Disclaimer: I don't own anything. This is not meant to infringe upon copyrights.
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A few days before the exams, Rodan finally returned to Hogwarts.
When Kyle returned to the common room after dinner, he immediately saw Rodon standing on the windowsill.
It looked exhausted, its eyes drooping, its body visibly thinner, and its once beautiful feathers dull and gray.
Upon seeing Kyle, Rodon raised its head, flapping its wings as if to fly over, but halfway there, it began to fall due to exhaustion.
Kyle quickly caught it.
"I remember this is your owl, isn't it?"
Cedric, looking at Rodan who had fallen asleep in Kyle's arms, asked him, "How many letters did you have it deliver? It's so weak."
"Just one… but I think it probably misunderstood me."
Kyle carefully placed Rodon on the sofa beside him and then took an envelope from its paw.
It was a reply, and the handwriting on the envelope was Newt's.
Clearly, Rodon hadn't delivered the letter to Dorset and returned as Kyle had instructed; instead, it had flown straight to Newt. No wonder it took so long to return.
Kyle shook his head, somewhat amused and exasperated…that silly bird.
Tomorrow was the final exam, and to ensure they were in good spirits the next day, the young wizards had gone to bed early.
Kyle ruffled Rodon's neck feathers, sat down beside it, and opened the envelope.
Inside was a short reply.
"Kyle:
I was surprised to receive your letter from so far away. I've thought about what you said. The venom of the Winged Devil isn't corrosive at all, and it only targets the brain, having no effect on plants. "
"However, I examined the wood you sent, and it does indeed contain traces of winged devil venom. This is a very important discovery. As soon as things are settled here, we will head to Hogwarts immediately.
(Your father asked me to tell you to stay away from dangerous things. Dumbledore is here for you.)
—Newtscamander."
After reading the reply, Kyle closed his eyes and sat there silently, deep in thought.
Hagrid's trip to the Forbidden Forest that night wasn't because he discovered them on a nighttime stroll, but because of someone else.
After venturing deep into the Forbidden Forest, he likely found that person and fought with him, which explains the two rows of messy footprints left next to the tree.
Unfortunately, the other person possessed a winged devil, and due to the venom's effects, Hagrid forgot about it.
He forgot he had been to the Forbidden Forest and forgot everything that had happened during that time. That's why Hagrid didn't deliver the Christmas tree on time on Christmas Day. The Great Hall.
Because in his memory, Halloween had only just passed.
Now, everything made sense.
And that winged devil was probably the one the Ministry of Magic had been searching for.
The only question now was who had poisoned Hagrid.
One of the wizards hiding their identities in the Hog's Head? Or some rat hiding in the castle…?
Half an hour later, completely clueless, Kyle decided to give up.
Nothing is difficult if you're willing to give up.
Just like the letter said, Dumbledore was there for him; he'd be on vacation soon, why bother with this?
Kyle stood up, picked up Rodon, and returned to his dormitory.
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The next day, the exams began.
First was the magic theory exam, the so-called written exam.
To prevent cheating, no one was allowed to bring their own quills and ink; everyone had to use the stationery provided by the school.
But this didn't deter the young wizards from cheating.
Katie Bell of Gryffindor nervously entered the classroom. She had barely sat down when Professor McGonagall approached, ripped off her large red hair ornament, and coldly said,
"Miss Bell, that's not how you use the Transfiguration Charm."
The ornament wriggled in Professor McGonagall's hand, quickly transforming into a piece of parchment covered in tiny writing.
Kyle, who witnessed the whole thing, clicked his tongue, silently giving a thumbs up.
Cheating with Transfiguration in front of Professor McGonagall… that was quite audacious in the entire wizarding world. Putting
everything else aside, that courage alone surpassed 98% of the young wizards; no wonder it was Gryffindor.
Those who had written cheat sheets on their clothes also couldn't escape... Professor McGonagall simply walked around the classroom and rounded them all up.
As a senior professor and Deputy Headmistress who had been a force to be reckoned with at Hogwarts for over thirty years, Professor McGonagall didn't need any props; she could tell who was guilty just by looking at their expressions, making it easy to catch them red-handed.
While everyone was taking the exams, she was still muttering to herself that Dumbledore shouldn't have assigned her to the first-year exams.
It was too unchallenging here. Professor McGonagall felt she should be proctoring the exams for fifth-year students and above, where the cheating methods were much more abundant.
Potions, alchemical tools, hand gestures, and spells were all readily available.
Especially potions... Baruffio's Brain Elixir and Clarity Potion were just the most basic stuff; it was said that at last year's NEWT, a student even used Felix Felicis, though she hadn't seen it.
In addition, attempts to sneak into the exams using Polyjuice Potion and the Disillusionment Charm were also commonplace.
So, proctoring students in fifth grade and above is like fighting a war without gunpowder for professors.
This might be torture for other professors, but Professor McGonagall is different; she absolutely loves the feeling of outsmarting her students.
Unfortunately, this year she was assigned to the beginner's area.
An hour later, looking at the obedient freshmen below, Professor McGonagall complained again, "Albus, really, why did he have to make me come to the first year… even the third year would have been fine."
After the written exam, there was a practical test. Professor Flitwick had the students come into the classroom one by one to see if they could make a pineapple ride a flying broomstick around the room.
Of course, the so-called "flying broomstick" was just a stick with feathers stuck in it.
This was no challenge for Kyle; he not only completed the task perfectly but even manipulated the stick to perform a classic Quidditch move.
Professor Flitwick gave him a perfect score on the spot.
Professor McGonagall then had them turn rabbits into brooches; the more exquisite the brooch, the higher the score, and points would be deducted if any rabbit features remained.
Kyle remembered he also had a brooch, a Christmas present from Mikel, so he conjured an identical one.
Professor McGonagall also gave him a perfect score.
The potion test was on boil potion, arguably one of the easiest potions. Although Kyle brewed a perfect potion, he wasn't sure he'd get a high score.
Snape stood behind him almost the entire time during the test, constantly shaking his head; it was obvious he'd find various excuses to deduct points.
[End of the chapter]