Chapter 76 It's a pity that we met too late
Harry, they were wasting time on Snape; they were just heading down a dead end. It would be better to keep an eye on Hagrid.
Although the effect wouldn't be too significant, it would essentially narrow down the path.
After all, the Giant is simple-minded and might not even realize he's given away secrets, but that doesn't mean it would have no effect at all.
Aaron, however, put himself in Lord Voldemort's shoes to think about the problem and came up with a simpler, more direct method: keeping an eye on Dumbledore.
He didn't believe that the dignified Dark Lord couldn't handle a Cerberus; that was completely ridiculous.
With Lord Voldemort's abilities, killing Fluffy wouldn't be difficult, but the commotion it would cause would definitely not be small.
The Cerberus's roar would echo throughout the Castle, and such an alarm would attract powerful enemies, making everything unpredictable.
If these enemies were just the Professors, he might be able to escape by paying some price, but if Dumbledore was there, it would be a pure surrender. So, he would definitely try to extract the method of passing Fluffy from Hagrid.
But in reality, even if he figured out all the mechanisms, he probably wouldn't act immediately, because even a slight disturbance could attract Dumbledore's attention.
At that point, getting the Philosopher's Stone would be useless. A White Magic King in his prime destroying a struggling Dark Lord would be incredibly easy.
For Lord Voldemort, the best time to act was only when Dumbledore left Hogwarts; all other times carried more or less risk.
And in his current half-dead state, he couldn't afford any risks.
Fortunately, Aaron and Dumbledore had a somewhat informal negotiation, allowing him to always come up with reasonable excuses to ask two Professors about Dumbledore's whereabouts, otherwise things would have been really difficult... The next day, the entire Hogwartsbecame serious.
The final exams, this test that excited good students and gave bad students headaches, fell precisely upon all students, without a single one missed.
The written exam was the most time-consuming and the most agonizing.
You had to answer all the questions with an enchanted quill in a stuffy classroom.
Aaron was the first to leave the exam room. With a photographic memory, he didn't need to think when answering questions; he just glanced at them and knew what to write.
Hermione and Draco handed in their papers almost simultaneously. The two looked at each other defiantly, as if two magic spells had collided, sparking intensely in the air.
"Ahem!" Aaron coughed, "You two, I'm very satisfied with the competitive spirit in your eyes right now.
But please, rein it in a bit; we haven't finished the exams yet!"
Both of them snorted at the same time and turned their heads away.
"You're going to lose, Malfoy."
"That's not necessarily true," Draco sneered.
He knew he was slightly inferior to Hermione in academics, but he wouldn't let his spirit be defeated. Before the results came out, his momentum absolutely couldn't be suppressed by the other party.
After the written exam came the practical exams. Students entered the Charms Class, Potion Class, and Transfiguration Class classrooms one by one, casting spells to make fruit dance, transforming rats into boxes, and brewing Potions according to strict procedures.
Professor Flitwick would grade based on the effect of the spell, and that, plus the written exam score, would be the total score for Charms Class.
This Professor's exams were very lenient, and he was very enthusiastic with students. As long as nothing went wrong, he would give high scores, and even if something did go wrong, they could pass by trying again.
The Potion Class exam was not as difficult as many students imagined; as long as the operational steps could be completed smoothly, it was fine. Professor Snape, the Potions Master, would grade based on the quality of the Potion.
However, Gryffindor would definitely receive more'special attention'; he would, within his authority, try his best to create more pressure for them.
For example, Harry and Ron, these two completed the exam extremely nervously under his intimidating gaze.
Professor McGonagall was stricter, checking the boxes for flaws and deducting points based on the size of the flaws.
If the box had whiskers or a tail from a rat, then one would have to pray for good luck, because it meant hovering around the pass line.
But if half of the box was still a rat's body and could still move, then it was an undeniable failure.
"How do you feel?" Aaron asked, holding Abey and looking meaningfully at Draco and the other two who had just walked out of the History of Magic Class exam room.
"Just barely!" Crabbe shook his head, "Most of the questions weren't too difficult, but there were a few I really didn't know, and I didn't write a single word, afraid Professor Binnswould say I was altering history."
"Same here, I thought so too," Goyle agreed profoundly.
"I think it's a bit of a shame," Draco said with some regret, "I only missed one question, the reason for the House-elfrebellion.
I wasn't listening when the Professor taught that lesson because I have a House-elf at home, and its submissive demeanor is simply excellent.
So... I have no interest in their rebellion; it's probably just a minor skirmish!"
Aaron's mouth twitched, then he gave him a thumbs up, "Your idea is really... too inappropriate, especially as the heir of a Pure-blood family."
"Is there a problem?"
"The problem is you might not even be able to beat your House-elf at home," Aaron said, exasperated.
"No way!" Draco was a bit unconvinced, "I admit they're good at chores and housework, but that's as far as it goes."
"That's your illusion.
House-elves won't lay a hand on their masters, no matter how much injustice they suffer.
But that doesn't mean they're weak. In fact, some House-elves' combat power can even rival an Auror, and if they're fighting for their lives, they're completely reckless."
Draco couldn't help but swallow. The lowest-ranking House-elf in his home was actually more powerful than him, which he found somewhat unacceptable.
"From now on, be a little nicer to your House-elves at home!
Although they are servants, compared to us fledgling Wizards, they can barely be considered strong.
Of course, how you treat it is your Malfoy family matter, I won't interfere, nor do I have the right to interfere, but..." Aaron paused, then held up his pinky finger, "it's better to give it a tiny bit of respect before you have the ability to defeat it."
Draco nodded blankly, "I'll try!"
After the final exams ended, the atmosphere at Hogwartsnoticeably relaxed.
The taut nerves completely loosened, and some students were even starting to cheer.
Regardless of how they performed, at least for the week before the exam results came out, they were free and carefree.
And after this week came a long summer vacation, which everyone looked forward to.
However, amidst this relaxed atmosphere, Aaron had a premonition of an impending storm.
Because Harry often ran to Hagrid's and would occasionally come over to ask him if Snape had done anything unusual.
And the frequency increased, from asking once every two days, to once a day, and now several times a day.
After more than ten interactions, Aaron also inevitably 'guessed' some things, so he simply 'laid his cards on the table' with them.
Of course, the cards laid were half-truths, mostly based on the premise that Snape might be a bad guy, deliberately supporting Harry and their deductions.
The two sides briefly exchanged information they had, and naturally concluded that Lord Voldemort was at Hogwarts, and someone (most likely Professor Snape) was cooperating with him to plot for the Philosopher's Stone.
Hermione rolled her eyes in exasperation. Harry and Ronboth expressed regret at not having known Aaron sooner, while Aaron solemnly put on a similar expression of regret... "Harry, I really think you're getting a bit annoying." Aaronrubbed his forehead, looking at Harry Potter pacing in the Transfiguration Class classroom, "You're the first person besides my uncle who has made me feel so utterly exasperated.
It took him several years to give me this feeling, and you've done it in less than ten short days.
In a way, that's already an achievement."
"I know, I know," Harry said excitedly, "I even feel a bit abnormal myself, but my forehead hurts like it's on fire.
This scar has hurt before, but never as frequently as now.
This must be foretelling something; the Black-robed Man is about to act, and danger is imminent."
Aaron raised an eyebrow, looking at Hermione and Ronsitting nearby, "Is he always this neurotic?
Couldn't he use this free time to worry about his exam results instead?"
"Just these past few days," Ron explained, "After the exams, we were all relaxed, but he seems to have been in extreme unease, waking up from nightmares for several consecutive days."
"Uh... I suggest you go see Madam Pomfrey; she has..."
"I'm not sick," Harry anxiously interrupted Aaron.
"I mean, she should have Potions that can calm people down. You need to calm down now."
"But I... I don't want to go."
Aaron's face darkened, and he directly sent a Sleeping Charm his way.
A blue light struck Harry, and he immediately closed his eyes, falling stiffly onto a desk.
"Phew! It's much quieter now," Aaron said with a smile, then saw the stunned Hermione and Ron.
"This, this, but this..." Ron stammered, unable to speak clearly, "What did you do to him?"
"I just let him rest for a while.
Don't worry, I controlled the power; he'll wake up soon."