Chapter 47: Lights Out, Pretending to Be a Badger to Eat a Tiger

When Robert walked into the Charms classroom, he paused, momentarily stunned.

The original Charms room had only been large enough to accommodate students from two Houses at most. But today, the space had clearly been expanded—undoubtedly with the help of an Undetectable Extension Charm. The classroom was now at least five or six times its original size.

Each of the four Houses had its own designated seating area. A raised platform had been set up in the center for spell demonstrations. The professors even had a special panel reserved for judging.

Clearly, this Lumos Final Practical Test was of great importance to the faculty.

At the moment, there were still twenty minutes before the class officially started. But nearly all of the students had already arrived and taken their seats.

Robert headed to the Hufflepuff section and sat down. The tension was palpable. Around him, the Hufflepuffs looked anxious, clearly overwhelmed by the formal atmosphere.

When they saw Robert, however, a bit of life returned to their eyes—as if they had finally found a sense of direction.

"Robert…"

"What should we do?"

"Today feels… way too serious."

"Are we really supposed to go up on that big platform and cast a spell in front of everyone?"

"Just thinking about it makes my knees weak…"

Robert gave a helpless smile. It was clear that the Hufflepuffs were suffering from serious pre-exam nerves. But how could he calm them down?

He thought for a moment and then caught sight of Hermione over in the Gryffindor section.

An idea popped into his head.

"I heard a saying once," Robert began. "That if you pray to the god of studying, you can absorb a bit of their aura."

"Then, you'll pass every test and perform at your best."

"Want to give it a try?"

The Hufflepuffs blinked in surprise—but then their eyes lit up.

Without hesitation, their gazes turned toward Hermione.

Lips moving in whispers, they began praying in low voices.

"Oh, Hermione…"

"Please bless us to do well today."

"Let our spells shine!"

As silly as it seemed, the act of praying to Hermione really did help calm their nerves. Their anxiety visibly eased.

"Wow, it's working?"

"Hermione's protection is real!"

"Praise Hermione!"

Over on the Gryffindor side, Hermione suddenly shifted uncomfortably in her seat.

She could feel dozens of Hufflepuff eyes fixed on her.

Did she wear her jumper backward today or something?

Why were they all looking at her like that?

Thankfully, at that moment, the professors began to arrive, drawing everyone's attention away.

All four Heads of House were present. A few other professors, likely free at the time, had also come to observe.

The setting was already grand enough—but then, an even taller figure with a flowing white beard stepped into the classroom.

A chorus of gasps rippled through the room.

"Headmaster Dumbledore?!"

Dumbledore smiled warmly and waved.

"I heard there was to be a particularly exciting examination today," he said. "And I thought it might do me some good to come witness it myself."

"Children gathered together, showing their progress and effort—what better medicine for an old man like me than that?"

The students listened, holding their breath.

"Therefore," he continued, "I made a suggestion to the Heads of House. In addition to the spell designed by Professor Flitwick and the usual House points, I will also be awarding a special reward."

The room buzzed with murmurs.

This must be the mysterious reward they had all heard about!

Nobody had guessed that Dumbledore himself would be the one offering it.

And if Dumbledore was giving it… then it had to be something incredible.

Without dragging it out further, Dumbledore reached into his robes and pulled out a shiny silver device—about the size of a lighter.

With a small click, the lights in the classroom—including the glowing wands of some students still practicing—were sucked into the device, spiraling into a small orb of white light.

Then, with another click, the light was released and returned to its original sources.

"This is a little gadget I created myself," Dumbledore explained proudly. "I call it the Deluminator."

"It's one of my favorite inventions. Many professors have begged me for it, but I've never let it go."

"But this time, I will gift it to the student who finishes first in today's practical."

A wave of awe swept through the classroom.

"So cool!"

"If I had that, I'd be the light master of the dorm!"

"Dumbledore's own invention… If I brought it home, my parents would cry with joy!"

Robert's thoughts raced.

He could clearly remember how the Lumos spells had been pulled into the Deluminator. His heart was burning with excitement.

This was the perfect item for him.

Right now, he was growing Goldfish Vines and Luminous Mushrooms. He barely had time for both, especially with Quidditch practice and broomstick maintenance taking up his evenings.

Luminous Mushrooms, in particular, required steady light from Lumos—at night. It drained his time like a sponge.

But with the Deluminator?

He could store Lumos spells during the day and release them at night, freeing up his schedule significantly. Maybe even enough to start cultivating a new type of plant.

His determination to win first place grew stronger than ever.

After the classroom settled down, Dumbledore took his seat at the judges' panel.

"Well then," he said cheerfully. "Let's skip the formalities and get started."

"As for the order... how about we go by Sorting Ceremony?"

He looked toward the Hufflepuff section.

"Hannah Abbott? Would you mind going first?"

Poor Hannah froze, looking like she was on the verge of tears.

Her last name again!

Reluctantly, she stood up, wobbling slightly.

But the Hufflepuffs around her clapped and offered words of encouragement.

"You've got this, Hannah!"

"You're our hero today!"

"The study goddess is watching you!"

At the mention of Hermione, Hannah turned and saw her clapping too.

The sight helped her nerves settle a bit.

She took a deep breath and made her way to the stage, legs still trembling.

Among the Gryffindors, Harry and Ron visibly relaxed a bit.

Harry had been too exhausted from Quidditch practice to do much Lumos training, and Ron… well, Ron had been Ron. He didn't want to ask Hermione for help, preferring to play Wizard's Chess instead.

Now, seeing Hannah's visible nervousness gave them some relief.

No matter how poorly they had prepared, they couldn't possibly do worse than her… right?

But then—

Hannah stopped in front of the judges' platform, took another deep breath, and focused.

She wanted to do this for Hufflepuff.

For Hermione, who had coached her in private study sessions.

Even if she was clumsy, she would give it her all.

She raised her wand with as much calm as she could muster.

"Lumos!"

A dazzling, steady beam of light burst from her wand tip.

It was far better than anything she had produced during practice.

The entire room fell silent in astonishment.

Robert could tell instantly—this Lumos was easily Bronze Level according to his system's rating.

The professors on the panel exchanged surprised looks.

Professor Sprout practically leapt to her feet with joy, applauding enthusiastically.

Dumbledore smiled kindly and nodded.

"Hannah Abbott has given us an excellent start," he said. "She has shown remarkable improvement."

"As such, I award Hufflepuff three points."

Hannah's cheeks turned crimson. She walked back to her seat in a daze, surrounded by the cheers of her fellow Hufflepuffs.

All she could think was:

"I actually earned points for Hufflepuff!"

Meanwhile, Harry and Ron exchanged horrified glances.

Only one thought remained in their minds—

"Pretending to be a badger to eat a tiger?"

"We're doomed."

"She's set the bar way too high!"

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