Date and Time: June 1st, 9am to 10am.
Type of O.W.L.: Theory
O.W.L. idea submitted by: Ignan Storm
Please read the Hogwarts Exams 2009 thread before posting!

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Getting Your Grade
This test is graded in one of two ways.

Reply to this thread and/or the practical exam thread.

The first is to reply to this thread with a role played post of your student taking the test. Based on that post, I will determine their grade for the class. This is based on the 'surprise me' idea of grading.

Send Ignan Storm a PM.

Your PM needs to follow these guidelines:

• Needs to have the title format of "Year / Student Name" (5th Year / Jane Doe)
• You need to state what grade you want your student to have.
• You need to explain what they have done in the class to receive that grade.
If I feel it is necessary, I may question your reasoning, especially if your requested grade is sharp contrast to your student's performance in past class threads and on the board as a whole. 

Code for Personal Messages
[b]Student Name: [/b]
[b]Requested Grade: [/b]
[b]What Have They Done to Earn This Grade?:[/b]


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As the first OWL of the examination period, the Great Hall is set out absolutely neatly with labelled desks for each of the students who file into the room in silence.

Instructions are given to turn over the examination paper and the time begins.

Name: ______Jane Doe____
House: ______Hufflepuff___

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

Answer ALL questions on the paper provided.

*   *   *   *   *

1. Explain the perils of untested combination curses, with references.
2. Describe the Unforgiveables and the restrictions upon their use.
3. List the Seven Shield Spells of Pure Wand Magic
4. Explain the advantages and results of co-operative magic.

There are additional questions covering 'dark' creatures and history. Note the seven shields are slightly different to the lesson - use the wiki, and disregard the discrepancies in the lesson.

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The MINISTRY OF MAGIC will not be held responsible for student injuries, death or distress caused during the normal course of their examinations. All students are expected to obey the rules laid out by the Proctor.

For the sixth time in the last five minutes, Gracie mindfully refrained from stabbing her quill into an eye.

It wasn't that the subject in question was hard, per se. While Professor Storm was a bit of. . . a hard ass (not to mention old), the old man was a good teacher and, most importantly, wasn't boring. In his class, Gracie was awake. Wide-eyed and very, very awake, in the same way one would keep an eye on a very patient, hungry bear. It made paying attention easy, that.

But when it came right down to it, she wasn't good at sitting exams at all, no matter what the subject was or who taught it. There was something about seeing all the lessons she had learned—gone through the trouble of learning—stuffed into a few lines that seemed to box it all in, into a single package of ennui. Took the fun out of everything. It was like watching a star glow brightly against a midnight sky, ignorant of all the facts, and then finding out that an actual piece of it wouldn’t stand out among the rocks one would find in her own backyard.  That she actually wanted to do well and wasn't sure if she would, well. . . none of that helped at all.

At least the others looked a little better, Gracie thought, wearily rubbing her forehead. Unlike the first question—which was open-ended—the next two that followed, weren't. That meant it'd take a little less thinking about. Protego, her quill scritched softly against parchment. Soon, six other names followed. Aegis, Patrocinor, Munio, Adfirmo, Declino, Obex.

Describe the Unforgiveables and the restrictions upon their use. The three Unforgiveables are the Imperius Curse, the Cruciatus Curse, and the Killing Curse, she wrote. In most cases—such as if caught by surprise—the Imperius Curse bends the victim to the caster’s will completely. It induces feelings of warmth and happiness to render the victim pliable to commands- 

Gracie took a moment to read and look over her answer. So far, so good. . .

The Cruciatus Curse is also known as the Torture Curse, she continued, and for good reason; once casted, the victim is subjected to extreme pain. So painful, in fact, that the curse is known for causing insanity. Its success depends on the caster’s desire to cause the victim pain. On an inanimate object, the curse may cause it to shatter.

The Killing Curse does exactly what it is named: it kills. Once it hits its target, the effect is instantaneous. It leaves no marks, which is one way—and perhaps the only way—to identify the cause of death. No one knows if it causes pain or not; those who’ve had first-hand experience do not have much to share afterwards.

All three curses are banned by the Ministry. To cast them is to ask for a ticket to Askaban. They are Dark Magic, and typically legalized only when the government is overrun by Dark Wizards, but have been known to be legalized during ‘times of need’—that is, war.

Roughly half an hour later, Gracie was looking at a piece of parchment filled with complete answers, ever aware of that small prick of apprehension. She still wasn’t content with her answer to the first one—Explain the perils of untested combination curses, with references—or even her answer to the last one—Explain the advantages and results of co-operative magic. After a several precious minutes, she’d decided to wing it, start off with a bit of B.S. and see where it’d go.

Untested combination curses may have severe consequences, as the caster would not know what the result is beforehand. A bit obvious, but okay. A simple desire for short-term suffering may cause long-term harm, if the curses in question are compatible to the effects of each other. In one case, the Weeping Curse and the Bleeding Curse were cast in conjunction before the caster knew what would happen. Because both cause a. . . leaking of orifices, for a lack of a better phrase, the target began weeping uncontrollably, and not just tears. Death by blood loss is a terrible way to go.

In another case, the Shaking Jinx and the Jelly-Legs Jinx caused the target extreme discomfort—or pain, she couldn’t quite remember—as the shaking caused the affected pair of legs to vibrate intensely.

In times of dire need, the curses may prove to be incompatible, and may even have no effect at all. This could be a bad thing as well; if one wanted to try escaping something such as, say, an Acromantula, the failure can result in one’s death.

The results/advantages of co-operative magic are that the spells work together, began the answer for that last question, (which is good for the caster(s) but not the victim, but that’s beside the point). . .

The questions on Dark creatures and history were somewhat easier, but she could only hope that her answers would suffice.

It was the first of Figaro's Ordinary Wizarding Levels.  He, like everyone else, had spent the whole weekend in communal cram sessions.  And on top of that, under pressure from every breathing adult in the castle and beyond, Figaro had studied more than he ever had in his life, sum total.  Granted, the competition isn't stiff considering his past allergies to all things academic, but he has tried.  The little bloke has tried.

It's a funny thing being both exhausted and wired.  Sitting at the desk in the cavernous great hall with the packet in front of him, and the proctor's voice going on about cheating and academic honesty and not marking in the margins, Figaro blinked hard and tried to focus.  He was thinking of everything but Defense Against the Dark Arts.

He looked around the room at all the other fifth years.  All in this together, yet forbidden to work together.  They looked eerie all spaced out, in alphabetical order.  Sasha was in the desk in front of him, Demitria behind.  He could see Sophie.  Erin.  Callum.  Raine.  Ricci.  Mysti.  Well, they were all there, of course.  Figaro rubbed his eyes and tuned back in.

...

Forty minutes into the exam Figaro was finally hitting his stride.  He'd written a whole foot of parchment on the first question, and had easily been able to do two feet on the Unforgivables - those were easy.  But he was only able to come up with six of the Shield Spells, and was having a hard time making a solid stance on the questions about cooperative defense magic - he couldn't quite remember what they were supposed to know about that.

...

By the time the test was over, Figaro had written right up to the moment the proctor summoned up their quills.  His last question was ended in a half-done sentence. He sat in dumb silence for a moment. He handed in his work and zombied out of there like an Inferus. 

Only an hour had elapsed.  But it had felt like hours.  Or minutes.  He had two whole weeks of this to go. 

But... none left today.  With that happy thought, of nearly an entire Monday sans classes or exams, he went to find a pick-up Quidditch game.