Chapter 159: Heroes of Slytherin
Chapter 159: Heroes of Slytherin
They say that after Easter, the end-of-term exams arrive in no time, and this statement couldn't be more true.
The Hogwarts exams took place in mid-June, with only a slight difference in timing between the different grades. Of course, the written exams were staggered, each proctored by a different professor.
The June weather was unbearably muggy, and cramming into the classrooms for the exams only made it worse.
The written exams began at 9:30 in the morning, starting with Charms. Students needed to find their assigned seats, and by the way, the invigilator for this exam was Professor McGonagall.
Everyone looked tense, but Albert seemed unfazed. He found the whole situation novel, as the Hogwarts exams reminded him of the university exams from his past life.
On the desks were new quills, ink bottles, and parchment provided by Hogwarts specifically for the exams. Allegedly, these quills, ink, and parchment had been enchanted to prevent cheating, but Albert wasn't too concerned about that.
As the biggest cheater among the examinees, these measures were unlikely to affect him.
Once everyone was seated and settled, Professor McGonagall announced the start of the exam. Then, she turned over a large hourglass on her desk and placed it beside her.
As Albert opened the exam paper, a new task appeared on his panel:
> In the Name of a Genius
>
> You are acknowledged as a genius student among the freshmen. As a genius, you should live up to your reputation by achieving outstanding results in all your exams. Prove your prowess by excelling in every subject and show everyone that exams are a piece of cake.
>
> Reward: 1400 experience points.
Albert rolled his eyes as he glanced to his right, three rows down, where Katrina was already writing her answers after skimming through the questions.
He looked down at the first question:
> a) Write down the incantation to make objects fly.
>
> b) Describe the wand movement for the above spell.
>
> ...
"Hmm, this is even easier than I expected," he thought.
Half an hour later, Albert had written down all the answers, and after spending another five minutes reviewing them, he confirmed that there were no mistakes. Then, he rested his head on the desk and dozed off.
There was nothing he could do about the exam lasting a full two hours. However, the Slytherin student sitting behind Albert was taken aback when he noticed that the guy in front of him had started sleeping.
Even the Slytherins knew about Albert Anderson—the alleged genius, excellent student, and Quidditch player who had caught the Golden Snitch in the match against Slytherin, earning the resentment of many of his housemates. Rumor had it that several people had tried to cause trouble for Albert but had all failed miserably, and he had even made the headlines recently.
No one would believe that he couldn't solve the exam questions. The only explanation was that he had finished the exam already.
Could he have completed the exam so quickly?
Is this exam really that simple?
The Slytherin student glanced at his own paper, then looked up at the guy dozing off in front of him, wondering if they had been given different question papers.
Perhaps sensing someone approaching, Albert lifted his head, only to meet the unfriendly gaze of Professor McGonagall.
Albert picked up the parchment that had been face down on his desk and pointed to it, indicating that he had finished the exam.
Professor McGonagall picked up his paper, glanced at it, and silently placed it back on the desk without saying a word, allowing Albert to resume his napping position.
As for handing in the paper early?
That was out of the question, as it might disturb the other examinees. Unless there was a special reason, it wasn't allowed.
"You actually slept for over an hour? Were our exam papers different?" Fred and George each draped an arm around Albert's neck as they complained after the exam.
"Here, take a look at the paper." Albert handed the exam paper he had brought with him to George. "I thought it was pretty easy."
"Easy?" Lee Jordan said weakly.
"If you paid attention in class, took notes, and reviewed them afterward, you'd definitely be able to get an Outstanding easily," Albert replied, his expression clearly implying that they hadn't studied hard enough.
"Shut up, don't mention this again," the three friends said in unison as they covered Albert's mouth with their hands to prevent him from saying anything more incriminating.
In the afternoon, they had a practical exam for Charms, and Professor Flitwick called them into the classroom one by one in alphabetical order, so Albert was first again. The exam required them to cast a spell on a pineapple to make it dance a tap dance across a desk.
It was essentially a test of their spellcasting technique and control. Of course, this posed no challenge to Albert, and he effortlessly performed the task.
The written exam for Transfiguration was the next day, and it was similarly undemanding. After witnessing Albert effortlessly transfigure a mouse into an intricate silver snuffbox bearing the Hogwarts crest, Professor McGonagall decided not to pursue the matter of him sleeping during the exam any further.
The more exquisite the final product, the higher the score. Albert's creation was a true work of art, and he naturally received full marks—or, in this case, an 'Outstanding'.
If there were any remnants of the mouse's whiskers left on the box, points would be deducted. Fred had complained about this, as his ashtray still had faint whisker marks, resulting in a lower grade.
Albert found the practical exam for Potions to be particularly interesting.
The task was to brew a Forgetfulness Potion within two hours.
This wasn't necessarily difficult, as they had only brewed a handful of potions throughout the entire year. But... having Professor Snape looming behind you as you worked was unnerving.
Whenever Professor Snape appeared silently behind a student, he would cast a negative buff on them, causing their heart to race, their hands to shake, and sometimes even leading to mistakes in their potion-making process.
...
The final exam was on History of Magic, a rather dull subject. Albert had reviewed the so-called key points before the exam, and he managed to answer the questions without any mishaps, passing the exam with stable performance.
When Professor Binns instructed them to put down their quills and roll up their parchments, the classroom erupted in cheers.
The exams were finally over, and they were free to relax and enjoy themselves for an entire week until the exam results were announced.
"Let's go, I'll treat you all to some butterbeer to celebrate." Before Katrina could approach, Albert beckoned for his roommates to leave.
"Are we going to Hogsmeade?" Lee Jordan asked in a low voice.
"No need, I already ordered some by owl," Albert replied.
"By owl, you mean that one?" Fred pointed at a owl flying toward them, carrying a package in its talons. It dropped the parcel in front of Albert.
"What's this?" Fred asked curiously as he picked it up. He pulled out a card from the package and handed it to Albert.
"It's definitely a book," George asserted confidently.
"Why do you say that?"
"Packages of this shape usually contain books."
"Can we open it?" Fred looked at Albert.
"Go ahead," Albert said, glancing at the card. Sure enough, George had guessed correctly. The book was titled 'Complete Guide to Basic Runes' and was apparently a recent publication by Mr. McDougal.
With the end-of-term exams finally over, everyone was enjoying the last few days of school before the summer holidays.
Slytherin had ultimately defeated Hufflepuff, even if it was in a crushing manner, they were still perpetually devoid of the Quidditch Cup.
Who could forget that it was a first-year student from Slytherin who caused their loss? This fact left most of the Slytherin students seething with rage.
And, to make matters worse, they might not only miss out on the Quidditch Cup but also the coveted House Cup.
Currently, Gryffindor led Slytherin by a slight margin of fifteen points, and there were only a few days left until the end-of-year feast.
Albert, however, paid little attention to these matters. He was reading a book under a tree by the lake, not far from where the Weasley twins and Lee Jordan were using sticks to poke at a giant squid sunbathing in the warm, shallow waters.
During this time before the holidays, the four of them often hung out by the lake, occasionally discussing how to get back at Filch and those who wanted to cause them trouble.
"What's up?" Albert closed his book, titled 'A Comprehensive Guide to Basic Runes', and looked up as Katrina approached.
"I'm ready," she said, eyeing the book in Albert's hand curiously. "Why aren't you going to Ravenclaw Tower?"
"Why would I? I have friends here, and I'm doing just fine." Albert nodded towards the three by the lake. "At least, better than you."
"I have friends too," Katrina retorted, glaring at Albert, clearly unhappy with his implication that she had no friends.
"Shall we head to Ravenclaw Tower now?" Albert changed the subject, starting to get up, but then noticed four Slytherin students approaching. Their eyes locked, and Albert knew they were up to no good.
Katrina noticed the brief change in Albert's expression and turned to see the four upperclassmen from Slytherin. She frowned, sensing trouble.
"Looks like you're in a bit of a pickle," she said.
"Trouble? I don't see any trouble," Albert said nonchalantly.
As they spoke, the four Slytherins drew closer.
"Well, well, well. If it isn't the famous Albert Anderson," one of them sneered.
"If I were you, I wouldn't start any trouble right now," Albert said, pointing behind them.
"Who do you think you're fooling? Do you take us for fools?" one of them scoffed.
"Maybe we should play along with him," another one said, clenching his fists, ready for a fight.
"That would just make you look stupider," a third one added, his wand already drawn.
"I've got this, and I can take on all of you with my bare hands if I need to," Albert said, motioning for Katrina to stay back. "And I'm not alone."
"You intend to bully a first-year student right in front of Professor Babbling?" Katrina frowned, realizing the four of them were up to no good.
No, it was more like Albert was deliberately goading them, wanting them to make a move so that Professor Babbling, who was nearby, would witness these upperclassmen from Slytherin picking on a first-year Gryffindor student.
What would happen then?
Katrina didn't need to guess; she could already imagine the outcome.
George, Fred, and Lee Jordan, who were by the lake, had also noticed the situation and had their wands drawn, ready to jump in and help.
However, they slowed their steps and hid their wands behind their backs, eager to see how Albert would handle this.
The four Slytherins clearly didn't buy Albert's low-level trick, probably thinking he was trying to distract them and then launch a surprise attack.
So, they made their move.
One of them lunged at Albert, intending to use his larger build to pin Albert down and teach him a lesson.
But Albert was quick; he sidestepped and tripped his attacker with a swift kick.
Another one, wand drawn, was about to cast a spell when Albert disarmed him, sending his wand flying into Albert's outstretched hand.
"Stop right there! What do you think you're doing?" Professor Babbling's voice cut through the air, her initial surprise turning to anger.
The two who had been about to cast a spell at Albert froze in their tracks.
"Professor... we were just..."
"Do you think I'm blind?" Professor Babbling glared at the four of them. "Slytherin will lose twenty points, each of you. I will inform Professor Snape, and perhaps he should consider giving you a few days of detention. This sort of behavior towards a first-year student is unacceptable."
The four students' faces darkened with anger.
"Good morning, Professor Babbling," Albert said with a smile, greeting the Ancient Runes professor.
"I assume you didn't get my note?" Professor Babbling assessed Albert, nodding. "Come with me; I have something to discuss with you."
"Yes, Professor." Albert shrugged helplessly at the four Slytherins, who were now seething. "I told you so."
Before leaving with Professor Babbling, Albert turned to Katrina and said, "By the way, Katrina, let's postpone that matter for now."
"You jerk, give me back my wand!" The Slytherin student, whose wand Albert had taken, was fuming.
"Oh dear, what did I just hear?" Fred said mockingly, watching the Slytherin student's dark expression. "Looks like Slytherin is at the bottom now."
"You four are dead!"
"Let's go and spread the good news!" Lee Jordan laughed, delighted. "Slytherin has completely blown it this time."
"Yeah, go tell everyone!" Fred agreed, and the three of them headed back to their common room, leaving a bewildered Katrina and the furious Slytherins behind.
In the afternoon, students passing through the entrance hall noticed the change in the points. Slytherin had lost a whopping eighty points, dropping to the bottom of the rankings. With Fred's propaganda, the four Slytherins instantly became infamous as the "heroes" who had picked a fight with a first-year student right in front of a professor.
The four "heroes" became the talk of the school, and their fellow Slytherins gave them cold glares, furious at their "brainless" actions that had cost Slytherin the chance to compete for the House Cup.
Of course, Snape was not pleased either. It was embarrassing for a professor to point out that students from his house had been bullying a first-year student right under his nose.
(End of Chapter)
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