Welcome to Gaia! ::

Astronomy: One thing Brianna could never figure out was why Astronomy, of all things, was a Core Class at Hogwarts, rather than an Elective, as math or even Latin would be of more use than this class. While it was an interesting class, the late hours it required were always a bone of contention, especially given she almost always had an early class the morning afterwards, and that it wasn’t to figure into her post-OWL class plan. Still, Brianna was of the mind to do well in the class, so as not to ruin her grade point, and her efforts on the OWL reflect this ~ Exceeds Expectations

Charms: So far as Brianna was concerned if you couldn’t cast Charms you weren’t a watch, as simple and succinct as that. So, she endeavored to be as competent as she possibly could be when it came to this basic sort of spell-casting. A goodly measure of time and energies were committed to her doing well on the OWL. She aced the written portion with ease, and she handled the practical portion with equal facility. Unlike certain other students, she chose to do the whole exam with her wand, thank you ~ Outstanding

Defense Against the Dark Arts: Being the Captain of the Dueling Club, there was absolutely no excuse for Brianna to put up anything other than a top grade in the class, and as a result, she poured a fair amount of her OWL prep into making sure she came out with the grade expected out of her. The written portion, Brianna breezed through with ease, and she tackled the practical portion with only minor difficulties. When her boggart took the form of her parents telling her what a loser she was, it was all she could do not to be crushed by their words, however, she laughed her way into an ~ Outstanding

Herbology: This is one course that Brianna has had a lot of issues with over the years, and for much of her career, she’s had Ron to help her along. Coming into her Fifth Year, she knew she needed to buckle down and make her own way without her big brother holding her hand. One thing she did was to volunteer to mentor the younger students in the Herbology Club, forcing her to be more competent and conversant with the subject matter, she also had copies of Ron’s notes (wherein he basically rewrote the Herbology textbooks to include his observations and the methodology he picked up from other sources). She was able to post high marks on the written exam, and she did well enough on the practical to scrape together a hard-fought-for ~ Exceeds Expectations

History of Magic: One thing which weirded out Brianna was not only was this class taught by one of her mother’s old teachers, but that she had had a crush on him at one point. Beyond this, Brianna excelled at keeping track of names and dates, which ensured she would do well in the class. The Fifth Year studied hard in preparation for the OWL, and she was able to post a high grade on the exam and answer all the extra credit questions as well – Outstanding

Potions: Potions was one of those classes that Ron had to tutor Brianna in as they made their way through the years. Adding to her frustration was how easily it came to her brother, and how it had to look that while their father was a research pharmacologist, she couldn’t hack the work. Again, she had copies of Ron’s comprehensive study notes to work from. She did well on the written portion of the OWL, however, it was the practical where she had her difficulties. As a result of her problems with the practical portion of the exam, she was barely able to hang onto an ~ Exceeds Expectation

Transfiguration: This was a results-oriented and rather logical sort of magic which Brianna had little issue taking to. She was comfortable enough with working it that she was tutoring Csuri in the basics of Transfigurations, when the latter was a First Year, and she has continued to be her tutor whenever her friend admitted she needed it. Brianna also got very good at unraveling her own mistakes, as she didn’t care for the cavalier way animals were used in their lessons. Even she balked at the idea of Vanishing the kitten, especially when it started rubbing her hand and purring loudly, and she made certain the little creature was restored unharmed immediately after the examiner was satisfied with her work. Bubber Hairfoot has a new playmate ~ Outstanding



Cursebreaking: While this class was intended for those planning to be Cursebreakers, Brianna saw there could be applications which might come in handy in the line of work she was aiming towards, and if anything it meant she might stand out from other applicants. The coursework was an advanced Charms class, and it was challenging, however, Brianna found it interesting enough to keep at it. She put a goodly amount of effort prepping for this OWL, and put up a top score as a result ~ Outstanding

Healing Arts: This was one of those classes that Brianna took at the advice of her mother, citing how useful it was to have that knowledge when she applied at the Ministry for a job. That said, it didn’t help taking the class in Ron’s shadow, and it was known her mother was a Senior Healer at St. Mungo’s, so she was under a bit of pressure to do well in the course, even if she wasn’t planning to be a Healer herself. The written exam went well, and while she handled she mechanics of the practical portion well enough, her people-handling skills were seen to be lacking in warmth. ‘I'm going to set your arm, and it’s going to hurt. Don't scream in my ear, please.’ ~ Exceeds Expectations

Muggle Studies: Brianna has lived in a household where both the magical and the Muggle worlds coexist all of her life. Her father is a Muggle researcher, and so she learned how to handle the modern technology of the 2060s as an everyday part of her life. She was taking this exam as part of the requirements for working as an Obliviator for the Ministry after graduation. As part of her testing, she wrote a detailed essay on the development of modern pharmaceuticals in comparison with how Potions are developed. Needless to say, she did well on this OWL ~ Outstanding

Wandless Magic: This was one of those classes that Brianna saw as being too darned useful not to take, particularly if she planned to be an Obliviator. There was also the thought that if somebody took her wand away, she didn’t want to find herself unable to do anything with her magic. The biggest problem she had was learning how to control her emotions and focusing her mind when casting magic, as she had a temper and could become frustrated quickly if she didn’t do something to her level of satisfaction in a prompt enough fashion. Brianna worked quite hard to master wandless technique sufficiently to earn a solid ~ Outstanding

Wizard Law: This was another class Brianna’s mother advised her to take, as having the skill set would help her get in at the Ministry, and ensure that even if she were unable to be an Obliviator, she could always get job working for her great-grandfather’s friends in the Ministry. She soon discovered she had an aptitude for the coursework, assembling cases and presenting them rather like a scientist putting forth a treatise, a talent she inherited from her father. When it came time for the OWL, her case was well-written and presented, with closing arguments the panel of Ministry examiners found difficult to refute ~ Outstanding

Charms: Being this was the basis for most of the magical coursework at Hogwarts, this was one of those classes Brianna worked hard to get down to where it was habit. She might not have had the sheer talent certain others had, but nobody was going to outhustle her. As it worked out, she polished off the written portion with nearly a perfect score, and she performed nicely on the practical exam, handling the problems put before her with her usual level of problem-solving. As with her OWLs, she performed this NEWT using her wand ~ Outstanding

Defense Against the Dark Arts: Being the Captain of the Dueling Club, there were no excuses for her not to do well on this NEWT. As her backup career plans included the Auror service, she focused a goodly amount of her efforts into preparing for her final exam. Brianna aced the written portion of the exam, and handled the obstacle course well, and while the boggart nearly crushed her self-confidence and sense of self-worth, she was able to laugh herself into an ~ Outstanding

Herbology: Brianna’s struggles with Herbology are well documented, as she needed her brother’s tutelage over the years, and then after he graduated, she decided to be a mentor in the Herbology Club, as she was determined not to let it cause her grade point to slip. Being with gifted Herbology students, and having access to Ron’s exhaustive notes on the subject (which he’d added to since graduation and doing his own research), gave her an edge when it came time for this NEWT. She polished off the written portion of the exam with comparative ease, and she fought through the practical exam. In the end, she posted a grade worthy of a mentor of the Herbology Club- Outstanding

History of Magic: Having long ago gotten past the thought of having an old crush of her mother as her history teacher, Brianna continued with this class as she understood she needed to have the knowledge as a part of a rounded education, and one never knew when such information might be handy. With a possible political career in her future, it seemed wise to know why things happened. As it was, it served as a break from the rest of her magic-heavy classes. Here, her excellent memory for dates and names and keeping events straight (were the goblins always revolting?) held her in good stead. This ended up being one of her easier NEWTs, and her grade reflected this ~ Outstanding

Potions: Potions was one of those classes Brianna struggled with early on, but she knew if she wanted to be an Auror, she needed this class and to do well on the NEWT. There was also the added pressure of being the daughter of a senior researcher at AstraZeneca; to not do well would be akin to being the child of Gordon Ramsey, and not be able to boil water. Thankfully, she had her brother’s comprehensive class notes, and help from her friends to work with in preparation for this NEWT. When it came time for the exam, she aced the written portion, but she lost a couple points on the practical exam, earning herself an ~ Exceeds Expectations

Transfigurations: Being a practical sort, Brianna had little issue over her years at Hogwarts with this result-orientated, algebraic sort of magic, even if she took exception with the way the course handled living creatures subjected to the awful experiments required. She also took exception to the emphasis on Self-Transfiguration, especially given what was done to her when she was a First Year by a certain maladjusted Hufflepuff. That particular experience still triggered episodes akin to PTSD she fought with when they took place. The written exam was a piece of cake for the Seventh Year, and the practical exam went well. When it came time for the Self-Transfiguration portion, she chose to transform her lower half into that of one of the grindylows she saw outside her dorm windows on occasion, seeing it as a means of exorcizing that particular daemon from her psyche while proving her skill. While she was indeed successful, and she held it together, psychologically, long enough for the examiner to do their due diligence and award her grade, she was reduced to a twitching, writhing mess requiring a trip to the Hospital Wing to recover. Her efforts and her sacrifice of a measure of her peace of mind earned her an ~ Outstanding




Cursebreaking: To be honest, she really didn’t need this class, as the skill set really didn’t necessarily figure into her career plans, but Brianna hung on through the NEWT levels as she appreciated the challenge this advanced Charms class posed. Not wanting this class to affect her grade point, she put in a goodly effort to prepare for this NEWT. As it worked out, she didn’t find the final exam to be really any big deal, and she cruised to an easy ~ Outstanding

Healing Arts: Brianna found she felt an urgent need to do well on this NEWT, beyond being the daughter and younger sister of two Healers at St. Mungo’s, it was how Marni put her trust in her up in the Hospital Wing. It didn’t matter she was vacillating between her career options, and that being a Healer herself wasn’t an avenue she’d remotely looked at exploring, she knew she needed to do Marni proud if nothing else, and so she put a considerable amount of her efforts into preparing for this NEWT. She handled the written portion well, her excellent memory worked in her favour, and she did an exemplary job in her practical exam, though her bedside manner was a bit forced, it was sincere ~ Outstanding

Muggle Studies: Brianna originally took the OWL as part of the academic requirements for being an Obliviator, as her career plans evolved, taking the NEWT was less of a priority. In the end she chose to take the NEWT exam as a bit of CYA insurance, just in case her plans fell through. Being the daughter of a Muggle senior pharmaceutical researcher, and a Senior Healer at St. Mungo’s, her life has always straddled both worlds, and she navigates them with equal aplomb. Brianna was rather surprised to find out how easy the exam really was. ~ Outstanding

Wandless Magic Practice: Even if her career plans no longer had being an Obliviator involved, an Auror could certainly take advantage of this skill-set. Haunted by the incident when she was a First Year, she worked hard to be good at wielding magic without a wand. Mastering her temper and keeping control were keys to her unlocking this ability. This was important as Wandless dueling played a large part in her grade on the NEWT, and being the outgoing Dueling Club Captain, she had to impress here, the magical equivalent of a ‘mic drop’. Her final duel at school was against a retired Auror, and they fought with a level of determination that caused both of them to be knocked down at the end of it. It was on the strength of her duel that her grade was bumped up to an ~ Outstanding

Wizard Law: Aside from maybe becoming an Auror, Brianna thought of going into the Ministry, where she now had contacts, and ultimately entering politics. Wizard Law suddenly became a priority in her study plan. Her meticulous study habits served her well as she prepared cases and handled some pretty arcane coursework. When it came time for her final practical exam, she acted as the prosecutor in a case before a panel of examiners. Her convincing closing arguments won her both a ‘guilty’ verdict, and an ~ Outstanding