Chapter 142: Exams; Holiday! …Holiday?
In the potions chamber.
Leonardo studied the seven oddly shaped bottles on the table for only a moment before pointing to the smallest.
"This 'dwarf' bottle will take you forward, through the black fire."
Then he indicated the one on the far right.
"And this will take you back, through the purple fire."
He went on to name each of the remaining bottles as poison or wine.
Dumbledore clapped his hands softly. "Very quick. To be honest, many witches and wizards are not good at logic."
"There is no need to drink them," he added. "Professor Snape worked hard on those."
He waved his hand, and both curtains of fire vanished.
They stepped into the final chamber.
As expected, Leonardo found the mirror standing there.
The Mirror of Erised.
He drew Fawkes' tail feather from his pocket. "Headmaster, you cannot expect me to follow Harry and the others all the way through these tests to get here, can you?"
Dumbledore nodded. "I will teach you a little magic. A better vantage point."
He took a silver bracelet set with sapphires from his pocket and fastened it around his wrist, then drew the Elder Wand and chanted a long string of spells.
Leonardo watched as Dumbledore walked up to the mirror. The hand with the bracelet touched the surface.
Ripples spread across the glass, and Dumbledore stepped through and vanished.
Leonardo's brows rose. So this was a "little" spell?
Just how many things had Dumbledore invented in his spare time?
The bracelet was clearly an alchemical artefact, working in concert with complex spellwork.
Another neat trick to pick up from the old man.
The library was Hogwarts' physical storehouse of knowledge. Dumbledore was the walking version.
Once he had finished his demonstration and stepped back out of the mirror, he began to teach Leonardo the "little spell".
…
Exam week arrived.
One by one, the end‑of‑year tests rolled past.
Every student had to use standard examination quills, each one charmed, to keep them off the path of cheating.
"Not nervous, not nervous…" Ron muttered as he shuffled into the exam hall, psyching himself up.
Leonardo clapped him on the shoulder. "You will be fine. You did very well on my finals. This is just another exam. Do as you usually do."
Ron thought of the work of the last months—weekly quizzes, monthly tests, and the recent mock finals. He had already been wrung out by Leonardo's assignments and exams. Against that, the official tests almost felt easier. His nerves, oddly, settled.
Besides the written papers, there were practicals for subjects like Transfiguration and Potions.
Professor Flitwick had them make pineapples tap‑dance. Full marks went to those that jived their way across a desk.
Professor McGonagall wanted them to turn a mouse into a snuffbox, grading them on the quality of the box.
"Leonardo Grafton."
At her call, Leonardo stepped into the exam room.
McGonagall greeted him with a small smile. "This should not give you any trouble. But Professor Dumbledore tells me you have a little surprise for me?"
She could not imagine what he meant. She had already seen his extraordinary composite Transfiguration.
The next second, she understood.
The handsome boy vanished. In his place, an owl spread its wings.
It was a very ordinary owl, the sort Hogwarts was full of. Even so, McGonagall froze, her gaze going unfocused. The hand holding the clipboard went still.
Leonardo had expected that reaction.
So far, only Dumbledore knew he had become an Animagus. After thinking it through, Leonardo had discussed it with him. He would go to the Ministry this summer and register.
For now, this was a good chance to show McGonagall what he had done.
His Animagus form was not even fixed. He could shift it at will.
Getting caught as an unregistered Animagus would be a nightmare. Instead of graduating from Hogwarts, he might graduate straight to Azkaban.
There were still too many classes to attend and too many books waiting for him.
Too much to do this summer as well: inspect the dragon preserve and scout for Norbert, go to North America with Newt to release the Thunderbird, visit the Ministry with Dumbledore, call on the Weasleys…
He, unsurprisingly, received full marks and left the exam room.
As the next student went in, he rejoined Harry and the others outside.
"Seamus Finnigan!"
The name rang out from inside, McGonagall's voice sharp with anger and a hint of fear.
Seamus. The Gryffindor demolition expert. What had he done now, to make her voice crack like that?
Leonardo eyed the door, curious.
A few minutes later, Seamus came out on the verge of tears, sniffling.
After some careful questioning, Harry pieced it together.
It was simple.
Seamus had blown up the mouse.
All over the classroom.
After the little incident behind them, they moved on to the next exam.
In Potions, they had to brew a Forgetfulness Draught.
Not particularly difficult—if you ignored the way Snape prowled among the cauldrons like a vengeful ghost.
One student had been so nervous that they had tasted their own brew to see if it worked.
A Forgetfulness Draught.
If Snape had not been there to stop them, they might have drunk the whole cauldron.
Last was History of Magic.
They only had to answer questions like "Which old wizard invented the self‑stirring cauldron?"
Then they were done.
After a whole term of grinding, they could look forward to a week of freedom, then home for the summer once results were posted.
"That felt easier than your tests, Leonardo," Ron said as he stepped out, grinning.
Hermione was already checking answers with Leonardo, and groaning over a single tiny mistake.
Harry said nothing at all.
He had his hand pressed to his scar.
The lightning bolt burned like fire.