Exams Begin

The June sun was bright and intense, shining on the castle grounds and reflecting a dazzling light, as if the entire lawn had just been repainted.

The teacher stopped assigning homework, and class time was entirely devoted to reviewing the questions the teacher believed were most likely to appear on the exam.

Ron was always anxiously asking others how their revision was going, while Hermione spent a lot of time muttering to herself, looking a bit neurotic.

Even the most dejected Harry forced himself to start studying with his books, though it's hard to know how much knowledge could actually be absorbed into his empty, lifeless eyes.

The hallway outside the Potions Classroom was as crowded and noisy as ever.

Skylar leaned against a stone pillar, flipping through a page of a notebook that didn't require much attention, but his gaze was fixed on a small group of people not far away.

That wasn't speaking; it was more like "demonstrating."

"Actually," he drawled, as if mentioning it casually, "The important thing about exams is never what you know, but who you know."

Crabbe and Goyle stood on either side of him, like two not-so-bright walls.

"My father has known the head of the Wizarding Examinations Authority for many years—Grossda Marchbanks," Draco continued, a smug satisfaction in his voice. "We've had meals together. Many things can actually be resolved with just a word."

Someone in the corridor clearly stopped walking.

Skylar noticed that many students' expressions had changed—they became tense, wavering, and uneasy, as if they had been gently pushed, causing the already taut strings in their hearts to immediately vibrate.

Skylar's lips curled into a slight smile; Draco still couldn't shake his wicked sense of humor.

Although this method was clumsy, it was indeed effective, immediately drawing out the panic in everyone's hearts.

Sure enough, not far away, Hermione lowered her voice, speaking almost to Harry and Ron.

Do you think what he said is true?

Skylar didn't turn his head, but he heard it very clearly.

"Even if it's true, there's nothing we can do." Ron's voice was filled with obvious frustration and helplessness.

Skylar raised an eyebrow slightly.

A typical panic response.

When rules seem unreliable, the first thing people give up on is always their efforts.

"I don't think it's true." A timid voice came from behind them.

Skylar then turned his gaze over.

Skylar sneered inwardly. It seemed that the Pure-Blood Traitor Faction were not a monolithic group after all—the fact that Marchbanks attended the House of Malfoy's Christmas dinner was undeniable, only the Longbottom family was unaware of it.

On the other side, Hermione grasped the message almost immediately.

What kind of person is she? Is she strict?

Neville thought for a moment, then his expression became even more troubled.

"To be honest, she looks a bit like my grandma."

Ron immediately followed up, his tone unusually gentle. "So knowing her isn't necessarily a bad thing, right?"

Neville nodded reluctantly, but he was not comforted.

"I think so too," he said softly, his voice trailing off. "Grandma often told Professor Marchbanks that I wasn't as good as my father. You've all seen what my grandma looked like at St Mungo's Hospital."

After he finished speaking, the air seemed to pause for a moment.

Skylar withdrew his gaze, closed his notebook, and remained expressionless. (Chapter update reminder: Chapter 103 The Exam Begins, reading address.) In his mind, however, he was pondering all the possible gaps or weaknesses that might exist within the Pure-Blood Traitor Faction.

In the next Potions.

"As you will all realize sooner or later,"

He paused for a moment, then a cold, emotionless smile curled at the corner of his lips.

"The morning is theory, the afternoon is practice. As for Astronomy— " he scoffed, "Unfortunately, you'll also have to prove at night whether you have the ability to remain undisturbed while fully awake."

The students' quills visibly paused for a moment.

"Before you rush to copy the date and time into your notebooks, I must remind you—" Snape's voice lowered, but became even colder, "All the exam papers are under extremely strict Anti-Cheating Charm."

His gaze slowly wandered around the classroom, finally settling on Ron and Neville, where it lingered for an unusually long time.

"Auto-Answer Quill, prohibited; Remembrall, Detachable Cribbing Cuff, prohibited; automatic error correction ink—" He scoffed dismissively, "If any of you still naively believe that these little tricks can fool the Wizarding Examinations Authority, then I can only say that this will be a very educational failure."

Snape leaned forward slightly, his voice carrying an unsettling pleasure.

"Every year, there are always those who think they're the exception. Unfortunately—" he drawled, "the Wizarding Examinations Authority never appreciates that kind of confidence."

He straightened up and added coldly, "I personally don't care which college that unlucky guy comes from."

He withdrew his gaze, a corner of his black robe flipping up.

"Now, continue recording your dates."

"After all, for some of them—"

"That's probably the last time you'll be taking notes this seriously at Hogwarts."

Time passed quickly...

The first day's exam was on Charms.

The written test questions in the morning were quite conventional, requiring almost no thought from Skylar, whose quill pen maintained a steady and unhurried pace throughout.

In the afternoon's practical exam, he first used a clean and crisp Levitation Charm to steadily lift the wine glass into the air, completing the required height and duration under the watchful eye of the proctoring wizard. He then easily performed a series of side flips. The final Colour Change Charm was equally flawless; the mouse's fur turned a uniform orange-yellow the instant the spell was cast, without any other colors.

The test on June 9th was on Transfiguration.

The morning's theoretical questions focused on principles and limitations, which Skylar answered almost entirely from memory. He could effortlessly recall the definitions, techniques, and precautions of the Switching Spell and Vanishing Spell, and even add some of the latest annotations he had seen in the journal "Transfiguration Today".

The afternoon's practical exercise required using Switching Spell to turn a ferret into another Rodent Animals. For most students, this was an extremely error-prone exercise, but Skylar's magical control was precise and calm. After a brief distortion, the ferret transformed into a field mouse. The field mouse lay quietly on the table, breathing steadily, and its ear size, tooth structure, and body proportions were indistinguishable from a real one.

On June 10th, it was Herbology's turn. The morning written exam involved toxicity identification and treatment procedures, Skylar handled with ease. The afternoon practical exam involved Fanged Geranium, and many students panicked due to their aggressiveness. However, Skylar remained calm, accurately avoiding the biting area, and completed the pruning and calming process step by step, quickly restoring the plant to stability.

For Skylar, the three-day exam felt more like a routine procedure.

There were no surprises, and no challenges.

Click to begin your wondrous journey in <Hogwarts: The Rise of Malfoy>.