Percy's office was once again filled with parchment, not only the leftover reports but also some documents taken from the archive room.
He held a sheet of paper covered with scorch marks, while the quill on the desk dipped into the ink twice, then quickly returned to a brand-new piece of parchment in front of him.
Stephen Cohenford from Ravenclaw sat opposite Percy, his hands neatly placed on his knees, and behind the round-framed glasses, his blue eyes nervously glanced at Percy and then at Terra, who was seated on the other side.
"Mr. Cohenford," Percy looked down at the report in front of him and said, "You submitted a report last week mentioning that you felt a lot of stress because of the upcoming OWLs exams?"
"Yes... yes, sir." Stephen nodded, then adjusted his glasses which almost slipped off his nose, and said, "I recently... recently feel that I haven't mastered a lot of knowledge..."
"That's understandable." Percy smiled and said, "OWLs exams certainly put a lot of pressure on people. I went through them myself, and proper psychological counseling is crucial."
"But actually, there's no need to worry." Terra interjected, holding a stack of yellowing parchment, looked down at it, and said, "I noticed that your grades in the past few years have been very good. Your fundamental knowledge is very solid."
After saying this, she looked up and gave the young man a smile filled with appreciation.
Stephen couldn't help but smile back, instinctively saying, "Thank you for the compliment, ma'am."
"Hmm... Feeling nervous despite having such good grades..."
Terra continued asking, "Is it the pressure from your parents to perform well in exams, or is it that your classmates are too outstanding, making you feel not good enough?"
Stephen became alert, his mind flashing with Vid's consistently top scores in exams.
The way they asked this... Could it be an attempt to sow discord among the students?
In a split second, he couldn't think it through thoroughly, and instinctively chose another answer:
"It's my parents... They hope I can earn several more OWLs certificates, so their expectations are relatively high... I think this might be part of my stress source..."
"Oh, I see."
Terra wrote two lines on the paper, the sound of the quill scratching the parchment made Stephen feel like there was a brush sweeping across the back of his neck.
He instinctively clenched his fist, truly feeling a bit nervous.
— What did she write on the paper?
"I see in the student data that you're half-blood?" Percy raised his eyes and asked, "Your mother is a non-magical person?"
Stephen stiffened slightly: "...Yes, sir."
"Does she understand the significance of OWLs certificates for you?"
Percy asked kindly, "Don't get me wrong, I'm not discriminating against non-magical people. I just want to understand your mother's views on your exam results."
"My father is a wizard." Stephen said, "They... they've talked about my future work, so my mother... my mother probably understands..."
"That's very normal." Percy nodded, "Whether as a spouse or a mother, she has the right to understand. This doesn't violate the Confidentiality Law."
Stephen breathed a sigh of relief.
Then he heard Percy immediately ask, "So during holidays, do you visit your mother's Muggle relatives?"
"Sometimes ..."
"And your father's wizard status..." Percy fixed his gaze on Stephen, "Has it ever been exposed in front of Muggle relatives?"
Stephen's breath paused for a beat.
"No, sir. We've been very careful. Confidentiality Law is..."
"I know, I know." Percy waved his hand and laughed, "Don't worry, we're not suspecting you, just routine inquiry. After all, whether identity is exposed directly affects your own safety!"
He wrote a few notes on the parchment.
Terra asked, "I believe you understand the importance of keeping secrets, especially since your father is a wizard. But for those kids from entirely Muggle families, perhaps they don't have your level of vigilance."
"Stephen, do you know if any of your classmates have bragged to relatives? For example, boasting about using magic to tease Muggles or something?"
Stephen's nails dug into his palm, he looked up at them.
Terra smiled kindly, saying softly:
"Perhaps some of them are worried about being punished, so they conceal the truth from us. But please believe that we ask this question purely for your safety."
"You're aware of Ilvermorny's news, right?"
"Yes, I am, I read the news." Stephen took a deep breath and said, "But I haven't heard anyone revealing... I'm from Ravenclaw College, and usually... we mostly spend time reading and studying, not gossiping about unrelated matters..."
This was a lie.
Ravenclaw students were just like any other teenage kids, there's always someone who preferred solitude and others who enjoyed noise, with the small parties in the common room no fewer than other colleges, and gossip equally loved.
But facing the scrutinizing gaze of two Ministry of Magic officials, Stephen clamped down on his molars and tried to open his eyes wide as if what he said was the truth.
Percy's pen paused, he looked up at Stephen and said:
"Hmm... Let's go back to the issue of severe exam stress. I have a few study methods to share with you; hopefully, they can ease your anxiety..."
...
Ten minutes later, the conversation was completely over, and Stephen left, drenched in cold sweat.
The door closed behind him with a dull "click" sound.
Terra dropped the quill, saying with irritation, "We're wasting time! These students are clearly colluding. Even if we keep asking, there won't be any results."
She looked at Percy, whose expression was meticulous, and said, "They anticipated your questions and prepared their answers!"
Percy finished writing the last line of the report, then looked up at her and said:
"Even if they've colluded, not every student can be flawless."
He thoughtfully looked at Stephen's name and said:
"We've been too hasty... Perhaps starting with Ravenclaw wasn't a good idea."
Terra raised an eyebrow.
Percy said, "Gryffindor is impulsive, Hufflepuff is honest, and there's Slytherin... they're the most prone to self-interest."
"Any of them would be easier to break through than Ravenclaw."
"We just need time and then... find the one who can provide us important information."
Terra looked at him and asked, "I heard you were in Gryffindor before?"