Doomed to be an enemy

Defense Against the Dark Arts had quite a lot of written questions, and Harry forced himself to concentrate on the parchment scroll.

From breakfast until now, he's been pretty much distracted by the Patronus business.His patron saint was no longer the deer, but the serpent that symbolized Voldemort.

Those red eyes—God knows why a Patronus who should be all silver should have tinted eyes.Harry took a deep breath in his heart, he couldn't imagine the scene when such a physical Patronus was exposed to everyone's eyes.Just thinking about it makes my scalp tingle.

He has to do something.

The quill absently wrote the answers, and Harry, feeling as if he had been divided in two, concentrated on answering the questions—as if the answers he wanted were hidden in them.Or on a certain letter?

The other part is racking its brains to figure out how to deal with the embarrassment that may occur during the practical exam.

Oh, that's more than embarrassing.

Harry felt weak for a while.Even Voldemort thought that a gradual disclosure of their relationship after the war would be best, and he didn't think he could have handled it any better.Thinking of this, a nauseating chill erupted from the bottom of his heart, and Harry forced himself to face it, even though he was already a little physically uncomfortable from it—his palms were covered in cold sweat.

Harry cast the Silent, Stickless Drying Charm on himself for the fifth time.

Putting down the quill, he forced himself to calm down.

At this moment, out of the corner of his eye, he saw Professor Slughorns' chunky but nimble figure patrolling among the students.Harry recalled that the Ministry of Magic seemed to know about the vacancy of the Hogwarts Defense Against the Dark Arts teaching position, and had sent a formal letter asking whether to restore Severus Snape's teaching position, but Professor McGonagall severely Rejected—and it made it to the Daily Prophet.

To this day, the subject remains untaught and has to be replaced by Professor Slughorns - who must have heard the curse of the position.I don't know if it's because of this, but Professor Horace Slughorns' face has been a little haggard for the past two days, and even his hair has become thinner because of it.

Harry let out a breath, and made one final reconfirmation that his answer was on point.

Half an hour later, he and the seventh-grade students left the classroom, walked out of the castle, and walked to the edge of the Forbidden Forest.Harry seemed preoccupied along the way. Professor Eslughorns likes to show outstanding students—especially those he teaches—the shining point of character. It is very possible for him to demonstrate the Patronus spell, and this is justifiable bonus points.

Soon Harry wouldn't need to worry about it.

Their destination was an entrance to the Forbidden Forest that was closer to the Black Lake, and they heard bursts of exclamation from the front of the team after a distance.

"They really put a lot of effort into it." Beside him, Ron murmured.

I saw the path at the entrance of the Forbidden Forest turned into a large arch, and a rusty metal plaque was hung on it, which read Defense Against the Dark Arts practical exam.A fine mesh of silvery-white wire stretched inward from the sides of the archway, disappearing into the trees. "Oh, I should have thought of that - it looks like they've set aside an area of ​​the Forbidden Forest for exams," Hermione said in a low voice. "We're largely dealing with the creatures of the Forbidden Forest."

Ron looked around and swallowed: "Hermione, did you see the exit?" "We won't be asked to go deep into the Forbidden Forest..."

Most of the students are chattering. "There are werewolves in there." "I heard there is miasma."

Harry heard Ron mutter under his breath, "And a whole bunch of eight-eyed spiders."

"Okay, it looks like everyone is here." Professor Slughorns was already waiting by the arch, he approached a little closer, and thanked Professor McGonagall who sent the students over: "Thank you Help, Minerva."

The face of the headmistress was not very good-looking: "Be careful, you, and you." Her stern gaze swept over each student, and Harry was keenly aware that the gaze paused when it fell on the three of them, as if He hesitated to speak.

"After you arrange the students, I have something to inform you." Professor McGonagall looked back and said to Professor Slughorns.

"That will have to wait a while."

Horace Slughorns said, looking around at more than 100 seventh graders, and cast a loud spell to himself, "I will be the examiner for this final exam. By the way, according to tradition, In fact, you should go through the Forbidden Forest alone," he joked, which immediately got everyone talking.

"Professor, are you asking us to do the same?" Neville couldn't help asking.

"Oh, Mr..."

"Longbottom."

"Okay, Mr. Longbottom." Professor Slughorns showed a decent smile, "We only have one hour, of course it is impossible to go through the Forbidden Forest. But a small test is still possible." He said The loud voice made the students standing in front of him take a few steps back.

"There is a box at the end of the test room, which contains the items you must bring back. Whoever can return to the starting point the fastest will get a higher score." He looked at them and said, "Of course, you have to come one by one, Come forward when the name is read, and in addition, keep quiet and do not talk." Slughorns unfolded a parchment in his arms:

"Mandy Blohe." A Ravenclaw came out slowly.He turned a little pale.

Everyone was looking at her, and the discussion had stopped.

Horace Slughorns kindly reminded: "Oh, go in. There are only some ordinary dark creatures sponsored by the Ministry of Magic-of course, they are provided by some of my students who hold important positions in the Ministry of Magic. .”

But this seems to have backfired.The Ravenclaw girl seemed even more frightened.But after all, it hasn't reached the point where it can't walk.Harry remembered she had been to a D·A party.Sure enough, after a few seconds, Mandy Blocher took out her wand and walked calmly into the archway.

What concerned Harry was that Professor Slughorns had no intention of following up - he held a counter and flipped the switch.This made Harry let out a long breath.In this form of examination, if you move fast enough, you don't need to have any conversation with Professor Horace Slughorns.

Two minutes later, Mandy came back, during which time there was no sound from the arch—Harry guessed it was because of a Silencing Charm.

She was panting as if she had been running for a long time, and the corner of her robe was soaked in some muddy water. "Two minutes and ten seconds!" Professor Slughorns stopped the timer. "Is this, Professor?" Mandy Blocher took a shiny badge from his pocket and placed it on the thin-legged table that Professor Horace Slughorns had summoned.

"Yes, that's right."

"Students who have passed can leave, and again, no conversation. Sally Ann Box is next—"

A Hufflepuff girl steps out, and she seems less intimidated by Mandy Blocher's opening, which takes her two minutes and 23 seconds.

……

"Finally, Mr. Harry Potter."

An hour later, before Professor Slughorns could say anything, Harry walked near the arch—because there was no one else waiting for the exam.

Before entering the archway, Harry caught a glimpse of Professor McGonagall and Professor Slughorns walking aside, talking in a low voice, looking serious. Of course, Professor Slughorns did not forget to press the timer.

As soon as you walk into the Forbidden Forest, the sun seems to be dimmed, and even the birdsong is a little weird.Here, Harry could smell the dark, rotting magic.His magic power seemed to be attracted and awakened, gradually becoming restless, and the scorching wind floated around Harry, neutralizing the darkness in the air.

Harry was striding down the path when suddenly, a sense of bristling hairs made him stop, his emerald green eyes scanned sharply, and stopped at the foot of the——

On the magic snake.

Harry gasped, and took two steps back soundlessly. The branches on the ground were not dead branches at all. They twisted their dusty bodies twitching in the scorching airflow formed by Harry's magic power, and the hissing sound almost Instantly deafening. "It's hot!" "Bite him!"...

Harry waved his wand and silently gave himself a shield of armor.The golden runes flickered in the air.The finger-thick magical snakes that bounced over suddenly hit dizzy. "Get out of the way." Harry opened his mouth, and his voice spontaneously changed into snake language. He worriedly cast another Levitating Charm, and the densely packed magic snakes were immediately swept away.

"He can talk." "Stop biting him." "No, you bite." "It's so hot." A lot of whisper-like words filled the eardrums.Harry took the opportunity to slip through the gap - at least ten seconds, he thought.

Next he encountered bitter thistle, which gave off a bewildering aroma, and Harry caught his breath when he smelled it, only to faint for a moment.He walked around the field of flowers carefully, and saw a dozen red hats floating in the swamp.Harry made up his mind almost in the blink of an eye, waved his wand, and this time said the spell:

"Burning flames!"

The red flame rushed out of the wand and plunged into the swamp with a roar. There was a scorching sound immediately, and a large amount of steam enveloped the place. Harry waved the water vapor away, and saw that the swamp had turned into dry soil that could pass through.The red hats on either side stared at him in the water as he walked by.

Around Harry, the air was almost golden in the scorching draft, which kept the magical creatures of the swamp away even further.On the shore at the end of the swamp, there was a rusty box with the Hogwarts school emblem printed on it.Harry suspected it might be a box he had seen in the broom closet before.

Harry did not forget to be cautious, he took two steps back: "Alahoo hole is open"

In the opened box, there was only a lone badge.Harry used a few detection spells, and reached out to grab it and put it in his pocket when he found nothing wrong.

"It was delayed for at least 20 seconds..."

On the way back, Harry also saw thestrals watching him from behind the tree, two snails walking around.When he finally burst through the archway, Harry heard Professor Slughorns say precisely: "One minute and three seconds." Horace Slughorns put away the parchment - and Harry realized Professor McGonagall is no longer here.

"Your NEWTs exam is indoors, and Professor McGonagall borrowed the Transfiguration classroom for Professor March." Horace Slughorns said, "It should start in 15 minutes."

"Thank you, Professor."

Harry hurriedly thanked him, and was about to leave quickly before he could say another word. "Oh, wait a minute, Mr. Potter." Professor Slughorns seemed a little hesitant, "I heard that the Ministry of Magic has sent your NEWTs Defense Against the Dark Arts practical test subjects to Hogwarts."

"Practice exam, subject?" Harry couldn't help but pause.

"The Ministry of Magic thinks that the previous exams are not strong enough." Horace Slughorns smiled reluctantly: "Ministry of Magic officials went to Azkaban this morning and extracted four repeat offenders. Now they are in Horace Gwartz, in the examination room of your NEWTs."