"What was the answer to question four? Who founded the Department of Magical Law Enforcement, Perseus Parkinson or Eldridge Diggory?"
"Uh, Ulysses Pumble."
"Pumble!? Wasn't he a wizard in the field of Transfiguration?"
"You're thinking of Pumble's Transfiguration Law. That was another Pumble."
"Damn it, couldn't they have picked more distinctive names?"
"..."
"Crunch, crunch..."
Loren stood in the corridor outside the examination room, munching on hazelnut snacks as he listened to the students around him compare answers. He smiled cheerfully, thoroughly enjoying himself in every sense.
When he saw Hermione emerge from the classroom, he kept chewing as he casually pulled out a handful of hazelnuts from his coat pocket and offered them to her as she approached slowly. "You really see things through to the end. Even such an easy Magical Affairs exam had to be handed in after the bell. Miss Granger entered school seven years ago, and she's still just as she was when she was little."
"The final essay took time."
Hermione took the hazelnuts from his palm and tried one. She fell slightly silent. "If I remember correctly, these were snacks you bought for Hānhan last week."
"Hehe..."
Loren grinned. "Tasty, right?"
"..."
They really did taste good.
Hermione simply could not overcome the psychological barrier. She silently stuffed the remaining hazelnuts back into his pocket and smoothly steered the conversation back to the exam. "How did you answer that final essay question?"
"I roughly calculated the points after reading it and realized I could still get my certificate even if I skipped it, so I didn't write anything."
"..."
The students in the corridor gradually dispersed. The graduating seventh-years scattered throughout the school, savoring the relief and ease that came with finishing their exams as they admired the evening scenery around Hogwarts. With