"Alright, that wraps up this part of the test," Fang said, looking up before pointing to the side.
"Now, hop onto that machine and run as fast as you can, give it everything you've got!"
Harry glanced at the device, which looked like a treadmill.
As he stepped on, he noticed a conveyor belt moving beneath his feet.
"This thing?" he asked.
"Yes," Fang confirmed. "The idea is to run while channeling your magical energy. But since you just started at Hogwarts, you probably don't know how to use magic power yet."
He then called the next student over to touch a crystal ball, tilting his head thoughtfully.
Harry had no choice but to follow the instructions.
He cautiously took a couple of steps on the treadmill and realized the belt was very responsive, there was no chance of falling behind.
So, he pushed himself to run as fast as he could.
However, his physical stamina wasn't great, and after sprinting full out for about half a minute, he was completely winded.
Fang didn't seem too concerned.
When Harry's pace slowed, he stopped him and jotted down some notes.
After a short rest, Fang directed Harry to try walking across a balance beam.
Although it was only about the width of a fist, it was raised roughly a meter off the ground, which made Harry a little nervous.
After a few steps, Harry felt unsteady and slipped to the side, just as he was about to fall, he realized the air on either side acted like a cushion, gently catching him.
Fang wasn't satisfied with just one try and had Harry attempt the balance beam several more times.
Harry fell almost every time, with his longest successful walk barely reaching six or seven meters.
Meanwhile, Ron and Neville performed much better.
They ran faster and longer, and both managed to cross the balance beam successfully, Ron after four tries, and Neville after only two.
The last piece of equipment looked like the leg press machine you'd find at a gym.
Fang first asked Harry to sit down, then two balloon-shaped objects popped out from the armrest.
"Pinch those two balls as hard as you can. This is to test your grip strength. Why is yours so weak? You need to try harder," Fang muttered, eyes fixed on the machine recording the data.
"Alright, after grip strength, we move on to arm strength. See that metal rod above your head? Push it hard, use all your strength!"
Following Fang's instructions, Harry went through a series of strength tests, palms, arms, waist, legs, one after another.
By the end, he was nearly exhausted, and they hadn't even had breakfast yet.
Running around and lifting weights first thing in the morning was definitely tiring.
Once everyone finished the full set of tests, Fang smiled and said, "Okay, that wraps up the physical exam for all freshmen. Spell tests will only start from second year and above.
Also, these physical exams will happen every six months. If your next results are worse than today's, you need to watch out."
"So... does that mean our medical exam is finally over?" Harry asked nervously.
"That's right. Now go eat, relax, and enjoy yourselves. Remember, the whole school has no classes this morning," Fang replied, then added with a hint of impatience, "Hurry up, don't waste my time here."
Hearing those words, Harry and the others exchanged happy glances before quickly disappearing.
Left alone, Fang frowned as he stared at the record board in his hand, muttering to himself, "Why is Harry's physical fitness so poor? He's nowhere near the level of his classmates."
Shaking his head in frustration, Fang went back to commanding the next group of students with his usual strictness.
The school-wide physical exam took up almost the entire morning, with the four houses taking turns completing the three main tests.
The whole experience felt fresh and interesting to everyone.
At lunchtime, a group of young wizards gathered in the auditorium, chatting.
"So, you got beaten by Fang during the second test?" one asked.
Harry glanced at the scratched-up twins, his face twitching as he fought the urge to laugh.
But he held back, feeling it would be too cruel and sudden.
"That was really brutal!" George groaned, covering his left cheek in pain. "Do you think we could have stopped that pesky Fang after facing that guy? How much of our pocket money did that bastard cheat us out of? And Ron, for your sake, can you still laugh now?"
Ron wasn't as reserved as Harry; he covered his mouth, grinning as he watched the two.
"Haha, you two couldn't even team up to beat a dog? That's pretty useless."
"We followed the rules and didn't use our wands to cast spells," Fred explained, showing off the three or four paw prints on his face. "Otherwise, that guy would've been in real trouble."
"And that bastard was as strong as if he'd taken some kind of potion. It was scary," Fred continued. "Guess what, George and I pretended to be friendly with him, planning to get close and take him down quietly. But this Fang guy actually attacked without any warning or fighting talk, so I had to warn him about our intentions."
"Uh... really?" Ron said with an awkward smile.
Since the twins had their physical exam earlier, Ron realized the sudden attack on them might have something to do with his own chatter.
Harry picked up on this too and quickly changed the subject.
"By the way, what was the third physical exam about? I heard from Fang it was some kind of spell-casting test?"
"You asked about the last part? That one was way more interesting than the first two," George said eagerly. "The examiner was actually a house-elf dressed in tactical gear. She told us to cast every spell we knew at a humanoid target, self-defense spells, transformation spells, levitation, you name it. Then she recorded all the results. I heard that if you know the Protego, you have to cast it to withstand your opponent's attacks."
George animatedly shared their experience, with Fred chiming in every now and then.
The twins really knew how to tell a story, and Harry and the others listened with genuine interest.
"Honestly, I don't see the point of this physical exam," Fred grumbled, squinting. "If it's going to affect our final grades, maybe we could figure out a way to cheat."
Harry's eyes widened in surprise.
"Wait, the school year just started, how could this impact our final grades already? And cheat? How would you even cheat on something like a physical test?"
George smirked, clearly amused.
"Who knows what Brother Alex is thinking?" he said. "But cheating? There are always ways. For example, with fitness tests, we could just drink some potions to boost our scores!"
"That's risky," Ron said, looking uncomfortable. "What if Uncle Wilson finds out?"
"Finds out?" Fred and George exchanged a quick glance, then both shook their heads vigorously. "No way. We'd be done for if that happened. Seriously, that would be a terrible idea."
While they were chatting, Percy suddenly approached them.
"I just got a message from Professor Wilson," he said. "Everyone needs to gather in the auditorium at 7 o'clock tonight. And don't forget to bring your teaching aids list and your I'D badge."
"Wait, what? Again?"
Everyone, including Harry, groaned at the mention of another assembly, their spirits instantly dropping.
"Why are you so negative already?" Percy rolled his eyes.
"You said the same thing yesterday!" Fred shot back.
"What's the point? We're just waiting for the bad news, like having to get up early every day and dealing with rough treatment," George added with a grimace.
"You brought this on yourselves," Percy said sharply. "If you two hadn't annoyed the medical examiner, we wouldn't be in this mess."
He then turned and hurried off to spread the news to the others.
***
Meanwhile, in the tactical training office, Alex was going over the medical examiners' reports during lunch.
But when he came across a particular name and the corresponding results,
His face darkened and his brow furrowed deeply.
Suddenly, he slammed his fist down on the desk with a loud bang, startling even Fang, who had been resting nearby.
Seeing the look on Alex's face, Fang couldn't help but ask, "What's going on, master? Why such a big fuss?"
Alex's expression darkened as he held up a parchment, his voice sharp with anger.
"How did Dumbledore respond back then? He promised that Harry would be properly cared for and safe. So what happened?"
He shook the parchment, frustration clear.
"Look at him, this child is malnourished, and there are even hidden wounds on his body. Is this the kind of care Dumbledore promised?"