"I will ask Dumbledore about your situation," Snape's voice was very cold. "Until I get a satisfactory answer, I will not agree to your exemption."
So Audrey left with a helpless look on her face.
In the following days, her grand plan for exemption encountered an unprecedented Waterloo.
The exemption application for Transfiguration was ruthlessly rejected by Professor McGall. The reason was that merely being able to use Transfiguration did not make one a Transfiguration Master; to master Transfiguration, one must have a deep understanding of it.
The older cat-lady expressed: 'The fact that you could achieve your current level of Transfiguration with just over two months of cramming is indeed a sign of exceptional talent; but if your knowledge and understanding don't catch up, your achievements will be limited to this!'
Audrey gave up on exempting Herbology herself. The reason was—
'Look, aren't these Fanged Geraniums cute! It's not easy to get the seeds of these plants on the market!'
There were so many little cuties here! The Hogwarts greenhouses were her second favorite place!
However, after a few days, luck returned to Audrey.
Muggle Studies exemption, Arithmancy exemption, Divination exemption, Care of Magical Creatures exemption!
Now Audrey only needed to attend four classes: Potions, Transfiguration, Defense Against the Dark Arts, and Herbology. The class density was greatly reduced. The study schedule of twelve courses, which would have originally required a Time-Turner to complete, was turned by Audrey into something resembling a vacation.
She didn't know what Dumbledore had said to Snape. Although Snape didn't agree to Audrey's exemption application, at least he didn't hold a hostile attitude toward her anymore. He just occasionally glanced at her, though without the appreciation he had before.
Of course, points that should be awarded were still awarded; this had nothing to do with whether he appreciated her or not.
...
On this day, Audrey appeared in the Great Hall for a meal, which had been a long time coming.
After getting along for nearly a month, the young wizards no longer had the start-of-term jumpiness.
Audrey sat casually next to Isaline.
"Audrey, did you know?" Isaline whispered quietly. "Senior Rolle dropped out of school!"
Audrey was a bit surprised. "Why?"
"I heard she's pregnant."
Audrey: ...
Isaline continued (having no one to gossip with for a long time seemed to have been very stifling for this girl; now that she had met Audrey, it was simply a liberation of her nature): "As one of the Sacred Twenty-Eight, how could the Rolle family tolerate their girl having a child with an old Squib?"
Audrey nodded. Many students in the school didn't know Filch was a Squib, but this was no secret among the various families.
"The Rolle family expelled Arjonia from the family. Without financial support, Senior Rolle had to drop out."
"Oh, and also," Isaline added, "she can't use the surname Rolle anymore. If we see her in the future, I don't even know what to call her!"
Audrey sighed. This Arjonia was indeed miserable, but who told her to provoke Audrey? Especially using her little cousin who knew nothing.
Speaking of the little cousin... he was currently snatching Neville Longbottom's Remembrall.
Alright, this was the famous "Draco snatches the Remembrall, Harry joins the House team" incident.
Audrey thought about it. Since the next class was Ancient Runes, which she was exempted from, why not go watch the famous scene?
To be honest, lying in the dorm for so long was actually quite boring.
She was lazy, but she also craved entertainment...
Thinking of this, she suddenly felt interested.
—If the original plot was changed, what would the future be like?
If Harry didn't join the school team in his first year, how would the subsequent plot unfold?
And without Draco stirring things up, the "Midnight Duel" event wouldn't be triggered. Without the "Midnight Duel," the trio wouldn't enter the third-floor corridor and run into the three-headed dog Fluffy!
Obstacle course game? Sorry, the protagonist team wouldn't even see the levels!
Hahaha, the more she thought about it, the happier she became.
Didn't Dumbledore forbid her from participating in this matter?
But she really wasn't participating; she was just joining a flying lesson on a whim!
Wow, this felt like manipulating the butterfly effect. It was awesome!
So Audrey appeared on the first-year flying lesson grounds just like that.
Rolanda Hooch, known as Madam Hooch, was the professor of the Hogwarts flying class.
Compared to other professors, her job could be described as relaxed and pleasant because she only had to deal with first-years—yes, flying lessons were only offered in the first year, with the purpose of teaching students the essential wizarding skill of riding a broomstick.
So, although Audrey wasn't a first-year, she was still a new student, and a new student who had lived in the Muggle world, so it was normal for her to appear here.
New students must learn to ride flying broomsticks, right?
Sure enough, Madam Hooch, with her yellow hawk-like eyes, walked over briskly. She only glanced at Audrey and didn't say much.
The first-years, however, pointed at Audrey.
Harry looked at Audrey and clenched his fists. He secretly made up his mind to make a deeply good impression on her!
Ron chattered incoherently; and Hermione turned into starry-eyed mode.
Only Draco completely lost the feeling of commanding the world he had before class. He instantly turned into a quail, becoming a true little brother.
"Well, what are you all waiting for?" Madam Hooch said sharply. "Everyone stand by a broomstick. Come on, hurry up, stop talking nonsense!"
Chapter 57: Flying Lesson (Part 2)
Audrey looked at the broomstick under her feet. Hmm, tattered and old, with dirty spots on the handle, and many twigs sticking out.
"Scourgify!"
Although the broomstick wasn't repaired, at least it looked much cleaner.
"Stick out your right hand over your broom," called Madam Hooch, "and say 'Up'!"
Audrey just reached out her hand, and before she even shouted, the broom jumped into her hand on its own.
As the focus of everyone's attention, everyone saw this scene.
"Wow," Ron exclaimed, "Audrey is really amazing!"
Harry nodded in agreement.
Not willing to be outdone, Draco shouted firmly: "Up!"
The broom jumped into his hand. Malfoy glanced at Harry triumphantly and shook the broom in his hand smugly.
"Up!" Harry followed suit. The broom was as obedient as a puppy he raised. Draco's triumphant expression collapsed in less than two seconds.
He had played with flying broomsticks a lot at home, while Harry Potter was really touching a broom for the first time today. Looking at it this way, Potter's talent was above his own?
No! I will never admit it!
The cousin's petty thoughts were completely ignored by his cousin. Her attention was entirely on Ron, who was about to be hit on the forehead by a broom (movie plot), and Hermione, who was completely rejected by her broom.
However, the broom did not hit Ron, showing that the movie director's adaptation did not gain the approval of the God of Parallel Worlds.
As for Hermione, the little girl used eighteen different tones, infusing emotions such as gratitude, sadness, anger, and joy, but still could only make the broom roll on the ground.
Audrey noticed that there was one person with even worse flying talent than Hermione, and that was Neville.
Hermione's broom could at least move a little, but Neville's broom didn't budge at all, just like an ordinary broom.
Audrey withdrew her gaze with satisfaction. This was the satisfaction of seeing a famous scene—the future Minister of Magic confessing with deep emotion, only to be cruelly rejected by a flying broomstick!
She silently extracted a silver thread from her brain and put it into a small crystal vial with a smile.
She planned to take this memory out and sell it after Hermione took office. Maybe she could even sell it for hundreds or thousands of Galleons! Although this money wasn't much to her, who would complain about having too much money?
Hermione asked Harry, "Harry, what is Audrey doing?"
"I don't know, Hermione."
Hermione looked at Ron again. Ron was very proud. So there are things even you, Miss Know-It-All, don't understand?
But unfortunately, Ron didn't know what Audrey was doing either, wasting an opportunity to show off in front of Hermione.
The lesson continued.
Some things couldn't be changed, for instance, Neville being kited by his broom.
Because of his nervousness, Neville pushed off the ground too hard and soared into the air like a rocket.
"Ah\ Ah\\\ Ah—Ah!"
"Boy, come back!" Madam Hooch shouted.
But Neville couldn't control the broom at all. His chubby face turned pale with terror. Gasping loudly, he slowly slipped off the other side of the broom.
"Whoosh!"
A figure took off from among the young wizards.
It was Audrey!
Clamping the broomstick, she approached Neville swiftly like a rocket. The moment Neville lost his grip and fell, she grabbed his collar, then slowly descended, placing him on the grass.
"Th-thank you, Miss Astley..." Neville said with tears in his eyes, sweating profusely, thanking Audrey sincerely.
"It was no trouble, don't take it to heart, Neville."
"Splendid rescue!" Madam Hooch, recovering from her shock, let out a long breath. "Ten points to Slytherin!"
"Madam Hooch," Audrey suddenly spoke up, "I actually want to fly freely for a while. Is that okay?"
Thinking of the power and control Audrey had just displayed, Madam Hooch nodded.
Audrey waved her wand lightly, and the Remembrall that had fallen on the ground flew over. She stuffed the Remembrall into Neville's arms.
"Neville, this is your Remembrall. Don't lose it."
Feeling Neville's grateful gaze, the corners of Audrey's mouth lifted, and the broom between her legs flew up just like the corners of her mouth.
"Wow, she is so cool!"
Ron said.
Draco Malfoy raised his head. "Of course, don't you see whose..."
The young wizards looked at Draco. He suddenly realized he had almost let it slip. His cousin had warned him a thousand times not to reveal her identity!
Thinking of the "terrifying" punishments his cousin had inflicted on him since childhood, Draco couldn't help but shiver.
"Don't you see whose senior she is!"
"Tch!" Ron said disdainfully. "As if she isn't our senior too!"
Draco was pissed off. He really wanted to announce loudly that "Audrey Astley is Draco Malfoy's cousin," but he ultimately didn't have the guts.
...
Audrey flew in the air. Her speed far exceeded the limit of the antique beneath her. That was because she was currently using the Thestral constitution.
She could fly to begin with; the broom was just a cover!
[Reviews - Power St0nes - Comments are highly appreciated to keep me going.....(+50 chapters) patre0n.c0m/talecrafter]