Ian was relieved.
But the students entering the exam room after Ian were the ones who truly suffered.
"With only these materials, even that brat earlier managed to brew it, why can't you? Don't you sneak out of our Slytherin College every night to secretly attend that ridiculous and laughable after-school tutoring class with those brats? Does he discriminate against you because you're not a student of Ravenclaw College and haven't taken the Magic Potion Class?"
Fair is fair.
When it comes to venting frustrations.
Snape really is number one at Hogwarts.
…
Another round of consecutive exams.
When Ian arrived at the practical exam room for the Defense Against the Dark Arts class, his mood turned anxious again. He remembered Grindelwald saying he was going to give him an unforgettable exam.
Ian hadn't worried about any courses this year, except for the Defense Against the Dark Arts class, which had been a worry for a long time. Heaven knows what that no-limits professor of Defense Against the Dark Arts would want to do to sicken him.
"Professor, why are you outside?"
As soon as he arrived at the exam room entrance,
Ian saw Professor "Lockhart" there, his face dark and grim, squatting by the entrance and muttering under his breath. Ian's questioning as he approached was like lighting a fuse.
"You brat might dodge this year, but not next year. Sooner or later, you'll have to take my exam, otherwise, wasn't all my preparation in vain!" Grindelwald said angrily before stomping off.
A bit puzzled, Ian looked at the exam room door.
Soon enough.
The little wizard who took the previous exam came out beaming. When the Sorting Hat called Ian's name, he walked in and only then realized why Grindelwald seemed so upset.
"Headmaster Dumbledore."
Ian saw the person sitting in the exam room.
It was Albus Dumbledore, dressed in a pure white robe.
"Good afternoon, Ian."
Albus Dumbledore sat behind an oak long table, its marks carved by time, his figure seemingly merged with the room filled with historical sediment. Outside, the evening sun shone through stained glass windows, casting its glow on his silver-white hair and long beard, imbuing the legendary wizard with a soft and sacred light.
"Is this you now?"
Ian asked tentatively.
Ever since Albus Dumbledore began delving into time travel, he could never quite figure this out, so he persistently tried to determine exactly which version of Albus Dumbledore he was facing.
"Actually, all you need to know is that whom you meet is always me, all worthy of trust, so you won't have so much confusion." Albus Dumbledore chuckled, offering advice before uncharacteristically answering the young wizard's question, "Today, you can indeed see this as the current me."
Albus Dumbledore's eyes were deep and warm, like two profound ponds, filled with the light of wisdom and a touch of enigmatic meaning Ian couldn't quite grasp.
"You wouldn't happen to have already lost track, would you?" Ian leaned in, waving a hand in front of Albus Dumbledore's eyes.
This action made Albus Dumbledore a bit helpless as well.
"Of course, my mind is not muddled; in fact, I'm clearer than ever before. Rest assured, I won't lose myself in the exploration of time." Albus Dumbledore lightly clasped his hands on the table, fingers occasionally making soft friction sounds, his tone carrying a sense of brightness.
"So, what exactly are you researching?"
Ian took a deep look at the old headmaster in front of him.
"To understand the past, you need to comprehend the future. Obviously, I'm researching the past, present, and future." Albus Dumbledore seemed to imply.
"Can the Time Converter reach the future?"
Ian seemed astonished.
His expression suggested he'd touched a gap in his knowledge.
"It's because we don't know that research is required. Once I have results, I'll share them with you." Albus Dumbledore smiled benevolently, intercepting Ian's continued questioning before he could start.
"I think today, here, what you need to ask isn't about me." With that, Albus Dumbledore opened a drawer located within the long table.
"I was just about to ask what's happening. I saw our Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher leave cursing. You wouldn't believe how horribly he was speaking about you." Ian's words were hard to read for exaggeration.
"Don't mind him. The exam items he prepared were too dangerous for you and other students, risking leaving a heavy psychological shadow on you."
"Therefore, I temporarily stripped him of his right to conduct exams as a professor." Albus Dumbledore showed no emotional fluctuation, simply pulling out a test paper from the drawer and handing it to Ian.
"Wasn't the theoretical exam in the morning?"
Ian was quite puzzled.
He received the test paper from Albus Dumbledore's hands. He was puzzled even before seeing its contents, and once he did, he became even more confused.
The content wasn't just unrelated to Defense Against the Dark Arts; it contained questions that seemed exceedingly simple. Was this Albus Dumbledore giving him an unfair advantage for good grades?
There's no need for that!
Even though he thought so inwardly, Ian still subconsciously took the Feather Pen handed by Albus Dumbledore and began answering questions.
"This is your final exam for the Defense Against the Dark Arts class."
Albus Dumbledore smiled, watching Ian answer the questions.
"But none of these questions are about Defense Against the Dark Arts?" Ian was increasingly confused, looking up at the headmaster. He'd already answered a series of seemingly nonsensical multiple-choice questions.
"Trust me, compared to other testing methods, this is the best assessment for your Defense Against the Dark Arts," Albus Dumbledore saw Ian remained unmoved.
After a moment of silence, he could only reluctantly confess.
"It's a psychological test."
Fair is fair.
Ian had already suspected as much.
Now, Albus Dumbledore's answer had directly confirmed it.
"Hiss~ Is this also considered a Defense Against the Dark Arts exam!?"
Ian was full of question marks but continued answering. He was a well-rounded little wizard, of course not afraid of any psychological test.
Psychology Mastery?
Value?
Understand?
"We all know that using dark magic can have nearly imperceptible but irreversible subconscious effects on a wizard. This destructive influence is secretive and challenging for anyone to notice."
"So many wizards researching dark magic will regularly use different methods to test their mental conditions." Albus Dumbledore patiently explained.
"That's why I'm having you undergo this psychological test." Albus Dumbledore's gaze rested on the form Ian was filling out.
"If your experience of casting dark magic hundreds of times daily still keeps your mental state at a proper level, you've already acquired the best defense against dark magic."
What can I say?
There's no denying the headmaster is truly deserving of the title. Ian always felt his reasoning was somewhat odd but couldn't think of how to refute it.
"Are you saying I can use dark magic to combat dark magic?"
Ian scratched his head while working on the questions.
"As headmaster, I certainly wouldn't teach a young wizard that."
Albus Dumbledore winked.
"I'd only tell him, magic can only be countered with magic."
His voice sounded filled with jest.