NOVEL ONLINE FREE Chapter 50: Chapter 50: Final Exams
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After leaving Dumbledore's office, Orli felt a great weight lift from her shoulders and threw herself wholeheartedly into preparing for her final exams.
She had never experienced such an intensive and diverse set of examinations before:
Professor Flitwick had them enter the classroom one by one to demonstrate their ability to make a pineapple tap-dance across a desk.
Professor McGonagall tasked them with transforming a mouse into a snuffbox - with extra marks awarded for aesthetic appeal.
As for Potions, Orli could barely breathe from nervousness, as Snape loomed behind them, scrutinizing their every move. Whether real or imagined, Orli constantly felt his gaze fixed upon her hands and cauldron, making her skin crawl as if being pricked by thousands of needles.
Then there were the written exams, including History of Magic. They were all crammed into a stuffy classroom, each supplied with a new quill enchanted with anti-cheating spells.
At last, it was all over. When the final examination parchment was collected, a collective cheer erupted from the students. They were completely free until the results came out - a whole week of pure freedom ahead of them.
Hermione was attempting to drag Ron and Harry into reviewing answers, though Ron showed clear reluctance. The Giant Squid had surfaced to bask in the sunlight, with the Weasley twins and Lee Jordan playfully tickling its tentacles. Even Percy had abandoned his disciplinary duties, gazing adoringly at Penelope, the Ravenclaw prefect.
The atmosphere was brimming with youthful joy and optimism, while Orli kept to herself within the crowd, observing everyone from a distance.
With exams finished and the term's end approaching, if Dumbledore had anything planned, Harry's great adventure would surely unfold in the coming days!
Sure enough, moments later, Harry suddenly jumped to his feet. Hermione and Ron immediately followed as they rushed towards Hagrid's hut near the Forbidden Forest.
Orli gathered her belongings and stood up, carefully moving in their direction, but before she could get far, the trio came sprinting back.
"We must tell Dumbledore!" Harry gasped between breaths. "Hagrid told... about getting past Fluffy..."
Harry was speaking breathlessly - Orli didn't catch everything, but she'd heard enough.
At this crucial moment, Dumbledore would intentionally be unavailable to Harry. Only then would Harry take the initiative to face what lay ahead.
That evening, Orli caught the sound of rustling from Hermione's neighboring bed. Her drowsiness vanished instantly.
She stealthily followed the sound and overheard an intense argument - someone attempting to prevent their adventure - followed by Hermione's clear "Petrificus Totalus!"
A dull thud signaled someone falling to the floor. It was Neville.
The trio stepped over Neville's rigid form, donned the invisibility cloak, and vanished. After a brief pause, Orli emerged from the shadows, meeting Neville's terrified gaze.
"I'm sorry, Neville, but I have important matters to attend to as well," she said softly.
She draped a blanket over Neville before climbing through the Fat Lady's portrait hole.
As she ascended the stairs to the headmaster's office, she found the oak door at the top slightly ajar, voices drifting through the gap.
"Don't forget our primary objective!" came Snape's voice. "We're meant to protect him, not enable some foolhardy adventure!"
"But Harry's life is destined to be extraordinary," Dumbledore replied, "and you know as well as I do that Voldemort never truly died. He must learn to face this."
"Of course he's not dead - he's downstairs at this very moment! And Potter is about to walk right into him!" Snape snarled.
"Well... Severus, our young visitor has arrived," Dumbledore interjected.
The oak door creaked, and Orli appeared awkwardly before them.
Dumbledore offered a benign smile, while Snape's expression suggested he'd rather silence her permanently.
"I apologize, Professors," Orli said hesitantly. "I didn't mean to eavesdrop..."
"Why is Waters here as well?!" Snape demanded through clenched teeth.