Final Exams

The new Minister's appointment had not actually had much of an impact on Hogwarts. Most students were only briefly surprised when reading the newspapers, then set them aside and continued attending classes on time.

As June approached, the weather grew hotter and hotter. Combined with the upcoming examinations, the castle was always filled with a sense of tension, like a barrel of explosives with its fuse already lit and about to blow.

Perhaps it was also because this was the year when everyone least wanted the holidays to begin.

Seeing reports in the papers every so often about Voldemort killing someone else, everyone clearly preferred to remain at Hogwarts. At least here, they would not suddenly be killed by Voldemort.

Still, they might have been worrying too much—after all, not everyone was called Harry Potter. For most Hogwarts students, Voldemort did not need to kill them personally. Sending Death Eaters was more than enough.

Strictly speaking, then, their situation was not much different from last year.

But no one told them that.

At school, with the approaching final examinations and holidays, the professors had unanimously increased both the difficulty of their lessons and the amount of homework.

Even Silvan, a sixth-year, had to write five essays of over a foot each every day, in addition to setting aside two hours to practise spells and Transfiguration.

But no one complained. Even Ron merely grumbled a few words upon hearing about the homework, then went with everyone else to the library or an empty classroom to practise spells.

Once June arrived, that tense atmosphere reached its peak.

Examination week had arrived. The night before, people from the Ministry of Magic's Wizarding Examinations Authority came to Hogwarts as they did every year.

The person leading them was still Professor Griselda Marchbanks. She had