Chapter 598: Wizard Level Examination
Chapter 598: Wizard Level Examination
In Classroom Seven, Felix sat in a swivel chair, lost in thought.
He was on a circular platform, the floor polished from a single piece of black gemstone, reflecting clear images of anyone standing on it.
A blurry book floated in the air before him, its size and shape indeterminate, but when Felix looked at it, it transformed into whatever he desired.
He waved his wand, and a silver, corporeal Patronus took shape.
It was a small Swift, which, upon appearing, immediately darted around the circular room, circling twice before landing in front of Felix as if it had never moved.
Felix waved his wand again, and a sky-blue, round, fluffy bird hopped down, waddling on the ground. At the same time, a black, bristly Acromantula materialized out of thin air. Despite its terrifying appearance, it looked somewhat less menacing in Patronus form. Felix continued to wave his wand, and one by one, magical creatures appeared around him.
There was a Horned Serpent with a green body and a horn on its head; a golden Phoenix with two long, beautiful tail feathers; a group of fire dragons in various shapes, each towering and fierce; a small, snowy white ferret; a gaunt, bat-winged Thestral; and, upon closer inspection, a Dementor. Even in Patronus form, it resembled a tattered, grayish-black rag.
Compared to it, a tattered cloth from the Hog's Head would be a hundred times better.
Felix sat in the center, like the curator of a magical creature zoo, his eyes fixed on these strange and varied Patronuses.
He studied them one by one.
These creatures seemed to have their own 'personalities,' each unique.
For instance, the Thestral was quite timid, its silver-gray, pupil-less eyes still visible. The Puffskein and the unknown white ferret seemed full of curiosity, hopping around everywhere. The fire dragons, on the other hand, roared continuously, their eyes filled with fury. However, they were now no taller than a few feet, making them look not much bigger than a small red lizard. When a miniature Hungarian Horntail stretched its neck to roar, a nearby Thunderbird suddenly lunged forward, knocking the fire dragon off balance.
Not far away, a Horned Serpent leaped into the smooth, mirror-like floor, swimming through it with ease before reemerging on the other side, staring at a dazed Hippogriff.
...
If there was one thing they had in common, it was that Felix had studied them all closely. In other words, at least in theory, he could easily transform into any of them.
A loud knocking echoed from outside, as if a troll was wielding a club and pounding on the door.
Among all the professors in Classroom Seven, only one could do this—Felix himself. He pursed his lips, and golden lines appeared on the walls, twisting into the shape of a door. The next second, the door was pushed open from the outside.
"Wow!"
The memory construct whistled, the sound echoing off the smooth floor as he looked around. "You can do this now? Man, I wish I had this knowledge!" He then transformed his body into a silver, translucent state, his legs covered in mist, pretending to be a Patronus.
"Hey, big guy, I'm your companion", the memory construct introduced himself to a towering Thunderbird. "I", he pointed to himself, "and you—" he gestured in a wide circle, encompassing all the magical creatures present, "are the same."
The Thunderbird glanced at him with a sideways glance, unmoving.
Felix rolled his eyes.
"Be careful, it's the embodiment of pride."
"Useful for impersonating a statue, right?" The memory construct circled the Thunderbird, who, towering over him, flapped its wings and blew him away. He floated weightlessly to Felix's side.
Their eyes met, and the memory construct cleared his throat.
Felix had a sudden thought and addressed his memory construct, "I have a question, and I need your help."
He slowly said, "Voldemort's soul has a loophole, and my idea is to focus on that. However, manipulating souls is a more taboo and evil field than time, with sparse public information...
I can alter the time of an apple, but I can't change the soul of a Horned Slug.
Soul, memory, and emotion intersect. If given enough time—" Felix frowned.
The memory construct listened intently.
"Go on!"
"Stop interrupting", Felix said. "Whether in the time domain or the soul domain, I initially encountered scattered points..."
Regarding the former, Felix had access to research materials copied from the Department of Mysteries, including the Hour-Reversal Charm. He also had ample time energy, though 'ample' was a relative term. Like Dementors, the more you used, the less you had, and it was never enough.
As for the latter, the soul domain, Felix had a few minor footholds, such as Unforgivable Curses and the Thestral's perspective. However, using these isolated points to create a soul prison was extremely difficult.
Fortunately, Felix was highly skilled in Memory Magic and had a deep understanding of one of its branches—emotions. His recent work was closely related to this: using Memory Magic and emotion magic as stepping stones to delve into the soul domain.
His increasingly bizarre Patronus was a combination of these two.
Besides his Patronus, Felix also owed a great deal to Dementors. Dementors were not true living beings, but they shared some characteristics with Voldemort's residual soul. If a Patronus could trap a Dementor, could it also trap Voldemort's residual soul?
This was what Felix was working on. However, he was hesitant, unsure who should take the lead.
"Which emotion do you think Voldemort is weakest against?" Felix asked.
"Hmm..." the memory construct pondered.
"It can't be negative emotions", Felix mused aloud. "So, positive emotions? But can remorse be classified as a positive emotion? It might play a role in later 'rehabilitation,' but for capturing..."
He shook his head, doubting its effectiveness.
"I think..." the memory construct opened his mouth.
"But who knows", Felix's attitude wavered. "Remorse is an emotion Voldemort would never spontaneously generate. His self-proclaimed nobility forbids him from doing so, which means this emotion could cause him immense pain."
"Why don't you combine them?" the memory construct said, irritated after being interrupted several times.
"Combine them? Throw them all at once?" Felix blinked.
"Exactly, a flood of them." The memory construct gestured toward the diverse Patronuses. "You have an entire army of Patronuses."
Felix thought about it. He had considered similar ideas before, but Patronuses were not for fighting; they were to trap Voldemort, acting as a prison. Essentially, it was no different from a Dementor capture cage—except that the cage for Voldemort had to be even more secure...
He was about to explain when a strange idea popped into his head, one that captivated him.
A flood? No, a cycle.
...
The next day, when Felix met Sirius Star, he seemed less enthusiastic.
"Must be one of the old man's quirks", Sirius Star said gloomily. "He came to my office last night, asking all sorts of questions and urging me—" He suddenly paused, abruptly changing the subject. "By the way, did you do something to him? He was badmouthing you."
"I'm more curious about how he got to your office", Felix asked.
He glanced around the Great Hall, where the atmosphere was distinctly divided. On one side, students went about their usual classes, still discussing the quality of breakfast before the Final Exam. On the other side, fifth and seventh-year students looked pale and couldn't eat.
A seventh-year Ravenclaw girl stared blankly at her vegetable soup, while her friend carefully examined a partially eaten strawberry pie, as if worried it might be poisoned—or maybe the opposite, Felix thought.
Regardless, they hadn't moved for two minutes.
"It's because I moved his portrait there", Sirius Star said gloomily, seemingly regretting his hasty decision. "The day before my appointment. He said that since Kreacher helps in the kitchen during his free time, there was no reason to keep him in the house."
"So you agreed?" Felix asked, amused. "You should know his emotions aren't real. He isn't your great-grandfather."
"I know", Sirius Star said, his face darkening. "Even without studying it, if you grow up facing stiff, awkward ancestors' portraits, you'd also realize this. The Headmaster portraits at Hogwarts are more realistic, but their reactions can't exceed their initial programming..."
"Like my mother", he said gloomily. "She left all her resentment in that portrait."
That was the tragedy of portraits.
They were like carefully programmed scripts, drawing on stored memories before responding. They weren't living beings but items that responded according to old rules. They also found it difficult to change their ingrained views. To Sirius Star, he was always the 'disgraced family member' in his mother's portrait, never to be forgiven.
However, from another perspective, their reactions were the most genuine. If Phineas Black's portrait showed genuine concern for Sirius Star, the same would likely have been true if Phineas Black were still alive.
Perhaps to Sirius Star, despite being just a portrait, it was a rare, normal way to interact with the Black family.
...
The Wizard Level Examination would last for two weeks.
If asked what this year's exam differed from the past three years, it was that Felix had become an auxiliary examiner. During his free time, he would help maintain discipline during the written exams alongside examiners from the Wizarding Examination Authority.
In previous years, this task fell to the four Heads of House.
Felix got the chance to supervise the first and last days of the exam, which he looked forward to, especially the last day—when Dumbledore and Voldemort would duel.
His partner was Professor Toffey. When Felix led the fifth-year students from the entrance hall to the Great Hall, many were surprised to find the four long tables replaced by individual desks.
"This exam is on Spell Theory. Your papers, quills, and ink are on the desks. You may begin."
Professor Toffey spoke slowly, nodding to Felix, who turned over a giant hourglass.
The students opened their papers and began writing.
Felix stood on the podium, viewing the exam as a condensed reflection of real society. The students' expressions were varied and fascinating.
Some looked worried—Felix guessed they hadn't prepared well.
Others looked relaxed. As time passed, their emotions would diverge into two extremes. One group would become increasingly tense, their brows furrowed. The other would remain consistently calm.
Ron Weasley's performance was a case study in itself, and it could be an N.E.W.T.s-level analysis if Felix were to conduct such research. His expression changed rapidly, oscillating between excitement and hesitation. In the short term, Felix concluded that he must know a little about each question, but only a little...
Some students looked pleasantly surprised, a reaction only seen when they encountered topics they were good at. For example, Harry, who vowed never to forget the Levitation Charm, believed Ron felt the same, given the opportunity to knock out a rampaging troll.
The second question was about the counter-curse for a Blinding Curse, which Harry could answer easily.
The third question was more challenging, requiring a detailed explanation of the Repairing Charm.
Harry had carefully read Hermione's spell notes before the exam, so the handwriting in his mind was hers, not the textbook's.
He began by writing the definition of the Repairing Charm, "A spell... used to... repair... damaged objects..." Why do we need definitions? Harry thought as he wrote, his memory a bit hazy. He summarized it in his own words.
After checking, he added an adjective, "most."
What next? Harry thought, looking up. Hermione's head was still down, her quill spinning like a top. He stared at her messy hair, wondering what would happen if he used the Repairing Charm on it. Inspiration struck, and he quickly wrote, "Prohibitions... cannot be used on people... or liquids in containers."
Good, Harry thought, that's enough setup.
Just as he was about to write the specific spell, he thought of another point—the spell's inventor. He recalled that it was a witch from the Department of Magical Law Enforcement, but he couldn't remember the specific department. He tried to use process of elimination, ruling out Mr. Weasley's office because he couldn't see how the spell would relate to Muggles, perhaps because Wizards found Muggle tools increasingly complex?
He decided against that explanation, as he hadn't heard anything similar from Hermione.
He crossed out the words and summarized, "This spell was invented by a witch in the Department of Magical Law Enforcement during her work." After writing it, Harry stared at the phrase "during her work", unsure but willing to take the risk.
He then quickly wrote out the spell and casting motions, describing his feelings when casting it in some detail.
Harry continued, particularly enjoying the seventh, twelfth, and fifteenth questions, which were about Summoning Charms. He had successfully summoned a broom from his castle bedroom to the Forbidden Forest to deal with a fierce Hungarian Horntail.
The twentieth question was about the Patronus Charm, and Harry wrote a lengthy answer, filling every available space.
When they left the exam hall, Harry felt somewhat relieved. He believed he would at least get a 'Good.' From Ron's expression, he seemed to have done well too, but neither was interested in comparing answers with Hermione.
"I know we made mistakes and missed some points, but let's enjoy this sense of satisfaction until the results come out", Ron said firmly, and Harry thought his tone was like that of a prisoner awaiting a verdict.
Even Death Eaters, Harry thought, probably wouldn't discuss their crimes with fellow inmates before their trial.
(End of Chapter)
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