Extra Credit
For a moment, everyone was silent. Roddy spoke first. “Well, if we’re done here, I need to get this scroll back to the Eyrie.” At the tap of his finger, the scroll rolled up by itself. Roddy swept it off the table. “Ladies, Kauff,” he said, nodding to Morwena and to Robert.
“See you around, Roddy,” said Robert, though he continued to stare down at the table, lost in thought. Roddy turned and strode out the door.
Robert gazed down at the other list, the one that Morwena had displayed. “Who were you, our mysterious friend?” he murmured. “And who were they severing you from?” His voice rose as he pointed down at the parchment. “Look at this list! Derrick, Malfoy, Montague, Sultanblood! Arch-Conservatives, every one of them! Who in this bunch, in the Summer of ’97, was a known enemy of the Dark Lord?”
Morwena answered, “Scott Highcross?”
Robert sighed. “We don’t know that for certain, but that is the most likely answer. He’s the only one of this group that I have never heard of before. This is quite a mystery! I wish I had time to research it further.”
Gently, the full extent of her desires fully in check, Morwena said, “You said something earlier about extra credit?”
A sly smile came to Robert’s lips. “Now you’re going to get me in trouble with your prefect. But, if you are struggling in History, I can arrange for you to get an extra-credit assignment. And, this would be the perfect topic!”
“How could you manage it?” asked Morwena.
“Who do you think grades the papers?” asked Robert. “Binns can’t. He can’t even hold a quill, much less shuffle through a stack of parchment. He relies on Teacher’s Assistants, usually NEWT History students like myself. We grade the papers according to his rubric.”
There was a light in Morwena’s eyes now, and a hint of eagerness in her voice. “You grade our papers?”
Robert laughed. “No, I don’t grade your papers. Binns may forget what century this is, but he doesn’t forget what House I’m from. Roddy grades the Slytherin and Gryffindor papers. I grade the Ravenclaws and the Hufflepuffs. It's a fair system. No one is given the opportunity to bolster his friends or stick it to his rivals.
“Let’s say you write up eight to ten inches on what we know so far, including the fascinating bit we just received from Madam Pince. Give it to me to review. I’ll pass it along to Roddy and he will give you ten points or so of extra credit.”
Morwena: “What if we were to research this further? Investigate Highcross. Find out his background, who his friends were, what happened to him?”
“Now you’re really going to get me in trouble with Rebecca,” said Robert, slyly. “Though, I must say, we’ve only had a few assignments so far this term, but those Ravenclaw witches write very well.”
With the instincts of an older brother, he was probing expertly at Morwena’s cool façade to expose her deepest anxiety, that she wasn’t as smart or as clever as Calliope Addlessen. She flushed but managed to keep her voice low and calm. “When is the first exam?”
“Not for a couple of weeks. It will cover through Chapter Nine, Morgoth stealing the Silmarils from Feanor.”
“There’s still plenty of time to prepare for the exam. By the end of the week, we will give you your eight to ten inches on this project.” said Morwena, “We’ll come back to the other items later, if necessary. Do you want four separate reports?”
“One will be sufficient. Just put all your names at the top.”
Friday afternoon, Morwena wrote the paper for Robert. She checked with Tess to see when she first noticed the photograph of Scott Highcross and when she realized he was calling her Esther. When she was done, all four girls signed the paper.
Once Morwena had given the paper to Robert, the girls’ attention turned to other matters. Tess was relieved. Though she was still curious about the photograph and about this mysterious girl, Esther, she was also embarrassed by the attention. She was ready to be out of the spotlight.
Robert and Roddy came to the First Years’ History class Thursday morning to pass back the homework they had scored. Amongst the papers was the report Morwena had written. The girls crowded around Morwena. Along the top, in red, were the words “Five points for each.”
“Five points?” hissed Morwena. “For uncovering the alteration of school records? We should have got more than that.”
“Five points is good,” said Tess, trying to be encouraging. “That’ll help.”
“It won’t help enough,” snapped Morwena, coldly. She noticed the Ravenclaw girls moving in their direction. Morwena quickly shuffled the extra credit paper to the back of her stack of homework.
“Our first graded papers at Hogwarts!” cried out Calliope as she approached. “I’ve got fives across the board. How are you all doing?”
Tess looked through her papers. She had earned two fours and a three. “I’ve got all fours,” she answered.
“I have two fours and a five,” admitted Morwena.
Calliope gave a patronizing smile. “It does take some getting used to, doesn’t it? This higher-level academic work.”
Morwena gazed coolly back at Calliope but made no answer. Tess, in her head, added in the five points of extra credit. The assignment put Morwena just three points ahead of Calliope. She was hoping for more of a boost than that.
The next Monday afternoon, the studying for the upcoming History test began in earnest. They brought their books and notes to the study table near their dormitory and began reviewing everything. They brought the books out of habit, though, besides Morwena, none of them had perused more than the first few pages. Tess found it dense and purposefully difficult. You'd have to be a Ravenclaw to read this book and get anything out of it, she decided.
Morwena had a full page for each lecture they had attended. Rhiannon and Pauline had written down only a few names and dates. Tess’ notes mostly had doodles, and her daydreaming thoughts about Scott Highcross.
Morwena gazed at Tess’ notes with disapproval. "Tess, I don't see how you expect to pass History, making doodles all period."
The dig stung, but Tess hid her pain from the others, saying lightly, "As long as I get an "Acceptable" I'm fine."
“Acceptable is not good enough for me,” said Morwena. “Even if I get an E, I could be several points behind Calliope. I must get an O.”
Tess gave a little tremble, and sent an exasperated look over to Rhiannon. Her cousin, seeming even taller with her back erect, watched her with eyes cold and aloof. Suddenly, as brief as sunlight through clouds, she gave Tess a tender smile.
Since Morwena's notes were of the best quality, they each took a days' lecture and copied from it, until each girl had a full set of notes. They took time over the next several days to review the notes, and they quizzed each other on important dates and facts.
On the day of the History test, Morwena was so nervous she could hardly eat breakfast. She was white as a sheet and managed only a few nibbles of toast. “I’m sure you’ll do fine,” said Tess, pleasantly. “We’ve studied as well as we can.” Morwena glared darkly back at her.
When they were seated in the lecture hall, and Binns had floated through the wall, the Professor called out, "Rolf, please pass out the exams."
No one moved at first, as there was no one in the room named Rolf. With a nudge from Calliope, Ronald Reuel got up. He went to Binns desk, where there was a stack of parchment. He went to the first row and began distributing the sheets.
When Reuel finally reached her desk, Tess was surprised to see how long the sheet really was - over twenty inches. There were seven questions on the test. The space between each question was an indication of how much of a response was expected.
Tess started right away. She found her studying had prepared her for each question, but she found it difficult make more than one or two sentences in response. She finished with nearly half the period left to go.
She stretched and looked around the room. The Gryffindor boys at the back of the room were done and were sitting with their feet up on the desk, except for Dave Evans and the tomboy, Jill Roycester, who were still bent over their tests. All the Ravenclaws were still working, as were the slow and steady Hufflepuffs. Morwena was still writing, and so was Umberto.
The rest of the period passed at a crawl. Tess looked over her test several more times, but she could think of nothing else to say to fill the spaces between the questions. Oh well. It's not my ambition to be Head Girl. An "Acceptable" on my History test is fine with me.
After the test, on the way down to the greenhouses, Morwena was quietly fuming. "I should have written more about Orome and the first wizards. I could only muster three sentences."
"I'm sure you did fine," said Tess. "I only had one sentence on that question."
"Fine isn't good enough, Tess. Not for me."
At the dinner table that evening, Kaufmann hailed them. "We picked up your tests today, First Years, Martindale and I. Give us a few days to get them read. We'll have the scores posted by the end of the week."
The next morning, at breakfast, he had another update. "Haven't spoken to Roddy this morning, so I don't know how you all are doing, but I'm seeing some fine papers in my batch."
"That's not too encouraging," remarked Morwena, "As you're grading the papers of the people we're trying to beat."
"Well, in that case, you have your work cut out for you," said Kaufmann smugly. "The competition is stout, and I'm not referring only to the Ravenclaws."
Friday morning at breakfast, Kaufmann said to the First Years, "We've finished the exams, and reviewed everything with Binns. Look for a parchment outside the door of his lecture with the scores on it."
Pauline said softly, "They post our scores on the wall, so everyone can see?"
Morwena shrugged. "At least, we'll know where we stand."
In the break between Defense and Charms, the Ravenclaws rushed upstairs to see the scores. Rhiannon asked Morwena, "Do you want to look?"
"Yes, but I can wait. I don't want a crowd. Let's check it out after Fig."
The Ravenclaw boys trickled down the stairs in ones and twos. The girls followed in a group. Calliope looked particularly smug. She locked eyes with Morwena and grinned. Morwena turned away. "That isn't a good sign," she said mournfully.
After Transfiguration, the Slytherin First Years went quickly up the stairs to Binns lecture hall. Only Cyrus and Spencer stayed behind. As they approached the notice, Umberto extended his hand. "Ladies first," he said.
Morwena went straight up to the notice. Her fears were immediately confirmed. "An E! Six points less than Cal!" With the exam, Morwena’s lead in points from the extra credit assignment had evaporated.
"An E is a good score," said Tess. "You Exceeded Expectations!"
"Not good enough," snapped Morwena. She backed away and let the others look. The Coven held back so Umberto and his friends could get their scores and leave.
When her turn came, Tess quickly scanned the list. She had landed in the low end of Acceptable, in a pack of students with the score of 52, which included Vanessa, Trill, and the ostracized Ravenclaw girl, Sadie Thompson. Rhiannon had scored a 55, the same as Philip Harkenborough. Pauline came in at 58.
Morwena scanned the list again, looking at rival after rival. "Look! Cal's not even the top score." Calliope had earned an O, with a score of 66. Umberto and Dawes both had 67. At the top of the list, with a perfect score of 70, was Ronald Reuel.
Right under Reuel's name, with a score of 69, was Liam Wren. "I didn't even beat the Hufflepuff?" cried Morwena, incredulous. "I have got to talk to Kaufmann."
At lunch, Robert was surrounded by his friends. Morwena went right up to him and stood beside him. He turned his head slightly and said in a gruff voice. "I know what you want. We'll talk later."
Cowed by the cold stares of the older boys, Morwena retreated. She took her place next to Tess. The Elves had made chicken tacos with rice and beans. Without prompting, Tess began to fill Morwena's plate with food.
"Come on, now," she gently cajoled. "Eat something. If Kaufmann is going to send us on a goose chase, we need to be ready."
Morwena sat rigid, stiff with stress and tension, as if frozen by a spell. Tess set the plate of tacos in front of her and ran her hand gently across the small of Morwena's back. Morwena let out a long sigh, and the spell was broken. She was a young schoolgirl again. "God, I'm starving!"
She picked up a taco and took a bite. Rhiannon, across the table from them, had been gazing at Morwena, her face pale and still. When Morwena began to eat, blood rushed back to Rhiannon's face, and she took a forkful of rice.
Tess gave a nervous look towards Rebecca. She hoped that their prefect was too preoccupied with her own studies to notice the exchange, but no, Rebecca was alert and casting worried gazes at Morwena. Delia, too, gave Tess a questioning look. You can’t do anything at the Slytherin table without the whole House knowing about it.
When they had finished eating, the girls returned to their dormitory. Morwena fired off a memo to Robert asking to see him. To her surprise, she received a quick response.
“He says to meet him in the Quidditch library at quarter to four!” Morwena told them. Tess felt a quiver in her stomach.
At three thirty, Morwena led them to the Quidditch museum. Pauline and Tess went straight for the picture of Highcross, while Morwena and Rhiannon lingered over the other pictures and trophies.
Kaufmann climbed up the stairs from the Lower Halls and strode into the Museum, right at a quarter ‘til four. "So, which one of you is writing this paper, or are you all working on it?"
"I want the extra credit," said Morwena, firmly.
Kaufmann cracked a sly grin. "The girl with the highest score. But, it's not high enough, is it? Didn't like that Ravenclaw witch outscoring you, did you? Or, was it the Hufflepuff boy who got your goat?"
Morwena blushed but didn't back down. "If I write a paper on Highcross, how many points do I get?"
"Depends on the quality of the paper."
"You won't be disappointed," she said coolly. "Where do I start? What 'line of inquiry' would you like me to follow?"
“I want to know more about Highcross. I have my guesses, but I would like those guesses confirmed. I want to know who he was, who his friends were. I’d like to know what happened to him, what he’s doing now.”
Tess: “And, who this Esther is!”
“Right,” said Robert. “I want a long report this time, two thousand words or more. Good enough for 50 points at least. Enough to put you fully ahead of your academic rivals.”
Tess’ heart was pounding, and her face flushed. Morwena’s dark eyes were alight with triumph.