Second Monthly Exam

Lin Du's words to Dumbledore were not an excuse.

Since reconciling with his past, he truly felt he had slacked off considerably in both teaching and research.

It wasn't until he was grading the second-year students' essays on snowmen yesterday that he realized the seriousness of the problem--

Yesterday evening, Hermione Granger, carrying a thick stack of parchment, knocked on his office door.

"Professor, here are the second-year snowman essays." Hermione placed the assignments neatly on his desk, her young face wearing a serious expression, as if she had something to say but hesitated.

"Thank you, Miss Granger." Lin Du nodded gently and casually picked up the topmost essay, belonging to Neville Longbottom.

His initially relaxed gaze faltered slightly after scanning a few lines--

This essay on how to deal with snowmen was written with rigorous wording and clear logic, even citing viewpoints from more than one reference book. It was far beyond Neville's usual standard--

Or rather, it was a patchwork product of the relevant chapters from Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them and Counter-Jinx Magic.

Without showing any change in his demeanor, he flipped through several more papers. Seamus Finnigan, Dean Thomas...

Especially the Gryffindor assignments, nearly a third of them bore the mark of such stiff, direct copying.

"Miss Granger," Lin Du put down the essays and looked at Hermione, "I recall asking you to assist with grading, mainly to record scores and mark obvious errors. But I see you've given out quite a few 'P's'?"

He noticed that many essays were prominently marked with a failing grade in red ink.

Hermione straightened her back, her tone carrying a hint of displeasure. "Yes, Professor. I believe that completely copying from textbooks without any personal thought or understanding cannot be considered a qualified assignment. It's disrespectful to knowledge and goes against the original intention of your assigning the task."

She paused, her gaze shifting slightly:

"And... I've noticed that this situation has become significantly more common only in the last two weeks. It seems... it seems that after some students learned that recent assignments would primarily be reviewed by me, and that you... you might not personally check every detail..."

Lin Du understood instantly.

He had been immersed in his own changes in mindset and new insights into ancient runes during this period, delegating more grading work to the diligent class representative.

And the students, these clever and occasionally lazy young wizards, had keenly sensed this "laxity" and started testing the boundaries.

The brief chaos and subsequent calm brought about by the Parseltongue incident had further nurtured the soil for such perfunctory work.

"I understand," Lin Du's voice betrayed no emotion.

"You did very well, Miss Granger. Upholding principles is a valuable quality. Gryffindor gets ten points. Leave these assignments here for now."

Hermione seemed about to say something more, but seeing Lin Du had already picked up another essay to review, she politely withdrew.

As soon as the office door closed, Chao Feng's voice echoed in Lin Du's mind.

"Heh, the petty cleverness of human cubs."

Chao Feng, who had perched atop the bookshelf at some unknown time, its golden vertical pupils filled with amusement.

"Once they discover the shepherd dog is dozing, the sheep begin to butt each other with their horns for fun, even trying to gnaw a hole in the fence. Lin Du, has your 'peace' been mistaken for 'being easy to bully'?"

Lin Du did not respond immediately.

He tapped his long fingers lightly on the desk, looking at the stack of problematic essays. The initial hint of surprise in his eyes had faded, replaced by a deep contemplation.

"Slacking... indeed breeds more slacking," he murmured to himself, a slow smile curving his lips, a smile that instinctively made Chao Feng's scales tighten.

"It seems it's time to put some pressure on Hogwarts..."

His smile held a disturbing hint of interest, as if he had found a new toy.

Chao Feng silently retracted its head. "...I suddenly feel a bit sorry for those little trolls. Whenever you wear that expression, someone's in for a world of trouble."

Lin Du did not deny it. He simply picked up his quill and began writing a new plan on a blank piece of parchment.

His focused expression made it seem as if he were conceiving an exquisite work of art, rather than a "disaster" about to sweep through the entire school.

And so, in the next Defense Against the Dark Arts class, Lin Du stood at the podium and announced in his characteristic calm tone:

"In view of the recent teaching effectiveness and... your learning attitudes," his gaze swept subtly over several Gryffindors who guiltily lowered their heads.

"From now on, for every monthly exam, I will adjust based on the average score of each House. The House with the highest score will contribute fifty points to their House Cup."

A small cheer erupted in the classroom.

"And the last place," Lin Du smiled slightly, a smile that made the students' hearts skip a beat, "will have fifty points deducted."

After a moment of dead silence, the entire classroom, and then Hogwarts as the news spread, erupted!

The House Cup's outcome was directly tied to exam results? This was like throwing a ladle of cold water into a sizzling hot oil pan.

"Merlin's beard! Fifty points!"

"Merlin's broken socks! Minus fifty points?!"

"Is Professor Lin a devil?!"

In an instant, the hushed whispers about Harry being a Parselmouth throughout the castle were quickly replaced by the sounds of reciting spells, discussing tactics, and quizzing each other on Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them.

The library was packed, and Madam Pince's frequency of brandishing her feather duster increased considerably.

"This is even scarier than Snape giving us detention!" Ron wailed, collapsing onto a chair in the common room with a large stack of books in his arms. "He's trying to kill us!"

Harry also wore a troubled expression. He was already upset about the Parseltongue incident, and now it was just one more burden.

This meant that in addition to completing Quidditch training and investigating the Chamber of Secrets, he had to squeeze in more time for intense studying.

Even Hermione, who always found joy in learning, felt the pressure.

She not only had to review on her own but also had to urge (force) Harry and Ron to study, which severely compressed her time for researching the Polyjuice Potion recipe and planning how to sneak into Snape's office.

"At least... this proves one thing," Ron said weakly, flipping through Common Magical Spells and Their Counter-Curses. "Lin Du couldn't possibly be the Heir of Slytherin."

Harry nodded in agreement. "He doesn't need the Basilisk at all. With just homework and exams, he could easily destroy half of Hogwarts."

Lin Du had heard about the students' private "praise" but didn't care. Instead, he was satisfied with the academic atmosphere becoming tense again.

His goal had been achieved.

However, he soon discovered that the development of events had produced some "side effects" that made him laugh and cry.