"No betting!" Hermione refused decisively.
Draco chuckled sarcastically:
" Miss Granger is still so stubborn. She knows perfectly well that my writing might still get approved, but she still wants to refute my argument."
"Who told you to be so lazy?"
Draco retorted vehemently, "If I didn't slack off, how would that highlight your diligence and hard work?"
"You're the one with the most twisted logic. I'm not going to argue with you anymore. Go to sleep." Hermione was too lazy to pay him any more attention and closed her eyes to rest.
Draco smiled but didn't say anything.
But before she could have a moment of peace, Hermione sensed something was wrong. "Hey! Go to sleep if you want to, why are you sticking your hand in here?"
"It's cold outside," Draco casually offered as an excuse.
"Cold my foot, it's summer now."
Draco's mind immediately went astray upon hearing this.
However, it's best not to pollute the young wives too much right now.
The two gradually fell asleep while trying to keep each other in check.
After waking up from their afternoon nap, the two headed to the designated examination room.
The waiting area outside the examination hall was already full of people.
A female teacher stood in front of the crowd.
There were two empty seats at the very back, near the aisle.
Just as the two walked to their seats and were about to sit down, the female teacher in front of them called out, "Please come over and sign in, you two candidates."
The two had no choice but to turn back and sign in. The sign-in process was very simple; all they had to do was write down their names.
Draco and Hermione's names were at the end of the list, indicating that they were indeed among the later arrivals.
After signing in, the two returned to their seats in the last row. Hermione complained in a low voice, "It's all your fault, taking such a long time, and we're always the last ones."
Don't worry, we're not late.
Hermione rolled her eyes; that wasn't the point at all.
There was no time for Hermione to argue with him; the female teacher had already begun announcing, "Those whose names are called, please follow me inside."
A short while later, a male teacher came out and handed a roster to the female teacher, indicating that the candidates could come in.
The female teacher took the roster, opened it, and announced loudly, "Alright, now those whose names I call, please come in with me."
"Ethan Carter, Liam Wilson."
"Yes," the two replied, standing up.
"Please come in with me." The two candidates, looking tense and filled with trepidation, followed the female teacher into the examination room.
At first, they remained quiet, but after a while, when the female teacher didn't come out, everyone started whispering among themselves.
One applicant, recalling their arrival at the university, asked those around them somewhat absentmindedly, "Were you all invited? I received an invitation to Yale University for graduate studies, and when I went for an interview, I opened a door, walked in, and ended up here."
"Yes, I received an invitation too," someone chimed in.
"Wow, I didn't expect everyone to be like this."
"In that case, the graduate school interview is just a trap to lure us in."
Someone else said, "That's not all, did you notice? Those oak trees. This isn't New York at all."
The person next to him rolled their eyes. "Isn't that obvious? How could a magic university be set up in the human world?"
Someone mentioned the written exam this morning, "Those exam papers in the hall... did you notice that the questions kept changing?"
"Yes, is everyone like this?" The people around looked at each other and nodded, the answer being affirmative.
Besides being confused about where this was and the strangeness of the exam paper, many people also speculated about the content of the second exam.
Some people wondered, "The written test is over, what will the interview ask? More in-depth theoretical questions?"
"Could it be a psychological test? The written test was strange; maybe it's testing our mental state."
"We'll find out when the first group of candidates comes out and we can ask them."
At the same time, feelings of unease and self-doubt spread among the people, with many worrying that they were not qualified to become magicians.
One person said in disbelief, "I guessed everything on the written test, and I still can't believe I received this card."
Someone asked worriedly, "What will happen if we fail this test? Will they send us straight home?"
"What else? Are you going to give me an award? You don't have the aptitude to become a magician, so naturally you should go home."
"Since I was little, I've always been able to see things that others can't. I used to think it was just my hallucination. Now I'm starting to understand, it must be related to magic."
"You're kidding me. I could say I can fly."
Some people have already put themselves on the elimination list:
"I feel like I don't belong here. Even if I manage to pass the written test, it doesn't mean I'll get past this next hurdle."
Someone nearby joked, "Since you even have such thoughts, it seems you don't deserve this opportunity."
The man seemed quite philosophical about it, replying, "I've never been that eager to become a magician. It would be best if I could, but if not, I'll just go back to my original world and continue living my life."
"Then you have absolutely no ambition."
The man shook his head and said, "There's nothing we can do. Sometimes you just can't get what you want. That's just how reality is."
"But if you don't pursue it, you won't even have a chance."
"There's nothing I can do about it. If I get it, I'm lucky; if I lose it, it's fate."
"Forget it, I won't argue with you. Our views are completely opposite, so it's a waste of breath to say anything more."
The man smiled and said, "That's true."
Draco found their discussion quite interesting and was about to exchange a few words with Hermione when the person sitting next to him suddenly said, "Hello, my name is Zara Reed."
Draco and Hermione turned around and, what a coincidence, it was the black girl with the afro who had sat next to them in the last game.
Draco and Hermione also told each other their names.
Zara, a Black woman, exclaimed, "This campus is so beautiful! Even if I didn't pass the exam, just seeing it here would be worth it!"
"You have such a great attitude," Hermione praised.
Beside the black woman Zara, a tall, muscular man joined the conversation, saying, "But if you can successfully pass the test, you can enjoy this beautiful scenery day and night."
Zara, the Black woman, maintained her carefree attitude. "Even if we can't appreciate it day and night, it's nice to reminisce occasionally."
Draco, however, poured cold water on the idea, saying, "If you can't pass the exam, it'll be all for nothing, because the school will erase your memories of this place, and you won't remember the scenery either."
Zara, the black woman, paused for a moment, then smiled knowingly. "You're right, I hadn't thought of that. But even if my memories are erased, it doesn't matter. At least for now, I've truly seen the scenery here, and that's enough."
At that moment, a man with a full beard in the front row turned around and his gaze fell on Draco and Hermione:
"Although this may be a bit abrupt, I'd still like to ask how old you two are? Your demeanor and appearance seem quite different from ours."