OOP: More Flints

[Marie Jadewalker]

No: HPFGUIDX 62922

Hey everyone,

  I'm about 1300 posts behind (man this place is hopping!) but I did 
a search for Flint and I haven't seen either of these mentioned.  If 
they're repetitive, I apologize.  

First, what was Dennis Creevey doing in Hogsmeade in chapter 
sixteen?  Since he started to Hogwarts in GOF, he should only be in 
his second year now.  Harry and co. weren't allowed to visit 
Hogsmeade until their third year.  What gives?  

Secondly, there's the matter of the OWLS.  From my count, Hermione 
took OWLS in ten subjects: Charms, Transfiguration, Herbology, DADA, 
Ancient Runes, Care of Magical Creatures, Astronomy, Arithmancy, 
Potions, and History of Magic.  Harry and Ron each took 9, substitute 
Divination for Ancient Runes and Arithmancy.  So far so good, right?  
But if you go back to Chamber of Secrets, we get these lines: 

"Wish I knew what he was up to," said Fred, frowning.  "He's not 
himself.  His exam results came the day before you did; twelve OWLs 
and he hardly gloated at all."  
"Ordinary Wizarding Levels," George explained, seeing Harry's puzzled 
look.  "Bill got twelve, too.  If we're not careful, we'll have 
another Head Boy in the family.  I don't think I could stand the 
shame."  (COS Chapter 4, p 40 in the British Paperback edition)

I find this really odd.  How could Bill and Percy both have taken and 
passed twelve OWLs when Hermione only even took 10?  She was taking 
more than is normal.  At the height of her crazy time-turner schedule 
in third year she had 12 subjects, but that was portrayed as highly 
unusual.  I suppose Hermione *could* have taken an OWL test in Muggle 
Studies, even though she hadn't studied it for the last 2 years.  
Being a Muggle Born, she probably could have still passed.  But that 
still only 11.  We know she didn't take the Divinaiton OWL because it 
was the same time as Arithmancy and Harry would have noticed if she 
were there when she hadn't been in class.  So are we supposed to 
assume that both Bill and Percy used a time turner for three years to 
get to twelve different classes?  Or is the scoring not strictly one 
OWL per subject?  (Is it, perhaps, that if you get enough OWLs at "O" 
level, you get an extra OWL just for being so smart?)  Can anyone see 
something I may have missed?  

~Marie Granger, who adored OOP but is really bugged by these small 
things and can't wait to find out how the Trio did on their OWLs.  
I'm guessing Hermione got all ten, Harry probably 6 or 7, and Ron 
also 6 or 7.