《HP: Too Late, System!》Chapter 30: The Grueling Exam (Part Two)

When the students outside saw George stumble out of the classroom after barely three minutes, the whispers began at once.

"George flunked it, didn't he?"

"Yeah, that was fast—only three minutes!"

"Maybe the exam's just too easy?"

"Look at his face—does that look like someone who passed? Bet he didn't even make it past the first challenge!"

Douglas clapped his hands for silence, then turned to George.

"Mr. Weasley, why don't you share your experience with the class?"

George blinked in surprise, confused.

"Professor, isn't this supposed to be an exam?"

Douglas straightened, his tone gentle but firm.

"It is an exam, but not one meant to put your life on the line. I want you all to share your successes and failures. My goal isn't to have you burn yourselves out, but to see what you're capable of."

Truth be told, Douglas had never intended to stop earlier students from giving away the challenges to those who came after. For one thing, he couldn't possibly prevent it. For another, he wanted the test to push students who were weak in Defence Against the Dark Arts to go back and actually relearn the spells from their first three years. Review was easy; targeted review was what mattered. Besides, the more students who passed, the better his teaching evaluations would look.

George described his ordeal in detail, and the crowd immediately launched into animated discussion.

"That's brutal—both a Swamp Hex and a Grindylow at the same time!"

"I've got an idea—what about a Vanishing Spell?"

"Yeah, if we just vanish the lake water, but then how do we get across the pit?"

"There are rocks and weeds down there! We could use Transfiguration to make a ladder!"

George, listening to the creative suggestions, stomped his foot in regret—why hadn't he thought of any of that?

Douglas listened as their plans grew ever more outlandish—some even proposed using a Freezing Charm or a Petrification Curse. While he didn't think these were terrible ideas, none of them seemed to realize that their magical reserves could barely support such spells. Their Vanishing Spell would likely only lower the water by a centimeter. The Freezing Charm might create a wafer-thin layer of ice at best.

He didn't bother to correct them. Sometimes, only running headlong into failure could teach the difference between fantasy and reality.

At that moment, a tall girl with long black hair braided into a plait—Angelina Johnson—caught Douglas's subtle smile and raised her hand.

"Professor, I assume there's more to your challenges than just testing our knowledge of Grindylows, right?"

Douglas studied her for a moment. From what he recalled of the original books, Angelina was one of the twins' girlfriends. He'd seen her file—Gryffindor Chaser.

He was genuinely pleased by her question. Trust a Quidditch player to respect the rules of the game—only victories within the rules count as true victories.

"Miss Johnson's question is an excellent one. When a wizard enters an unfamiliar environment, the first thing they must do is stay calm. Only with a clear mind can you handle the unknown. Judging by George's story, most of you overlooked this."

Only now did many realize that, according to George's account, the first challenge wasn't really that hard. In fact, you could get through it without casting a single spell. As long as you kept your cool and didn't panic, the Swamp Hex wouldn't even trigger.

Hearing that the trick to the first stage was so simple, everyone grew eager to try for themselves—some even teased George for being defeated so quickly by such an easy obstacle.

But dreams are sweet, and reality is harsh.

By the end of the lesson, only the twins had made it to the third challenge. Unfortunately, they were lured by a Hinkypunk into the path of a Red Cap and got ambushed.

Angelina and Lee Jordan fell at the second challenge, bested by a stunted troll. You'd think, after last year's Halloween, with Ron constantly boasting about how he and Harry defeated a troll, they'd have had the upper hand. But at the crucial moment, Lee's Levitation Charm fizzled, and they lost. As for Angelina, the troll's stench made her so nauseous she actually threw up—there was no way she could concentrate on fighting after that.

Everyone else failed at the very first challenge. Turns out, when a Grindylow grabbed your ankle underwater, staying calm wasn't as easy as it sounded.

By the time class ended, the students were still buzzing with excitement.

Douglas gathered them together.

"This practical lesson went very well. But unfortunately, all these challenges are lower-year material. We can't keep using class time for assessments like this. So, starting next weekend, I'll arrange for two seventh-years to open the classroom from seven in the morning to eleven. Under their supervision, you can come practice and take assessments on your own."

His announcement drew a chorus of delighted gasps.

But just as everyone was celebrating, Douglas added a little sting:

"Regarding the practical exam, I expect each of you to hand in a written assignment of no less than two feet within a week. No exceptions!"

The room turned to stone.

Then, realizing how much material there was to cover, most students figured they could cobble together two feet from the textbook alone. The only ones truly dismayed were the Weasley twins—their homework pile was starting to resemble a mountain.

If they'd known about a certain song from the distant East, they'd surely have belted it out:

"Homework mountain can't crush you,

Out pop twin brothers.

George, Fred—

You're one of a kind,

No matter how much detention,

The twins' spirit never changes..."

But soon enough, they forgot about homework. Their classmates crowded around, eager to hear about the later stages of the challenge.

Halfway through their storytelling, the group suddenly went silent.

A cluster of fourth-year Slytherins, just out of Charms, were heading their way. After the morning's incident, the two Houses eyed each other warily, tempers flaring once more.

Douglas wasn't privy to what had happened at breakfast, but he was used to seeing Gryffindors and Slytherins glare daggers at each other. He'd seen plenty of that back when he hung around with Bill.

So, standing firmly on the Gryffindor side, Douglas instinctively drew his wand the moment he spotted a group of students in Slytherin robes.

His action startled both sides—instantly, the tension deflated.

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