Chapter 971: Lucius' Plan
Chapter 971: Lucius' Plan
"I can't say I aced the Water Cleansing Charm, I just wrote everything I knew."
"So, there are only a few ways to break the Fear Curse, and I don't know if I wrote enough. I only remember five methods."
"And about the Patronus Charm..."
"Hermione!" Ron frowned, interrupting her. "The exam is over. We don't want to retake it after the exam is done. It's too torturous."
Harry nodded in agreement beside him.
It was mainly because Hermione's answers were so torturous. For example, Harry only remembered two ways to break the Fear Curse, but Hermione had written five...
If he continued listening, his mental state might crumble.
"How are you doing?" Kyle arrived at the castle right on time and happened to meet the three of them.
Hermione's eyes lit up, and she quickly walked over.
But before she could say a word, Kyle turned and walked straight past the three of them.
"Professor McGonagall, Hagrid told me you were looking for me..."
Hermione stood in place, her mouth slightly agape...
Harry walked up to Hermione and whispered, "I guess he was just greeting us... He didn't really want an answer."
"Oh... alright..." Hermione took a deep breath and held back the words she was about to say.
"But thanks to Kyle, he told us last night how to use the Dreamless Sleep Potion and the appropriate dosage."
Hermione turned her head abruptly. "Kyle knows about that too..."
"Yes," Harry nodded. "That bottle of potion almost broke, and Kyle helped with that."
"No wonder he suggested I drink a cup of hot cocoa," Hermione said, tugging at her hair. "You really shouldn't have given me the Dreamless Sleep Potion. Otherwise, I could have read the book again..."
"And then come to the exam half-asleep?" Ron couldn't help but speak up.
"You haven't been sleeping well these past few days, and you don't sleep during class either. You're relying on the Wakefulness Potion to stay alert, but this is the most stringent part of the Nastily Exhausting Wizarding Tests. If you do that, it'll be considered cheating..."
"Or do you plan to take the exam with a tired mind?"
Hermione opened her mouth but surprisingly didn't argue with Ron.
She knew these words were true, and she had been a bit too tense lately, unable to accept that she hadn't reviewed before the exam.
"Yes, sorry..." Hermione's voice was barely audible.
"What did you say?" Ron was taken aback, thinking he had misheard.
"I mean... thank you," Hermione said. "To be honest, today is the most alert I've felt."
"Don't mention it..."
The three of them continued talking as they headed to the Great Hall for lunch... This place was originally an exam room, but now it had magically transformed back into a dining hall.
...
The afternoon exam continued with the practical test.
Students lined up and entered the designated rooms.
Professor Marchbanks and another professor sat in the classroom, primarily responsible for the practical exam in the afternoon.
Additionally, Kyle was also present.
With Professor Snape's absence, Professor Sinistra and Professor Trelawney, who were injured in the previous war and still receiving treatment at St. Mungo's, Hogwarts was short on professors.
So, Professor McGonagall brought Kyle in.
Fortunately, this task was relatively easy.
The Wizard Examinations Authority officials were in charge of the main exam, and Kyle's task was to handle any unexpected situations, such as...
"Water Cleansing Charm!"
Kyle waved his wand, and a stream of water fell from the sky, dousing Padma Patil, a Gryffindor seventh-year student, and extinguishing the flames that had just ignited on her.
This was his job.
Some students wanted to practice spells and wand movements right before the exam due to nerves, but their anxiety led to various mistakes.
Just now, Padma Patil had waved her wand too vigorously and accidentally poked her robe.
"Put your wands away!" Kyle waved his wand again, and the stream of water gathered into a ball and jumped off Patil, reminding her, "If entering this room marks the start of the exam, then you can leave now."
Padma Patil's face turned red, and she repeatedly thanked Kyle.
Kyle waved his hand, "Go find Professor Tofty. She's available now."
Patil hurried away.
The person behind her was Harry, who also looked nervous but managed to avoid waving his wand randomly.
Kyle pointed to where Professor Marchbanks was sitting, and Harry ran over.
Perhaps influenced by the war between Voldemort and Hogwarts, almost all the seventh-year students who stayed at school had suffered injuries to varying degrees. As a result, this year's Nastily Exhausting Wizarding Tests were significantly easier than last year's.
The practical exam for Charms only covered the Summoning Charm and the Color Change Charm. To be honest, even for the O.W.L., these topics wouldn't be considered challenging.
The following day's Transfiguration practical exam was equally straightforward, focusing on the Transfiguration Bird Charm.
"In fact, when they decided to stay at Hogwarts, ready to face the Death Eaters, the need for certificates became irrelevant." Professor Machinban explained to Kyle during dinner, addressing his concerns.
"So, in my opinion, this exam is just a formality, and by making it easier, more people will obtain their certifications."
"But what about the students who didn't stay?"
Professor Machinban smiled and replied, "They are, after all, a minority, aren't they?" She then cut a piece of steak and casually added, "I've always felt that the written exam had too many questions related to Dark Magic, but Bones didn't see it as an issue."
Dark Magic...
Kyle blinked, understanding her implication.
Of course, the Hogwarts exams would never include questions involving the use of Dark Magic; they could only cover counter-curses against it.
During the recent war, Dark Magic was prevalent, and one could say that those who participated in the war had inadvertently prepared for the N.E.W.T. written exam in advance.
And the memories were vivid...
Kyle smiled but remained silent.
These were merely his speculations; the exam wouldn't be tailored to anyone...
...
Next was the Herbology exam, but this time, Kyle didn't offer to help. Instead, he accompanied Professor Machinban to the Astronomy Tower at Hogwarts.
There, he saw someone—Draco Malfoy, with Professor McGonagall by his side.
After not seeing him for a while, Draco looked more haggard than before. His once-beautiful platinum blond hair now hung limply against his head, and if he persisted for a little longer, he might end up with a hairstyle similar to Snape's.
"Professor Machinban, I believe Bones must have spoken to you about this," Professor McGonagall approached and asked.
"Mmm," Professor Machinban replied with a serious expression. "So, he's the student who can't take the exam with the others?"
"Yes," Professor McGonagall confirmed, her voice low. "He made some mistakes, but he corrected them in time. Still, it's too soon for everyone to forgive him."
"What does that have to do with the exam?" Professor Machinban frowned. "You should talk to Bones and the Wizarding Council."
"That's right," Professor McGonagall agreed. "However, his father, Lucius Malfoy, believes he should take the N.E.W.T. exam, and Dumbledore once promised that he could return to Hogwarts."
"Regarding this, I've already discussed it with Bones."
Indeed, Professor McGonagall had consulted Amelia Bones about this matter after the last hearing.
Bones agreed.
It was said that Lucius Malfoy had donated a large sum of money, conveniently solving the Ministry's current financial problems. His intention was not to escape punishment but to make amends, and he had casually mentioned wanting Draco to take the exam.
Since it was just a matter of taking the exam, Bones had no reason to refuse.
"Alright, I understand," Professor Machinban said as she walked up to Draco Malfoy and observed his frail appearance.
"Are you sure you can do it?" She furrowed her brows. "Or should we wait until tomorrow?"
"No, no problem," Draco Malfoy patted his cheeks and took out his wand.
Due to not being able to take the exam with others and other factors, Draco Malfoy had been taking the written exam here for the past few days.
Even during others' rest periods, he continued.
While others had just finished two exams, he had already completed all the written tests, and Professor McGonagall was present as the chief examiner.
She had suggested that Malfoy didn't need to rush and could rest before continuing with the practical exam, but Malfoy insisted on proceeding immediately.
So, she asked Professor Machinban and Kyle to come.
"I need to go to the Ministry right away to prepare for Severus' second hearing," Professor McGonagall told Kyle. "Can I trouble you to assist Professor Machinban here afterward?"
"Sure, no problem," Kyle agreed without hesitation.
"That's great," Professor McGonagall said, rubbing her forehead.
With the Hogwarts exams and the hearing overlapping, her recent stress levels had been high.
Soon, Professor McGonagall left the Astronomy Tower, and after Professor Machinban understood the situation, she didn't say more but proceeded directly with the exam.
With only Draco Malfoy present, there was no need for a queue, and the process became significantly more efficient.
In just a few hours, Malfoy completed most of the exam and began brewing potions.
Kyle casually transfigured a chair for himself and sat down, watching Malfoy vigorously grinding lionfish bone powder.
He wondered why Lucius insisted on Draco taking the N.E.W.T. exams.
Did he really need those certificates? Although the Malfoy family had lost a substantial amount of money to Voldemort, the fact that they could still afford to make donations to the Ministry of Magic indicated that they were far from destitute.
The Malfoy family still had savings, and not an insignificant amount, enough for Draco to squander.
Could it be that Lucius felt it was a waste to only donate and thus added this request? As soon as this thought occurred to Kyle, he shook his head.
It was unlikely; the Malfoys wouldn't engage in such trivial matters.
"He should be the first..." Professor Machinban suddenly spoke, snapping Kyle back to attention.
"The first what?" he asked.
"The first student to be expelled from Hogwarts but still take the N.E.W.T. exams." Professor Machinban's expression was peculiar.
"There aren't many students expelled from Hogwarts, especially after Albus became headmaster. There's only one, and that's him."
"For a genuine Death Eater to return to Hogwarts as a student and take the exams... Isn't that amazing?"
A student...
Kyle abruptly lifted his head.
He felt like he had guessed Lucius's intention.
Draco had been expelled, and even if he later returned to Hogwarts for a period of time, it wouldn't change the fact that he was a dropout.
But things were different after taking the N.E.W.T. exams.
The certificate bore the Hogwarts crest, and as long as Draco obtained one, he could shed his dropout status.
This status seemed useless, as there were plenty of dropouts in Britain, but it would allow Draco to completely disassociate himself from being a Death Eater.
In the future, when others mentioned that Draco was once a Death Eater, he could show them the certificate and refute their claims.
"Look, even Hogwarts has accepted me back and allowed me to take the graduation exams. Why are you still holding on to the past?"
At this thought, Kyle smirked.
What Severus Snape had to go through two hearings to achieve, Draco Malfoy could accomplish with just one exam.
Indeed, this was the cunning Malfoy family...
However, allowing Draco Malfoy to return to school was also something Dumbledore had agreed to.
...
By the time noon approached, Malfoy finally finished his Potion exam and handed a bottle of Felix Felicis to Professor Machinban.
...It should be Felix Felicis, although the color was slightly off, but that was the assigned potion.
Subsequently, the two of them left the Astronomy Tower together.
Kyle followed behind.
Malfoy didn't stay with them for long; he seemed to have other matters to attend to, and aware of his current unpopularity, he departed from the Astronomy Tower and left the school via a different route.
Professor Machinban also had to take his exam papers back to be filed, leaving Kyle alone to head to the Great Hall for lunch.
By this time, lunch should have already started, and Kyle couldn't help but quicken his pace.
But just as he reached the courtyard—
"Is this Hogwarts? An ancient castle with ugly decorations... It doesn't look very impressive."
An elderly witch stood in front of a statue, dressed in a dignified dark blue gown, her silver-streaked hair neatly pulled into a bun, her tone carrying a clear disdain.
Kyle halted.
"Vandarozier!"
"It's me," Vandarozier turned, letting out a laugh, "Don't look at me like that. If it weren't for his request, I wouldn't willingly come to such a..."
She couldn't help but glance at the crack on the statue, frowning slightly, "Speaking of which, doesn't Hogwarts even have the money to replace these decorations? I always thought Hogwarts should be on par with Beauxbatons."
"These statues aren't something you can buy with Galleons." Kyle retorted.
Although he didn't know when these statues appeared at Hogwarts, it didn't stop him from saying so.
After all, Vandarozier didn't know either.
...
(End of Chapter)
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