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Chapter 1106: The Ultimate Wizarding Exam (Part 2)
Chapter 1106: The Ultimate Wizarding Exam (Part 2)
Everyone was eager to see Umbridge get what she deserved.
Or perhaps it was just the thrill of the spectacle that intrigued them, for once the excitement died down, no one really cared about Umbridge's fate anymore.
Currently, most students were focused on their end-of-term exams, especially those in their fifth and seventh years. They hardly had any spare brain capacity to spare for thinking about Umbridge.
Thus, the much-anticipated trial of the toad-like woman was largely ignored by the student body.
After all, what did it matter to them if Umbridge was sent to Azkaban or not?
The only person in Hogwarts who seemed to care about Umbridge's situation was Harry Potter, though his attention was largely occupied by the O.W.L.s.
Lately, Albert had often heard seventh-year students complaining about the difficulty of the practical exams. In the Charms exam, quite a number of students were caught whispering the spells and subsequently penalized.
However, the Charms practical exam was not the hardest. On the second day of the Ultimate Wizarding Exam, most of the examinees were stunned by the Transfiguration practical exam.
The students were required to perform human transfiguration—to alter their own appearance using transfiguration magic, essentially disguising themselves with magic. This task, though seemingly simple, stumped a lot of people, and the variety of bizarre appearances that resulted had the examiners shaking their heads.
Additionally, the candidates had to transfigure a table into a pig or some other creature. The larger the resulting creature, the more difficult the transfiguration, and transfiguring a table into something else was undoubtedly a challenge for everyone.
The last part was comparatively easier—using the Alteration Charm to change a passage of text on a piece of parchment as instructed by the examiner, causing the corresponding text on other parchments to change as well.
As expected, Albert effortlessly achieved an 'Outstanding' again. While waiting for the others in the corridor, he saw a series of amusing faces.
Some had dyed their hair, attempting to disguise themselves in this simple manner. Some had transformed themselves into bug-eyed, big-mouthed, high-bridged-nosed freaks, while others' faces were swollen as if they had been stung by bees. In the end, this group of unlucky souls, whose plastic surgeries had gone awry, had no choice but to seek help from Madam Pomfrey in the hopes of restoring their original appearances.
"What did you plan to transfigure yourself into?" Albert scanned Lee Jordan's appearance and teased, waving his wand to restore the boy's eyebrows and hair color.
"I don't know," Lee Jordan sighed deeply. "My mind went blank during the exam."
"So, you thought dying your eyebrows and hair would be enough to bluff your way through?"
"Well, it's all messed up now anyway."
"If you plan to open a shop in the future, it doesn't matter if you mess up or not. Even if you get the highest N.E.W.Ts in Transfiguration, it won't make much difference," Albert consoled him.
"That's true, but... it's still frustrating," Lee Jordan sighed lightly. "You, who always get 'Outstanding', wouldn't understand how we feel."
"How did it go?" Albert smiled and asked Hannah.
"I should be able to get an 'Exceeds Expectations' at least," Hannah replied.
"What about Angelina?"
"The pig that Angelina transfigured the table into... doesn't seem very... active," Hannah said hesitantly.
"Maybe it's too fat. Albert's fat cat loves to lie around all day," Lee Jordan joked in an attempt to comfort her.
"Ah, forget it. Anyway, it doesn't matter what the results are. Tomorrow we can finally breathe a sigh of relief," said Angelina, who planned to join the Quidditch Club after graduation and thus didn't have high expectations for her grades.
"What if you don't make it into the Quidditch Club?" Alicia looked at her best friend and asked, "Having good grades can always give you more options."
"You should have more confidence in me. Even Albert thinks I can join the club," Angelina glared at Alicia, unable to hide her displeasure despite knowing that her friend meant well.
"Angelina does have an advantage in this regard. She's a good player and has been a Quidditch Captain before," Lee Jordan chimed in. "Every year, there aren't that many graduating students who want to join the Quidditch Club. Even if she messes up, she can always help out at the shop. Fred and George will definitely welcome her with open arms."
"Have they really opened a shop?" Hannah asked curiously.
"They're still renovating," Albert smiled and said, "but they should be open for business soon."
"The rent for shops in Diagon Alley must be expensive, right?"
"Ever since the news of the Dark Lord's resurrection spread, business in Diagon Alley has taken a hit. Many shops have closed down, and the prices of the remaining shops have dropped significantly. Oh, and Ollivander seems to have gone missing."
It was only because of Ollivander and Florian Fortescue's disappearances that Diagon Alley was in such a state of panic. The stubborn old shop owner had finally compromised and agreed to sell the shop at a lower price, largely due to the prolonged impact of the Wizarding War.
"Ollivander? The wandmaker?" Hannah was surprised.
"Yes, him," Albert nodded. "The shop was empty with no signs of a struggle. No one knows if he left on his own or was kidnapped."
"What about the first-years' wands next semester?"
"The Ministry of Magic will have to find another wandmaker," Albert shrugged. "But it won't be easy to find one with a good reputation."
Albert didn't know if Ollivander had fled of his own accord or been captured by Death Eaters, but the wandmaker was indeed missing.
As for Florean Fortescue, he had fled the country beforehand, and Albert knew this because Fortescue had written him a letter of thanks before leaving Britain.
"It's really bad luck to run into the worst of times. It won't be easy to find a job in this kind of environment," Hannah sighed heavily, beginning to worry about her future.
"You'll always be able to find a job," Albert consoled her. "If you really can't find one, I can introduce you to something."
"You're introducing jobs to others now?" Everyone looked at Albert in surprise.
"It's one of the perks of knowing a lot of people, but I'm not sure if you'll like those jobs," Albert shrugged and reminded them. "It's not easy to find a job that you're satisfied with."
The content of the third day of the Ultimate Wizarding Exam's practical Herbology exam was: How to properly harvest the fangs and leaves of a Venomous Tentacula.
For this, Madam Pomfrey had plenty of complaints.
Quite a number of wizards had been killed by Venomous Tentaculas.
As the plant was extremely dangerous, Madam Pomfrey had no choice but to stand by throughout the entire exam to prevent students from being bitten by the plant.
Although such cases were actually rare, it was necessary to be cautious.
Albert easily harvested the fangs and leaves by using a spell to immobilize the plant, quickly completing the exam.
Although Albert's method differed from the conventional approach, it was evidently safer and allowed for quicker harvesting. Thus, Professors Sprout and Tofty still awarded him an 'Outstanding', as the use of magic to assist in the harvest was permitted, although being grasped by the Venomous Tentacula would result in a deduction of points.
After the exam, Albert was kept back by Madam Pomfrey to help out, while the nurse complained continuously to Professor Sprout, who could only respond with a helpless expression.
In truth, as long as one took the necessary precautions, the Venomous Tentacula wasn't as dangerous as imagined. Most of the witches and wizards who were poisoned to death by the plant had failed to wear dragon hide gloves and had been bitten, leading to poisoning, without receiving immediate treatment.
The Dark Arts Defense exam took place on Thursday, and due to Umbridge's influence, the exam content was easier than expected.
The students were required to silently cast the Finite spell on rabbits, demonstrate their mastery of defensive spells (Protego) by successfully blocking curses, and finally, show the examiners their ability to cast the Banishing Charm.
As Albert completed the practical exam, Professor Tofty suddenly said, "I recall you once presented a method to deal with werewolves."
"The Human Restoration Spell wasn't my invention." Albert shook his head. "I merely restored the spell."
"Oh, you're still so humble, but that is quite an impressive feat," Professor Tofty said curiously. "Could you demonstrate it for us?"
"I'm afraid that would be difficult, as there are no werewolves present."
"Oh, what a shame. I've heard that the Human Restoration Charm is incredibly complex," Professor Tofty said, a little disappointed.
"Alright, Tofty, there are many other students waiting to take the exam," Professor McGonagall interrupted, giving Albert an 'Outstanding' and indicating that he could leave.
The content of Friday's Ancient Runes exam directly stumped the other students, as they were required to translate an article without any aids.
Shanah complained endlessly about the Ancient Runes exam. Without any tools, the rest of the students were left clueless, severely damaging their confidence.
Thus, there were very few witches and wizards who were truly skilled in Ancient Runes, and the demand for such expertise was also limited.
"You're quite skilled in that area yourself," Lee Jordan said, raising an eyebrow. "I recall you even published a book about Ancient Runes."
"That was out of necessity."
"Necessity?"
"Some ancient texts are recorded in Ancient Runes, and if you want to fully understand them, you need to be proficient. Additionally, some ancient spells require the use of Ancient Runes, so if you want to master them, you need to know Ancient Runes," Albert explained.
"Your reason for mastering Ancient Runes is really something..."
Everyone was at a loss for words.
"Dumbledore is also an expert in Ancient Runes."
"What about Arithmancy?" Shanah asked curiously. "Don't tell me it's because you're better at math."
"When it comes to Arithmancy, I actually lean more towards probability theory," Albert said. "For example, calculating the probability of an event occurring and then speculating on whether it will happen or not."
"So, you're often able to guess a lot of things correctly?" Lee Jordan asked, his eyes widening.
"Yes, it's something like that," Albert admitted. "So, many times, I'm just guessing."
The truth left everyone stunned.
Guessing, really?
"Divination is something that you might have a premonition about if it's related to yourself, but for the rest, you have to stare into a crystal ball. I don't have that kind of time," Albert explained.
"So, when you told Harry that Umbridge was definitely done for, was that also a guess?" Lee Jordan asked, his expression complicated.
"Umbridge being finished is quite normal. Harry strongly interfered in the matter, causing her to be abandoned by the Ministry of Magic," Albert said matter-of-factly. "Once she was abandoned, she was naturally done for. The Ministry had to give the public an explanation, and Umbridge became the sacrificial lamb, also serving to appease the 'Chosen One's' emotions."
"If Harry hadn't accepted the interview, would the Ministry have abandoned Umbridge?" Angelina asked, her eyes widening.
"Most likely not. The Ministry would have probably pretended to investigate Umbridge and put her on temporary leave, waiting for the uproar to die down. Then, Umbridge would have continued her work at the Ministry," Albert explained. "But Harry stood up and made a big deal out of it, forcing the Ministry to take action. They couldn't cover it up anymore, so they had to give the public an explanation, and Umbridge became the scapegoat."
"That's disgusting. No wonder you don't want to work for the Ministry," Angelina said.
"Anderson, Dumbledore wants you to come to his office tomorrow morning at eight o'clock," said Nearly Headless Nick, floating towards Albert.
"What's the matter?"
"It seems it's about Umbridge's trial. You need to attend the trial as a substitute for the Wizengamot. Remember to wear your robes," Nick explained.
"That's great news," Lee Jordan muttered.
"I also need to find Potter. He's supposed to testify," Nick said, turning to leave and notify Harry.
"It looks like Umbridge is really finished," Angelina sighed. "Maybe she'll be locked up in Azkaban for life."
"It's difficult. This time, she'll be locked up for a few years at most," Albert shook his head.
"But didn't you predict that Umbridge would die in Azkaban?" Lee Jordan asked, confused.
"Yes, but not this time," Albert said.
"Will there be a next time?"
"I think that after the mysterious figure gains control, he will definitely release the prisoners of Azkaban and make them his minions," Albert said quietly, voicing his speculation. "Umbridge knows the Ministry, she's the Deputy Minister, and she's evil to the core. She also knows some Death Eaters, so she will definitely be useful."
"So, after the mysterious figure is defeated by Harry, when Umbridge is thrown back into Azkaban, she will have to spend the rest of her life there?" Lee Jordan understood Albert's implication.
(End of Chapter)
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