The last exam was Magic History, which was bound to be the most boring hour ever.
Kael finished writing about the Werewolf Code of Conduct of 1637 and the life of Eccentric Uric in just twenty minutes.
When Professor Binns' ghost told them to put down their quills and roll up the answer parchments, all the students couldn't help but cheer.
The exams were over, which meant they could relax and play for a whole week until the results were announced.
"It was much easier than I thought it would be."
As they followed the crowd to the sunlit grounds outside, Mikel said confidently, "I just read about Eccentric Uric a few days ago. He graduated from Gryffindor, so I definitely didn't get it wrong."
"Gryffindor…" Ryan was stunned and blurted out, "Wasn't it Slytherin?"
"That's unfortunate." Mikel said regretfully, "I'm sure I didn't get it wrong, it was Gryffindor."
"Merlin's beard…" Ryan groaned, clutching his hair. "I shouldn't have bothered remembering those wizards who invented the automatic cauldron."
Mikel patted him on the shoulder, comforting, "It's okay, it's just one wrong house, it won't lose many points."
The sincere camaraderie between the two moved Kael deeply. Such pure school friendship is undoubtedly one of the most precious treasures in anyone's life.
To bring them even closer, Kael quietly walked over and whispered in their ears, "Actually… Eccentric Uric graduated from Ravenclaw."
Mikel looked up, bewildered.
"It's true," Kael smiled, "It's clearly mentioned in the third line of the second chapter, or you could ask one of the Ravenclaws, they're not likely to get it wrong."
Mikel stiffly turned around, found a group of Ravenclaw students in the crowd… and actually went to ask them.
A minute later, Mikel squatted next to Ryan, clutching his hair as well.
"It's okay." Kael patted him on the shoulder and said, "It's just one wrong house, it won't lose many points."
After saying goodbye to his two dejected roommates, Kael leisurely walked down the slope to the lake.
There, a giant squid lay in the warm shallows, sunbathing, while Fred and George were gently poking its tentacles.
Kael involuntarily gulped. A squid tentacle that big, grilled on a hot plate and sprinkled with some cumin and chili powder… would surely be delicious.
"Gulp…"
No, I can't keep looking at this.
Kael shook his head and shifted his gaze aside.
Not far away, Conna was sitting under a tree, hugging her knees and staring blankly at Poke sunbathing on the grass. Her interest seemed low, and there was no joy on her face from finishing the exams.
"What's wrong, didn't do well on the exam?" Kael walked over and asked.
Conna was startled, snapped back to reality, and shook her head. "No, I was just thinking about something else."
She was fiddling with Poke's tail and asked softly, "After the exams, does this semester end soon?"
"In seven days."
Kael sat beside her and said, "We have to wait for the exam results to be released before we can have a holiday. By September, we'll be second-years."
Conna murmured, "Seven days…"
"What are you guys talking about?"
The Weasley brothers approached then, with Fred noticing Conna's glum look and saying with a smile, "Cheer up. In a week, we'll know how terrible we did on the exams, so there's no need to worry now."
"Exactly," George added, "This is the happiest time of year, no exams, no nagging, and no homework. What could be better than this?"
"You're right." Conna stood up with a big smile.
Later, Fred and George planned to take a secret passage to Hogsmeade.
After acquiring a hundred Galleons, they had so many things they wanted to buy… the new candies from Honeydukes, Butter Beer from the Three Broomsticks, they wanted to try it all.
And of course, most importantly… those enchanting prank items from Zonko's Joke Shop.
"We've decided on the secret passage behind the mirror on the fourth floor."
Fred said mysteriously, "I bet Filch has no idea about that secret passage."
"How about you guys, wanna join us?" George asked.
Kael nodded, just about to agree when an owl suddenly flew in from afar and handed him a note.
Kael took a look at the note.
"Dear Kael:
I know you've finished your exams. Do you have time to come over? Fluffy seems to be sick recently.
—Hagrid."
Fluffy's ill?
Kael frowned and said, "Sorry, I have to go to Hagrid's now. He needs me for something."
"Alright," Fred said, "Do you need us to bring anything back for you?"
"Honeydukes' candies, maybe," Kael replied, "pick the expensive ones."
"Ha, not a bad idea."
The Weasley brothers chuckled and left.
"Aren't you going with them?" Kael asked Conna beside him.
Conna shook her head, "No, I don't really have anything I want to buy. Keeping Poke company in the sun is nice too."
"Sunbathing is kind of boring, how about… you come with me to Hagrid's."
Kael glanced at Poke, the rat, on the grass and suddenly said, "Remember Fluffy? It's sick, we can go check on it."
"Can I go too?" Conna seemed interested.
"Of course."
Conna had seen Fluffy before, so taking her over was naturally fine.
Watching Kael already head down the grassy slope, Conna hurriedly put Poke in her pocket and quickly followed.
When the two of them crossed the grounds and reached Hagrid's hut, they unexpectedly found that someone else was there, too.
"Professor Oren?" Kael looked at Oren standing at Hagrid's door and asked, confused, "Are you here to see Hagrid too?"
"Sort of, but I'm actually waiting for you… both," Professor Oren explained. "Hagrid just wrote to me, saying Fluffy is sick and asked if I knew any ways to treat Fantastic Beasts, so I came over."
"You know about Fluffy too?" Kael asked.
"Yeah, I know, the Three-Headed Dog…" Professor Oren said with a laugh. "Hagrid told me when we were drinking together. It scared me to death; I never thought he'd dare to keep such a dangerous Fantastic Beast nearby."
Drinking… Well, after drinking, Hagrid indeed couldn't keep any secrets.
"Where's Hagrid? Is he inside?"
Kael looked into the hut; it was empty and didn't seem like anyone was there.
"Oh, I almost forgot," Professor Oren slapped his forehead. "Hagrid seemed quite anxious, so I let him go to the Forbidden Forest to check on Fluffy first, while I stayed here to wait for you."
"Come on, kids, I'll take you over there now."