CHAPTER 59
Next, the professor slid a crumpled piece of paper toward me to use Incendio. Again, everything went perfectly, and the paper quickly burned away. With a wave of his wand, the professor cleared the smoke and ash. In this format, Flitwick tested me on various charms and spells from the first two years, and I performed them one after another, following instructions precisely, with just a touch of intuition. The professor was honestly delighted. As I had noticed before, he seemed happy about any wand magic at all, movements, words, everything.
"Here is a short list of questions, Mr. Granger. Brief answers, in your own words, please. I will work with the others meanwhile."
He handed me a sheet resembling a test, with clearly phrased questions. I sat down on the other side of Flitwick, took out parchment, inkwell, and quill, and began writing concise answers while the professor evaluated the other three students' work.
As I wrote, Flitwick quickly finished with his own housemates, making it clear he would later explain the depth of their misconceptions in the common room, and then moved on to Daphne's rather thin stack of work.
By the time I finished, the discussion of Daphne's exam was coming to an end.
"I know your attitude toward wand magic in general, and my subject in particular," Flitwick said, looking at Daphne's noticeably thinner work. "But if you want to graduate Hogwarts with top marks, you will have to push yourself and study my subject more thoroughly. For this, I can only give you Exceeds Expectations."
Daphne looked at him with pleading eyes.
"I am afraid that will not work," Flitwick smiled. "Your working style is good and even appealing to me. Concise, clear, and to the point. But you missed several important aspects that cannot be grasped without careful study of theory and practice."
"I understand, Professor. Exceeds Expectations?"
"Ah…" Flitwick sighed. "Let us do this. I will give you Outstanding, but in return you promise to take wand magic in general, and my subject in particular, more seriously. At least while you study at Hogwarts."
"But…" Daphne clearly wanted to protest the uneven deal.
"But you could go home for the holidays with an 'EE' instead," Flitwick smiled slyly. "If I recall, your parents have quite an interesting allergy to anything below an 'O.'"
Daphne paused, her right eye twitching slightly, then nodded.
"Fine. I can promise to take wand magic more seriously in the future."
"No, no, Miss Greengrass," the tiny professor shook his head cheerfully. "I have spent too much time with our director, who is as cunning as he is venerable, to fall for tricks like that."
"Ugh… I promise to take wand magic more seriously at least until I graduate Hogwarts," a hint of childish displeasure crossed her face.
"Excellent!" the professor beamed, turning to me. "And how are you doing?"
Instead of answering, I handed him my sheet. Flitwick skimmed the short, precise answers.
"Splendid…"
The classroom door opened, and four fourth-year students entered.
"Perfect timing," the professor exclaimed. "Mr. Granger, congratulations on passing your exams for the previous years with Outstanding."
"Thank you."
"Miss Greengrass, I trust you understand your mark is no lower?"
"Yes, Professor."
"Good. You may go. And you," Flitwick addressed the newcomers, "come in, do not be shy. I hope your work earns no lower marks."
Daphne and I quickly gathered our things and left the classroom. Just a few steps away, Parkinson and an unfamiliar Slytherin girl, perhaps a fourth or fifth year, intercepted Daphne. They approached energetically, faces full of emotion, until they recognized me.
"Daphne, how did it…" Pansy began, then grew serious, her face showing partially feigned displeasure. "Granger."
"How did I do? Pretty well," I smiled openly. "Passed Charms for previous years with an 'O.'"
The unfamiliar girl managed not to smile, at least outwardly. Pansy rolled her eyes, crossing her arms.
"How do you tolerate his presence, Daphne?" Parkinson asked. "No respect at all."
"And he does not react to your jabs the way you want," I kept smiling. "Right, Parkinson? And maybe you will introduce us?"
I gestured toward the unfamiliar girl with chestnut hair pulled into a tight ponytail.
"I will not," Pansy sniffed, lifting her chin.
We merged into the flow of students heading toward the Great Hall or elsewhere.
"If improper representatives of proper society refuse to follow proper etiquette…"
"Daphne…" Parkinson pleaded. "He is liquefying my brain. And anyway. We are going to Hogsmeade on Sunday. Let us plan it, how shall I put it…"
"By the way, Greengrass," Pansy's pause let me interject. "Want to go to Hogsmeade?"
"Granger!" Parkinson snapped. "Have some shame!"
"Why?"
"Um… everyone does, that is why."
The Great Hall was not far now.
"Better tell me this, Granger," Daphne finally spoke. "Why did you perform all those charms so perfectly? You could have done them much more casually."
"I could," I nodded, waving back to someone from our house. "But that would have been complete disrespect to a wizard who devoted most of his life to mastering Charms as an art. To perform carelessly in front of Flitwick when you can do it perfectly is like spitting in his face."
"Hm. An interesting perspective…"
We entered the Great Hall.
"Oh, that is enough," Pansy tugged Daphne toward the Slytherin table, the unfamiliar girl following.
"Ah, youth," I smiled, shaking my head, and headed for the Hufflepuff table.
The remaining days until Saturday, like the exams themselves, passed easily and routinely. Snape refused to accept my exams for previous years on Thursday, postponing them until Saturday evening during our extracurricular sessions.
Professor Sprout gave me Herbology without fuss, saying I was a good boy, studied diligently, played Quidditch, and never messed up in her class. Other subjects followed much the same pattern, and I received Transfiguration almost at the beginning of the year.
As a result, I spent most of Saturday almost entirely alone in the library, reading textbooks interspersed with old magazines and newspapers. I had not stopped gathering general information about England's wizarding families. Closer to dinner, I checked on the growing bow-tree in its pot, but it did not require much involvement either. I planned to spend the rest of the time before dinner simply sitting in the common room and chatting with classmates eagerly anticipating the holidays. That was exactly what I was doing when Cedric found me and pulled me aside.
"Your work was approved and paid for," Cedric smiled under anti-eavesdropping charms and a light Notice-Me-Not, removing his bag from his shoulder. "Got somewhere to put it?"
I always carried my triangular backpack, so I simply nodded, removing it and opening it. This time, there was truly a lot of gold.
"Sixteen hundred is yours," Cedric smiled broadly.
"Not bad."
"The expedition saved even more. Asians charge outrageous prices for their designs, shamelessly profiting from our laziness."
"That figures. Profiting off other people's laziness is practically a moral duty."
"Exactly. If the twins come up with interesting ideas, should I refer them to you?"
"Useful and interesting ones, not pranks."
"Of course."
After the money exchange, it was time for dinner, which we all attended as a house. Afterward, I went down to the dungeons to Snape's classroom. The door was open as always. The professor sat at his desk, but this time, besides Daphne, there were a couple of younger Gryffindors. Two boys were scrubbing cauldrons in the far corner with silent resentment.