Open Your Eyes

The next morning, I stayed true to my word.

I woke up early and got myself ready for the day. I dressed in clean robes, and gathered the books I would need and put them all in my satchel. I also snuck in a bag of snacks so I would have them just in case I got hungry at some point. Once I was completely ready, I grabbed the book I was currently reading and walked out of the room.

Most everyone in the castle was still asleep, which made it easier for me to sneak out of the castle. The sun had risen, but the sky was still covered with fog. Today was going to be a cast over day. Even though the sun was up in the sky, it was unable to cast much light through the clouds. I believe, due to how wet the ground was, that it had also rained some point during the night. Water droplets pooled together on the tops of my shoes as I walked.

Walking down the hill, I pulled my wand out from under my robes, and pointed it at the large tree in front of me. "Immobulus!" I shouted. The giant tree immediately froze, it's wood creaking ever so slightly. Now it's safe enough for me to sit underneath and read my book without being injured in the process.

I sat there under that tree until I heard the echoing of the loud bell which signaled it was time for students to come to breakfast. Once I heard that bell, I put my book back into my satchel and started readying myself for the climb back to the castle.

More and more students began filling the hallways. Like yesterday, I could feel people watching me as I pushed my way through the crowd. I didn't bother going to the Great Hall, instead I went straight to the library where I had told Sirius I would meet him. There was only one other student in the library, and she was too busy studying to even notice me. So, I made myself busy setting things up- so that everything would be ready once Sirius showed up.

Three books sitting in the middle of the table- three different subjects. Each had their own roll of parchment and a quill on top. I'm not going to force him to learn. Rather, I'm simply going to let him pick a subject and test him on it.

Sirius showed up a few minutes after I had finished setting things up. "What's all this?" He questioned, motioning to all the books on the table. He dropped his own satchel into the floor before sitting down in the chair that was pulled out for him. "It's what we're going to be doing today. Pick one, and that's where we will begin." I flashed him a smile. He could tell that I had a few tricks up my sleeve; but it was obvious that he had no idea what those tricks were. "Uh, not to rain on your parade, or anything here Ames but those books are for first years." Sirius smiled. He was probably starting to think that I was playing some kind of joke on him.

"That's exactly where we're going to be starting." I shrugged my shoulders simply as I crossed my arms over my chest. His face on grew more confused. "But we're sixth years?" He continued to question me.

"Sirius, I want you to read through these books, skim briefly if you want to; but I want you to write down anything you don't understand or have questions about. While you do that, I'm and going to find a few basic questions to test you and see how much you know about these subjects- and we'll go from there." I explained the way my mind was working to him. Yet, his facial expression still did not change. "But we're sixth years!" He laughed.

"You have to start from the beginning to be able to reach the end. They're not just going to test us on things from this year, you have to know it all. Even the first year basics. So, pick a book." I ordered, once more pointing to the books. He thought about it for a few moments before reaching out and grabbing the Introduction to Potions book.

Slowly, he opened the book and began reading over the pages.

While he was busy doing that, I pulled out a more advanced copy of the subject and began readying a quiz for him. I need to know what all he already knows that way I can skip right to teaching him what he doesn't grasp yet.

It's questions included things such as: 'Which of these is a common use for dragon's blood?', 'What is a common side effect of the Pepperup Potion?', and 'What is the name of the law that dictates how to brew antidotes?'. It also had him list needed ingredients for things such as Felix Felicis, Polyjuice, Mandrake Draught, Draught of Living Death, and Essence of Dittany.

"You did really good, Sirius. So, what subject do you want to do next?" I smiled, looking at the two books remaining. I would be doing the same with those two subjects as I had done with the first. "Really, Amery, what's the point of this?" Sirius groaned. Reaching out, he picked up the Defense Against the Dark Arts book. "Honestly, can you just trust that I know what I"m doing? Just do what I tell you to do!" I scoffed at him. Mumbling something under his breath, he flipped open the book and began reading.

These questions included: 'What spell should be used against a Boggart- what are it's effects?', 'How do you disarm your opponent while in battle?', ' Which is stronger: curse or jinx?', 'What is the best remedy after an encounter with a Dementor?'. The questions got harder as the list went on.

Unfortunately, he didn't do as well with these questions as he had down with the Potion. "You answered ten incorrectly." I sighed, looking over the piece of parchment I was holding. "Is that bad?" He was sheepish as he spoke. He almost looked embarrassed. We have a lot of work to do. "There were only fifteen questions, so yes. But no worries, we will work on it." I was quick to reassure him. His facial expression was actually quite pitiful. He was beating himself up over all this.

Saying nothing, he reached out and grabbed the third and final book. Our last subject that we would be working on today, and it was Care of Magical Creatures. MY eyes watched him reading for a few moments before I went to work gathering his test questions. I tried to stick with just standard questioned just to be sure that he knew the basics.

'How long do Flobberworms grow up to?', 'Which creature has a penchant for shiny things?', 'Which creature was originally used in Quidditch prior to being substituted for the Golden Snitch?', 'Blast-ended Skrewt is a hyrbid of which creatures?', 'The pelt of which beast can be used to make an invisibility cloak?'.

He did manage to do better with these questions, but still not as well as he had done with Potions. He only missed six out of fifteen. So, we do have a lot of work to do before exams got here' and those aren't even all of the subjects we have to cover! How had he fallen so far behind? "We're done for the day." I said with a sigh. Reaching out, I gathered the used parchment and rolled them up before shoving them down into my satchel.

"Really? I didn't learn anything though?" He words were mumbled as he leaned back in his chair. "No, you didn't but I did." I shrugged my shoulders slightly as I gathered the rest of my belongings.

Once more that confused look appeared on his face. "What exactly does that mean?" He once again began questioning me. Sighing, I leaned forward and placed my hands on the table in front of me, my fingers intertwined. "You might not have learned much today, but I learned how much you already know about these subjects. It tells me how much I need to teach you." My eyes found his and didn't move as I spoke.

He seemed to understand what I was saying, and nodded his head ever so slightly. "So, Amery, how much work do we have to do?" His voice was a mix of genuinely interested, and hopeful. I really admired that even though he knew how bad he's done on the practice tests, he was hopeful.

"Well, you did pretty well with Potions, so we don't have much to there. However, with the other two subjects we have a lot of work to do before exams." I confessed to him. Not wanting to make him feel any worse, I didn't bring up how bad he had done. "I will meet you here the same time again tomorrow, we'll be covering the rest of our subjects." I ordered.

It was obvious that he knew we had a long road ahead of us. We still had to cover the other six subjects tomorrow.

"But, I don't have a free period tomorrow?" He was still confused. Standing from my chair, I waved off his confusion. "Just leave it to me, and meet me here in the morning." That was all I said to him before walking away, with a smile on my face.

I plan to teach him the right way, so that he will not only pass his exams; but remember everything for next year as well.