Chapter 156: The Exam
Chapter 156: The Exam
Early June.
Felix was awakened by the sound of raindrops tapping against the window. The sky outside was gray, and a brilliant flash of lightning streaked across the greenhouse, followed by a series of low, rumbling thunderclaps.
The final exams had already been ongoing for three days, but the Ancient Runes class was scheduled towards the middle to end of the exam period. Therefore, for Felix, today marked the first day of his final exams.
Fortunately, Ancient Runes was an elective course. Excluding the fifth and seventh-year students who were preparing for their Wizarding Level exams, he only needed to proctor the remaining three grades.
All the professors of core subjects, however, had to spend more energy and ingenuity dealing with the young wizards. Professor Belby, who was responsible for Defense Against the Dark Arts, had complained to him more than once—
"There are always students who have a reckless attitude, thinking they can get away with anything. Can you believe it? During the pre-exam checks, I found a dozen cheating quills!"
Felix had specifically consulted Professor Flitwick about this issue. Flitwick advised him, "You can provide the students with anti-cheating quills. This will save you a lot of trouble."
Felix happily adopted this suggestion.
In the Ancient Runes classroom, the long rows of desks were replaced with individual tables and chairs. Felix waved his wand, and a large stack of exam papers and quills accurately landed on the small desks in front of the fourth-year students.
"I must remind you that both the exam papers and quills are enchanted with anti-cheating spells. The consequences of cheating are very serious."
The exam began, and Felix walked up and down the aisles between the desks, announcing the time every half hour.
By the time he gave the second reminder, some students had already finished their exams.
"Very good, Mr. Andrews. You can choose to continue checking your work or go outside to breathe some fresh air."
...
After finishing the proctoring for the fourth-year students, Felix graded the less than one hundred exam papers that same day.
"Seven Os and twenty-two Es. Compared to previous years, this is a very good result."
The former represented outstanding performance, while the latter indicated excellent results. The number of students who passed was even higher.
"Moreover, there are additional points for practical work in Magical Automatons. I might break the best record for the Ancient Runes class in nearly a decade", Felix thought happily. This positive mood was reflected in his demeanor during the subsequent exams, where he maintained a friendly smile.
Finally, at the end of the first week of June, the final exams concluded. The other students were completely liberated. While a few young wizards who were worried about their grades remained anxious for a couple of days, most were already enjoying themselves to the fullest.
The school was filled with laughter and joy. Only the fifth and seventh-year students were still fully focused on preparing for their Wizarding Level exams.
Their anxiety was palpable. As a professor, Felix confiscated all sorts of peculiar items.
"Miss Seldon, can you tell me where you got this onion-flavored amulet?"
Pete Seldon was on the verge of tears, sobbing quietly without saying a word.
"Alright, I won't deduct points this time. Have some Joy Elixir; your mood is too low."
After drinking the Joy Elixir, Seldon's face lit up, and she became much more cheerful. She thanked the professor with a bright smile and left with a light step.
Felix was satisfied with his approach, but soon he noticed that more and more students were heading to the Hospital Wing. A large number of fifth and seventh-year students were telling Madam Pomfrey about their low moods, requesting Joy Elixir to boost their spirits.
"The stock is clearly running low, Professor Hep. Moreover, there are already inferior Joy Elixirs circulating in the school. I've had to treat seven or eight students who couldn't stop laughing", Madam Pomfrey complained.
Besides the Joy Elixir, the Cheering Charm has a similar effect, and this spell is part of the third-year curriculum. For students preparing for the Wizarding Exam, it is a very simple piece of magic.
Finally, the Wizarding Exam arrived on the heels of the final exam results.
One day in mid-June, Felix saw several very elderly wizards at the school. They were the examiners for this year's Wizarding Exam—a warty, ugly man, a plump and short witch, a wizard with thinning hair and glasses, and of course, the head of the Wizarding Exam Board, Griselda Marchbanks.
Marchbanks was a short, hunched witch with a face full of wrinkles, like a web of spider threads. Despite her age, she was in excellent health and had a loud voice. A few years ago, she had been the chief examiner for Felix’s Transfiguration and Charms Owls and Newts.
Incredibly, she had also been Headmaster Dumbledore's examiner. Felix had never seen a wizard of her age who was still actively involved in the magical community.
"Oh, Felix, is that you? It’s great to see you around the school", the diminutive Marchbanks called out from a distance, with Professor Mcgonagall by her side.
"Professor Marchbanks, it’s been a while", Felix whispered, pointing his wand at himself to amplify his voice by a factor of two.
"Not that long, really. Time flies. I remember examining Dumbledore as if it were yesterday", the slightly hard-of-hearing Marchbanks said loudly. "I’ll never forget that day! It was an honor to examine him."
Marchbanks was in high spirits as she looked at Felix. "You were impressive in Charms, too. I heard you’re now a Muggle Studies Expert? Do you teach Muggle Studies?"
"Actually, it’s Ancient Runes, Professor Marchbanks. That’s my area of expertise."
Marchbanks leaned in, then said loudly, "I hope you don’t neglect your magical studies, especially spells. Their power is truly incredible!"
Felix smiled and nodded. When her attention turned elsewhere, he turned to the wizard with thinning hair. "It’s been a while, Toffey. I recently saw Ogden..."
"He mentioned it. It was at a Ministry of Magic award ceremony, right?" Toffey said.
Toffey had also been one of Felix’s examiners, though they hadn’t had much contact during his school years. Felix had visited him after graduation—Toffey was also an Ancient Runes expert, though more theoretical, and had provided Felix with a lot of help.
"That’s right. He looked well."
"Yes, that old fellow! I didn’t believe him when he told me, but I see you really did return to Hogwarts."
"I enjoy the atmosphere here", Felix said casually.
"That’s one of the reasons I stay with the Exam Board. They are the hope of the British magical community—though most of the time, these young people are a headache", the old man rambled on. "And Old Vera, when I mentioned you, he got quite worked up, but I clearly saw your book on his desk..."
Felix stifled a laugh and didn’t respond. Old Vera was the grandfather of one of his students, Crema Vera, a very stubborn old man.
He was also the vice president of the Ancient Runes Association and had always been critical of Felix’s ‘Practical Ancient Runes.’
(End of Chapter)
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