I, Hogwarts Second Time Around.

Chapter 440 Where is my freedom to answer questions? Where is my freedom to answer questions?

Professor Marchban looked at the young wizards gathered in the doorway and waved to them.

The young wizards waved back in response.

She probably really likes children.

He always had a smile on his face.

"I remember the young wizards' exam results last year; compared to the year before, they were surprisingly good." Professor Marchban turned to Professor Dumbledore again. "I also remember that young wizard named Percy Weasley, who got twelve excellent grades in his OWL exams and nine excellent grades in his NEWT exams. It was incredible."

This is all thanks to you—Albus—the officials in the Ministry of Magic just can't see it—and neither can the parents—I admit that geniuses like Percy are rare, but last year's graduating class, almost everyone in NEWT got almost perfect grades—that can't be explained by individual talent alone.

Parents all think their children are geniuses, as if they can easily learn spells that they've never even heard of!

"This is all thanks to you!" Professor Marchban said in his usual tone.

"Actually, it wasn't entirely my doing," Dumbledore said with a smile. "In fact, I had almost no credit for it."

"You're always so modest," Professor Machiban said loudly. "Actually, I understand what you mean. If anyone has any credit, it's this chaotic world—everyone wants to save their lives, so the speed at which people learn magic is naturally faster."

You wouldn't believe it, old Master—yes, that former wand inspector who's almost two hundred years old—suddenly came to me the other day hoping I could teach him the Patronus Charm—oh! Merlin—what can I say—with his body, half-dead, who would want him? The Imposter isn't stupid either.

"Heh." Dumbledore chuckled. That old Master was Professor Marchban's contemporary; they'd been locked in a love-hate relationship for over a hundred years, always badmouthing each other.

"Grossda, would you like to have some tea in my office?"

"Oh, have some," said Professor Machiban. "Recently, the Patronus Charm has suddenly become a popular spell. They've captured Dementors, and Boggarts have become the substitute. Many wizards have started selling these dark creatures, and one costs dozens of Galleons—it's unbelievable."

They ascended the marble staircase under the awe-inspiring gazes of the students.

"She looks impressive, doesn't she?" Hermione walked over unnoticed.

"It's alright—crunch." Owen took a bite of his apple and said, "But she's definitely very knowledgeable. She's lived for almost two hundred years, so she should be familiar with almost all the spells in the textbooks."

"Yes! She was even in charge of Dumbledore's exams back then," Hermione said. "She must have seen all kinds of magic. Hopefully, the exams won't be too difficult."

"Don't worry—the exam definitely won't include questions about the origins of Origin Magic," Owen joked.

With the exam countdown underway, it was an unsettling night.

Irving himself climbed into bed early—to do the happiest thing of the day: sleep!

As for the others—they all wanted to hone their skills at the last minute.

This made Koyatl a hot commodity.

After all, she was two years older than them, and she knew and mastered countless spells, making her an absolute master in the field of spells.

Young wizards flocked to her with their questions.

As for Koyatl—although she seems a bit aloof, she never refuses to answer your questions.

She slowly sank into Hufflepuff's embrace.

And then time began to fly by.

Before long, they were up until 11 or 12 at night.

The common room only quieted down after Cedric, in his capacity as prefect, urged them to go back to their beds.

The next day, early in the morning, when Irving opened his eyes, he saw Justin, Ernie, and Zacharys each holding a copy of "Standard Charms: Intermediate" and silently memorizing it.

It was truly strange—in the past five years, he had never seen these three open their textbooks in their dormitory.

Even if he were to open it, it would be a Lockhart-style biographical novel that would be meaningless to him.

It's true what they say, you only realize the importance of sharpening your weapon at the last minute.

Ignoring the guys, Irving washed up, got dressed, and left the dorm by himself.

The lounge was in the same state. Hannah and Susan were exchanging notes.

Upon arriving at the auditorium, the learning environment remained unchanged.

Harry casually swung his knife, a copy of Transformers magazine beside him; Ron buried his face in a copy of History of Magic; Parvati was practicing spells in a low voice, the salt shaker on the table twitching in front of her; Neville rubbed his head, holding a copy of The Mysterious Aquatic Plants of the Mediterranean and Their Properties, multitasking and constantly dropping his knife and fork and spilling jam.

Hermione was holding a thick book called "The Spellbook of Achievements" and muttering to herself.

"Okay—I feel like I don't fit in."

Irving sat down as well, eating his breakfast while reading a book he had taken out of his pocket.

Hermione glanced at it curiously and discovered that the book was called "The Universe, Quantum, and the Human Mind" (published in 1997, a year earlier).

"What are you looking at?" she asked, puzzled.

"A popular science book by a Muggle physicist exploring whether consciousness is a quantum superposition state was very enlightening," Irving said casually. "It made me understand some things."

"Huh?" Harry put down the magazine, frowning. "You just said a word. What did it mean?"

"That was just an illusion," Owen said, glancing at Harry. "Don't waste your energy on questions you're destined not to understand. If you want to figure out what that means, I suggest you drop out of Hogwarts and apply to Oxford or Cambridge."

"Uh," Harry heard the sound and angrily lowered his eyes, his lips twitching unhappily before he picked up "Today's Metamorphosis" again.

Hermione also fell silent.

She had limited energy and didn't have time to figure out what Irving was looking at.

With exams approaching, she had no time to read any popular science works.

Time passed little by little.

As soon as breakfast was over, the students from other grades went to class. Colin, Ginny, Luna, and other students who were not taking the exam, as well as members of DA, came over to greet them, offer their final blessings, and then left the auditorium.

Then, fifth and seventh graders were also expelled from the auditorium.

They wandered aimlessly around the foyer.

Around nine o'clock, the auditorium doors reopened.

The deans, holding the list, called the students back into the auditorium one by one.

They will be responsible for checking students to ensure they are not carrying any prohibited items.

Professor McGonagall waved her wand at them, and they were allowed to go in.

Inside the auditorium, the four academy tables were moved away and replaced with many small single tables, all facing the faculty tables at the far end of the auditorium. Examiners from the Wizard Examination Authority would guide students to their designated seats.

In addition to the exam papers, each table also has spare quills, ink bottles, and parchment for calculations.

Irving's seat was in the first row, right in the middle.

This was clearly arranged by Dumbledore; he saw the old headmaster wink at him.

Dumbledore was talking with Professor Lupin, Professor Sprout, Professor Marchban, and several wizards from the Ministry of Magic's Examinations Authority whom he did not recognize.

He looked back and saw Hermione sitting in the first row near the side door. Harry, Ron, Hannah, Justin, and Susan were all in the front row, but not all of them were in the first row.

Next up are the seventh graders.

After all the students had entered, Professor McGonagall closed the door and was the last to come in.

"You can begin," she said, turning a huge hourglass upside down on the table and placing it next to her.

As soon as the words were spoken, the exam papers that had been face down on the tables in front of the young wizards instantly flipped over.

Approximately two hundred people took the exam.

Loud.

Today is Monday, and both fifth and seventh graders have their spells exams.

Irving glanced at the test questions.

The first question is: A. Write down the spell that makes an object fly; B. Describe the action of waving a magic wand.

Okay, this is the Levitation Charm.

He's so simple that he could easily find any Muggle sitting here in London and they could answer the question.

However, this is not a multiple-choice question; there is no single answer. There are hundreds of magic spells that can make objects float, and the more you write down, the higher your score will be.

"Okay—" Owen picked up the anti-cheating quill pen from the side.

Three minutes later.

Based on the fundamental principles of ancient magic, he listed all the variations of the Levitation Charm, not many—only twelve.

The main problem was that there wasn't enough paper to write on.

Next one, next one!

The second challenge was a bit more difficult, requiring you to write down a spell that produces a happiness effect and how to cast it.

Most junior wizards can only write the Happy Charm, a spell that Professor Flitwick taught them.

However, Kyrie Irving will definitely not follow the usual path!

He simply wrote the Soul-Stealing Curse on it.

Damn it—I've got your mind under my control. Making you happy is a piece of cake.

"Cough cough—"

Suddenly, a heavy coughing sound came from beside him.

Professor McGonagall, who had been by his side since the start of the exam, stared at him intently, her lips twitching.

"Forehead--"

Irving looked up and glanced at Professor McGonagall.

From the murderous glint in her eyes behind her square glasses, he understood what she meant.

Then, with great reluctance, Irving erased the half-written answer about the Imperius Curse casting animation.

"Hmph," someone snorted inwardly.

Their answer was clearly correct!

What!

Who says the Soul Reaper's Curse can't bring happiness!

Stick your head out here, and I'll give you a live demonstration!

Feel it for yourself and see if you're happy or not!

Seeing that the boy under her nose was finally answering the questions normally, Professor McGonagall finally breathed a sigh of relief.

But—before she could catch her breath…

A few minutes later.

One question describes a spell that can immobilize a wizard.

Without saying a word, Irving wrote the Killing Curse on it.

This, in turn, caused Professor McGonagall to cough.

What's wrong?!

The boy looked up at the professor, who had clenched his fist.

A flash of green light, and the soul is liberated. The body is merely a shell; a few minutes later, the corpse stiffens! Stiffens! Isn't that just being immobilized?

Dude, your understanding is absolutely correct!

However—he was terrified that Professor McGonagall's massive fist was about to unleash its power on the back of his head.

Irving, quite willingly, erased the answer.

Knock—Academic freedom! Academic freedom!

He cried out silently, "Why is there no freedom to answer questions during an exam?!"

Then, he quickly wrote the petrification spell on the back.

Two hours later, after Professor Sprout offered her juice for the fourth time, Professor McGonagall, who had drunk it all in one gulp, finally coughed until her voice was hoarse.

If other young wizards look up at this moment.

You can definitely see that Professor McGonagall's hair is all sticking up.

It was obvious that he was very angry.

Irving, who was writing at lightning speed, was eventually interrupted by two bonus questions, which disrupted his happy answering momentum.

The bonus question was clearly just added.

Because the font of the title is significantly different from the previous printed font, it looks very much like Dumbledore's font.

A writes down the incantation and casting gestures known as source magic.

B. Write down the names of ancient wizards who used this type of magic.

These two questions are quite abrupt, because the question stem states at the end that this question will not be included in the final score.

Dumbledore may have had his own considerations.

Owen shrugged and then began to write down all the source magic he knew.

The three great curses of stargazing: the creation of star showers, the torrent of souls, and the destruction of meteors.

The five great curses of natural disasters are: Earth Flame, Extreme Cold Storm, Starfall and Thunder Strike, Flooding Oceans, and Earthquakes and Mountain Collapse.

As for the wizard's name, he immediately wrote Merlin Ambrose, which was certainly correct.

Then came King Solomon.

And Weasley's successor.

Shani Maeve Weasley.

Bridget Morgan Weasley.

Hmm—after writing down these two names, he understood a little why Dumbledore had added this question.

It's probably to remind young wizards not to forget history.

In short, the first exam has come to an end.

He wasn't the first to hand in his paper.

Because he had so many answers, Professor McGonagall had to fetch the parchment for him several times.

Once the professors announced the end of the exam, their exam papers were automatically flipped face down on the table.

Sighs suddenly echoed through the hall from some of the young wizards—they had probably written too much and weren't finished yet.

As I stepped out of the examination room, the oppressive atmosphere in the auditorium finally dissipated.

The little wizards are active again.

"How are you feeling? You must be feeling pretty relaxed, right? I saw Professor McGonagall coughing at you the whole time. What did you write?" Hermione couldn't contain her curiosity and asked as soon as they stepped out of the Great Hall.

Irving, however, retorted indignantly, "What did I write? I wrote about the struggle against the lack of freedom to answer questions!"

"What?" There were too many people around, and she didn't hear clearly.

"Never mind, you'll definitely get a perfect score anyway." Hermione changed the subject, then immediately became nervous and uneasy.

She was still clutching a large stack of parchment in her hand, containing the answers to each question she had written down, ready to compare answers with Owen later.

"I almost ran out of time, I wrote too much. There wasn't enough time, but I feel there are still many spells I haven't written down."

I'm not sure if I answered all the happiness spells correctly.

"Don't even think about it, he definitely didn't get it," Irving continued indignantly.

He glanced at Hermione, who was nervously staring at the parchment in her hand. "There are more than thirty ancient spells that evolved from the modern Happiness Charm alone, not to mention other spells that can also produce the emotion of happiness. If you were to write them all down, you wouldn't have enough pages."

"What?" Hermione looked at him in surprise. "That many?"

"Of course, the Imperius Curse can also make people happy, and the Soul-Stealing Curse can also do so if the caster is willing. This question is too broad. Any spell will do as long as it makes you happy, even a love spell. If we continue down this line, it will be endless."

"Love spells...that's cheap." Hermione suddenly became awkward, glaring at Owen. "Why do you know love magic can make people happy?"

"We can try it tonight."

"Get away!" Hermione said, blushing, and pushed Owen away. "Who wants to try that kind of magic?"

"Hey!!" Harry said firmly behind them, "Can you two stop talking about this? I only wrote one happiness spell, and the exam is over. We don't want to have to do it all over again; one exam is enough."

"Yes, you're right," Hermione said, regaining her composure. "We should start preparing for the exam this afternoon."

After lunch, the candidates went in groups into a small room next to the auditorium to wait to be called to take the practical exam.

Small groups of students entered the examination room in alphabetical order. Those who stayed behind were still muttering spells and practicing waving their wands. Sometimes they would accidentally poke someone's back or eye. The students who had finished the exam did not return, so no one knew the content of the exam or how the people who were called out did.

Hannah was the unluckiest, because she had the surname Abbott (Hogwarts is named by surname). She was always first.

Owen watched as Hermione, Justin, and Harry entered one by one.

Both his Sanchez (S) and Rozier (R) are in the back positions.

Only Ron (W) is behind him.

"Owen, go to Professor Marchban," said Professor Flitwick, who was standing at the door.

"Huh? They changed players?" Irving walked over.

"Professor McGonagall?"

Professor Flitwick rolled his eyes. "Go on in!"

"Oh!" He nodded, then pushed open the side door of the auditorium and went inside.

Professor Marchban was sitting behind a small table in the corner, next to a wizard who looked the oldest and had the least hair. He was Professor Tofordi, and he was examining Parvati Petil of Gryffindor.

She beat Irving to it.

"Owen Wendy Sanchez Rozier," Professor Marchban said, glancing at her notes before looking up at Owen.

"Uh, yes." He wasn't quite used to this full name.

"You're a big celebrity. You've saved countless lives," she said. "I believe that with your abilities, passing the exam will be a piece of cake."

"Thank you," he said.

"Oh my god—incredible, a truly beautiful silent spell." Just then, Professor Toford, who was not far from them, exclaimed in surprise.

It turned out that Parvati Petil had completed her test using a silent spell.

The little girl blushed with excitement after hearing Professor Toford's praise.

(End of this chapter)