Days at Hogwarts

Chapter 718 Sixth Grade Final Exam

At 6:30 pm, the sun was setting in the west.

The auditorium was quieter than usual.

Starting today, Hogwarts is officially closed. The lower grades will begin their final exams tomorrow, while the middle and upper grades will have theirs later. The final Wizarding Level exams for graduating students will be last. Seventh-year students generally have dark circles under their eyes, bloodshot eyes, and are tense. The clinking of silver cutlery against porcelain plates is punctuated by the muttering of some young wizards reciting their lessons, while the other students chat in hushed tones.

The oppressive atmosphere of the approaching exams hung heavy in the auditorium.

The kitchen offers a more abundant selection of dishes than ever before. The previously limited chops are now available in abundance, and a variety of dishes from other countries are on display. If you miss a meal, you can sneak into the kitchen in the dark without the caretaker and be warmly welcomed by the house-elves.

Loren planned to taste one of each food item, but after looking at the dishes on the table, he realized the task was too arduous and decided to change it into a long-term plan that would last for a week.

As usual, Hermione only took a few of her favorite foods, in small portions. The girl sat beside her, eating slowly while flipping through her notes, looking every bit the model student, which made her anxious.

"Excuse me."

Hermione thought he was going to take the jar of mayonnaise, so she leaned back slightly to avoid his outstretched hand, but the next moment she saw that the hand closed her notebook.

"..."

Hermione couldn't help but find it amusing.

"Stop looking at this. You can recite this entire notebook by heart. Eat your food and relax your mind." Loren put a steak on her plate.

"For me, going through my notes is a form of relaxation and effectively relieves pre-exam anxiety."

"Really? I thought it was some kind of psychological tactic, studying hard to make others anxious and sleepless, causing them to underperform during exams."

"I'm not you, I wouldn't do that."

"?"

"At the end of the first year, during the metamorphosis theory exam, someone deliberately flipped through the papers, causing the others to feel nervous and anxious."

"What do you mean?" Loren's face flushed slightly as he retorted sternly, "I'm warning you not to talk nonsense. I'm suing you for defamation, you know? I'm suing you for defamation...!"

"..."

Hermione secretly stuffed a piece of meat close to the bone into her mouth, too lazy to argue with him.

After dinner, the two did not immediately return to the common room or go to the tower to review astronomy. Instead, they walked out of the auditorium side by side and took a walk in the courtyard.

The last rays of the setting sun had not yet completely faded, the faint moonlight had already risen, birds landed in the woods, and the castle gradually quieted down.

……

The following morning, the sixth-grade students faced their first final exam: a practical exam on Defense Against the Dark Arts.

The Defense Against the Dark Arts course this academic year is quite challenging, but Professor Bashat's assessment criteria are more flexible. Rather than rigid textbook answers, he values ​​students' thinking on how to protect their lives in the face of danger, and students who can give reasonable answers will receive points.

For example, in the third sub-question of the short answer question: If you encounter a pregnant Welsh green dragon while camping in the Scottish Highlands, what measures should you take to ensure your safety to the greatest extent possible, and why?

The standard answer involves analyzing the physiological characteristics of the Welsh green dragon, its attack methods, and the personality traits of a pregnant fire dragon, and then listing corresponding measures and spells based on that information. Very few students, however, would write "Strike first, use a powerful disarm spell to take down the fire dragon" within the answer line.

Professor Baghatt would not deduct points directly from the latter, but would flip through the exam paper to check the candidate's information. If the name column read "Harry Potter," he might give some points at his discretion.

Next came the Transfiguration theory exam, the Charms theory exam, the History of Magic theory exam... After the theory exams for all the major subjects were finished, it was already three days later. Next came the practical exams for each subject, which were quick to take. Even including the time spent queuing and waiting, it took less than two hours, not as long as a theory exam.

The last theoretical exam: Spellcasting.

Professor Flitwick asked candidates to combine the Weather Charm and the Freeze Charm to create a scene on the table that is generally cloudy with localized snow and ice. The difficulty lies in the precise operation of the spell conversion. If you lack confidence in your skills, you can still get a high score by slowing down.

Loren's performance earned him praise from Professor Flitwick, who believed that the smile he gave him before leaving was a hint that he had received a perfect score.

His sixth year was over, but Hermione's wasn't, because the ancient runes exam was scheduled for tomorrow afternoon.

Loren stayed by Hermione's side, helping her study runes in the library and proofreading her translations. He did his best, but Miss Granger was rather impatient. After he pointed out her lack of rhetoric for the third time, she kicked him out of the library.

Honestly, they don't appreciate kindness.

……

In the afternoon, Loren savored the beautiful rhetoric he had just heard and slowly returned to his dormitory.

I opened the door and saw all four of my roommates were there.

Neville was packing his luggage, half his body buried in the storage scales, looking a bit frightening. Loren glanced at his wardrobe and suitcase, thought for a moment, and decided that considering there were still two weeks until the official vacation, there was no need to rush.

Simo was still the same as always, standing in front of the mirror grinning foolishly. When asked what he saw, he didn't answer, but instead grinned even harder.

Judging from the open suitcase on Ron's bed, he probably has to pack his bags too, even though he's currently admiring photos—a group photo taken not long ago after the Quidditch victory by the relatively unknown photographer Colin Crevey, for which Harry's autograph was the payment.

Harry sat in the chair, his eyes narrowed, and judging from his tightly furrowed brows, he was probably not taking a nap.

"Harry, what are you doing?" Loren sat down next to him, picked up the teapot and poured himself a cup. He took a sip and tasted the refreshing lemon flavor mixed with the sweetness of honey. It was slightly sweet with less sugar.

Harry opened his eyes, his gaze deep: "I'm practicing Legilimency."

"Hmm?" Loren frowned slightly, somewhat puzzled. "Then who was the object of your Legilimency?"

"Myself."

Loren: "..."

This roommate probably has some kind of problem.

Harry seemed to sense his confusion and explained seriously, "I've seen Voldemort's perspective before, and Voldemort has controlled me before. I believe there must be a secret passage between us. As long as I can find the entrance to this passage, my Legilimency can enter Voldemort's mind through the passage."

Loren tossed a few sugar cubes into his teacup, too lazy to use a spoon, and simply swirled the cup gently. "You're right, but I think you should first learn true Legilimency."

"I'm practicing."

"Harry, Legilimency is the attempt to read other people's thoughts and memories. You sit here with your eyes closed and try to guess what you're thinking. This practice is called meditation, a spiritual technique from the Far East."

(End of this chapter)