In the end, Draco and the others set the matter of Regulus Black aside for the time being.
Part of it was because Draco refused to say anything more, and part of it was because what lay ahead of them was a major event that every wizard would face at some point in life.
In a sense, it was something that could even affect a wizard's future.
That was... the O.W.L.s, the Ordinary Wizarding Level examinations.
And with the arrival of the O.W.L.s, the semester was also nearing its end.
Speaking of the end of term, this year's Quidditch House Cup had to be mentioned.
Draco's unexpected resignation and withdrawal had already made the outcome of the Quidditch Cup hard to predict. It had looked like one of those rare years when every house might have a chance. But then Voldemort's attack on the Ministry of Magic threw everything into chaos once again, and the Quidditch matches were unable to continue smoothly...
For one thing, Gryffindor's ace Seeker, Harry Potter, was not at school, so he could not play.
And because of that emergency Special Decree Number Three from the Ministry, many witches and wizards who had joined the Auror trainee program ended up graduating early and leaving school one after another, which also affected the progress of the Quidditch season to some extent.
The most representative example was probably Cedric Diggory, captain of the Hufflepuff team. On the very day the Ministry incident occurred, he was specially brought under Umbridge's command.
With all of that piled together, the suspension of the Quidditch matches became only natural.
Of course, the main reason was still the decision made in response to Voldemort's return.
It was worth mentioning that the little snakes of Slytherin let out a huge sigh of relief over that decision...
After all, once they lost Draco, they also lost their ability to compete for the House Cup.
...
The walls of Hogwarts Castle shone in the sunlight as if they had just been freshly painted.
The clear sky, now free of snow, reflected on the glittering, tranquil lake, giving everything a lazy sort of atmosphere. The grass, smooth as satin, occasionally rippled under the soft breeze...
June had arrived, and for the fifth-years, that meant only one thing.
Their O.W.L.s had finally begun.
The professors stopped assigning homework. Almost all class time was now devoted to reviewing the subjects they believed were most likely to appear on the exams.
That air of intense concentration and nervous tension had nearly pushed everything except the O.W.L.s out of the students' minds, reducing Voldemort's influence to its lowest point.
It was enough to make a small number of clear-headed wizards suspect that the school was deliberately forcing the students to focus on their exams instead of on whatever vile acts the Dark Lord's Death Eaters had committed this time.
And yes.
During this period, the Death Eaters had caused enormous turmoil across the wizarding world. Almost every day, there was news that someone else had been attacked...
All in all, as the O.W.L.s approached, it was not only the students worried about the exams who were acting strangely.
Harry Potter was one obvious example.
Ever since the Savior returned to Hogwarts, not only his close friends but even casual onlookers could tell that Harry Potter was radiating negativity.
It was practically written across his face. Don't talk to me.
He had never been especially talkative to begin with, but now he seemed to speak even less.
Even in the lively atmosphere of Gryffindor House, there was rarely a smile on his face.
This change in Harry Potter could not exactly be called scheming or deep-minded, but it was visible enough for anyone to notice.
To put it simply, Harry Potter seemed to have grown up and matured overnight.
But the flashes of hatred that sometimes passed through his eyes seemed to show that this growth had come at the cost of something deeply painful...
...
Once exam week began, some rather strange transactions also started appearing among the fifth- and seventh-years, all in the name of helping them focus, sharpen their minds, and cure insomnia.
Eddie Carmichael, a sixth-year Ravenclaw, tried selling bottles of Brain Elixir to the fifth-years. According to him, he had used it during last year's O.W.L.s and that was how he managed to get nine Outstandings.
But at twelve Galleons for one tiny bottle, business was not nearly as good as he had hoped...
Meanwhile, another student, Gryffindor's Dingle, was secretly going around trying to sell Dragon Claw Powder to students. It was supposed to be a powerful magical substance that temporarily enhanced memory, though it was later proven that the Dragon Claw Powder he was carrying was actually dried fox dung...
In any case, all of these little incidents made one thing perfectly clear.
The O.W.L.s were incredibly important to these fifth-year wizards.
And among Draco's group, the one who was the most restless and anxious was, naturally, Hermione Granger, the one who cared most about her grades.
Now, after finishing the morning exam and staying with Draco, Hermione was anxiously pacing in circles...
"I'm not sure whether I managed to write down every spell. Time ran out exactly at the end. Did you two write the counter-curse for Question Ten? I couldn't decide whether I should include it. I think I may have written too much. And then there was Question Twenty-Three..."
Even though the exam was already over, Hermione's mouth still had not stopped moving, and Pansy, listening beside her, was starting to get a headache.
Draco, on the other hand, simply stood there looking amused...
Pansy rubbed at her temple in irritation. "Honestly, the exam's already over. I have no interest in going through the paper all over again."
"But aren't you worried about how you did? Even if the results won't be mailed to us until July..."
"Ahhh!! Instead of worrying about that, we should be thinking about visiting Lovegood during the holiday. That's way more important than exam results."
Annoyed, Pansy cut Hermione off on the spot.
She shot Hermione, who had been making her dizzy by spinning around so much, an exasperated glare, and could not help grumbling inwardly.
Is this the kind of trouble only top students have?
Then why was Draco, sitting right beside her, nothing like that?