Chapter 436: Exam Preparation
Chapter 436: Exam Preparation (Request for Subscriptions, Favorites, and Votes)
June finally arrived, and the weather began to turn hot, with the days growing longer. Sunlight bathed the land, making the lake, the lawns, and even Hogwarts' castle sparkle. But for the fifth-year students, this meant only one thing: their O.W.L.s exams were finally here.
The excitement from the Quidditch Tournament had lasted a couple of days, but the pressure of exams quickly silenced the fifth and seventh-year students once again.
All the professors stopped assigning homework; except for Professor Binns, all class time was devoted to reviewing the topics they believed would most likely appear on the exams. As for Professor Binns, since death itself couldn't stop him from teaching, a little O.W.L.s exam certainly wouldn't. But everyone had learned to use his class to memorize important material or catch a brief rest.
Liam and Hermione shared their notes with the classmates who came to ask for help, which naturally earned them a lot of goodwill. Especially among the Study Group members, those facing the exams now had two sets of notes. For them, the practice in the Study Group had made their practical application of magic quite solid. However, they still needed some extra help with memorizing certain textbook content.
Many students exhibited strange behaviors. For example, Ernie Macmillan became increasingly interested in inquiring about others' study schedules, while Malfoy boasted about his family's connections in public.
Hermione was no different. Liam noticed that she often muttered to herself and spent long hours studying, which had disrupted her biological clock. He had to drag her to the Great Hall for meals every day to ensure she took a break. Otherwise, she would probably have relied on the Nutrient Serum from the Radiation World he had given her to solve her eating problems.
Of course, in a magical world, many wizards tried to use magic to solve their problems, such as certain magical elixirs. Liam saw a sixth-year Ravenclaw student, Eddie Mitchell, trying to sell Harry and Ron a Brain Boost Potion, and they seemed quite interested, with Harry even reaching for his wallet.
"Two idiots!" Hermione put down her pen and walked over. This was something she and Liam, as Prefects, had been doing frequently lately: confiscating suspicious potions. Over the past two days, they had seized over 30 bottles of potions claiming to enhance concentration, invigorate the mind, and keep one awake.
"Harry and Ron actually believe this stuff works", Hermione placed the potion on the table. Liam picked it up, smelled it, and immediately identified it.
"Some kind of wake-up elixir with a bunch of useless ingredients?" Liam put the bottle down on the table. "At least the Ravenclaws are a bit more sophisticated than our housemates, who try to pass off dried and ground vixen droppings as Dragon Claw Powder. Seriously, Dragon Claw Powder can indeed boost memory for a few hours. But the downside is that it can cause your brain to short circuit for several days afterward. Use it too much, and those short circuits can become permanent."
"Yeah, but there are still so many people willing to buy it, which is hard to understand", Hermione picked up her book and started memorizing again.
Just like students exchanging yearbooks before the College Entrance Exam, the castle was filled with a sense of farewell, especially among the seventh-year students and their first-year sweethearts. For example, Liam saw Zhang Qiu crying on Cedric's shoulder in a corner one day.
In Transfiguration class, Deputy Headmistress Professor Mcgonagall informed everyone of the specific exam schedule and arrangements. Unlike the College Entrance Exam, which has a tight schedule, the O.W.L.s were more relaxed, with exams not taking place every day. All written exams were scheduled in the morning, while practical exams were in the afternoon.
Of course, like before the College Entrance Exam, the head of house and school leaders emphasized the strict prohibition on cheating. Professor Mcgonagall repeatedly explained the anti-cheating measures to every student: "I must remind you that your exam papers have been enchanted with the strictest anti-cheating spells. You are strictly prohibited from bringing automatic answering quills into the exam hall, as well as Memory Balls, detachable cheating cuffs, and self-correcting ink..."
Of course, this approach to speaking wasn't very effective. As Professor Mcgonagall said, every year someone tries to bypass this rule to pass their exams, and their outcomes are always disastrous. However, this didn't concern Liam, as he had already finished all his revisions.
Finally, under Hermione's inquiry, Professor Mcgonagall informed everyone that an owl would deliver their exam results in July. Liam thought that by then, he might have already returned from visiting his parents in China. Otherwise, the exam board would need to find a long-distance owl to deliver the results to both him and Hermione.
The last Sunday before the exams, Liam spent an extremely productive final day. Having completed his revisions and with nothing else to do, he agreed to help Hermione with her studies. As a result, he cast no fewer than fifteen Life Magic spells to calm her down throughout the day. Hermione was extremely anxious and kept snatching the textbook from his hands to check her answers, even nearly slamming the book on Liam's face.
Even with the help of magic, Hermione remained unsettled. During dinner, Liam, sitting to her left, could see her pulling out her book to study. Finally, he couldn't bear it anymore and covered the book with his hand. "With your current level, I bet you could ace the N.E.W.T. exams and get all Outstanding. Now, eat your dinner properly. You don't want to have an upset stomach affecting your exams tomorrow."
After a few tense seconds, Hermione took a deep breath, nodded, and put away her book. She then finished her meal, but her mind was clearly elsewhere.
During dinner, Umbridge entered the Great Hall, looking extremely nervous, accompanied by a small group of elderly wizards and witches. No matter how arrogant she was at school, she had to be respectful when facing these venerable figures who held high status in the wizarding world. For instance, Griselda Marchbanks, whose face was covered in wrinkles like a spider web, repeatedly criticized Dumbledore's dismissal from Hogwarts as an extremely foolish move. Umbridge's face turned sour, as if she had swallowed a mouthful of foul liquid, but she dared not utter a word in response. This made most students feel a great sense of satisfaction.
Indeed, to be an examiner for the 112-year-old Dumbledore and to have been one for so many years, this old wizard must have had considerable skill and connections. Moreover, these examiners were not under the jurisdiction of the Ministry of Magic. They had the power and influence to ignore the Ministry's orders. For example, the examiner who tested Harry in Defense Against the Dark Arts paid no heed to the Ministry's attempts to undermine Harry. Thus, Umbridge had to endure their criticism, no matter how harsh. If she dared to backtalk, she would likely be dismissed from the Ministry of Magic the next day, and even Fudge couldn't protect her.
That evening, most students who were taking the exam the next day lit calming incense in their dormitories, purchased from the Weasley Twins. The next morning, except for the Slytherin students who refused to buy anything from Pureblood traitors and Mudbloods, the majority of the students were in good spirits. According to Professor Mcgonagall, they were the best-prepared group of students she had seen in her years as a professor.
Liam observed the students' state and thought, "Looks like Weasley's Wizard Wheezes is about to have a best-selling product."
After breakfast, the other students went to their classes, while the seventh and fifth-year students wandered aimlessly in the entrance hall, clearly on edge.
Liam was a rare exception, not only calm but also able to comfort his acquaintances. This was understandable; someone who had experienced the battlefield with thousands of soldiers and the intense Chinese College Entrance Exam wouldn't be overly nervous about this exam.
Finally, the clock struck half past nine, and the exam was about to begin.
(End of Chapter)
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