Chapter 970: The Exam
Chapter 970: The Exam
When Kyle found Professor McGonagall, she had just escorted Professor Machinban back to her room.
Hogwarts not only had dormitories but also provided rooms for guests.
The Wizard Examinations Authority officials visited annually, and everyone was already familiar with them, so there was no need for a professor to guide them.
However, this was Professor McGonagall's first N.E.W.T exam since becoming Headmaster, so Professor Machinban had chatted with her for a while.
Upon seeing Kyle, she hurried over.
"I heard from the portraits that you were looking for me?"
"Yes," Kyle nodded.
"What is it?" Professor McGonagall continued, seemingly unaware of what had happened, as the messenger portrait hadn't informed her.
"Someone who isn't very popular has arrived at Hogwarts," Kyle said.
"Who?" Professor McGonagall asked casually, not seeming overly concerned.
After all, this was Hogwarts, and aside from Voldemort, they feared no one.
And now, Voldemort was dead...
"It's Grindelwald," Kyle said.
Professor McGonagall stumbled, and her body uncontrollably took two steps backward.
Kyle quickly transfigured a chair behind Professor McGonagall, preventing her from falling.
Professor McGonagall sat in the chair, her face visibly paling by the second.
"You... who did you say just now?"
"Grindelwald," Kyle repeated, "He's here at Hogwarts, in the Headmaster's Office. I just sent him away."
"That's impossible!" Professor McGonagall exclaimed, "He's been locked up in Nurmengard."
"Your words are the same as those of Headmaster Dippet," Kyle shrugged, "So let me say it again. The one who has been keeping Grindelwald locked up is a person, not some so-called Nurmengard tower..."
Then, Kyle recounted the events that had just transpired.
He included everything, from encountering Grindelwald's sudden appearance at the castle entrance to their joint visit to the Headmaster's Office and the subsequent plan, without any concealment.
Professor McGonagall listened without interrupting.
"Oh, right, I also have photos here." Kyle patted his pocket, "I can develop them later. Although Grindelwald looks much older, those of you who have seen him before should still be able to recognize him."
Upon hearing this, Professor McGonagall tightly wrung a handkerchief.
Having personally experienced that era, Professor McGonagall was more aware than anyone of how terrifying Grindelwald was.
In terms of the influence of their names, Voldemort paled in comparison, and they were not even on the same level.
The only consolation was that Grindelwald didn't seem to have any intention of going to war with Hogwarts.
Moreover, according to Kyle, he had reached some sort of agreement with Grindelwald.
"This news is too unbelievable; I need to calm down," Professor McGonagall said as she stood up.
"Of course, I understand," Kyle said, "Professor Dumbledore's portrait also knows the whole process. You can go to him; he should be waiting for you in the Headmaster's Office by now."
Professor McGonagall hurried away.
Kyle returned to his wooden hut.
The first thing he did was retrieve the negatives, develop the photos, and then soak them in the developing solution.
The entire process was familiar, and each step was smooth, obviously having been done many times before.
Before long, a stack of moving personal photos of Grindelwald was ready.
According to their previous agreement, Kyle made a new photo album and sequentially pasted Dumbledore's and Grindelwald's photos onto it.
Dumbledore's photos were provided by Kyle as a friendly gesture, and although they weren't exactly collectibles, they could still be considered exclusive.
However, when he turned to the last page, Kyle suddenly hesitated.
He only had two photos left in his hand.
One showed Dumbledore showing off his knitted woolen gloves and socks, and Kyle remembered that a few years ago, on Christmas Day, Dumbledore had learned to knit gloves for the first time.
During lunch on Christmas Day, he had boasted about his accomplishments to the other professors, and a Ravenclaw who was staying at the school had photographed and documented the moment.
Later, Kyle had bought this photo for ten Sickles.
The corresponding photo showed Grindelwald disdainfully throwing the woolen gloves out the window.
Kyle felt that using these two photos as the grand finale of the album was perfect, but at the same time, he worried that Grindelwald would be furious when he saw them.
After all, the photo had been taken at his suggestion, and given Grindelwald's unreasonable personality, he would surely come looking for trouble once he learned the truth.
With Kyle's current strength... Well, it's not that he can't beat him, but he just doesn't see the need for it.
It's better for wizards to get along rather than draw their wands at each other on sight.
But... if Grindelwald can't see this set of photos, won't his intentions go unspoken?
Kyle sat there, torn.
It wasn't until late at night that he finally made a decision.
He reluctantly put away Dumbledore's photos on the table and replaced them with another one, a photo of Dumbledore with a giant ram.
Giant ram, wool, wool gloves... Hopefully, Grindelwald would understand this hint.
He's so smart; he'll definitely understand.
Kyle closed the album and went to sleep.
The pressure from Grindelwald made him fall asleep quickly once he relaxed.
What he didn't know was that the light in the Headmaster's Office at Hogwarts had been on all night.
The next day was the start of the N.E.W.T. exams for the seventh-year students.
As the Headmistress of Hogwarts, Professor McGonagall no longer needed to supervise student exams, but she still arrived at the Great Hall on time.
She looked in good spirits, appearing the same as usual from a distance, but only up close could one see the fatigue in her eyes.
After breakfast, the students headed to their exam rooms.
In an empty corridor on the second floor, Professor McGonagall also returned the album to Kyle.
"It's him, no doubt about it, Grindelwald..." Her voice was hoarse.
Although the man had aged, she was absolutely certain it was him, the Grindelwald who had nearly brought all of Europe's magical community to its knees.
"Professor, I think we don't need to be tense... at least not yet."
Kyle thought for a moment and said, "Grindelwald is back, but he's no longer the same person who was once determined to rule the wizarding world."
"You and Albus said the same thing; he said the same yesterday." Professor McGonagall glanced at Kyle.
"But he is Grindelwald, and we can't remain indifferent just because of a guess."
"It's not exactly a guess..." Kyle thought for a moment and said, "Yesterday, when I discussed Horcruxes with him, I intentionally mentioned Nurmengard, hoping he would help me there.
"Grindelwald agreed without hesitation, which means he doesn't plan to leave Nurmengard, after all, I didn't mention a specific time, and he can only help if he stays there.
"But if he still wants to conquer the wizarding world, would he still stay in Nurmengard?"
As Kyle spoke, he didn't notice the constant changes in Professor McGonagall's expression.
She felt that Kyle's words made sense.
Grindelwald's character wouldn't allow him to make empty promises. Since he had agreed with Kyle, it meant he would definitely show up at Nurmengard.
However, Grindelwald had been imprisoned in Nurmengard for nearly seventy years, constantly reminded of his past failures. If he wanted to make a comeback, he wouldn't continue staying there; he would keep his distance.
But that didn't make sense.
There was only one possibility: Grindelwald had given up and no longer cared.
Professor McGonagall thought a lot, and she couldn't help but look at Kyle.
To be fair, Kyle's conversation with Grindelwald wasn't new information to her; she had heard it from Dumbledore yesterday, and not just once.
But neither she, nor Dumbledore, nor any of the other headmasters had considered that Kyle's mention of Nurmengard in the plan could have so many implications.
Oh, perhaps Dumbledore himself would have figured it out if he were here, but there was only his portrait in the Headmaster's Office.
"Professor McGonagall... Professor McGonagall?"
Kyle's voice snapped her back to reality, and she realized she had just been daydreaming.
"What is it?"
"Nothing, you make a lot of sense." Professor McGonagall shook her head, "I guess your idea is the same as Albus's, not to inform the Ministry of Magic about Grindelwald, right?"
"That's right." Kyle nodded, "It seems he's probably just taking a stroll out of boredom, no need to make a big fuss."
Professor McGonagall fell silent for a moment, then nodded.
"Alright, I must be crazy to agree with your suggestion."
In truth, she had been thinking about this issue since yesterday, wanting to trust Dumbledore's judgment unconditionally as she once did, but unable to ignore the name Grindelwald.
But Kyle's words had solidified her decision, and the magical world indeed needed a good rest now.
"I only have one request." She looked at Kyle seriously, "I hope that regarding Grindelwald, you can keep me updated with the latest news."
"No problem." Kyle readily agreed. The only plan left between him and Grindelwald was the one regarding the Horcrux, and Professor McGonagall had already known about it, so there was nothing to hide.
"That's good, just don't be like Dumbledore, he's too good at keeping secrets." Professor McGonagall couldn't help but tease.
"Also, I heard that Vandarozier will be coming to Hogwarts after this, is that true?"
"That... I don't know yet." Kyle shook his head uncertainly, "Although Grindelwald did say that, he will let Roach discuss the matter with me after this.
"But I don't know if he meant after the school break or before."
"No matter when, you can't let your guard down. It's best to tell me as soon as you see her."
Professor McGonagall's face turned serious, "Remember, I'm not joking. Vandarozier has done things more terrifying than Death Eaters; she's a ruthless and cunning witch."
"I understand, Professor McGonagall." Kyle said, "I've met her more than once before, I'll be careful."
"That's good." Professor McGonagall said.
At this moment, the originally empty corridor suddenly became bustling.
First, two elderly wizards of advanced age walked by, followed by a group of seventh-year students, each with a tense expression.
"The N.E.W.T. exams are about to start." Professor McGonagall immediately put Grindelwald out of her mind, "I need to go find Professor Marchbanks now. Remember what I said, if you encounter Vandarozier, you must tell me."
Professor McGonagall quickly left.
Kyle thought for a while and decided not to stay in the castle. Instead, he turned and headed downstairs.
Normally, Hogwarts professors were required to assist the Wizard Examinations Authority, as besides the most important N.E.W.T. and O.W.L. exams, students from the other five grades also needed to take their final exams.
The school professors were mainly responsible for these five grades.
But Kyle was different... mainly because he was the former professor of Ancient Runes, and he had done an exceptional job in certain aspects. He had never participated in any exam, and the people from the Examinations Authority completely ignored him.
Although the professor had now changed to Kyle, this tradition remained unchanged.
Kyle was now free from both taking and overseeing exams, making him the most relaxed person in the entire castle.
He decided to use this time to further perfect his photo album.
Kyle walked out of the castle, and outside in the grounds, Hagrid was separating a large group of Griffins.
"Oh, the exams have started, right?" After seeing Kyle, Hagrid waved his hand vigorously and quickly grabbed a somewhat impatient Griffin.
"They're all proud little fellows..." Hagrid said, but his expression seemed to indicate he was enjoying himself.
Before encountering real fire dragons, these magical creatures were his favorites... oh, and Fluffy the three-headed dog and the Blast-Ended Skrewt.
"For the exam, I'll have them fly around the school grounds, what do you think..."
"Which grade?"
"Fifth grade." Hagrid said, "What do you think? I originally wanted to leave them for the third grade, but Professor Marchbanks thinks these magical creatures are more suitable for the O.W.L. exams."
"I think that's a good idea too." Kyle nodded.
Griffins were 3X-level magical creatures, just right for the fifth grade.
In fact, there was already a standard taming process for these magical creatures, and usually, there wouldn't be much of a problem as long as it was followed. Even if they were used for the third grade, it wouldn't be an issue.
After settling the Griffins, Hagrid hurried back to the Forbidden Forest.
He still needed to prepare exam content for the other grades, such as Thestrals for the seventh grade.
This was also one of the easiest-to-guess questions in the N.E.W.T. exams, and for this year's graduates, this question was even simpler than before.
After the war against the Death Eaters, most of them could see Thestrals.
Kyle glanced at the Griffins and turned back to his own cabin.
...
(End of Chapter)
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