I, Hogwarts Second Time Around.

Chapter 439 Badger's Laughter Welcomes the Exam

"But you are, after all, a descendant of the bloodline. What if you have some kind of bloodline magic? Who knows?" Owen said, feigning seriousness.

Even he himself thought it was nonsense.

But what if?

What if Salazar Slytherin, that old bald man, really did leave behind something that Voldemort didn't discover?

These are all Hogwarts treasures!

As a member of Hogwarts.

This is practically his treasure!

His treasure!!!

How could he not be anxious?

"Oh, right—besides that, there's also an underground chamber. I think you should go see it. Maybe you can inherit Salazar's legacy just like Granger inherited Gryffindor's."

"Does it also need the Parsleyan voice to open it?" Koyatl raised an eyebrow.

"No—this time it's the Lion's Roar—haha!" Owen suddenly laughed. "The heirs of Slytherin speak Parseltongue—the heirs of Gryffindor speak the Lion's Roar—the heirs of Ravenclaw speak the Hawk's Roar—the heirs of Hufflepuff speak the Badger's Laughter!"

"Haha, this is really interesting." He laughed heartlessly.

"If you can't even speak the language of small animals, you'd be embarrassed to call yourself a descendant of some ancient lineage—"

"Speaking of which, I also know the language of some small animals!"

Owen tilted his head back and said leisurely, "You all don't know, do you!" His eyes shone brightly, instantly intimidating the other young wizards present. "I can speak the language of foxes."

The rise of the Great Chu – Chen Sheng becomes King.

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Although none of the young wizards present understood Owen's lame joke.

But Koyatl still felt that the boy in front of him probably had some mental issues.

As for Hannah beside him—they were already used to it.

Kyrie Irving always has intermittent periods of erratic behavior.

It's okay—it'll be fine in a few minutes.

Intermittent – ​​does not affect normal life.

After Irving's irrational remarks, the little badgers finally opened up.

Laughter and cheerful voices gradually filled the room.

It's as if stepping into Hufflepuff's common room shuts out all your worries and sorrows.

Everyone was enthusiastic, chatting and laughing, and the atmosphere gradually warmed up.

Koyatl gradually integrated into the group and discovered that everyone was actually very friendly. After clearing up the misunderstanding, she realized that these young wizards didn't have any bad intentions.

Besides the Gryffindor trio.

The lounge was filled with the sounds of badgers laughing and chattering.

Outside the window, the air is already thick with the scent of spring.

A gentle breeze blows softly, bringing life and vitality.

It gently brushed against the branches, bringing forth lush green buds and taking away the cold frost of winter.

A vibrant and flourishing world has arrived.

Soon—naturally, this wizard.

It will make everything warm and beautiful.

------

Time began to fly by.

Professor Lupin returns to Hogwarts.

Harry guessed that Dumbledore probably didn't have a suitable candidate.

Actually, he was hoping Sirius would come back.

To be honest, Owen believes that of all the Defense Against the Dark Arts professors over the years, Professor Lupin is the most competent.

Sirius Black—he's not suitable. He'd be good at leading students to face dark wizards or in a battle, but as a professor of Defense Against the Dark Arts, he's utterly incompetent.

His return to Hogwarts served primarily to mock and suppress Slytherin.

In addition, there's the struggle with Snape...

It's pointless, and it's impossible to persuade them to give up this meaningless struggle or back down.

In short, Lupin's return put the school back on track.

He captured the hearts of the young wizards in just one lesson.

Professor Lupin specifically consulted Victor to gain a comprehensive understanding of what the "Impersonators" are and their true form, the "Deadroot."

He told the young wizards the truth, and even borrowed a trophy the Federation had seized from America—a Deadroot displayed in a glass case.

It was only then that the young wizards realized that the mass of soul and flesh fused together, resembling some kind of fungus, was the true form of the "Impersonator." At this moment, it was completely harmless; it would only come to life if someone placed it in a wizard's mouth.

Moreover, such a transition will leave the new body weak for a long time.

Therefore, capable "imposters" will choose to perform some kind of evil sacrificial ritual. Through sacrifice, they can more quickly take control of the host's body and devour the host's soul.

These courses have a great impact at Hogwarts.

Even many professors came to sit in on the classes.

Hermione summarized the lessons she had attended, along with some of Irving's own research, and compiled them into a paper.

They also published the paper in the newspaper, hoping to let more people know the truth about "The Pretender".

In her paper, she also proposed that the way to distinguish the "imposters" is through the Guardian Charm.

This paper quickly attracted widespread coverage from major newspapers.

The magical world even saw a surge in the learning of Patronus Charms.

But that's a story for another time.

Before we knew it, more than a month had passed.

With the exams approaching, everyone has finally returned to the rhythm of Hogwarts.

The library is packed every day, with everyone studying hard.

However, they weren't doing it for the exam.

Most of them are simply doing it to learn magic, to become stronger, and to survive.

DA rallies are becoming more and more frequent.

Quidditch matches resumed as normal, with one match per week, aiming to determine a champion at the end of the term.

Sigrún has taught at the Iceland University of the Arts as a part-time lecturer since and was Dean of the Department of Fine Art from -. In – she held a research position at Reykjavík Art Museum focusing on the role of women in Icelandic art. She studied fine art at the Icelandic College of Arts and Crafts and at Pratt Institute, New York, and holds BA and MA degrees in art history and philosophy from the University of Iceland. Sigrún lives and works in Iceland.

The castle grounds shimmered in the sunlight, as if they had just been painted; the clear sky was reflected on the sparkling, calm lake; and the smooth, satin-green grass occasionally rippled in the gentle breeze.

June has arrived, and for fifth graders, that means only one thing—their OwLs exams are finally here.

The teachers stopped assigning homework, and class time was used entirely to review the questions that the teachers believed were most likely to appear on the exam.

Coupled with the chaotic world situation outside, the castle is full of focused but somewhat anxious young wizards.

Harry was busier than anyone else—he was busy with Quidditch matches, preparing for exams, attending DA gatherings, practicing spells, and learning Occlumency from Snape.

Sometimes Harry would wonder if Professor Lupin could take over teaching him Occlumency.

If Professor Lupin knew this spell.

However, it was clear that both Owen and Professor Dumbledore recommended that Snape come instead.

He's a professional.

While this sense of tension may not be common in others, it profoundly affects them.

One day, after the herbal medicine class in the greenhouse.

Ernie, Justin Hannah, and the rest of the Gryffindor group did not leave.

They were sitting in deformed chairs, reviewing their lessons.

A greenhouse is a good place.

The place is large and surrounded by all kinds of plants. The air is fresh, and Professor Sprout has cast a lot of temperature-regulating magic for these plants, so there is no need to worry about being cold or hot.

In short, this is arguably the best place to study at Hogwarts.

How many hours a day do you think you can study?

Ernie, among the group, was tilting his head back as he spoke.

Ernie was lucky; he was on the west coast of the United States at the time, so he was fortunate enough not to get involved in the war. However, because the Magic Congress later went into a shutdown, he was unable to return to England, which caused him to waste a lot of time.

"I don't know," Ron said. "A few hours, maybe."

"Is it more or less than eight hours?"

"I think we need more." Ron looked up at Ernie, then immediately looked down again.

"Are you crazy?" Ernie said in shock. "I think eight hours is the limit. I study for an hour before breakfast every day, averaging eight hours. If all goes well, I can study for ten hours on weekends. I studied for nine and a half hours on Monday, Tuesday wasn't so good, only seven hours and fifteen minutes, and then Wednesday..."

If time allows, he will talk on and on, explaining in detail how he squeezed out time to study.

Judging from his appearance, he gets great satisfaction from comparing himself to others who have spent less time reviewing.

This is nothing to brag about. The key is not how much time you spend on it, but whether you have truly mastered all the knowledge points.

"While you were rambling on, I've already memorized the properties of another herb," ​​Justin said ruthlessly.

"By the way, where's Irving?"

"He made us study here, but what about him?"

"You think he still needs to review?" Harry asked, raising an eyebrow.

"Um—it's fine as long as he's not the examiner. If he were the examiner, he would definitely ask very, very difficult questions."

"Where is Koyatl?" Hannah asked, looking up.

"She doesn't need to take exams," Hermione explained. "She's an exchange student, and she's already in seventh grade at Evamori, but she didn't attend the entire seventh grade."

So now you only need to review the knowledge from seventh grade and choose the NEWT course.

I'll be taking seventh-grade classes in the second half of the year, and then I can prepare for the NEWT exam next year.

"She's really lucky," Ernie murmured.

At that moment, the door to the third greenhouse was suddenly pushed open.

It was Irving—he swaggered out.

"Where have you been?" Hermione asked, looking at him.

"Um—the professor got some new herbs, I'll study them, study them, study them."

"You went in and stole something?" Hermione exclaimed, her eyes wide. "You didn't leave me here to study just to cover for you, did you?!"

"No way!" Owen immediately shook his head. "How can you call it stealing? I did it for research."

"so what?"

"Okay—just a little bit, the professor won't notice."

Are you sure?

"Of course—the professor cast a curse spell on those bonsai trees; anyone who tries to break in will have their legs turned into beets," Owen said smugly. "But that's a piece of cake for me."

"Then, when Professor Sprout discovers her crops have been stolen and the curse hasn't worked, guess who she'll suspect first in all of Hogwarts?"

"Uh—" Owen's expression froze for a moment, then he gave up and said, "Forget it, she'll definitely suspect me if something goes missing anyway, so I might as well just steal it myself!"

I can't let myself be taken advantage of!

Hermione rolled her eyes at him.

Owen and Professor Sprout have practically become family; even if the professor knew, he wouldn't blame him.

He should know his limits!

Possible

Owen sat down with them and glanced at the slides the young wizards were reviewing—they were clearly compiled by Hermione, a full ten inches thick—was there really that much?

Why bother organizing manuscripts then?!

Just memorize the textbook once.

Moreover, the OWLS exam is somewhat questionable, as it consists of a written exam and a practical exam.

The written exam goes without saying; you can roughly guess their final grades based on their teaching philosophy. The main thing is the practical exam; the examiners won't let you demonstrate every trick in the book.

Therefore, if you can find out in advance which spell the examiner will be testing, and then cram for that spell, then it will be easy to pass.

Pure-blood wizards like Draco can always find out the exam questions by pulling some strings at home.

Before this, several Slytherin students had proudly boasted to other young wizards outside the Potions classroom, "You have to use connections. My family has had a long-standing relationship with the head of the Wizarding Examinations Authority—Old Gerselda Marchban—who has come to my house for dinner."

This plunged the fifth-year wizards into distrust of the Ministry of Magic once again, fearing that they would send another idiot.

However, this is definitely just Slytherin's boasting; Lady Gershilda Marchban is Dumbledore's person through and through.

She was his most supportive wizard, perhaps even the earliest one!

Because it was Ms. Gershilda Marchiban who proctored the old headmaster's graduation exams. From that time on, she knew that the exceptionally talented boy would surely achieve great things in the future.

The sounds of reading aloud filled the greenhouse, mingling with the rustling of leaves.

Golden sunlight streamed through the emerald green glass windows, casting a vibrant glow on this botanical paradise built with steel frames.

As the sun set, the young wizards dispersed.

A few days later, they waited in an atmosphere of inexplicable anxiety for the OWLS exam time and specific arrangements.

"As you can see."

In Hufflepuff's common room, Professor Sprout was standing in front of the bulletin board, speaking.

Behind her, an automatically flying pen on the bulletin board was writing the exam date and time.

"Your OWLS exams will last for two weeks, with written exams in the morning and practical exams in the afternoon. The astronomy practical exam is scheduled for the evening."

"Okay—it's all the same old stuff, I know you'll never need it, but the rule is that I have to tell you some of these things."

"Ahem." The professor coughed lightly and continued, "Your exam papers have been subjected to the strictest anti-cheating measures. It is strictly forbidden to bring automatic answer quills into the examination hall. In addition, there are memory balls, detachable clip-on cuffs, and automatic error correction ink."

I want to say that you are more than capable of handling the exam. Relax!

Although in the past, almost every year at least one student thought they could evade the Wizarding Examinations Board's regulations, we haven't seen any students cheating for the past three years.

I hope you will continue this tradition.

"Excuse me, Professor," Hannah said, her hand raised in the air, "when will we be able to find out our grades?"

"The Ministry of Magic's Examinations Authority will send it to you in July by an owl," Professor Sprout said with a smile.

"That's great!" Justin said happily. "We don't have to worry about anything before the holidays."

"Yes!" Sprout said with a hint of excitement. "I have a feeling that this year's exams will break Hogwarts' thousand-year record, because we have the best students in this cohort."

The group of young wizards below blushed; the professor's frankness left him slightly at a loss.

"Don't be shy, you deserve this."

"Of course, Professor! We can definitely break the record!" someone shouted from below.

Instantly, all the young Hufflepuff wizards became excited.

Everyone was happily encouraging each other.

The atmosphere was very relaxed.

Koyatl was surrounded by the young wizards on the sofa, all chatting and laughing. She was holding a book called "The Secrets of Ancient Alchemy" in her hands when it fell to the ground, but she didn't notice.

Because she was also looking at Professor Sprout.

Similar things are happening in the towers of other colleges.

However, the deans had different styles, and Professor McGonagall's tone was more serious.

This was evident from the serious and tense expressions on the faces of the fifth-grade lion cubs the following day.

On the other hand, the Hufflepuffs looked refreshed and radiant with confident smiles.

During lunch, while everyone was eating, they suddenly noticed that there were many unfamiliar wizards in the courtyard outside the auditorium.

They saw Professor Dumbledore walking towards them from the stone bridge, accompanied by a group of old wizards who looked to be a thousand years old combined.

"Oh, my God," Hannah said timidly in a low voice, staring at the foyer, "Is it them? The examiners?"

"I guess so," Irving said.

As the exam approached, Hannah became increasingly nervous.

Although no one thought she would fail the exam, she couldn't help but have wild thoughts, such as that she would underperform or that something unexpected would happen.

"Should we go closer and take a look?" Justin said.

"Why go there?" Irving grabbed an apple from the plate, took a bite, and asked, "Did they have horns on their heads or tails?"

"Hurry up!" Hannah took the lead, pulling him along as they ran outside. Many students shared the same thought, and soon the area in front of the Great Hall was filled with young wizards.

Harry and Hermione were also in the crowd, craning their necks.

The small, hunchbacked witch next to Dumbledore.

She was Professor Marchban, the examiner for this exam. Her face was covered in wrinkles, like a spider web.

"The journey went smoothly, and we arrived well ahead of schedule," Professor Marchban said loudly. She seemed a little hard of hearing, and despite Dumbledore being very close to her, her voice was loud. "Yes, the wizarding world is in chaos right now. People are suspicious, as if the Pretenders, Death Eaters, and the like could appear at any moment. But I tell them there's nothing to worry about, because you're here, Albus. I keep telling my friends that as long as you're at Hogwarts, the school won't be in chaos."

(End of this chapter)