Chapter 617 Final Exams!!
Harry had originally thought Ron had lost.
But then he found out that Ron hadn't lost at all—Ron had actually caught every single ball.
Gryffindor had achieved excellent results.
That kind of honor made Ron happy for a full day or two.
To keep Ron happy for a little longer, Harry and the others could only keep their mouths shut and not tell him about Hagrid.
They pretended to watch his match.
They listened to Ron proudly brag about his saves over and over again.
By the third day, Ron was still talking enthusiastically. Hermione finally couldn't take it anymore and punctured the illusion.
She said coolly,
"Alright, stop talking. The three of us didn't watch your match, and we didn't see your 'divine performance' either."
"Don't look at me like that. We really didn't go."
"Darren didn't go either, so don't stare at him. We were dragged off by Hagrid to see his 'short' brother."
Hermione angrily explained everything that had happened that day.
Ron's expression changed from excitement to disbelief.
He stared at Harry and the others in horror, as if they were all collectively joking with him.
But after Darren nodded seriously, Ron nearly exploded.
"He's crazy! He's completely—"
This time, when Ron started cursing angrily, Hermione didn't stop him at all. She simply lay down, covered Darren's ears, and let Ron vent as much as he wanted.
Darren could only obediently let Hermione cover his ears, close his eyes, and pretend he couldn't hear or see anything.
In fact, the only thing he felt was that… it was really soft.
Cough.
Big is fine too.
When Darren was just about to fall asleep comfortably, Harry and Ron finally finished venting.
Darren could only comfort them gently.
"Alright, don't be like this… final exams are coming up."
"I think Hagrid will probably be able to hold on until the end of the term. At least we don't need to worry about it this year, right?"
Darren smiled.
In truth, he knew that Hagrid would flee under Umbridge's pressure one night during the exams.
Of course, he couldn't say that.
So he continued to comfort Harry and the others, maintaining his usual harmless and kind demeanor.
June finally arrived.
The professors stopped assigning homework. That meant only one thing—the exams were about to begin.
Every fifth-year student became tense. They started asking each other how many hours they had revised.
If you discovered that someone else had revised for fewer than eight hours, you would immediately show a smug, superior smile.
Darren was also swept up in this atmosphere and showed some enthusiasm for studying.
He went to the library every day to borrow books and made a show of reading seriously in the evenings.
In reality, he was watching anime every night.
With Dumbledore no longer around to keep him in check, he had started staying up late again.
The dark circles under his eyes were becoming obvious once more.
But since everyone else looked just as exhausted, Darren didn't stand out at all.
However, his habit of borrowing books every day made Hermione think that even geniuses worked this hard—so she should work even harder.
As a result, Hermione began racing him to the library.
Sometimes when Darren took a liking to a book, Hermione would grab it first and then proudly tell him to come back for it the next day.
The book-snatching rivalry between the two of them sparked a wave of competition throughout Hogwarts. The library shelves were nearly emptied.
Sometimes when Darren went to borrow books, he couldn't even find anything useful.
Of course, Darren didn't care.
He already knew everything he needed to know.
Borrowing books was just a way to make himself look less conspicuous in this intense study atmosphere.
So if someone else wanted a book he had, he would generously hand it over.
That only made him look even more admirable.
In the final class on Friday, Professor McGonagall announced the exam schedule.
The exams would start on Monday and last for two full weeks. Results would be sent out in July.
All the students left the classroom with pale faces.
Saturday and Sunday—two full days off—were spent studying like mad.
Hermione kept reciting piles of Magical History to Darren.
She knew Darren had an excellent memory; once she recited it, Darren could review it himself.
Finally, exam day arrived.
After breakfast, at nine o'clock, the Great Hall was cleared.
They entered to sit the written exams.
Each student had a single desk.
Professor McGonagall took out an hourglass and turned it upside down.
She said solemnly,
"You may begin."
Darren looked down at his exam paper.
He skimmed through it—everything was material he had already mastered.
He picked up his quill and began writing smoothly.
The only thing he wished for was a self-writing quill.
If he had one, he could fill the entire parchment instantly.
But of course, those weren't allowed in exams.
So he could only write honestly, stroke by stroke.
As he wrote, he noticed Professor McGonagall walking past him, a relieved expression on her face.
Two hours later, Professor McGonagall collected the papers.
Darren stretched and walked out into the entrance hall.
Hermione was already there, waiting for him.
"How was it? Not difficult, right?"
Darren shook his head.
"I didn't see a single question I couldn't answer."
Hermione smiled brightly.
"I knew it—you're the best."
Harry and Ron shuddered dramatically at her tone.
But when Hermione shot them a glare, ready to deal with them, they immediately ran off.
At lunchtime, the four House tables reappeared.
Darren took a big bite of his beef pie.
Writing exam papers was manual labor too, after all.
After lunch, while students from other years returned to class, they were led into a small room beside the Great Hall for their practical exams.
Darren was called in along with Harry, Pansy, Parvati, and Padma.
They were assigned to Professor Marchbanks.
Professor Marchbanks was testing Malfoy when she heard Darren's name and laughed.
"Well, Darren Potter. I remember you—a very lovely child. Dumbledore mentioned you to me."
Malfoy snorted.
Darren guessed Malfoy probably wanted to say he was just Harry Potter's follower.
But at this moment, Malfoy didn't dare get distracted and stayed silent.
When Darren stood before Professor Marchbanks, she smiled and said,
"Come, child. Can you make these two goblets perform a sideways somersault for me?"
Darren waved his wand.
The two goblets flipped neatly through the air, spinning beautifully.
Professor Marchbanks laughed with delight.
She then asked him to turn a mouse into an orange.
After that, she asked him to transform a plate into a long cushion.
In short, by the time Darren completed all the tasks, Professor Marchbanks applauded enthusiastically.
"You're as talented as Dumbledore," she said warmly.
"I remember when I first tested him—he was just like you…"
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