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Chapter 682: End-of-Term Exams
Chapter 682: End-of-Term Exams
On the first Sunday of June, Dumbledore, who had been absent for a long time, finally returned to Hogwarts.
During dinner that evening, he entered the Great Hall accompanied by a group of elderly witches and wizards.
Their sudden appearance immediately drew the attention of the students around them.
"Who are they?"
"I guess they're the examiners..."
"I recognize Professor Marchbanks...she's the oldest employee at the Wizarding Examinations Authority in the Ministry of Magic."
A buzz of whispers filled the Great Hall.
Kyle's gaze immediately fell on Dumbledore's hands...
Thankfully, while they remained wrinkled and frail, looking like straw wrapped in skin, they hadn't turned black, and there were no strange rings on his fingers.
Kyle breathed a sigh of relief and then turned his attention to the witches and wizards who had accompanied Dumbledore.
Professor Tofty, a wizened old wizard who walked with a trembling gait, appeared to be the oldest, though in reality, he was just barely a centenarian and was considered a youngster among this group. He had been one of Kyle's examiners for Charms and Herbology the previous year.
There was also Professor Marchbanks, whose appearance hadn't changed much, or perhaps the multitude of wrinkles on her face already resembled a spider's web, making it difficult to discern any new additions.
However, she seemed to be in good spirits, chatting and laughing with Dumbledore.
"It's been a pleasant journey, and we've been here many times before..." She appraised Dumbledore with a loud voice. "I heard you were considering running against Cornelius Fudge for Minister, is that true?"
"I think you must have misheard, my dear," Dumbledore said. "My sole desire is to be a good headmaster to Hogwarts, and I currently do not have the energy for any other endeavors.
"In truth, the responsibilities of the school are already quite taxing, and sometimes I am relieved that I withdrew from the International Confederation of Wizards... It allows me to sleep two extra hours each day."
"Albus, you're still young; you shouldn't always be thinking of taking it easy..." Professor Marchbanks said disapprovingly.
The expressions of those around them became exceedingly intriguing.
While there was nothing amiss with Professor Marchbanks' statement given her age of over a hundred and thirty, most people still found it odd, especially after seeing Dumbledore's silvery beard. They were at a loss for words.
"You are absolutely right," Dumbledore nodded vigorously. "Would you care for some tea, or perhaps you'd like something to eat?"
"Tea will be fine; we've already eaten on our way here..." Professor Marchbanks said.
"Very well."
Dumbledore accompanied them to the staff room.
Meanwhile, the students in the Great Hall were in an uproar. The presence of the officials from the Wizarding Examinations Authority instilled in them an indescribable sense of crisis.
That night, everyone struggled to rest, eager to seize every moment to review their lessons, resulting in the lights in the common rooms remaining illuminated well into the wee hours of the morning.
The following morning, the first exams for the fifth and seventh years commenced.
During breakfast, Justin sat hugging a book, muttering to himself, while Susan and Hannah, sitting nearby, quizzed each other on the contents of their Standard Book of Spells, checking for any errors in their memorization.
"What are you taking on your first day?" Kyle asked as he sat down next to Cedric.
"Charms," Cedric replied.
With the exams looming, even Cedric appeared tense, spreading jam on his bread with such thickness that it almost exceeded the bread itself.
"Good luck," Kyle said after finishing his breakfast, patting Cedric on the shoulder before heading off to class.
The sixth-year exams were scheduled a week later than those of the fifth and seventh years, allowing everyone to finish their exams on the same day.
However, to prevent cheating among the fifth-year students, the professors were particularly strict with them, taking attendance multiple times during each class to ensure no one left the classroom.
This scrutiny was especially intense for high-achieving students like Kyle and Connor... By the end of their Transfiguration class, Professor McGonagall had practically taken up residence beside them.
After class, certain corridors leading to the O.W.L. exam rooms were completely blocked off, with lines drawn on the floor using magic. Should anyone cross them, the professors would be immediately alerted and rush over.
In just the first morning, three students were penalized, each losing twenty points... The consequences would have been more severe for sixth-year students, with higher point deductions or even the possibility of detention.
Kyle's treatment remained unchanged in the following days, with professors deliberately coming to his side during every class.
To ensure he wasn't an imposter transformed by a Polyjuice Potion, they would also assign a plethora of tasks to assess his proficiency in spellcasting.
"It feels like I'm the one taking the exams even though they are," Kyle couldn't help but grumble after their final Transfiguration class on Friday.
Throughout the week, he had been required to perform numerous challenging spell demonstrations in every class, practically reviewing everything he had learned. Some of the spells were not even in their textbooks.
For instance, the three-step transfiguration spell Professor McGonagall had asked him to demonstrate during Transfiguration class was something that even seventh-years had only learned up to the second step.
"So, you really want to help them?" Connor raised an eyebrow.
"How could I? I was just joking," Kyle shook his head. "Although Professor Marchbanks is quite old, her eyesight is still as sharp as ever, and she's very experienced. Even if Tonks, a metamorphmagus, came here in disguise, she wouldn't be able to fool her, let alone with Dumbledore around. I'd have to be crazy to think about helping a fifth-year student cheat."
By the way, on the first day of the exams, Tonks had already returned to the Ministry of Magic, and the other assistant, Tekross, was also unavailable. So, their Defense Against the Dark Arts classes for the week had been taught by Professor McGonagall instead.
Snape had been quite keen on taking on this task, but Dumbledore seemed to disagree. Lately, every time he saw Snape, he wore a gloomy expression, as if everyone owed him a hundred galleons.
There were no exams during the weekend, so everyone took the opportunity to review and study.
Kyle had intended to pay Dumbledore a visit, but he didn't know if the latter was avoiding him or had left the school again. He had knocked on the door on the eighth floor for half the day without a response.
Plus, without the password, the stone gargoyle at the entrance of the office refused to let him in, infuriating Kyle to the point that he permanently glued a painting he got from elsewhere onto the gargoyle's head.
"Come back, you despicable little thief, you vulgar robber!"
Sir Cadogan, forced to evacuate, roared in anger, but Kyle pretended not to hear and went straight downstairs back to the Hufflepuff common room.
The learning atmosphere here could be said to be the best of the year, with the sound of recitation and reading echoing in every corner.
But there were always exceptions, like Mikkel and Ryan, who were playing wizard chess in the corner.
"We're reviewing too," Mikkel argued. "Because only when I'm playing chess do I feel my brain is active enough, and the sound of memorization around me automatically enters my ears through my ears, so aren't we reviewing as well?"
Seeing his serious expression, Kyle blinked... This was an unprecedented way of reviewing; it was quite an eye-opener.
Finally, on Monday, the exams for the other grades began as well.
The first subject for the sixth-years was also Charms.
The theoretical part was as simple as ever, and Kyle finished it in just twenty minutes, but he couldn't hand in his paper early and had to wait until the end of the exam to leave the classroom.
Next was the practical part. As Kyle queued to enter the exam room, he happened to see a group of fifth-years walking down from the upper floor... It seemed their exam had already ended.
When it was Kyle's turn, Professor Flitwick just looked up and drew a big circle on the parchment.
"Okay, you've passed." He smiled and said, "I've already asked all the questions I could think of in the past week, but none of them could stump you, right?
"Alright, go call the next person in."
And so, Kyle just circled the classroom and then left.
There was also the Transfiguration exam in the afternoon. Professor McGonagall was more meticulous than Professor Flitwick, and although she had given Kyle a perfect score as soon as he entered the classroom, she still asked him to go through the motions.
On the second day, during the Potions exam, Kyle felt that the broad-spectrum antidote he had brewed was flawless, but he didn't dare guarantee that he would get a high score because Snape had been watching him coldly throughout the entire process.
It felt as if Kyle was the one who had prevented him from teaching Defense Against the Dark Arts.
On Wednesday was the Ancient Runes exam. This class had the fewest students, with less than ten people. Professor Babbling nodded off, her head bobbing up and down, as if she were about to fall asleep, and she didn't seem to care if anyone cheated.
In fact, there was no need for her to worry, because the content she tested them on was so obscure that even if they blatantly flipped through their books, they wouldn't easily find the answers. It would be better to just guess randomly than waste time.
For the Defense Against the Dark Arts exam, as both assistants were unable to come to Hogwarts, the examiners from the Wizarding Examinations Authority took over the invigilation.
It was a plump witch who always smiled at them, but she caught three students trying to bring special magical items into the exam room within the first few minutes. One of them had even hidden something in his shoe sole, yet he still couldn't escape her notice.
"When you walk, your left foot is always lighter, obviously because you're hiding something," she said, standing at the door with a smile. "It's best if you take it out and throw it away now. If you enter the classroom, I'll have to consider it cheating."
The student's face turned red, and he lowered his head and ran to the neighboring classroom.
The last exam was History of Magic. For the past six years, this had never changed, almost becoming a trademark of Hogwarts.
According to the fifth-years, Harry had suddenly fainted during the exam and babbled something unintelligible.
"Potter kept saying stop... Don't move him... Run..."
In the field outside the castle, Susan vividly described what had happened during the History of Magic exam.
"He seemed to have fallen asleep and had a nightmare. Professor Tofty wanted to send him to the school hospital, but Potter insisted he was fine."
"I guess he must be under a lot of stress." Hannah sighed. "I haven't been sleeping well lately, and I keep dreaming that I got a zero on my exam. It's really scary."
But this incident did not attract much attention. Now that the exams were over, the students eagerly anticipated the upcoming two-month holiday. Neither Harry nor Voldemort could take away their joy.
However, Kyle was different. Upon hearing the news, he immediately went to the headmaster's office on the eighth floor once again.
The gargoyle at the entrance had a painting on its head, and it shrugged its shoulders as if mocking him when it saw Kyle.
Kyle narrowed his eyes, contemplating whether to stick a toilet seat on its head again, when the gargoyle suddenly stood up and jumped aside, revealing the passage behind it.
Kyle hesitated for a moment, then walked over without further thought.
It seemed that there was already someone in the headmaster's office, as he could hear faint voices while ascending the spiral staircase.
When Kyle reached the oak door, the voices became clearer.
"Headmaster, I really saw it. Voldemort captured Sirius, and he also plans to steal something from the Department of Mysteries. I..."
"Calm down, Harry..." Dumbledore shook his head, interrupting him. "As far as I know, Sirius is currently elsewhere, helping Alastor with his problem. He hasn't been captured by Voldemort, and he's safe."
"But..." Harry tried to say something more.
But at that moment, Kyle pushed open the door.
"Oh, I was just wondering when you would come." Dumbledore looked up and said, "To be honest, I don't particularly like Sir Cadogan. He's a bit too rude. You can change the painting next time."
"I will." Kyle nodded.
"Good." Dumbledore looked back at Harry. "Harry, I think you should go to the grounds with your friends now and enjoy the upcoming holiday. As I said, Sirius is safe.
"Also, don't forget why I taught you Occlumency. Perhaps this is what Voldemort wants you to see."
"Okay, then goodbye, Headmaster." Harry sighed in resignation and turned to leave.
After the oak door was closed, Kyle frowned and asked, "Professor, didn't Harry already learn Occlumency? Why did he still dream about those things?"
"I think he didn't follow my advice to practice it more deeply." Dumbledore said, "And the initial stages of Occlumency aren't particularly effective."
"So what he saw was fake?"
"It could also be real." Dumbledore tapped his finger on the desk. "In fact, I can't contact Sirius or Alastor for the time being. We'll have to wait for their reply."
"Why not use Fawkes?" Kyle turned to look at the phoenix perched on the branch.
"First of all, Kyle, you need to understand that phoenixes are not messenger birds." Dumbledore shook his head. "They can only deliver messages to places whose exact locations they know, and most of the time, owls are more suitable for that task.
"Now, is there something you wanted to discuss with me?"
Kyle had originally intended to ask about Harry's dream, but since Dumbledore mentioned it, he dropped the topic. Instead, he asked, "Professor, I want to know about your signature!
"Why did you agree to let me work at the Ministry when I'm just a sixth-year student?"
"Oh, that." Dumbledore suddenly smiled. "You don't have to thank me. It's what I should do."
Kyle narrowed his eyes. Did his tone sound like he was thanking the headmaster?
"And you'll be in your seventh year next year. Working at the Ministry is a good choice." Dumbledore continued, "Fudge offered very attractive conditions. In the past two centuries, I've never heard of anyone becoming a senior ministerial assistant while still in school and receiving a full salary. You're the first.
As the headmaster, I had no reason to refuse, and I also discussed this matter with Chris, and he agreed."
Kyle's mouth twitched. So his father was involved in this as well. It seemed that everyone but him knew about this arrangement before the job posting was even announced.
...
(End of Chapter)
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