Chapter 102: End-of-Term Exams
Chapter 102: End-of-Term Exams
A few days before the exams, Kyle's owl, Raton, finally returned to Hogwarts.
As Kyle returned to the common room after dinner, he immediately spotted Raton perched on the windowsill.
The owl looked exhausted, its eyes drooping and its once vibrant feathers now dull and lackluster, its body visibly thinner.
Upon seeing Kyle, Raton lifted its head and attempted to fly towards him, but halfway through, it started descending due to fatigue.
Kyle quickly rushed forward to catch it.
"I believe that's your owl," Cedric remarked, watching as Raton snuggled into Kyle's arms, clearly spent. "How many letters did you have it deliver? It looks utterly worn out."
"Just one..." Kyle trailed off, a bemused smile on his face. "Though I think it might have misunderstood my instructions."
Kyle gently placed Raton on the nearby sofa and removed a letter from its claw.
It was a response, and the handwriting on the envelope was Newt's.
Apparently, instead of simply delivering the letter to Dorsetshire as instructed, Raton had flown directly to find Newt, which explained its prolonged absence.
Kyle shook his head, half exasperated and half amused... that silly bird.
With the end-of-term exams starting the next day, the young witches and wizards retired early, eager to be in optimal condition for the challenges ahead.
Kyle stroked Raton's neck feathers affectionately before sitting down next to the owl and opening the envelope.
Inside was a brief reply.
"Kyle:
I was surprised to receive your letter from so far away. I've thought about what you said, and the Curved Wing Devil's venom is non-corrosive and specifically targets the brain, having no effect on plants.
However, I examined the piece of wood you sent, and indeed, it contains traces of the Curved Wing Devil's venom. This is a significant discovery, and as soon as things wrap up here, we will head to Hogwarts.
(Your father asked me to relay a message: Stay away from dangerous situations. Leave everything to Dumbledore.)
-Newt Scamander"
After reading the letter, Kyle sat silently, his eyes closed as he pondered its contents.
Hagrid's trip to the Forbidden Forest that night had nothing to do with catching them night roaming; it was because of someone else.
Once he ventured deeper into the forest, he likely encountered that person and engaged in a struggle, explaining the messy footprints by the tree.
Unfortunately, the opponent possessed a Curved Wing Devil, and due to the venom's effects, Hagrid forgot about the incident.
He forgot about his foray into the Forbidden Forest and all that transpired during that time, which was why, on Christmas Day, Hagrid failed to deliver the Christmas tree to the Great Hall at the appointed time.
In his memory, it felt as if only a short while had passed since Halloween.
Now, everything made sense.
And that Curved Wing Devil was most likely the one that the Ministry had been searching for—the missing piece of the puzzle.
The only remaining question was: Who had poisoned Hagrid?
Was it one of the wizards hiding in disguise at the Hog's Head Inn, or some rodent lurking in the castle...?
Half an hour later, a frustrated Kyle decided to give up.
All things were achievable as long as one was willing to let go.
As the letter said, everything would be handled by Dumbledore, and with the upcoming holidays, he could set aside these concerns.
Kyle stood up, cradling Raton in his arms, and returned to the dormitory.
...
The next day, the exams commenced.
First up was the Magic Theory exam, a written test.
Gryffindor's Katie Bell entered the exam room with a tense expression. Not long after she sat down, Professor McGonagall approached and abruptly snatched the large red hair accessory from her head, coldly saying:
"Miss Bell, that is not how you use a Transfiguration spell."
The hair accessory squirmed in Professor McGonagall's hand, soon transforming into a piece of parchment filled with tiny writing.
Witnessing the entire incident, Kyle clicked his tongue in admiration, silently giving Katie a mental thumbs-up.
Attempting to cheat using Transfiguration in front of Professor McGonagall... That move was quite explosive even by the standards of the magical world.
Setting aside the spell itself, just the courage it took was something possessed by only two percent of the student body—truly worthy of Gryffindor.
As for those who had cheat sheets written on their clothes, they fared no better... With just a single round through the classroom, Professor McGonagall had them all hauled out.
As a veteran professor and deputy headmistress who had taught at Hogwarts for over thirty years, Professor McGonagall needed no props to detect cheating; she could simply tell from the students' expressions who was feeling guilty, and her judgments were always accurate.
Even as the exam began, she was quietly complaining to herself that Dumbledore shouldn't have assigned her to the first-year exam... The lack of challenging cheating methods here was disappointing. She believed she should have been assigned to supervise students from the third year and above, where the variety of cheating methods was far more intriguing.
There were potions, transmutation tools, and gestural spells, to name a few.
Especially with potions... Basic concoctions like Pepperup Potion and Wake-Up Potion were child's play compared to the more complex potions. It was said that during last year's N.E.W.T exams, there was even a student who used Felix Felicis, though she hadn't witnessed it herself.
Additionally, it was not uncommon for students to attempt to enter the exam room using Polyjuice Potion or a Disguise Spell.
Hence, supervising the upper-year students' exams was akin to engaging in a silent war for the professors.
While this might have been torturous for other professors, Professor McGonagall relished it. She absolutely loved the intellectual battle of wits between herself and the students.
Unfortunately, this year, she had been assigned to the novice group.
An hour later, looking at the honest and well-behaved freshmen, Professor McGonagall complained again, "Albus, why did you insist on putting me in charge of the first years... Even the third years would have been more interesting."
After the written exam, there was also a practical exam. Professor Flitwick asked the students to make a pineapple ride a "flying broomstick" (which was actually just a wooden stick with feathers attached)
around the classroom.
Of course, this posed no difficulty for Kyle, who not only perfectly executed the task but also manipulated the stick to perform a classic Quidditch maneuver.
Professor Flitwick immediately awarded him full marks.
Professor McGonagall, on the other hand, asked them to transfigure a rabbit into a brooch, with more intricate and rabbit-like designs receiving higher scores.
Kyle happened to have a brooch that Mick had given him as a Christmas present, so he transfigured the rabbit into an exact replica of it, earning him another perfect score from Professor McGonagall.
For the Potions exam, they were tested on the relatively simple Pimple Potion. Though Kyle brewed a flawless potion, he couldn't be sure he would get a high score.
During the exam, Snape stood almost constantly behind him, shaking his head. It was obvious that he would find all sorts of reasons to deduct points.
(End of Chapter)
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