"HP: Too Late, System!"Chapter 327: The Hogwarts Academic Affairs Office
Gryffindor House
The Gryffindor common room was abuzz with tension as students gathered in clusters, their faces clouded with worry and their voices tinged with frustration over the new batch examination system.
"What kind of rubbish system is this? I'd already planned my whole holiday around Quidditch training camp, and now, if I get stuck with Paper A, my vacation's ruined—I'll have to spend it all revising!"
Katie Bell, now a fourth-year, raked her fingers through her hair in exasperation. A year ahead of Harry Potter, she'd joined the Gryffindor team as a Chaser back in her second year, making her the youngest member after Harry himself.
With this term marking Oliver Wood's final year at Hogwarts, Katie's dream of becoming Quidditch captain was hanging by a thread—she'd hoped to compete for the spot next year and lead Gryffindor to another championship. Now, it seemed, exams might upend everything.
Sixth-year Alicia Spinnet shot her a pointed look. "All you ever think about is Quidditch. If we end up with Paper B after the holidays, our brains'll still be in vacation mode. Who can focus on exams then? I'd rather just get it over with now."
She hugged her books tightly, brows furrowed in clear anxiety over the new policy.
"What's the big deal? It's just an exam!"
Fred Weasley suddenly leapt up, trying to inject some energy into the room.
"We're Gryffindors, aren't we? We can't let a little challenge like this scare us off! If you get Paper A, treat it as an early test of courage. If you get Paper B, enjoy your holiday and come back swinging—maybe you'll even do better than ever!"
George Weasley chimed in, "Exactly! And our house is full of talent. When it's time to prove ourselves in the exam hall, we'll show the other houses what Gryffindor's made of!"
The twins' banter drew a groan from their classmates.
"You two are fifth-years—you don't even have to deal with this batch exam nonsense!"
"Yeah, can you promise you'll get all Outstandings on your O.W.L.s?"
"Oh Merlin, we've got O.W.L.s coming up!"
"That's way tougher than what they're facing!"
"We have to go for nothing less than Outstanding."
"Thanks for the motivation, Professor Holmes!"
In the shadowy depths of the Slytherin common room, the mood was outwardly calm but seething with undercurrents.
"Hmph, the school's just trying to trip us up with this whole scheme." A sixth-year student lounged on the sofa, legs crossed, a sneer on his face.
Pansy Parkinson agreed, "We're smarter than that. If those idiots who draw Paper A mess up, it'll only make us look better. And if you get Paper B, you can use the holiday to plan ahead and ace it."
But not everyone looked so confident—a second-year boy mumbled nervously, "But I'm scared. If I get Paper A and don't revise enough, I'll let the house down…"
Before he could finish, an upper-year glared at him. "Shut it. Don't embarrass us. Slytherins aren't cowards!" The boy shrank back, silent.
The Hufflepuff common room glowed with warmth and golden light. Though worries lingered, the focus was on mutual support.
"I'm a bit nervous… If I get Paper A, I won't be able to help Mum with the honey business during the holidays. But if I get Paper B, what if I forget everything by next term?"
Valentine Webley, the Defence Against the Dark Arts class rep two years running and a source of house pride, stood up to reassure everyone.
"Don't worry! Hufflepuffs are the hardest workers at Hogwarts. No matter when we take the exam, as long as we study together, we'll be fine. If anyone gets Paper A and needs help, we'll revise together in the common room. If you get Paper B, just remember to brush up every now and then over the break."
"Yeah, Valentine's right!" piped up Maltz Hugh, the second-year DADA rep.
"Hufflepuff is all about teamwork. I know we'll get through this. Even if the exams are a bit of a pain, as long as we stick together, we'll smash it!"
The room filled with a gentle, determined energy as everyone voiced their agreement.
High atop the Ravenclaw tower, the common room was alive with debate, ideas sparking in every direction.
"Rationally speaking, this system actually makes sense," said sixth-year Tom Cruise (the boy once controlled by the diary in fourth year), his tone serious. "The school probably wants to assess our grasp of knowledge from multiple angles, to avoid the randomness of a single exam."
"That might be true, but I'm still worried the difficulty of Paper A and Paper B will be different," Luna Lovegood mused from her corner, her gaze dreamy. "If I get Paper A and it's really hard, what if I fail? I wanted to take more fun electives next term…"
She absentmindedly flipped through her copy of The Quibbler, but no one seemed to notice.
Meg Irene spoke up, "I trust the school will make sure it's fair. What we should do is head to the library and review everything from this term. That way, whichever paper we get, we'll be prepared."
She stood, making for the door.
"Isn't she a fifth-year? Why's she so worked up?"
"But she's the DADA class rep. Honestly, who else but Professor Holmes would come up with a system like this?"
Next to the Defence Against the Dark Arts office on the third floor sat a small, quietly impressive office.
The first thing to catch the eye upon entering was a massive, ancient desk of magical oak, its surface glowing softly as if enchanted to repel dust for eternity. Neatly arranged atop it were all manner of documents and parchment scrolls—teaching plans, student records, and exam schedules, the lifeblood of the Academic Affairs Office.
At one corner stood a delicate magical hourglass, its shimmering sand flowing at a pace that adjusted automatically according to the urgency of the office's workload, ensuring the director never lost track of time.
Behind the desk hung a sprawling panoramic map of Hogwarts—a magnified, simplified version of the Marauder's Map. On this map, black dots represented students, though no names were shown. Professors, of course, were invisible here. But for the Academic Affairs director, this was more than enough to keep a watchful eye on the student body.
Lining the walls were tall bookshelves crafted from dragon-scale wood—sturdy, fireproof, and packed with treasures: ancient magical tomes, lost spellwork, modern theories of magical education, and teaching notes penned by professors from every discipline, all invaluable for refining Hogwarts' teaching strategies.
Below the shelves, hidden drawers held rare magical items: crystal balls for detecting magical fluctuations in students, enchanted mirrors for emergency staff communication, and more.
To one side was a cozy meeting nook, with plush armchairs embroidered with the Hogwarts crest. Sitting there, one couldn't help but feel the school's warmth and strength.
In the corner, a specially crafted house-elf summoning bell sat ready. Its chime would reach every corner of Hogwarts, calling house-elves for urgent deliveries, cleaning, or to prepare refreshments at a moment's notice.
Near the window rested the director's personal effects: an old wand displayed on a beautiful stand, and a moving photograph of him with Harry Potter, forever replaying moments of warmth and memory.
Just as the clock struck the hour, Douglas—fresh from class—pushed open the door…
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