"Lumos!" Michael gripped his wand tightly and cast the Illumination Spell again.
The light appearing at the tip of his wand this time was several degrees brighter than before.
He knew time was running out, so he simply started forward, moving through the increasingly thick fog.
Just then, a burst of noisy sounds came from all directions.
They sounded somewhat like laughter, but far sharper—like a flock of chattering parrots.
Michael's expression changed, and cold sweat had already formed on his forehead.
He knew perfectly well that this was an exam, but those strange, omnipresent sounds were still rather chilling.
All he could do now was stop immediately, take up a stance, and prepare for a possible attack.
No sooner had Michael stopped than the chattering cries grew louder, until several magical creatures appeared before him.
These magical creatures hovered in midair, each about the size of a hand. Their skin was an iron-blue color, and their nut-sized eyes were jet-black, radiating undisguised malice. They looked rather unnerving.
Around their long, thin necks hung oversized bags, nearly as thick as their bodies. They drooped heavily against their chests, swaying constantly as the creatures darted up and down through the air.
The instant he saw them, Michael recognized what they were. "Cornish Pixies..."
He had a rather deep impression of these magical creatures.
After Gilderoy Lockhart became the Defence Against the Dark Arts professor, the first lesson he prepared—aside from having students fill out meaningless questionnaires—was introducing them to Cornish Pixies.
Through that lesson, the students not only came to know Cornish Pixies, but also came to know Gilderoy Lockhart all over again.
The performance Gilderoy Lockhart displayed in that lesson was completely at odds with the image presented in his books.
The series of events that followed proved it even