Chapter 672: Final Exam
Chapter 672: Final Exam
June at Hogwarts was sunny and pleasant, but for the young wizards, it meant exams.
As the Ancient Runes system became more comprehensive, the corresponding examination system also became more structured. Felix believed that third and fourth-year students were still in the stage of building foundational skills and cultivating interest, so the exams were not too difficult and did not heavily favor practical skills like the upper years. Instead, they balanced theoretical knowledge of Runic Script with practical applications.
For example, this year’s third-year theoretical exam included not only the usual sentence translations but also an essay written in Ancient Runes, the topic being "A Memorable Day." The practical exam was a playful Magical Automaton performance. Students could either showcase their control skills individually, find a suitable partner to stage a dazzling duel, or even form a theater troupe.
Felix deliberately arranged the third-year practical exam in the Great Hall, and many students from other years came to watch with great interest. From the envious looks on the first and second-year students' faces, it was clear that he had achieved part of his goal.
Snape, with a sour expression, asked if Felix wanted the parents to vote for him in the "Most Charming Smile Award" in Wizard Weekly.
"Thanks for the reminder, Severus", Felix said, flashing a charming smile. The other professors looked at him oddly.
On the circular platform in front of them, a spectacular puppet battle had just concluded. Once the applause died down, Felix waved his wand, and the fire marks, ice chunks, and cracks on the stage vanished. In the next moment, six or seven students emerged from the corner, carrying various props to set up the stage.
The leader was a Hufflepuff girl, "Eleanor?" a boy said nervously. The girl clenched her fists and waved them in the air, as if giving herself courage, and then stepped forward to announce, "Professor, we are ready to perform 'Babbitty Rabbitty and Her Cackling Stump.'"
Felix nodded at her, "Miss Branstone, you may begin."
Eleanor Branstone cleared her throat and introduced the story with great emotion, "Long, long ago, there was a foolish king who desperately wanted the power of magic. So, the king sent out a search party and posted notices in every town, but he had no idea that the laundry woman who cleaned the palace clothes was a witch..."
"One day, a charlatan appeared at the palace, claiming to be the powerful wizard the king sought."
As she spoke, several young wizards busily controlled the Magical Automatons to take the stage. They were dressed in various theatrical costumes: a portly king (with padding inside his clothes), a comical charlatan (who looked uncannily like Peeves), a white-haired laundry woman (holding a flattened toothpick), and some palace guards (represented by Chocolate Frog cards and Wizard cards).
"I need gold! And huge, huge rubies!" a boy mimicked the charlatan's voice, "I also need a silver goblet to brew potions!" As he spoke, he directed the characters to perform acrobatics.
Even the older students watched with great interest. Harry heard more than one classmate express a desire to try it out after the exams.
"These kids are quite imaginative", Ron said casually.
"Let's hope you have the same confidence tomorrow", Hermione replied. They had just finished their Spell Exam and were enjoying a day of rest and relaxation. Despite the Potions exam the next day, they all agreed to take some time to unwind.
Harry saw many familiar faces around him, guessing that they had the same idea. He tried not to look at Dumbledore and Grindelwald in the crowd—he still wasn't used to it. Even Hermione seemed less enthusiastic in her Defense Against the Dark Arts classes.
"You want me to watch something so childish?" Grindelwald whispered.
"Don't say that. I just finished annotating The Tales of Beedle the Bard", Dumbledore said cheerfully. "Sometimes I think Professor Dippet's decision was a bit hasty. Since he banned all theatrical performances, the school has lost a major form of entertainment."
Grindelwald's expression became inscrutable, his lips forming a thin line.
"We nearly wore out this book back then. What has prompted you to do this after so many years? Or... have you already gathered all three Deathly Hallows? The Elder Wand, the Resurrection Stone, and the uncertain Invisibility Cloak... My investigation ended in Godric's Hollow—"
"It's the Deathly Hallows", Dumbledore corrected.
"When did you overturn this common belief?"
"I always had my doubts, but I compromised and accepted your view, blinded by false hope", Dumbledore whispered. They fell silent, and finally, the drama reached its climax.
"—You must erect a statue of Babbitty! To honor your poor laundry woman and remind you of your foolish actions!" the young wizard playing the stump said in a deep, muffled voice. Then, a plump old rabbit jumped out of the stump, and in a puff of smoke, the laundry woman appeared.
The statue of the washerwoman remained on the stump, and the foolish king, having learned his lesson, never dared to persecute the wizards in his kingdom again. Eleanor Branstone ended the story with an excited lilt, her cheeks slightly flushed as she bowed to her companions. Thunderous applause filled the Great Hall.
Dumbledore joined in with enthusiastic clapping, while Grindelwald reluctantly clapped a couple of times.
“I need to speak with you, Dumbledore…”
As the noise in the Great Hall gradually subsided, Grindelwald continued in a low voice, “According to your philosophy, a single leader can create a strong regime, two leaders are prone to division, and only three can maintain balance. Don’t tell me you have hopes for the current Minister. That boy over there could crush her with a finger.”
Dumbledore looked up at the boy across the hall—Felix, who had just finished grading the students, seemed to sense someone watching him and turned to meet Dumbledore’s gaze, nodding expressionlessly.
“Next group, please.”
After the exam, everyone dispersed in high spirits, chatting and laughing along the way. At this moment, both Snape, who was next to Felix, and Grindelwald, who was beside Dumbledore, had vanished, and the two met up.
“Regarding the Portkey Charm… do you have any requirements?” Felix asked.
“Requirements.” Dumbledore repeated softly. He watched Luna bouncing around, the Patil twins giggling as they walked away, and Peeves peeking out from the ceiling, and after a moment, he said:
“The subject must be unconscious, or it will be difficult for them to act as if nothing has happened. So, timing is crucial.”
Felix pondered this for a moment.
“In short, we need to knock him out? Who will do it—me or you?”
Dumbledore gave him a reproachful look.
“Oh, right, we can’t raise suspicion. Everything must seem reasonable.” Felix rolled his eyes, thinking for a moment, “I get it! On the day he leaves the school—” use the pretext of changing locations to knock Grindelwald unconscious. By the time he wakes up, it will all be over.
Dumbledore nodded reluctantly.
“During this time, I will keep him hopeful, making him believe he can stay at the school.”
…
The exams continued the next day. After the fourth-year exams concluded, Felix had nothing much to do for the next two days. He accompanied Professor Mcgonagall to welcome the examiners from the Wizarding Examinations Authority.
Leading the group was Professor Marchbanks, who was hunched over, with a face full of wrinkles but a remarkably sharp mind and an unusually loud voice.
The arrival of the examiners meant the end of the relatively relaxed days for the fifth and seventh years (though they weren’t really that relaxed). They were about to undergo two weeks of intense exams, which, according to past students, were “hellish days, but at least you can see the light at the end of the tunnel.”
“Actually, there isn’t,” Harry comforted Ginny, who was preparing for her O.W.Ls exams, “Sixth-year classes are even more intense. Just look at Ron—” Ginny turned her head and couldn’t help but giggle at the sight of Ron staring glumly at the Transfiguration notes he had borrowed from Hermione, with several clear ink marks on his face.
“If I could become an Animagus, I wouldn’t have to worry,” Ron said listlessly, “The theory is tough, and the practical work isn’t much better. I just hope I can pass.” His words were met with nods of agreement.
“With such nice weather outside, we’re stuck spending our time on exams. My eyes are about to go blind,” Dean complained.
At that moment, Hermione walked in from outside. She had just finished her Arithmancy exam and would now be joining them for the rest of the tests. “You have something on your face, Ron,” she said cheerfully, pulling out Advanced Transfiguration from her bag.
“Let it stay. I’ll wash it off tomorrow,” Ron grumbled.
For the next few hours, Harry helped Ginny review until late at night. She was so tired her eyes were barely open, and at Harry’s urging, she finally went to bed. Hermione soon followed, and the common room was left with only a few lights. Ron stared at his Transfiguration notes for two minutes, realized he wasn’t reading a word, and finally gave up, following Harry back to the dormitory.
They changed into their pajamas in the dark, guided by the moonlight. Just then, Neville’s muffled voice came from a corner of the room.
“Harry, Ron, do you know when Professor Barjass is leaving the school? I want to see him off.”
Harry perked up, looking at the dark silhouette of Ron, whose movements had frozen. “Um—” Harry racked his brain for an excuse, but Ron suddenly said, “I’m sorry, Neville, we don’t know.”
“Oh, I see. I was thinking…” Neville mumbled something incoherent, turned over, and went back to sleep.
Harry lay in bed, staring at the ceiling, wide awake. His mind was filled with the question Neville had just asked. Neville didn’t know Professor Barjass’s true identity… would this secret be kept? Neville hadn’t gotten an answer from them, but he might ask the professor directly, or he might not… Maybe Neville just wanted to surprise the person.
Harry knew why Neville was so dedicated: only a few professors had ever privately invited him to their offices for a visit.
But this was Dark Wizard Grindelwald.
Some memories he had seen in the Pensieve had become part of his dreams, leaving his mind in a mess. Voldemort's figure would occasionally appear, seemingly mistaking him for Dumbledore and Professor Hep, hurling curses at him in various ways. Harry had to use his strong will to convince himself that he had an exam the next morning and needed to get enough sleep to have the energy to recall those tricky Transfiguration theories.
Occlumency kicked in, and everything calmed down. Harry yawned deeply and drifted off to sleep.
“Next, we need to set up a lot of anti-Apparition charms?” Felix asked, still working overtime at the same time.
Dumbledore looked around the Chamber with keen interest.
“Yes, that's the final step,” he said.
The place was unrecognizable from its previous state. They were now standing in a jungle, where some Runescript creatures passed by, occasionally lifting their heads to observe the two of them and the massive ouroboros above their heads.
Indeed, Voldemort had been transferred from Classroom Seven to here. When Dumbledore sought Felix to discuss the location for the final battle, Felix immediately thought of this place. Salazar Slytherin had used it as a secret classroom and a place to study blood magic, setting up numerous protective enchantments.
Most importantly, it wouldn’t hurt to destroy it. Unlike Classroom Seven, which housed many professors' memories and had recently gained two new residents.
“The environment here is perfect,” Dumbledore said, looking up at the sky and the surrounding recreational area. “But how did you think of transforming the Chamber into an amusement park?”
Most wizards wouldn’t have such an idea.
Felix shook his head.
“Tom Riddle gave me the inspiration.”
“Voldemort?” Dumbledore was slightly surprised, then realized, “Another personality?”
“Yeah, when I discovered that Riddle inevitably realized he was a descendant of Salazar Slytherin and began investigating the Chamber’s location, I invited him to join me. Many of the ideas here were his.”
Three days later, the sixth-year Ancient Runes practical exam was nearing its end.
Although the students had known the exam content for over a month, they still had to complete their projects within the allotted time. For three hours, they raced against the clock, becoming increasingly cautious as the end approached, fearing they might mess up at the last minute. When Hermione raised her hand first and submitted a solidified firebird figurine, other students gradually finished their exams, their creations varied and imaginative, many of which amazed Felix.
Harry submitted a Runescript broom that looked quite realistic, with seven floating circuits embedded inside, allowing it to hover and carry a certain weight. However, when Harry demonstrated it, the broom immediately sagged in the middle, more like a strangely cut flying carpet than a broom. “Connection issue, Potter. Don’t underestimate the role of null runes; they are responsible for channeling magic.”
Ron submitted a one-foot-long wizard chess piece, which he couldn’t compress any further. “Still a connection issue, Weasley, but you clearly put a lot of emotion into it, making it look more lively.”
Ron looked down at the knight chess piece in his hand, which was looking around curiously, its face rather grim. He wasn’t sure if the professor was being sarcastic.
“Appearance is not part of the evaluation,” Felix said.
Many young wizards chose animals, which were actually more challenging to create. Susan Bones’ small rabbit ran around them twice before sneezing itself apart. She opened her mouth, eyes wide with shock, on the verge of tears.
“Good, Miss Bones. You need to pay more attention to the details.”
Susan breathed a sigh of relief, packed up her things, and left the classroom with a light step.
“That’s why I grade on the spot—fear of not being able to take them back,” Felix muttered.
He was foresighted and quick on his feet, always appearing when a student needed him most, managing to catch a last glimpse before a series of mishaps—such as a peacock losing its feathers, a fire slug burning itself and the table to ashes, or a winged notebook flying out the window—occurred.
When the last student left the exam room, Felix’s forehead was slightly sweaty. This had been a test for him as well.
...
That night, a group of wizards from the International Confederation of Wizards Headquarters arrived in Hogsmeade.
(End of Chapter)
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