost daily in the Prophet . Sometimes Bill and Mr Weasley brought home news before it even reached the paper. To Mrs Weasley’s displeasure, Harry’s sixteenth birthday celebrations were marred by grisly tidings brought to the party by Remus Lupin, who was looking gaunt and grim, his brown hair streaked liberally with grey, his clothes more ragged and patched than ever.
    ‘There have been