Nelson tried not to gulp at the professor’s agreement that it was not one of his best classes. Nelson had said it himself, of course (‘said’, that was), but as reasonable a truth as it was, it certainly sounded twice as soul-crushing when it came from someone he looked up to.
But Professor Ruskin didn’t stop there... in fact, he had turned the whole situation on its head by virtue of a different perspective. Nelson leant back in his chair, a little blown away by anyone floating the prospect of him continuing. He hadn’t considered that in NEWT years, he might even be at an advantage.
He nodded slowly to express his (slightly awed) understanding of Ruskin’s argument, picking up the pen again with a nervous thrill in his fingers.
I wasn’t keen to have to give it up, Nelson scribbled sincerely. I would like to keep practising and to get better. But I don’t know that I’m good enough yet to pass the practical OWL this year, so... He trailed his sentence off with a shrug and pushed it over for the professor to examine. Surely - even in spite of what he could do - Nelson hadn’t caught up with enough of the syllabus to scrape a high enough grade in the OWL exams?
Would he let him continue anyway? Was there a way to alter qualifications, or the exam they set him? Nelson didn’t know if such things were possible, in special cases. (He rather wished he wasn’t a ‘special case’.)
But Professor Ruskin didn’t stop there... in fact, he had turned the whole situation on its head by virtue of a different perspective. Nelson leant back in his chair, a little blown away by anyone floating the prospect of him continuing. He hadn’t considered that in NEWT years, he might even be at an advantage.
He nodded slowly to express his (slightly awed) understanding of Ruskin’s argument, picking up the pen again with a nervous thrill in his fingers.
I wasn’t keen to have to give it up, Nelson scribbled sincerely. I would like to keep practising and to get better. But I don’t know that I’m good enough yet to pass the practical OWL this year, so... He trailed his sentence off with a shrug and pushed it over for the professor to examine. Surely - even in spite of what he could do - Nelson hadn’t caught up with enough of the syllabus to scrape a high enough grade in the OWL exams?
Would he let him continue anyway? Was there a way to alter qualifications, or the exam they set him? Nelson didn’t know if such things were possible, in special cases. (He rather wished he wasn’t a ‘special case’.)
