ALL NOVEL Chapter 84: Final Exam
No matter how fervently the students prayed, they couldn't stop the arrival of June. This meant that the month of examinations was upon them. The ordinary students' exams were scheduled first, and only after they were complete would the O.W.L. and N.E.W.T. students have their turn.
Fortunately, the last two exams were administered by the Wizarding Examinations Authority, meaning that Tver only had to proctor the remaining five grades.
However, as Professor Flitwick lamented, every year there were numerous young wizards attempting to cheat, employing a myriad of cunning tricks.
Particularly notorious were the auto-answering quills, enough of which were confiscated to cover an entire Headmaster's table!
The professors' method of countering this was straightforward—they prepared anti-cheating quills in advance. But for Tver, there was a more permanent solution to dealing with the students.
The Defense Against the Dark Arts classroom.
Thanks to the classroom's spacious area, Tver was able to accommodate an entire grade of students at once for their exams.
With a flick of his wand, little imps appeared hovering over the heads of the third-year students.
"Don't worry, these are powered by my own magic, so they won't exhaust you during the exam. As you saw when you entered, I didn't inspect any of you, but—"
His gaze sharply swept over the excited group of students.
"These imps above your heads are your personal proctors. If you are caught cheating, not only will you fail this exam, but I will also permanently ban you from my advanced classes, even if you score perfectly on your O.W.L.s! 'Be true to your own heart'—that was the first lesson I learned at Durmstrang. I believe Hogwarts students can surely live up to that, can't they?"
Tver wasn't exaggerating. Understanding one's own heart truly is the foundation of learning about dark magic, knowing what one desires to avoid its temptations.
Yet to the students, this exam suddenly became a contest between two schools, and not cheating turned into a matter of school honor!
The Weasley twins exchanged a look, realizing they needed to act if they wanted to remain in the professor's advanced class.
They frantically began searching on their persons.
A bundle of cheating quills; Cheat sheets written on their robes with invisible ink; Parchment that displayed the correct answers;
...
Tver watched in astonishment as the students pulled out various cheating devices, and even some girls lifted their skirts to erase the writings on their thighs. Did they really think he wouldn't check, that they could cheat to the skies?
He collected each item and conjured an hourglass with a frown. "The exam lasts for two hours," he distributed the test papers to the students, "no whispering, no looking around, and that especially means you two, Weasleys! You are not allowed to submit your papers early. Once you're done, stay quietly in your seats. Now, the exam begins!"
...
Proctoring the theoretical exam was straightforward with the imps' assistance; Tver only needed to sit at the lectern and read.
But after two hours, he stood up promptly. "The exam is over, everyone put down your pens."
As the students groaned, all the test papers were neatly aligned on the lectern. "Oh my, I forgot the universal countercharm doesn't work well with weather spells!"
"Was it the Tarantallegra or the Tarentallegra dance? I hesitated for so long and still wasn't sure."
"I think a forgetfulness charm was cast on me, I completely forgot to write about the spell's side effects."
"Heh."
The actual underachievers watched the top students complain, and if it weren't for the practical exam coming up, they would have fled the classroom immediately.
"Alright, first up are Ravenclaw and Gryffindor, take only your wands, yes, just the wands."
Tver directed the students methodically. "The other two houses, please remain seated until their turn is over."
He separated the seats and the open space of the classroom with a thick golden film that not only blocked the view but also soundproofed the area.
As soon as the students saw the film, they sensed something was amiss, especially as the floor beneath them softened, changing their expressions instantly at the professor's next words.
"Do you remember what I said at the end of our first class?"
Davies, deeply impressed, stammered out, "A battle a year later to test what we've learned?"
"Exactly." Tver nodded with a smile, but to the students, this smile seemed far more ominous.
A year ago, they were ambitious, eager to demonstrate their prowess at the end of the school year in front of Professor Fawley.
Now, a year later, there was only one thought in their minds—
"Professor, please go easy on us!" Tver positioned his wand in front of him.
"Just like last time, I'll take you all on one by one, but make sure to use all your strength and do not give up until you've exhausted all your magical power."
"Otherwise, I will ruthlessly fail you in your practical exam!"
"Professor, but we can't possibly defeat you!" George pleaded pitifully.
"Don't worry, your grades will not be based on defeating me. See the imps above your heads? They will record your performance, and I will grade you based on that. So, don't—"
"Stupefy!"
Recreating the first class, Davies attacked Tver first.
"Professor, how's my learning?" He brandished his wand proudly, though his feet didn't stop moving, ready to dodge Tver's counterattack.
But Tver simply tilted his head, avoiding the spell, "Not bad, but better aim would improve your performance."
This time, as his wand continued to move, Davies quickly looked down.
"Hey, where did the rope go?"
As he puzzled over it, a bundle of ropes extended from the ceiling and tightly bound him.
"Also, don't limit your thinking about magic to set patterns. Even a pig learns to dodge if it encounters enough traps; surely your thinking isn't that rigid?"
Since it was an exam, Tver didn't suspend him in the air but allowed the twins to untie him.
"This battle will give you many opportunities. The only end will come when all of you can no longer lift your wands."
"Now, the exam officially begins!"
Hearing this, the students breathed a slight sigh of relief.
If it had been like last time, even after a year of training, they wouldn't stand a chance against the professor.
Just a simple Pressure Curse could have them captured!
But this time, they could continually regroup with their team, surely they would perform better than last time, right?