Harry Potter and the Sorceress of the Stars

As the years passed and Oleandra grew older, she had begun to notice that her perception of time seemed to be accelerating. Two more weeks had passed since she and her twin sister had received their O.W.L. results— the month of July had come and gone in a flash, and just like clockwork, the Hogwarts shopping list had arrived for them via owl on the first of August, just as it always did.

"Which subjects do you want to take to N.E.W.T. level, Daphne?" asked Oleandra, dextrously twirling a Muggle pen over her knuckles. "I, for one, will be dropping History of Magic."

"Not like you had much of a choice, innit?" Astoria pointed out. "You failed the class."

The twins were currently in the middle of selecting the disciplines of magic they wanted to further study at Hogwarts. There was only so much knowledge they could cram inside their skulls at a time, so they would have to choose judiciously— if Hogwarts's teachers were to be believed, N.E.W.T. classes would make the things they'd previously learned seem like child's play…

"I seem to recall Professor Snape mentioning that he would only be taking students who'd achieved an 'O' in their Potion O.W.L.s," said Daphne. "We've both fulfilled his minimum requirements, so we'll definitely be taking his class, won't we?"

Oleandra groaned audibly.

"Won't we?" Daphne repeated meaningfully. "Regardless of Professor Snape's… personality issues, he is still one of the most prominent Potioneers in the world. I'm certain we still have much to learn from him."

"Oh, fine," Oleandra sighed. "I suppose it can't be helped…"

If she wanted to become a Healer later in life, she would have to achieve her N.E.W.T.s in Potions, Transfiguration, Herbology, Charms and Defence Against the Dark Arts; with either Exceeds Expectations or Outstanding grades in each of the five disciplines. The requirements to get accepted into the Auror programme were pretty much identical, which just went to show how elite both professions were.

"Potions, Transfiguration, Herbology, Charms, Defence Against the Dark Arts," Oleandra rattled off, counting on her fingers. "We both meet the minimum requirements for these five. Anything else?"

"If you'd like to work with me when I inherit the family business," said Daphne, "then, you'll have to take Care of Magical Creatures."

Many monsters had symbiotic relationships with the magical plants which the Greengrass family grew. For example, while most plants didn't mind Dragon dung as manure, a select few couldn't abide it— for example, the Moonglow flower needed to be trampled and shat on by Mooncalves during the full moon in order to bloom!

"I'll have to drop Arithmancy, since Professor Vector only accepts students who've achieved an Outstanding O.W.L. in her subject," Daphne sighed. "And I daresay Astronomy can also be discounted— I don't see how helpful it could possibly be."

"I'll drop Divination too, then," said Oleandra. "It'll be a shame missing out on Tyromancy, though."

"What about Study of Ancient Runes?" Astoria piped up. "It's your best subject, isn't it?"

Oleandra and Daphne shared a knowing glance.

Their mastery of Ancient Runes had already surpassed that of modern-day masters and grandmasters, so they would only be wasting their time by attending the class. Still, they would have to actually take the class in order to get their N.E.W.T. certification at the end of their seventh year— to give up now would be a waste of the hundreds of hours they had already poured into the class.

"Potions, Transfiguration, Herbology, Charms, Defence Against the Dark Arts, Care of Magical Creatures, and Study of Ancient Runes," said Oleandra. "That makes seven subjects in total, unless I'm mistaken. That's three subjects less than last year."

Without a frame of reference, Oleandra couldn't tell if this was too few or too many classes. Her father was missing, her mother was still in a coma, and Tonks had gone off who knows where a week ago, so she had nobody to ask.

"There is one more class to consider," said Daphne. "Introduction to Beginner's Alchemy— the class is only offered if enough people apply, and I'd really like to know more about Alchemy."

"If you say so," said Oleandra reluctantly, fervently hoping that nobody else would be adventurous enough to learn a completely new branch of magic from scratch in their sixth year. "Still, I wonder who would actually teach the class?"

Alchemists were even rarer than Runesmiths— there weren't many to be found in the British Isles, or even in Europe as a whole. Apart from the famous Nicolas and Perenelle Flamel who lived in Paris, France, most Alchemists could be found in the ghettos of Prague, the city of Cairo, and a few secluded spots in both China and India.

"Hermione and Theo are sure to sign up for Alchemy, so counting both you and me, there would be at least four applicants," said Daphne thoughtfully. "I hope that's enough students to satisfy the school's requirements…"

"I don't see any required reading material for the Alchemy class, though," said Oleandra, rapidly skimming through the shopping list. "Speaking of which, on which day would you like to go to Diagon Alley to buy our school supplies? We could also pay Tracey a visit while we're at it— she borrowed some money from Tonks, so she's staying at the Leaky Cauldron for now."

Tonks had gone off on a mission for Dumbledore, so the girls would have to forgo their armed escort.

"Saturday would be best, I think," said Daphne thoughtfully. "The more people in the streets, the safer it will be for us."

"But…" said Astoria agitatedly. "What about Mother? I don't want to leave her alone in the hideout like this, even if it's just for a few hours. And what will happen to her when we leave for Hogwarts? Who's going to take care of her while we're gone?"

They couldn't exactly drop her off at St Mungo's— the Death Eaters would just kidnap her again, or worse! No, the hospital's security was much too lax— they'd have to think of something else.