The next day's exam was Transfiguration. Lys had prepared a blank cloak in advance and changed into it outside the examination room, entrusting Gulp to Professor McGonagall.
"Excellent, very impressive. You are the best Transfiguration performer I've seen so far in this exam. Do you have anything else to show me?"
Lys hesitated for a moment before shaking her head. Some abilities, like her Human Transfiguration skills, might serve as life-saving measures and were best kept secret. An "Outstanding" grade was enough for her.
The next exam was Defense Against the Dark Arts, and the examiner who opened the door surprised Lys.
"Augustus! Oh my, are you all right now?!" This was her Defense Against the Dark Arts professor from her third year, who had nearly become a Squib due to a curse.
"Yes, and I have you to thank for suggesting that I stay at... you know where. If I hadn't gone there, I wouldn't have met the witch skilled in curse-breaking. Oh, and she's my wife now," he said with a smile, gesturing that Lys could bring her snake along. "I've even returned to my position as an Auror. Originally, I was supposed to invigilate the seventh years, but my colleague had an upset stomach, so here I am. What a coincidence!"
Augustus greeted her warmly before starting the exam. "Now, please demonstrate your defensive techniques against these three items."
Curses, traps, and mind-affecting spells—Lys handled them all with ease, finishing with a few Shield Charms to perfectly complete the test.
"Excellent, truly excellent. I couldn't have done better myself. Now, I remember you were very interested in the Patronus Charm back then. Have you mastered it? It could earn you extra points, though you're already at 'Outstanding.'"
Augustus leaned back in his chair, looking at Lys expectantly. Seeing that she didn't raise her wand, he simply nodded. "All right, then. Your exam is over."
After bidding him farewell, Lys left the classroom. She had researched Augustus's curse before but found that she couldn't learn the counter-curse. A brute-force solution would likely have cost Augustus his life. Seeing him well was a relief.
When it came to the Ancient Runes exam, Lys had already questioned the difficulty level after seeing the written test. The practical exam, however, had only her as a participant this year.
In previous years, the elderly examiners for Ancient Runes didn't bother showing up. But this year, their star pupil, Professor Babbling, insisted they attend.
Professor Babbling declined Lys's request to watch over her snake. "Carry it yourself. Show us everything—the boat spell, the tracking spell! Demonstrate them all, and I guarantee you'll get an 'Exceeds Expectations'!"
Hearing that she wouldn't get an "Outstanding," Lys hesitated. "I have something even more interesting. Want to see?"
The professors wanted it all. After assessing her magical reserves, Lys agreed. However, to avoid disturbing the seventh and fifth years, her water-based spell demonstration was scheduled for the evening.
The tracking spell was straightforward. After reading Muggle anatomy and medical books, Lys's calculation skills had greatly improved, making the spell's effect even better this time.
Raising her wand to her lips, she whispered, "Tracking," stepping forward and spinning her body. The entire classroom was enveloped in thick, pale green mist.
Timing herself with a pocket watch, Lys dispelled the mist, only to be startled by an examiner standing just a step away from her.
"An excellent spell. Your translation and application of Ancient Runes are impressive. But your computational skills need work. Given your youth, it's understandable."
The professors were truly astonished when Lys began demonstrating Ancient Rune spells mixed with other elements. She warned them not to trust what they would see next and asked those with unresolved trauma or obsessions to step aside. "This spell has no specific target during practice, so I can't guarantee its safety."
Only two elderly examiners remained seated.
Steeling herself, Lys held her wand horizontally before her chest, chanting Ancient Runes with difficulty while focusing on creating magical fluctuations.
Her wand danced through the air, weaving a massive tapestry of golden and silver light. Controlling her magical output carefully, Lys ensured the two elderly men, one over a hundred and the other a hundred and sixty, wouldn't be overwhelmed.
When the spell fully enveloped them, both fell asleep.
The vivid, dreamlike reality conjured by the spell left them with an unsettling sense of terror upon waking. The clarity and intensity of the visions—untainted by bias or falsehood—were profoundly disconcerting.
One examiner, upon waking, patted himself down and sighed in relief. "To put it bluntly, even Dumbledore would be trapped in this spell. It's filled with delusions!"
The younger examiner woke up in tears, clutching a pocket watch and crying over the photo inside. The older one sighed, "Ah, youth..."
Curious about the spell's effects, Lys had originally intended to use it on herself to uncover her deepest desires. The spell's effects were described as "Soul Peering" and "Illusory Realm."
However, the two examiners refused to discuss their experiences, instead inviting her to join the research department—a proposal she declined.
"I don't like studying. I only research Ancient Runes because of their power and their connection to alchemy," she explained, which the professors understood.
After the ordeal, Lys secured an "Outstanding" in Ancient Runes.
As she left, the older examiner cast an Obliviate on the still-crying younger one. "He can't let go. Crying too much isn't good for his health," he explained to the Ministry staff.
He also recommended two books to Lys. "If you're truly curious about your desires, there's an alchemical artifact called the Mirror of Erised. You could ask your headmaster—he has plenty of treasures."
With all her exams completed except for Divination, Lys felt relieved. Divination had only two seventh-year students, so the fifth years were split into two groups for morning and afternoon sessions.
The exam covered palmistry, tea leaves, and crystal balls. Lys brought her snake along, as pets were said to enhance divination by fostering a connection with the universe.
Palmistry and tea leaves went smoothly, with Lys reciting textbook interpretations to the examiners' satisfaction. But when it came to the crystal ball, she struggled to even make the mist inside tremble.
"Clear the mist to see the future. Relax!" the examiner encouraged, noting that previous students hadn't even managed to disturb the mist.
After five minutes, Lys admitted defeat, thinking, "There goes my 'Outstanding'..."
Just as she was about to withdraw her hand and give up, the mist in the crystal ball revealed an image of her left hand pointing toward a tall, eerie figure before closing again.
Staring at the examiner in confusion, Lys received a nod. "Outstanding. While there's no verbal prophecy or event, the fact that you produced an image is remarkable. It's been two years since a Hogwarts student managed that."
"A tall figure, you say? That could be your future partner or even yourself," the examiner mused while recording her grade and calling in the next student.
Though Lys had always prided herself on her memory, she now felt uncertain. Walking down the corridor, she replayed the scene in her mind, confirming that the scars on her left arm in the crystal ball included marks she didn't currently have—possibly the Dark Mark.
With all her exams concluded, Lys returned to her dormitory. Staring at the large crystal ball given to her by her Divination professor, she tried to recapture the morning's sensation. But the mist inside swirled lazily, offering no answers.
Deep in thought, her gaze grew inscrutable.
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