Chapter 60 — The End of the Holidays
Chapter 60 -- The End of the Holidays
"Well then, my dear student..."
Flitwick looked me up and down with an amused expression.
"...allow me to congratulate you. In a fit of madness, I've decided to send you to the Guild of Charms and Enchantments to take the examination for the rank of Journeyman. Yes, you heard correctly. I've decided not to award you the title myself. Instead, I intend to petition the Guild to convene the most exacting examination board they can assemble, and you will have to pass before them."
I blinked in surprise.
"Master... I will of course carry out your instructions and do everything in my power to achieve the highest possible result. However, might I ask what prompted this decision?"
"To prove a point."
Flitwick shrugged airily, a satisfied grin spreading across his face.
"I simply want to show all those idiots that MY student can earn the rank of Journeyman even under the most unfavorable conditions. They are all terrified that their own students will fail, so they award the title themselves..."
My Master gave another casual shrug.
"They are within their rights to do so. But I want to show most of them, the majority, that they are simply beneath contempt, and that if their students cannot pass the Journeyman examination, then they know far too little to ever become Masters either."
I nodded in understanding.
"Very well. When do I leave?"
I was confident in my abilities and saw no point in arguing with Flitwick. He could only have had one of two reasons for this. Either to put me in my place because I had grown too sure of myself, or to genuinely put the other Masters in theirs. Knowing Flitwick's character, either was equally likely. There was no point dwelling on what he was actually planning.
"The Portkey activates tomorrow at noon."
"Understood. I'll be ready."
I took the small coin from Flitwick's hand, turned it over thoughtfully, and decided to clarify one thing.
"May I rest today and tomorrow morning, until I leave?"
"Yes."
"Excellent. Then the beach is waiting for me!"
With that I went to my room, collected a couple of sun-protection potions, changed into my swimming trunks, and headed for the beach. I picked up an umbrella and a sun lounger on the way, and settled in with considerable comfort.
"Would you look at him..."
I would know Fleur's voice anywhere.
"Stretched out and everything."
And that was Penny.
"Girls, please. Not today. I have an unexpected day off, because tomorrow afternoon I won't be here at all: I'll be taking an exam before an extremely exacting board whose express purpose will be to fail me. So if you like, just join me."
"Oh."
"Oh."
They said it almost in unison, Penny's version drawn out slightly longer, then continued right away.
"Very well, we'll join you, but you'll fetch us loungers and umbrellas and apply our sun-protection cream."
"Agreed. On those terms, we won't torment you."
"Very good."
I stretched, got up, and within a quarter of an hour had arranged a perfectly comfortable spot for the three of us. I was already applying the cream to Fleur's back.
"Oh... that's wonderful."
She groaned with evident satisfaction.
"...your hands know exactly how to make a girl feel good."
"We made a promise, Fleur."
"I can't help it. His hands are extraordinary. I simply melt, like ice cream dropped on a hot pan."
"Ha..."
That laugh said it all.
Penny knew perfectly well what was in store for her, and from the gleam in her eyes, she was very much looking forward to it.
The day passed more than pleasantly. The following morning, however, neither of them was able to come with me, and I didn't go down to the beach either, preferring to sit in an armchair and watch the fire.
At the appointed hour, I was ready. The Portkey activated and carried me from the house to an enormous hall. Flitwick was already standing there, and waving me over, he led me toward a door behind which, presumably, the exam was to take place.
"Well, student... do everything you can."
"I certainly shall, Master."
I nodded to Flitwick. He grinned, baring his teeth, and I walked through the door. After a dozen steps into the rather modest room, I stopped not far from the tables behind which sat the examination board.
"Candidate for the rank of Journeyman in Charms and Enchantments," the secretary said in a flat, monotonous voice. "Please state your name, your family, the teacher who prepared you, and the country you represent."
I nodded to her.
"My name is Draco, of the Black family. My teacher is Filius Flitwick. I represent Britain."
The board exchanged glances. Two men and an elderly woman sat there, and all three fixed me with a look I could only describe as predatory the moment I named my teacher.
"The examination board will now introduce themselves."
"Master of Charms and Enchantments, Albert Volt."
The first man smiled in the way of someone who expects his name to mean something to the listener. It did, actually. I had read a couple of papers bearing his name, and he was indeed an excellent Master. Studying under him would have cost only slightly less than studying under Flitwick.
"Master of Charms and Enchantments, Herbert Rechkin."
This Master proved somewhat more restrained, though I knew of him as well.
"Master of Charms and Enchantments, Duliana Cook."
The old woman looked me over from head to toe, and I very nearly choked. She was a genuine legend. The woman had become a Master back in Phineas Nigellus Black's time. She was a living relic, one of the most respected Masters in the field. I was quite certain that even Dumbledore, had he been here, would have bowed before her.
"My Lady, allow me to express my gratitude to you and the other Masters for taking the time to conduct my examination for the rank of Journeyman."
The two men threw me looks that were not entirely friendly, but there was understanding in them as well. Inclining my head before this old woman, as I did, was no affront to my dignity.
"Secretary of the examination, Marina Rogataya. And now, let us exchange the customary oaths. I, Marina Rogataya, swear by magic that I shall ensure the rules governing the examination in which Draco Black, student of Filius Flitwick, sits as candidate for Journeyman, with Masters Albert Volt, Herbert Rechkin, and Duliana Cook serving as examiners, are observed without exception. May magic bear witness. Candidate, please give your oath."
She flicked her wand casually, and an open scroll appeared in the air before me.
"I, candidate for the rank of Journeyman, Draco Black, student of Filius Flitwick, swear by magic that I have taken no potions and have employed no other measures that could influence the outcome of this examination, with the sole exception of those taken in the course of my studies to aid in the absorption of the material. During this examination I shall rely on nothing but my own knowledge, my wand, and such items as the examination board may provide me. May magic bear witness."
The Masters then swore their oaths that they would assess me honestly. Naturally, we all understood that honestly did not mean leniently. They would hold me to the upper limit of Journeyman knowledge, and somewhat beyond it. But then, wasn't that precisely why I had come here? To wipe the smiles from all their faces.
"The first question, from the first Master. Master Albert Volt, if you please."
"Thank you, Secretary..."
The Master placed a slight emphasis on the young woman's position, but she showed no reaction whatsoever, presumably long accustomed to every other Master attempting to needle her. Or perhaps she simply did not care.
"...very well, Mr. Black. Tell us the principles governing the application of a charm, let us say a Space-Expansion Charm, to a trunk."
A rather nasty little smile was directed at me.
"With pleasure, honored board. Since the esteemed Master Albert Volt has not specified the conditions, I shall take the liberty of providing some clarification, so that this question does not become the subject of a weeks-long debate. The trunk's dimensions shall be taken as those of a standard first-year trunk as used by students entering Hogwarts, which are..."
I then spent approximately ten minutes giving a complete and highly precise description of every variable: from the trunk's dimensions to the lining material on the interior, down to the material of the clasp. I drew diagrams in the air with my wand as I spoke, and only once I had finished with the clarifications did I proceed to actually answer the question.
The answer itself took approximately thirty minutes, after which the first Master was looking at me with a very particular coldness. The other two members of the board were rather less visibly irritated.
"Supplementary questions from the examination board? Albert Volt? Herbert Rechkin? Duliana Cook? Very good, Miss Cook..."
"Ahem... young man, tell me, and you may be brief, since it's quite clear you know this subject in general, what would happen if we were to substitute the trunk's material for something rather more exotic? Whale bone, for instance?"
I considered the old woman for a moment.
"I'm afraid I don't carry all the correction factors and coefficients in my head, and indeed, as everyone knows, there are reference volumes which even novice Masters consult for exactly that purpose."
The old woman smiled with evident pleasure, clearly satisfied that I was not omniscient after all.
"However, if we take all the variables I described above as our baseline and change only the material of the trunk itself, then the formula of the charm..."
I raised my wand, and the charm's formula appeared in the air.
...changes here and here. These particular values would need to be obtained either by experimental verification, if the whale happened to be of a rare species not yet cataloged by magical zoologists, or from reference volumes; while these here are derived purely through calculation and a series of minor experiments that can be completed within minutes.
The old woman gave a nod of approval.
"Any further supplementary questions? None? Excellent. In accordance with procedure, I ask the board to assign a grade for the first question."
Without a word, the examiners raised their wands. Albert Volt gave me a P; the other two examiners awarded me a P+. This was not terribly surprising, as the oath did not permit grade inflation in the candidate's favor, but neither did it permit arbitrary deflation. If a Master genuinely believed a P+ was warranted, he was obligated to give one.
"The second question, from Herbert Rechkin."
"Thank you, my dear Marina. My question is, in fact, quite simple, if you are truly ready to become a Journeyman. There exists a charm known as Incendio..."
The Master flicked his wand, and a small red spark leapt from its tip. I understood perfectly well that with exactly the same casual gesture he could, using that same charm, ignite a fire that would burn several villages to the ground, or a city.
"Tell me what would need to be done to that charm to produce the Eternal Flame."
"To begin with, I should point out that the question itself contains a trap that could lead the candidate to an incorrect answer. The reason is this: a truly eternal flame does not exist. The name was coined in antiquity to describe a charm that consumes fuel dozens of times more slowly while producing dozens of times more heat. Even when the inaccuracy came to light, no one chose to rename it, because when properly calibrated, the charm can heat a single room from a single log for nearly a week. What, then, must be done to transform Incendio into the Eternal Flame charm? The first factor to consider is the material that will serve as fuel..."
And once again I plunged into a labyrinth of correction factors, calculations, formulae, wand movements, and all that needed to be said, accounted for, demonstrated, and elaborated upon. It took me nearly an hour. But I managed.
"Supplementary questions?"
Again, it was only the elderly lionheart who wished to ask one.
"It is a very great pleasure to encounter so well-read a young man. You have described the standard conditions for us: an apartment, a fireplace, the option to define the fireplace itself as a limiting factor, and setting a series of containment barriers to prevent the flame from escaping while simplifying the transformation. But what if you were in a forest?"
"Candidate?"
The secretary moved to prompt me, as I had gone rather quiet after the question was posed.
"I cannot answer that question. Too many variables are changing simultaneously, and... to be honest, at my current level of knowledge I would not attempt to apply such a charm in a forest, or rather, to transform Incendio into the Eternal Flame in a forest."
"Ha! The correct answer! For once in goodness knows how long, a candidate is not afraid to admit he doesn't know something!"
"Very well. I ask the examination board to assign their grades."
This time all three examiners awarded me a P+.
"The final question..."
The secretary glanced at the old woman, who raised a hand to stop her.
"The question is as simple as Lumos. And it is, in fact, about Lumos: how does the magical force invested in the charm affect the intensity of its light?"
"That depends on how the energy is directed..."
And once again I was off, delivering roughly a ten-minute lecture this time on what could be done with the energy and what luminous intensity each approach would produce.
The outcome: two examiners gave me a P with evident displeasure, clearly finding the question beneath the dignity of a Journeyman examination, while the old woman herself awarded me a P+.
"Excellent. As secretary of the examination board, I hereby declare that based on the results of three questions posed by Masters of Charms and Enchantments, Draco Black is found worthy of the rank of Journeyman. Your seal will be sent to your teacher. You are free to go."
"I thank the honored secretary and the honored board."
I gave a brief bow first to the secretary, then to each member of the board individually.
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