Everything about the process felt like a repeat of the O.W.L. examinations from fifth year.
This time, however, the order was reversed. Their practical exams came first in the morning, while the written papers were held in the afternoon.
First was Charms.
By morning, the four long tables in the Great Hall had already been removed and replaced with individual desks and chairs spaced apart from one another.
In the Entrance Hall, Malfoy was encouraging Astoria.
"It's fine. You can do it." Malfoy waved a hand grandly and said arrogantly, "It's just an exam. My Astoria can handle it with ease."
Astoria's little face was pale. It was hard to tell whether she had even heard him as she walked into the Great Hall in a daze.
In the room beside the Entrance Hall, several examiners were already waiting.
"Hannah Abbott."
If John was the king of Hogwarts, then Hannah was the eternal first-in-line champion.
She was always the first to be called.
The poor girl had never been good under pressure to begin with, and hearing her name was like being sentenced to death.
Neville encouraged her from beside her, and Hannah finally gathered her courage and went inside.
John and Malfoy were both near the back. The students waited in line for their own names to be called.
Since everyone had taken different subjects, some exams were not part of every student's schedule.
Only John would appear in the examination room for every single subject.
When it was Malfoy's turn, he strode inside with the swagger of someone who feared neither family nor authority, practically wearing the words Draco Malfoy, eldest son and sole heir of the First Ancient Family across his face.
The examiners paid particular attention to the young man who had received a Medal for Heroic Conduct and even an Order of Merlin.
"This year's Hogwarts students really are an extraordinary bunch," Marchbanks said loudly to the old man beside her. "Much livelier than things were in our day."
"What? A hot cat is here?" The old man's hearing was poor. He was a veteran examiner several decades older than Marchbanks.
If this year's cohort had not been the liveliest in years, the old man probably would not have shown up at all.
Malfoy walked up to him, planted his hands on his hips, and said proudly, "Go on. Give me whatever question you've got."
"What? Tim is here?" the old man said. "I don't know any Tim."
Malfoy stared at him. "I said, hurry up and give me the question!"
"Hurry up and leave?" the old man replied. "I'm the examiner."
Malfoy finally lost his temper and shouted, "You old fool, I told you to give me the question!"
The old man flew into a rage as well. He slammed the table and stood up.
"Who are you calling an old fool? If you don't want to take the exam, then get out!"
So you heard that part perfectly clearly, did you?
The room became exceptionally lively after Malfoy went in.
John could hear the chaos from outside. By the time Malfoy finished his exam, he had to be dragged out.
"If your ears don't work, why are you even an examiner?"
"I don't eat barbecue!"
"You old fool."
"Damn it, you little brat, you called me that again!"
John was speechless.
Was this part of the Charms exam now?
When John finally entered, for some reason, every examiner seemed to be looking at him with unusual enthusiasm.
The old man who had argued with Malfoy immediately stood up. With surprising agility, he vaulted over the table in his way and hurried over to shake John's hand.
"Mr Wick," the old man said, his eyes shining. "My name is Rubin Spencers. It's a pleasure to meet you."
"I've heard about your classification system for magic. I have to say, it's a completely new way of thinking."
"Hello." John shook his hand.
Spencers said, "These exams are far too dull. Let's see something interesting."
If not for John Wick's reputation, Spencers would never have abandoned the comfortable life of raising Puffskeins at home.
He was a Charms scholar, obsessed with the study of magic.
John thought for a moment and asked, "Will it count for extra marks?"
"Of course," Spencers replied, his hearing suddenly perfectly fine. "Provided it's satisfactory."
"In that case, I'd be happy to oblige." John smiled faintly.
He raised a hand and gently pressed downward.
A wave of magic spread out, but none of the surrounding tables appeared to change.
The examiners exchanged puzzled looks until one of them accidentally touched a table.
The tables instantly crumbled into dust, as though they had endured ten thousand years of weathering.
John drew his wand, and the powder flew through the air before him, rapidly reassembling two metres away and returning to its original form.
"Beautiful!"
Spencers could not help exclaiming.
A flash of silver light appeared behind John, and the table had already returned to its original position.
"How did you do that?"
Spencers had not even seen John cast any magic. It was as though everything had simply happened out of nowhere.
John only smiled without answering.
"All right. You geniuses always have your ways of astonishing people." Spencers knew he was asking too much.
He smiled and asked, "After you graduate, have you considered compiling books on magic?"
"Some old friends and I founded the Researchers' Association. I hope you might be interested."
The examiners were all surprised when they heard Spencers' offer.
The Researchers' Association was an organisation few people had ever heard of.
In reality, however, its work influenced the entire wizarding world.
Its members compiled and revised spells, studied their effects, and improved their capabilities.
In a sense, they were the wizarding world's weapons research department.
Their work was to create magic.
It was not an organisation just anyone could join. Only those capable of creating magic could even reach its threshold.
Every member was an elderly wizard proficient in all kinds of magic.
"Sorry, but I don't think I have any plans to do that for the time being," John said, declining the invitation.
Spencers was not offended. He simply smiled and said, "You're welcome to join us at any time."
The examiners understood that Spencers had taken an interest in John's creativity.
Barring any surprises, John would receive an Outstanding in Charms.
After leaving the room, he could still see Malfoy muttering resentfully about that old man Spencers.
By noon, Astoria was repeatedly asking John whether she had written anything incorrectly.
Malfoy complained indignantly, "Why aren't you asking me? I got an 'O' in Charms too!"
Astoria did not know how to respond, so she could only say, "I just feel more reassured asking John."
Daphne sneered. Malfoy had spent ages showing off that grade back then.
That afternoon, the battlefield shifted.
Professor Flitwick reminded everyone that self-correcting ink, Remembralls, and other cheating aids were strictly forbidden.
As he spoke, he even made a point of circling Goyle and Crabbe.
It was already a miracle that those two oversized trolls had managed to earn passing grades in their O.W.L.s. During seventh-year classes, they had more than once driven Professor Flitwick nearly mad with frustration.
Professor Flitwick walked over to John and said, "Spencers invited you to join the Researchers' Association? It's an excellent place."
"My focus isn't on that for now." John shrugged. "Maybe after I retire. It might be a good choice then."
Professor Flitwick agreed. John now possessed enough power to carve out his own sphere of influence in Britain. Asking him to join the Researchers' Association was like asking the President of the United States to become a monk.
The written Charms exam was not difficult for John.
He finished it in half an hour and then let his mind wander.
The Reverse Scale Charm pinned to his chest supplied him with dark energy. John stared at his finger as it gradually turned greyish-white, only to return to normal a moment later.
"This energy corrodes the human body."
John suddenly absorbed a large surge of dark energy, but the colour of his palm did not change.
"Last time, in the Dark Dimension, endless amounts of darkness poured into my body without causing any side effects. That means this power can't harm me."
The Charms exam gradually passed as John continued absorbing dark energy.
When the sand in the hourglass on Professor Flitwick's desk finally ran out, the examination came to an end.
Professor Flitwick waved his wand, causing everyone's parchments to fly towards him.
Everyone wore a different expression.
Goyle scratched his head anxiously, Malfoy looked completely confident, and Daphne carefully went over her answers in her mind.
With that exam over, Transfiguration would be held the following day.
Astoria was no longer the only one asking John about the answers. Malfoy had joined her.
For Malfoy, practical work was far easier than theory.
By Tuesday, their exam was once again scheduled at a different time from the fifth-years.
Hannah was still the first to go in, but this time John saw a camel run out of the examination room.
Then came an entire herd of camels, leaving Hannah on the verge of tears as she struggled helplessly to stop them.
The room was in complete chaos.
This time, even Malfoy could not act arrogant.
Transfiguration had always been one of Malfoy's weaker subjects. After entering the examination room, he came back out without any of his usual swagger. Judging conservatively, his performance was probably only Acceptable.
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