If a Quiz is Quizzical a Test is. By Oowth

Harry Potter stared at the test, Professor Lexington, the new Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher had given out.

"Um... sir," he said, raising his head. "What is with these questions?" There was a series of murmurs, showing that a majority of the class was as confused at he was.

"This test tells me how well you think. How much common sense you have. You need to have common sense to be able to win against any battle," Professor Lexington explained.

"But Professor Lexington, these questions... they don't make any sense," Hermione admitted. The professor sighed.

"What me to conduct this test orally and explain as I go along?" he asked. The class all said yes.

Professor Lexington grabbed a spare parchment with the test written on it from off his desk.

"Okay, first question. How do you get a Hippogriff into your trunk?" he read off the paper.

"Bow to it?" Hermione suggested. The professor shook his head no.

"Tie it up and beat it up and throw it into your trunk?" said Dean. Still the professor said no.

"Lure it in with Draco's arm?" Ron joked. A few of the students laughed but Professor Lexington was not satisfied.

Finally Neville slowly raised his hand and Professor Lexington nodded, signaling him to speak.

"You open your trunk and put it in and close your trunk," Neville said, his voice shaking a bit. The professor smiled.

"Correct," he said. The class cheered for Neville. "That question tested your ability to use common sense. And you'll need it if you ever want to survive in the real world."

"Now, how do you get a Basilisk into your trunk?" he asked.

"Stab out it's eyes..." Harry started to say but the professor stopped him and shook his head.

"Use a git like Lockhart and lure him in?" Ron asked, snickering. A few more suggestions were thrown out but none seemed to satisfy Professor Lexington.

Again, Neville raised his hand, but when the professor called on him, he spoke with a stronger voice.

"You open the trunk, take out the Hippogriff, put in the Basilisk, and close the trunk."

"Right again Longbottom," the professor congratulated him. "That question shows how well you can apply the lessons you have already learned to a new problem."

"Well, what about the next question?" Parvati Patil asked.

"Ahh," he said, looking at the paper again. "Hagrid is feeding all the animals at Hogwarts and all the animals but one come to his hut to get food. Which one doesn't come?"

"The Boggart. It doesn't need food," Hermione stated, but it wasn't the answer Professor Lexington was looking for.

"Mrs. Norris?" Lavender asked.

"A mountain troll?" said Dean.

"The owls?" said Seamus.

None of these answers satisfied the teacher.

"The mermaids?" Harry asked.

"Mermaids are clearly labeled as beings in Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them. Besides, they can hunt their own food. Hagrid wouldn't need to feed them," Hermione to him.

Finally the class looked at Neville, who raised his hand.

"The Basilisk. It's in my trunk," he explained. Professor Lexington smiled.

"Correct. That question tested your ability to remember small details." The class applauded Neville and he felt rather pleased.

"Now, the Forbidden Forest is home to hundreds of man-eating spiders. But you need to get through. How do you?" he asked.

"How does he know about them?" Ron asked Harry but Hermione shushed them as she tried to think of an explanation.

"Um... leave some bait outside the forest and hope for the best?" Seamus suggested.

"Use some goons to go through the forest instead?"

"Something about using the trunk as a shield?"

"Accept that you are to die that night and just walk through it?"

None of the answers were what the professor was looking for and quickly everyone turned to look at Neville again. He blushed, but was happy and raised his hand.

"You just walk through. The man eating spiders are at Hagrid's hut," Neville said.

"Yes. And you used logic to figure that out," Professor Lexington explained.

"20 points to Longbottom for getting a 4 out of 4 on the test," he said before beginning the lesson. Neville was beaming.