Chapter 15: Examinations
"Right then, Draco, shall we go up to the tower first and head to the greenhouses from there?"
"No need..."
I shook my head.
"The professor is still sitting at the table over there. I'll wait until she finishes eating and follow her down. We can walk to the greenhouses together. And on the way back, I'll use the hidden passages you showed me to reach McGonagall's classroom."
"Draco..."
"Don't worry, Penny. I can find my own way to the classroom and back to the tower afterward."
"I... all right..."
She gave me a nod.
"...I'll trust you on that. Don't get lost."
She wagged a finger at me and sighed.
"I could escort the first-years to the common room..."
Daphne addressed Penny, who looked at my assistant with some uncertainty. Daphne's expression was entirely serious.
"Daff, we've only been here two days..."
Tracy tried to intervene, but Daphne waved her off.
"Aunt Cissy and Aunt Bella taught me how to find my way around the castle, so getting the first-years to the common room is well within my abilities."
"There's no need to put Penny in a difficult position. After what happened with the prefect today, if she leaves the entire first year unattended she could face serious consequences. As I said, I'll walk down with the professor, and there will be no repercussions for Penny whatsoever."
And that was the end of the discussion. Penny led the first-years to the common room, from which they were free to wander the castle at their leisure in search of trouble, as students inevitably do. She had done her duty as prefect; after that, they were largely on their own. Not entirely, of course, but certainly until dinner.
I remained in the Great Hall and waited for Sprout to finish her lunch. When she rose from the table, I got to my feet, having spent the time sipping herbal tea. Catching up to her was easy enough. She heard my quickening footsteps and half turned.
"Mr Black?"
"Professor,"
Miss Clearwater no longer trusts her colleague, so she was obliged to take the first-years to the common room herself. I promised I would make my way to the greenhouses with you...
Penny came hurtling around the corner. She looked distinctly disheveled.
"Penny, has something happened?"
"Ha, hoo, ha, hoo..."
She doubled over, hands on her knees, breathing hard. It took her a good two minutes to recover, while the professor and I watched with some interest.
"Made it."
She straightened up and looked at me with breathless anxiety.
"Please forgive me. I saw the first-years to the common room and then ran back to escort him to your greenhouse."
"Well done."
Sprout gave an approving nod.
"Do you have a lesson now?"
"Er... yes."
"Off you go then. I'll take good care of Mr. Black. Come and collect him after your lesson. McGonagall mentioned over lunch that she has scheduled a practical examination for him today as well."
"Understood."
Penny nodded, then turned and hurried away. I set off alongside Sprout towards the greenhouse, where she proceeded to set a great many tasks before me, though this time the emphasis was less on answering questions and more on demonstrating practical ability.
I cannot claim my practical skills are extraordinary, but they were more than sufficient to pass the first- and second-year examinations. Professor Sprout was more than satisfied.
"Well done, you..."
She came over to me and, pulling off a muddy glove, ruffled my hair.
"...you've made this old woman very happy. It has been quite some time since a student came so well prepared for my subject. The only ones who know it better are those who come in already planning to pursue Herbology. And even they, as a rule, coast through the early years and then scramble to catch up."
"Surely there were keen students?"
I looked at the professor with genuine curiosity. She seemed to have drifted into memory.
"Oh, there were, but bookworms, as a rule, fall short on the practical side. And even their theory is different from yours. It's thoughtful. Most of them practically copy whole paragraphs from the textbook. That's perfectly acceptable, of course, but it is so much more pleasant when a student actually engages with the material."
"I see. Well, I should be off. I still need to get to Professor McGonagall."
"And where exactly do you think you're going? Have you forgotten that Miss Clearwater is coming to fetch you?"
I exhaled.
"You're quite right, of course. Simply leaving would be irresponsible of me. I promise I'll wait for her outside."
"Good. Off you go then, Mr. Black."
Sprout gave a nod, and I stepped out of the greenhouse.
I waited almost twenty minutes for Penny, and when she appeared, she was visibly astonished to find me standing there calmly.
"Honestly, I didn't expect..."
She shook her head, stopping beside me.
"What?"
"That you'd actually wait. For some reason, I had the feeling that if I arrived after your examination was over, you'd already be halfway to McGonagall."
"Well, I did consider it, if I'm being honest. But Sprout reminded me about you, so I decided to wait."
"Thank you."
She gave me a nod.
"Think nothing of it. Come on, take me to the next examination."
I smiled slightly, rolled my shoulders, and glanced over at Penny, who smiled back, then turned and led the way towards the castle.
"By the way, someone was asking about you..."
"Asking about me?"
"Yes, a girl from Hufflepuff. Quite striking pink hair."
I gave a mild shrug at that. I had my suspicions about who a pink-haired Hufflepuff might be, but I saw no particular point in voicing them.
"And what were they asking?"
"Oh... my impression of you. What you're like to talk to. What the professors are saying."
I blinked.
"Isn't that rather quick off the mark? We're only two days in. What sort of impression could you possibly have? Nice enough guy, doesn't seem dim..."
I shrugged.
"That's more or less what I told her, actually. I did mention that you're taking early exams for the first year. That's not a secret?"
"No..."
I shook my head.
"...not remotely. If I'd wanted to keep my abilities to myself, I simply wouldn't have shown everything I know. I'd have just sat in class with everyone else."
"That's exactly what I thought. So I haven't told her anything beyond that, but I wanted you to know. Be careful."
"What's her name?"
"Nymphadora Tonks."
"Ah. Her."
I gave a knowing nod.
"You know her?"
"Well, she's the daughter of one of my mothers' sisters. Andromeda doesn't have a great deal of contact with my mothers, though they've nearly broken through that wall over the past year or so. Her husband, though, has made sure to steer his daughter away from any contact with me. So in some ways I'm surprised she decided to make inquiries, and in other ways it's entirely predictable."
"I suppose..."
Penny gave a thoughtful nod.
"...but hang on. Predictable? And what should I tell her, if she decides to question me again?"
"Predictable, yes..."
I nodded.
"...she's a teenager. The age of rebellion. And right in the thick of that, her parents are trying to forbid her from spending time with someone."
I smiled.
"In short, it was always going to happen that she'd at least try to find out more. At this point, if her parents tried to forbid her from seeing a werewolf, she'd skip off happily to find the nearest eligible werewolf to start a relationship with."
"Ahem..."
Penny couldn't quite suppress a laugh.
"As for what to say, just tell the truth. I have nothing to hide. Arrogant, conceited... well, only that sort of person would bring their own attendant along. Self-absorbed, thinks he knows everything..."
I shrugged.
"You'll find the words."
"Right..."
We had arrived at McGonagall's classroom. I knocked briefly and entered.
"Ah, Mr. Black, come in, sit down..."
The professor gestured to the front desk, and I sat. On the desk lay a box of matches, a button, a few scraps of paper, and at the far end a small beetle beneath a glass bell jar.
"Let us not waste time. You can see the objects in front of you. I would like you to transfigure them. A matchstick into a needle, if you please."
I performed the transfiguration at once. McGonagall gave a single nod, though the corner of her mouth rose slightly, suggesting she was at least somewhat pleased.
"Now the button into a magnifying glass."
Again, I completed the task.
"One piece of paper into a wooden plaque, and another into a button."
Done.
"Excellent. And finally, this is admittedly slightly beyond the curriculum, but would you transfigure the beetle into a button?"
I managed it, though not on the first attempt. As I had said, Transfiguration was the subject I had spent the least time on.
"Acceptable."
McGonagall nodded with a satisfied smile.
"You may consider your first-year examination passed. I shall hope to see equally strong results in your remaining subjects."
"Thank you."
I gave a brief nod and left the classroom. To my mild surprise, Penny was waiting there, and so were Daphne and Tracy.
"Girls?"
"They came to support you."
"How long have they been here?"
"About five minutes after you went in."
Penny gave a slight shrug.
"Well, thank you, both of you."
I glanced at my watch as I said it, and did a double take. McGonagall had somehow taken forty minutes of my life without noticing.
"Merlin... I had no idea I'd been in there that long."
"It happens..."
Penny gave a knowing nod.
"...examinations are like that. You feel as though it flew by, and then you look at the clock and realize it absolutely did not."
"How did it go?"
There was a light note of amusement in Tracy's voice.
"Very well. Herbology and Transfiguration done. Charms and Spellwork yesterday, as you no doubt know. Not many subjects left... and I'll be free."
"I am glad for you, my lord."
"Thank you."
I gave Daphne a nod. Tracy, for her part, made a slight face. The mode of address Daphne used toward me clearly did not sit well with her, but as there was nothing she could do about it, she held her tongue.
"Right then, shall we head back to the tower?"
"Are we celebrating tonight?"
Daphne looked at me with interest.
"I don't think so. Better to wait until all the examinations are done and throw a proper party then."
"Agreed. Celebrating every single day would be excessive. Let's just leave it for now and mark the occasion properly once everything is finished."
"That said, for our little group, we could stop by the kitchen and ask the house-elves for cocoa and some pasties. Find an empty classroom and have a quiet snack."
"Absolutely not!"
Penny stepped back as though I had suggested something alarming, and Tracy also gave me a disapproving look. Only Daphne regarded me with complete and wholehearted support.
"You cannot eat pasties at this hour! It all goes straight to your hips, and I cannot have that!"
"Well then, one ought to exercise..."
Daphne said it with perfect composure, and I could only shrug in confirmation.
//=================//
------------------------
"Chapters on Patreon progress: Currently at;
1. Harry Potter: Satan? Nah, Just My Family Crest = CHAPTER 183
2.Marvel: Cosmic Forger of Infinity = CHAPTER 117
3.Harry Potter: Beyond Good and Evil in the Wizarding World = CHAPTER 174
4.Harry Potter: Reborn as Draco Black = CHAPTER 44
support me on Patreon for instant access to the 60+ advance chapters: patreon.com/redofic"