Exam

As June arrived, the atmosphere in the castle became tense and exciting again, not only because of the upcoming final match of the Triwizard Tournament, but also because of the approaching holidays.

For most students, they hadn't left the castle for a year because of the Yule Ball.

That's why they're looking forward to the holiday more than ever before this year.

Kyle received another huge pile of books, and this time, even Cedric, Cho, and Kanna joined in.

They wrote down a long list of potentially useful spells on parchment and then gave them to Kyle.

"The Four-Point Spell will definitely work, I guarantee it."

Cedric said, "It makes the wand always point due north, and the Quidditch Pitch is in the north, which means that if you follow the wand, you'll definitely find where the trophy is."

Are you absolutely certain that you'll find the right directions in the maze?

Qiu retorted, "Don't forget the scenarios the Champion experienced during the First Task; they were completely different from what we've seen."

"But it still offers some lessons, doesn't it?" Cedric said. "Knowing the direction is always better than knowing nothing at all."

"You're right." Qiu glanced at him, "But if a Four-Point Spell can find the right way, then this project is a bit too simple. I don't think Professor Dumbledore didn't think of such an obvious problem."

"So the Reductor Curse is more important. Once we blow up the hedges, we won't be affected by the maze and can keep moving forward."

"I don't think a single Reductor Curse could destroy the hedges that make up the maze," Cedric muttered to himself.

This wasn't the first time they'd argued about which spell was more effective, and everyone had their reasons, making it seem like a competition... whoever Kyle agreed with would win.

The winner usually gloats for a whole day, and then continues the competition the next day, enjoying it immensely.

Kyle had no choice but to choose both in order to have some peace and quiet.

It's just a matter of a few words anyway, since he's basically seen all the spells the two recommended.

Kanna was different; she gave him Potions.

Bottles of Baruffio's Brain Elixir, Clear-Healing Potion, various antidotes, healing potions, stamina-boosting potions, dangerous corrosive potions, and the kind of fire-resistant potion Snape used to protect the Philosopher's Stone were all being sent to Kyle.

In the end, she even brought over a bottle of golden Felix Felicis... but Kyle didn't accept it.

Part of the reason was fear of being hunted down by Snape. After all, with her current abilities, Kanna was clearly not capable of brewing Felix Felicis, and it was obvious where the potion came from.

They accepted the ordinary potions without a second thought. Even if Snape found out, he would only be a little annoyed and lose a few points from his score, and that would be the end of it.

But Felix Felicis is different; even Snape couldn't easily brew it, it's practically labeled "for Kanna only."

If Kyle takes him in, even Dumbledore might not be able to protect him.

In addition, he already had a bottle of Kanna's Felix Felicis in his suitcase.

It was a Christmas present Snape gave her when she was in first grade, but back then Kanna often lost things, so Kyle offered to keep them safe for her.

However, when he tried to return it later, Kanna refused to take it back, saying that it was a gift she had given to Kyle... But Snape probably didn't know that.

Another reason is that in important events like the Triwizard Tournament, Felix Felicis would definitely be banned...

The referees' role is not just to score; for them, they can basically tell at a glance whether the Champion have taken Felix Felicis.

After Kyle's explanation, Kanna reluctantly put the Felix Felicis away again.

Soon, there was less than a week left before the competition began.

Fred and George observed Ludo Bagman for more than half a month.

But whether the other party discovered them or for some other reason, he did not see Karkaroff again until the Third Task was about to begin.

One of them was on a boat, and the other was at the Quidditch Pitch; it was the same every day.

Although Fred and George were disappointed, they had no choice but to temporarily halt their operation.

Because exam week has arrived.

No matter how much they don't care about grades, they still have to get a decent score if they want to get through this holiday safely.

OWL also arrived.

For fifth-grade students, at least this week, even the upcoming Triwizard Tournament cannot distract them from their textbooks, or rather, they must force themselves to concentrate on their books.

The lunch table in the Great Hall was bustling with activity the day before the competition.

Kanna paid no attention to the noisy chatter around her; she was holding a thick book and looking something up in it.

Qiu sat beside her, with an open, thick book in front of her as well.

"I didn't expect OWL to be so much harder than the usual final exams... I made a lot of mistakes on yesterday's Transfiguration exam."

"Oh, I see. There are three things to be careful about with multiple Transfiguration, but I can only remember two. If this prevents me from getting into the advanced class, then..."

"Relax, Qiu, don't be so tense." Cedric handed her a glass of Pumpkin Juice.

"That's just how OWL is; the difficulty might take you a little off."

"I felt the same way at first, thinking I had made a lot of mistakes, and I was so nervous that I couldn't sleep... But when the scores actually came out, it wasn't as bad as I had imagined."

I heard that the Wizarding Examinations Authority has a separate scoring system for OWL, which is different from our usual final exams."

"But I did write it wrong." Qiu didn't seem much relieved. She didn't even want to eat anymore, feeling that there was still a lot she hadn't memorized and wanted to study a little more before the next exam.

Kanna had the same thought; although she was eating, her eyes never left the contents of the book.

As for Mikel and Ryan... they were completely silent, sitting there listlessly, as if they had lost their souls, trying to stuff steak up their nostrils.

However, Kyle didn't have this problem. This morning, when he and Kanna went to the classroom, they were told that as one of the Champion of the Triwizard Tournament, he didn't need to take the OWL exam.

"They originally planned to arrange a special test for you after the Triwizard Tournament, but I don't think it's necessary."

Professor Marchbanks was over a hundred years old, stood at the door and said, "I have seen your previous grades... At least during the time I was in charge of the exams, no one scored higher than you, including Dumbledore."

"And that article you wrote for <Today's Transfiguration>, to be honest, it would get full marks even in the NEWT exam for Transfiguration."

"So go do whatever you want, prepare for the third competition, or relax and enjoy the scenery... You don't need to waste time on parchment."

So, with Professor Marchbanks's special permission, Kyle sat in the empty common room all morning.

To be honest, it was pretty boring.