Harry Potter : Bloodraven-Chapter 115: The Final Bell (I) (CH - 135)

The days passed, and before anyone noticed, another month had gone by. The air grew warmer, and the first hints of summer settled over the castle with the sky stretching wide and clear.

The end of the school year was nearing, and that means, it was time for the final exams.

By now, the excitement from last month's Quidditch tournament had long since faded, and in its place, a heavy, nervous tension clung to the castle like damp fog.

Students moved past one another in the hallways looking tired and pale. Some rushed to class hoping one last revision might help, while others moved slowly, worn out from too many sleepless nights.

And while the students pored over notes and revision sheets, the professors weren't any less busy. Final exams didn't prepare themselves, and nearly every teacher was buried under stacks of paper and lesson plans.

Most professors had to set both a written and a practical exam for every year they taught, so the work piled up fast.

Maverick, fortunately, had it easier than most. He only taught two subjects—Muggle Science and Alchemy—and both to a single year group each.

For Muggle Science, he had kept things simple. He stuck to what he had taught in class and made sure the written exam was fair.

Alchemy, on the other hand, was a different matter. He had prepared both a theoretical and a practical exam for the first-years to get through.

The written exam would cover basic runes, simple runic circuits, and safety principles—nothing beyond what they'd learned. The practical would require them to engrave a basic rune—not too complex, but enough to test their carving skills.

This time, though, they would have to do it entirely from memory: choose the correct rune and carve it without any help.

And preparing it all might sound like a lot of work, but compared to the other professors, he still had time to breathe.

When the first week of June arrived, the tension hanging over the castle escalated even more. Students showed more and more signs of pre-exam anxiety, with some going so far as to invent elaborate excuses. One claimed to have been hit with an Obliviate charm, while another insisted they had been cursed by some dark magic, causing their mind to regress.

But their tricks were nothing new to the seasoned Deputy Headmistress. A single mention of detention from McGonagall was enough to send them scurrying back into line.

Maverick found the whole situation quite amusing. Fortunately, none of his students had tried anything clever with him. Some first-year students did come to him for some last-minute revision lessons, but even they didn't have any thoughts on skipping the exam.

What pleased him most were the students in his Muggle Science class. They showed no signs of worry and actually seemed to be looking forward to the test. Every one of them appeared confident, and as their professor, Maverick couldn't help but feel a sense of pride.

---

No matter how reluctant the little wizards were, the final exams began as scheduled.

Three days had passed since then, and Maverick had already finished the written and practical tests for the first-years. Today was his last invigilation: the written exam for Muggle Science.

The classroom had been rearranged, with long rows of seats replaced by individual desks and chairs. Maverick waved his wand, and a flurry of papers and quills floated neatly onto the small tables in front of the students.

"Although I trust you'll all be sincere in your tests, as a standard precaution, I must remind you that both the exam papers and quills have been enchanted against cheating. The consequences for cheating are not light."

The exam began, and Maverick walked up and down the aisles between the seats, announcing the time every half hour. By the time of his second announcement, some students had already finished their papers.

And on that very same day, Maverick managed to finish grading all the papers, including the first-year exams, which he had already begun marking two days ago as soon as they were completed.

As for the practical alchemy exams, those had been assessed on the spot—it was a fairly simple task, after all—carving a specific rune onto a pre-prepared slab of alchemic stone.

"Twelve Outstandings and thirty-two Exceeds Expectations from the Muggle Science class... and eight Outstandings, forty-two Exceeds Expectations, and the rest Acceptable from the first-years," he murmured to himself, a small smile tugging at his lips. "Glad no one ended up with a Poor..."

Outstanding represented excellence, Exceeds Expectations showed solid performance, and Acceptable was the minimum passing grade. None of his students had scored below that—everyone had passed, and Maverick was thoroughly satisfied with the results.

Overall, this had been a novel experience for him. It would be a lie to say he wasn't worried while grading the papers. After all, what teacher doesn't hope their students achieve the best results? Though he had grown used to the life of teaching by now, preparing exams, watching his students take them, and finally grading them gave him a strange sense of nervousness he hadn't expected. But in the end, everything had worked out well.

And so, by the end of the first week of June, the final exams came to a close. Students from the first to fourth years, as well as the sixth years, were free at last, though a handful of anxious young wizards still fretted over their results for another two or three days. Most, however, celebrated the end of exams with enthusiasm.

Laughter and cheers echoed throughout the school, but for the fifth and seventh years, the tension was just beginning. They remained deeply focused on their preparations for the wizarding level exams.

The OWLs and NEWTs were separate exams, after all, overseen not just by the school but also by the Ministry's Education Department.

---

Several days passed. On Tuesday of the second week of June, the castle felt unusually quiet. Even the students who had finished their exams and were enjoying the last week of school seemed to be on their best behavior.

The professors, especially the Deputy Headmistress, seemed even more stern than usual, with expressions that made it clear they meant business.

This was because, that morning, around ten o'clock, a group of elderly-looking witches and wizards arrived at the school. They were the examiners for this year's OWLs and NEWTs from the Ministry of Magic, come to oversee and invigilate the exams for the fourth and seventh-year students.

"Oh... Master Caesar... I've heard you've joined Hogwarts as an Alchemy professor. It's so wonderful to see you again!" The short, hunched-over witch at the center of the delegation exclaimed loudly, spotting Maverick among the school's other professors.

"Lady Bueme," Maverick replied with a smile. "It's been a while."

Lady Bueme was a master alchemist just like him and Dumbledore, and she was also the head of British Ministry of Magic's Department of Education. Maverick had first met her during his master alchemist certification, and she had been one of the examiners who oversaw his work back then.

She was one of the oldest-looking witches Maverick had ever seen, apparently over a century old, though not necessarily the oldest he knew in terms of age.

After all, most Great-Maguses alive had lived for over a century, but unlike them, she was still a Magus, and Maguses did not possess the same longevity as a Great-Magus.

Despite this, she remained deeply involved in magical Britain and the International Alchemist Association, her sharp mind and vast knowledge highly valued and respected by all.

"Not that long... Time flies, doesn't it? Me overseeing your genius feels like just yesterday. It was an honor to examine you, the youngest Master Alchemist in history." She spoke with a hint of melancholy. "To invigilate you was my privilege, my dear..."

She then turned to Dumbledore. "And how are you, Albus? Everything going well here?"

Maverick was honestly surprised by how casually she spoke to Dumbledore, and how Dumbledore showed such respect toward her, someone who was two whole ranks below him.

"Everything is going well, Lady Bueme. I believe this year, Hogwarts will produce a considerably higher number of Outstandings and Exceeds Expectations than in previous years."

"Oh..." The old lady's eyes lit up. "Then let's not waste any more time. As usual, we'll wrap up the OWLs first, and tomorrow, we'll move on to the NEWTs."

---

At 11 o'clock, the Wizarding Levels examination officially began. The spacious hall had been transformed into an exam room for the written tests, while several smaller classrooms were prepared for the practical assessments.

The written exams were conducted first, with the practicals taking place in the afternoon. The entire process stretched on until sunset.

Maverick was one of the invigilators. In fact, all of the professors at Hogwarts were present during both the theoretical and practical exams, but their role was only overseeing the process. The responsibility for grading the exams was entirely handled by the Ministry's team.

Results for the OWLs and NEWTs typically took two days to be released. However before that, the professors began announcing the exam results for the other grades the day after the wizarding level exams had ended.

Carrying a stack of papers, Maverick strode into the alchemy classroom.

"Right then, let's take a look at your end-of-term results."

The stars of the class—Hermione, Neville, and even Daphne—held their breath, as if waiting for fate to pass its judgment.

"A total of 101 students. 8 Outstanding, 42 Exceeds Expectations, and... the rest of you passed with Acceptable grading." Maverick announced the results, "Congratulations!" As he spoke, the result sheets flew into the air and hovered over the students' heads before gently landing on each desk.

The moment Maverick finished speaking, the classroom erupted into applause. Excited whispers filled the air as the students celebrated their achievements.

Maverick moved toward the eight students who had scored Outstanding and congratulated each of them individually. Naturally, Hermione was one of them, having scored the highest on the written test.

"Congratulations, Miss Granger. I look forward to the day you create your own alchemical masterpiece..." Maverick said with a smile.

Hermione beamed, clutching her result paper like a treasure. "Thank you, Professor. I won't disappoint you."

Next, Maverick went to Neville, then to the other Outstanding achievers, and finally reached Daphne Greengrass. She sat with her best friend, Tracy, as always. When Maverick arrived, she gave him a rare smile.

"Miss Greengrass, congratulations on your Outstanding." Maverick said warmly. He turned to Tracy and added, "And congratulations to you as well, Miss Davis, for achieving Exceeds Expectations—an impressive achievement in its own right."

Tracy grinned and gave a thumbs-up. "It's all because we got the best professor!" she said, flashing a bright smile.

Daphne seemed like she had something to say but hesitated. Maverick raised an eyebrow. "What's the matter? Not satisfied with an Outstanding?" he teased, giving her a knowing smirk.

"Ah, no, Professor. I'm pleased with my result. It's just..." Daphne trailed off, glancing at Tracy nervously.

Maverick tilted his head, noticing that Daphne looked unusually anxious. He wondered if something had happened at home. Just as he was about to ask, Daphne's tight-lipped friend spoke up.

"Professor, we were wondering if we could write to you during the holidays if we have any questions about the subject... or magic in general?"

Daphne glanced at Tracy, then sighed.

"I see..." Maverick smiled, understanding why she hesitated. She was simply too shy to ask herself.

With a snap of his fingers, two small cards appeared in Maverick's hands. He handed one to each of the girls. "Muggles call this a business card... it's used to give contact information. I've made a wizarding version for myself, but instead of a Muggle phone number, this has my owling address. You can write to me here, and I'll usually receive your letters on the same day."

The girls' eyes lit up, and they each held the cards with both hands as if they were precious treasures.

"Thank you, thank you, thank you, thank you!" Tracy said as her excitement spilled out in a quick rush. Daphne was more reserved. She gave a polite nod, her face softening before she said, "Thank you," as sincerely as she could. freēwēbnovel.com

"You're welcome. Feel free to write if you have any questions about magic," Maverick said, offering them a reassuring smile. He then turned to move on to another student.

After the alchemy class and lunch, Maverick made his way to the Muggle Science class, where he announced the results in a similar fashion. As expected, all the seniors were thrilled with their scores.

He ended the class by promising that next year's curriculum would be even more exciting and mind-boggling, and the students looked as though they couldn't wait for the holidays to end.

Just kidding. It was only a fleeting thought for them, after all, what child would willingly skip their vacation to stay in school?

Well, there might be one in this school, and it was about time he had a one-on-one with Mr. Savior to discuss his situation at home.

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