The cancellation of the Quidditch tournament had taken away much of the fun from campus life for all the students.
In the past, there had been a match every week or two.
Now, however, the competition had been completely suspended.
Even the Quidditch pitch had become a forbidden area for students, with a status comparable to the Forbidden Forest.
Although the Weasley twins had invented an alternative—indoor Quidditch—it still could not replace the real game.
What they needed was the howling wind against their faces as they soared through the sky on broomsticks above the pitch. Their robes billowing and whistling, they wanted to fly at high speed like shooting stars streaking across the heavens, releasing their youthful and restless energy through fierce collisions.
However, given the current atmosphere, fifth-year students had little free time for entertainment, even if Quidditch had not been suspended.
The castle grounds shimmered beneath the sunlight, as though they had just been freshly painted. The clear sky was reflected in the sparkling, tranquil lake, while the smooth, satin-green grass occasionally rippled in the gentle breeze.
It was the perfect day for outdoor activities, with neither gloomy clouds nor torrential rain obstructing their view.
But they had to sit their exams.
For both Muggle and wizarding students, the word exam was an unbearable source of pain.
June had arrived, and for fifth-year students, that meant only one thing:
The O.W.L.s had finally begun.
The teachers no longer assigned homework. Instead, every lesson was devoted entirely to reviewing questions that the teachers believed were most likely to appear in the examinations.
Sunlight streamed through the large glass windows of the library, illuminating the gold-embossed covers of books arranged on the shelves.
However, the intense sunlight strained the students' eyes, leaving much of the library empty. The areas with softer, less glaring light were packed with students.
Many students had no choice but to return to their dormitories to study.
In an inconspicuous corner of the library, Malfoy and Pansy had found a spot with almost perfect lighting—gentle and bright without being harsh.
The tall wooden bookshelves blocked the most dazzling rays, while the faint light filtering through the gaps between the books provided just the right amount of illumination.
A small square table was piled high with books. From the side, the titles on their spines could be seen:
The Theory of Magical Defence.
Malfoy lowered his voice as he carefully gave Pansy private, one-on-one tutoring.
Two round stools were positioned on opposite sides of the table. Malfoy sat facing Pansy, his expression indifferent.
Face-to-face instruction was highly efficient.
"You only need to memorize this part. You can force yourself to remember it."
"This section requires complete understanding."
"The questions here will be very in-depth. Make sure you thoroughly understand the concepts. Ideally, you should be able to derive them yourself from the fundamental principles."
His quill moved swiftly across the pages, marking the important points.
A few students occasionally looked up from their books. They glanced in their direction with envy before reluctantly returning to their studies.
"It almost seems as though you wrote the examination questions yourself."
Pansy listened attentively with her head lowered, studying the sections he had circled. However, she continued chatting and occasionally made a few jokes.
"There's only one book left."
Ignoring her teasing, Malfoy picked up the final book.
Its cover had a dark-blue background scattered with strange geometric shapes and lines. In the centre, its title was written in messy black lettering:
The Dream Interpretation Guide.
"Divination?"
Malfoy muttered, a trace of doubt in his voice.
Then he seemed to realize something and made a rare joke.
"You're better at this subject than I am."
"All right. This is everything I can help you with. The rest is up to you."
Malfoy's fingers gently brushed against the spines of the stack of books. He gave them one final glance.
"Mm."
Pansy nodded obediently.
"But..."
She hesitated, unable to finish her sentence.
"Is it really all right for you not to study your own books and simply spend your time accommodating me?"
Her voice carried a trace of worry.
She was no longer particularly concerned about herself. Instead, she was afraid that she had taken up too much of Malfoy's time.
"Didn't I already review everything?"
Malfoy smiled.
"When?"
Pansy looked genuinely surprised.
"When I was helping you review."
"All right."
Seeing Malfoy's relaxed expression, Pansy stopped asking questions.
Indeed, given how effortlessly he carried himself, there was no reason for her to worry about him.
Compared with the two students' relaxed and familiar attitude, the other students were suffering considerably.
The closer the examinations came, the worse the students' mental states became.
If anyone was suffering more than the fifth-years, it was the seventh-years.
Their examinations were even more important.
George and Fred had put aside their pranks and devoted themselves entirely to preparing for their exams.
They had not conducted any new research for at least two or three months.
Mrs. Weasley had declared that if either of them received a grade below Acceptable in any subject, they would have to throw away all the junk they had hidden at home.
Without Umbridge to fuel their rebellious spirit, even the brilliant and mischievous twins could only silently submit to the graduation examinations that would determine their futures.
The importance of the exams had driven many students with business acumen to start looking for questionable shortcuts.
For example, some had begun selling so-called dragon-claw powder and memory-enhancing potions.
Potions that affected the brain and improved memory took a rather roundabout approach, sometimes skirting the boundaries of what could be considered acceptable.
Calling it cheating was obviously an exaggeration. After all, these products were merely tools for memorizing knowledge.
If a student used a special learning method to memorize information, a teacher could hardly classify that as cheating.
Nevertheless, it seemed unreasonable not to punish such behaviour. The idea of gaining something without putting in any effort was considered immoral, a belief deeply rooted in everyone's basic sense of right and wrong.
Of course, worrying about it was ultimately unnecessary.
Anyone with even a little common sense would know that such precious medicinal ingredients would never appear in an examination of this kind.
Even if they could be used, they would not be so cheap that an ordinary student could afford them.
Those ingredients were extremely rare and expensive in Knockturn Alley.
There was only one other possibility:
They were counterfeit.
After Hermione clearly explained that almost all those potions were fake products made from dried dung, Harry and Ron decisively abandoned the idea and returned to their books.
Besides ensuring that she had enough time to study, Hermione also carried out additional practice exercises.
The Defence Against the Dark Arts examination was not based solely on written papers, which was something that worried her considerably.
Every student had different expectations for their efforts.
Some simply wanted to improve their grades. Others hoped to achieve perfection, while some were struggling desperately on the narrow boundary between passing and failing.
As the deadline drew closer, the final examinations approached. They were expected to continue for approximately two weeks.
"Now, I must remind you that your examination papers have been subjected to the strictest anti-cheating measures."
Professor McGonagall issued this warning before the examinations began.
"Automatic-answer quills are strictly prohibited in the examination hall. Memory balls, detachable extension cuffs, and self-correcting ink are also forbidden."
"I am afraid I must point out that every year, at least one student believes they can circumvent the Ministry's regulations. I sincerely hope Gryffindor will not produce anyone foolish enough to try."
"No one can escape my eyes."
Snape stood at the podium. His words were simple but powerful, and combined with his unfathomable eyes, they made him remarkably convincing.
Many students abandoned their thoughts of taking shortcuts.
Their first examination was the Theory of Charms, scheduled for Monday morning.
The students entered the examination halls in an orderly manner and began their difficult two-week examination period.