After lunch, the two of them went back to the common room.
Ever since the morning, a tense atmosphere had been hanging over the place; every seventh-year student was seizing every moment to flip through their textbooks and prepare for tomorrow's exam.
In this kind of atmosphere, the lower-year students also very tactfully gave up the best spots, and at the same time lowered their voices when speaking and walking.
Time during exams always flies. A week later, all the written tests were over, and along with the other years' end-of-term exams, the N.E.W.T.s entered their second phase… practical Charms.
"Don't be nervous, child."
Kael stood in an empty classroom, facing three different professors. Geselda Marchbanks sat in the middle, with a Wizard Examination Board official on her left and Professor McGonagall, representing the school, on her right.
Under normal circumstances, that seat ought to have been taken by Dumbledore, but no one knew where he had gone off to at the moment, so Professor McGonagall, as Deputy Headmistress, had to fill in.
But the Wizard Examination Board could understand this situation. Given the current climate, there was no way Dumbledore could stay at school for long periods, and having Professor McGonagall stand in for him was just as good.
"The first task in this Charms exam is the Ice Creation Spell." Geselda Marchbanks pointed at a glass of water in front of her. "You need to freeze it solid as quickly as possible. I don't suppose that will give you any trouble."
Kael drew his wand and gave it a flick.
The next second, the water in the bottle had already turned into a block of ice.
"Oh, not bad." Professor Marchbank said with a smile. "I knew you'd have no problem. Let's move on. Next is the composite charm: you're to treat us as your enemies and set up a ring of defensive fortifications around us to repel our attack.
"Normally the time limit is five minutes, but for you… how about two? After two minutes we'll begin our assault and mark you based on how long your defenses hold."
"No problem." Kael agreed readily.
It had to be said, this exam question was quite topical. After all, once they graduated this time, they would be facing the Death Eaters head-on, and keeping themselves alive would be the biggest challenge.
Although for Kael, his real specialty lay in other ways of self-preservation, but given the current circumstances, none of those methods were usable.
Kael drew in a slow breath, and the wand in his hand began to move lightly.
The ground around the three professors instantly turned into a patch of muddy swamp; then the ground began to rise, until it became a solid earthen wall that reached the ceiling.
To be honest, this level of work wasn't exactly stunning. Professor Marchbank experimentally cast a Charm at the wall, but it only blasted a harmless little dent into it.
Then she conjured a dummy; the moment it hit the ground, it sank into the swamp.
"Mm, not bad." Professor Marchbank nodded, looking quite satisfied.
The swamp restricted movement, the wall blocked attacks—simple, but very effective.
More importantly, Kael hadn't taken much time to pull all this off, and he'd looked completely at ease, as though he were just going through the motions for the exam.
But that was more than enough.
"All right, that will do." Professor Marchbank said.
The earthen wall sank back down, and the swamp turned once more into solid floor.
"Really very good."
Once Kael had left the classroom, she turned to Professor McGonagall and said, "So what Albus told me was true, then? This child really took down the werewolf Fenrir Greyback and two Death Eaters all by himself?"
"Of course it's true." Professor McGonagall seemed in excellent spirits; she smiled and said, "Headmaster Dumbledore has no reason to lie about something like that, does he?
"And besides, I was right there when Kael dealt with the werewolf."
"Remarkable." Professor Marchbank said softly. "Ever since six years ago, I've been looking forward to presiding over this child's N.E.W.T.s in person, but now it seems the whole process is a bit superfluous.
"I still remember, when Albus took his final exams, he was the same way—clearly capable of doing far more, but insisting on slacking off and only meeting the stated requirements."
"Perhaps they think that's enough." Professor McGonagall said.
In fact, she was quite curious about the details of Dumbledore's exams back then, but felt too embarrassed to ask.
"Yes, just an exam after all—no need to make a big production out of it." Professor Marchbank said with a laugh.
She picked up her quill and wrote a large "O" after Kael's name.