Lucifer was hungry too, so the two of them simply treated the conference room as a dining hall and ate there, "How's the Wizarding Tournament coming along?" he asked.
"Besides the original five schools, I've been contacting Koldovstoretz, Uagadou, and the Mahoutokoro Institute. So far, only Koldovstoretz has clearly refused. The other two are still considering it, but there shouldn't be much trouble..."
"Refused?" The boy raised an eyebrow. "Why? Don't tell me those Russians got scared."
Koldovstoretz was a magical school located within territory of the Bears, and most of its students were Slavs, along with some from Central Asia.
"They have internal issues. A major incident from a couple of years ago still hasn't fully settled. People who were once from the same country have split apart, and new grudges and hatred have formed.... The turmoil outside has spilled into the school. There were even reports of bloodshed."
Lucifer nodded in understanding. Russian infighting was notoriously brutal. It wasn't hard to imagine.
After returning to the school, and with the professors' approval, he installed a Lumine-Lens in each house common room. Every professor also received a smaller product they could hang in their office or living quarters.
Professor McGonagall was easily the happiest of them all. She was a die-hard Quidditch fan, but school responsibilities meant she rarely had chance to watch matches in person.
At first, she refused to take it. Accepting gifts from students always made her uncomfortable. But when she heard that she could watch next weekend's match, and that it was her favorite team, the Kenmare Kestrels, playing against the Puddlemere United, she finally accepted it with a great deal of reluctant persuasion.
Only after leaving McGonagall's office did the smile on Lucifer's face truly bloom. He understood the real power structure in this school perfectly.
Dumbledore agreeing meant nothing. Only if McGonagall approved would Lumine-Lens be allowed to stay in the common rooms.
Hmm?
Thinking about who really called the shots, he suddenly realized he still hadn't given Dumbledore one. He immediately changed direction and headed upstairs.
The appearance of the Lumine-Lens filled the younger wizards with curiosity. They had already read in the newspapers about how the previous Quidditch match and Dueling tournament finals had been broadcast, watched by tens of thousands of wizards around the world. They themselves had been part of that spectacle.
Now they were switching roles, from being watched to being the audience. And this time, it was Quidditch.
Many of them could barely wait for weekend to arrive and experience the magic of Lumine-Lens for themselves.
That anticipation affected the atmosphere of the castle. Students grew restless and unfocused, zoning out in class. With the school year nearly over and students still so lax, the Professors finally snapped and came down hard.
The sudden surge in homework left the young wizards miserable. But more exhausted they were, the faster time seemed to pass.
xxxxxx
Finally, all Lumine-Lenses in Hogwarts lit up, and the students perked up instantly.
It wasn't just for Livestreaming. With a few tweaks and a control array, it could record and broadcast as well, all without needing any understanding of Vox Corporis.
After a round of advertisements, the first match began-Kenmare Kestrels vs Puddlemere United.
The young wizards eagerly contributed their snacks, and some even had their house-elves bring back drinks from 'the Three Broomsticks,' turning Common rooms into a full-blown bar.
Even people who weren't that into Quidditch found themselves caught up in the mood, emotions rising and falling with the flow of the match. Supporters from both sides started arguing, which made Lucifer nod in quiet approval, especially when Hermione cheered loudly at the Goal made by McGonagall's favourite team.
In a magical world starved for entertainment, you barely needed to put on a show to keep wizards satisfied. He didn't make content, but platforms and devices. As for how far he'd need to push things to complete his private entertainment goals, even he wasn't sure.
The match ended when Puddlemere United Seeker caught the Golden Snitch.
In the Gryffindor common room, Wood went wild, jumping and hooting like a chimpanzee. He'd already received an offer from Puddlemere United, and after graduating this year, he'd be joining them.
"I wonder how much a Lumine-Lens costs," Harry said as he snapped out of the excitement, "If we could get one at Longbottom's, watching matches with Neville would be amazing.. "
"Gran actually wants you to stay over for the entire summer Harry, if you could..."
Ron however squinted and didn't answer between the two. Of course he wanted one, but the Weasley family's finances made it painfully clear that it just wasn't going to happen.
"The next match is the Chudley Cannons, my favourite team," Ron said excitedly. "I've dreamed of seeing one of their games in person."
"You'd better not, Ronnie."
Fred, who'd overheard him, laughed.
"They've only won two games this season. Watching them lose in person would just make you feel worse."
"Are they really my brothers?" Ron asked Harry in disbelief.
Harry in response only gave an awkward smile, "Uh... watch the game, watch the game."
Fred didn't press it further and went back to whispering with George, plotting how they could convince Lucifer to give them an advertising slot. If they could run ads during a match like this, products would sell like crazy.
After that, Lucifer didn't bother watching the second game. He'd just wanted to soak in the atmosphere. Quidditch itself wasn't that entertaining. He'd rather watch Muggle sports.
xxxxx
May flew by in the blink of an eye. Before anyone really noticed, Lucifer's third year was already coming to an end.
As usual, the third-year Slytherins and Gryffindors filed into the 'Defense Against the Dark Arts' classroom. Many of them looked exhausted. The mountain of homework and revision had left students miserable.
The pressure they were under was far worse than in past exams. Better comms had its downsides.
Professors and parents could now talk far more easily and often. Skip homework today, and a Howler from home might arrive tomorrow.
If their grades suffered because they hadn't revised hard enough, what awaited them would be a whole summer of misery. Some especially filial students had already started envying Lucifer and Harry Potter.
Orphans... yeah. Being an orphan had its perks.
Before the class bell rang, Lupin walked into the classroom, as usual carrying his battered little suitcase. He didn't look great, but the students were used to that by now.
This professor was good in every way except that he was poor and physically frail. Still, unlike Lockhart last term, he counted as competent. Compared to Quirrell and the string of teachers before him, he was downright excellent.
Lupin gave everyone a gentle smile, he seemed to be in a pretty good mood today, "This is the last 'Defense Against the Dark Arts lesson of the school year," he said.
"Today, we'll be covering... werewolves."
"Professor, Professor Snape already taught that when you were on second leave!" Lavender Brown called out with a long voice, "And he even docked us ten points!"
Not minding at all, he kept smiling.
"On this topic, I do have a few insights of my own that Severus lacks. Thank you for the reminder, Miss Brown. Ten points to Gryffindor."
Lavender shut up at once, beaming.
Taking out a scroll from his case and hung it on the blackboard. It showed a werewolf after transformation, standing upright on two legs.
"A werewolf is a disease, a curse." His voice dropped, turning bleak, "On the night of the full moon, they transform into creatures that lose all reason. Werewolves are both perpetrators and victims."
"It's very difficult to tell whether a wizard is a werewolf, but if you pay close attention, there are always signs..."
"For instance, they tend to have thicker body hair than average, large palms with unusually thin fingers, and fingernails that are far paler than normal." As he spoke, Lupin lifted his own hand, inviting the class to look closely, "They fear the moon. Not just the real one. Even a moon created by a Boggart or other magical transformations can affect them."
"Although the Wolfsbane Potion exists and can help a werewolf retain their mind after transforming, it's extremely expensive and must be taken for seven consecutive days.
Each day leaves the drinker weaker than the last... So, if you ever notice someone who takes leave on a very regular schedule, you should be cautious..."
This near self-exposé left Hermione staring in shock. She'd already gotten confirmation from Lucifer and had worried about it before, but his reassurance and Dumbledore's trust had led her to believe in Lupin anyway.
Not far away, Harry looked just as stunned.
He knew Lupin's true identity too, but he couldn't understand what Lupin was doing. Had Dumbledore paid him too little? Was he quitting on purpose?
As Lupin continued his almost exhaustive analysis of werewolves, some of the sharper students began recalling his regular pattern of absences over the past year. Their expressions changed completely.
Of course, that didn't include Ron or Neville. Those two were still hunched over their notes, heads down, convinced this was prime exam material.
It wasn't until class ended and Lupin left the room that Malfoy's cold laugh snapped them back to reality.
"Dumbledore really is something," he sneered. "Letting a werewolf stay in the castle for a whole year."
Before long, the news that Lupin was a werewolf spread through the school. Some reacted with fear, others with calm. Clever students like Hermione had already figured it out long ago.
Hogwarts already had more than enough oddballs. A werewolf didn't seem like a big deal, so an unspoken agreement had kept it quiet.
But once everyone knew, Lupin had already submitted his resignation and disappeared from castle. Dumbledore tried to persuade him to stay, but he had made up his mind.
"Professor, Mr. Burke has been urging me for a while now," Lupin said with a smile in the Headmaster's office before leaving, "He needs a steady partner for his missions. And it's not fair to make the other professors cover for me every month when they're already so busy. Now that my identity is public, even if the students could accept it, their parents wouldn't..."
Dumbledore let out a soft sigh. "If you've decided, then all I can do is wish you good luck, Remus."
"Thank you. I hope you find an even better 'Defense Against the Dark Arts' professor. If you really can't find anyone, I recommend Severus to take over my position."
With that, Lupin departed lightly, to actually go meet his best friend, Sirius Black, who was innocent, and recuperating at Lucifer's home, under the efforts of Fantasy Draught.
Dumbledore could only smile wryly. He'd heard something very similar last year too. That time, it had been Lucifer making the recommendation, hadn't it? One by one, they all seemed determined to make Snape miserable.
xxxxxxx
Everyone's moods had been basically stomped on and ground into Castle floors with the Exams being so close.
Even Fred and George were seen studying more than cracking jokes or pulling pranks, and that was probably because it was their O.W.L year, which stood for Ordinary Wizarding Level.
Percy was studying for N.E.W.T classes, which stood for Nastily Exhausting Wizarding Tests.
Harry and Ron were still trying to question Hermione and Lucifer on how they were managing to do it all.
They were even more dumbstruck when their timetable for exams showed up. The first column of Hermione's timetable read:
♡Lucifer♡
Monday
9 o'clock Arithmancy ♡Lucifer♡
9'o clock Transfiguration ♡Lucifer♡
Lunch
1'o clock Charms ♡Lucifer♡
1'o clock Ancient Runes ♡Lucifer♡
♡Lucifer♡
"Hermione?" Ron started, awkwardly "Er... are you sure you've copied down these times right?"
"What?" Hermione snapped. She was liable to go off at anyone who interrupted her when she was working, well, everybody except Lucifer of course, "Yes, of course I did! And don't you have someone else to bother?!"
"Is there any point asking how you two are going to sit two exams at once?" Harry asked with a confused face.
Lucifer replied for her,"It's all been sorted with Professor McGonagall, Potter," as Hermione was hurriedly writing her notes.
They were thankful when Harry and Ron both had stopped trying to ask further about their messed up time table after that. The teachers were aware, or at least McGonagall was, that they shared a Time Turner.
xxxxxx
Snape was practically glowing with good spirits these days, he had finally forced Lupin out, just as he'd wanted. There was no way Dumbledore could find another qualified 'Defense Against the Dark Arts' professor on such short notice.
Confident of that, Snape had once again placed his transfer request on the Headmaster's desk.
Lucifer was immediately annoyed.
He was petty like that. Even though he knew full well next term's Defense post was cursed and Snape's joy was probably for nothing, he still didn't want to see Snape smug about it.
Before the first exam, he caught Snape in the corridor, "Professor," the boy said casually, "you seem pretty confident about your position next term...."
"What are you getting at, Morningstar?" Snape's smile vanished, he immediately had a bad feeling in the gut.
"Nothing much," Lucifer shook his head, trying to hold back the large grin threatening to form, "Just thought I'd pass along a little rumor. Professor Dumbledore has already lined up someone else."
"Lupin's only been gone a few days. He found a replacement that fast?"
Snape's face darkened to a pulp.
While Lucifer seized the chance to smear Dumbledore a bit more. "You know the Headmaster, finding scapegoats is kind of his specialty."
"Who did Dumbledore 'find?" Snape pressed hard, intending to identify the target and then apply a bit of pressure until the person resigned voluntarily. This wasn't a threat. It was for their own good. 'Defense Against the Dark Arts' was a deep, dangerous swamp. Who but him could handle it properly?
"Alastor Moody," Lucifer said cheerfully, tossing out the name, "Apparently a retired Auror. Crippled leg, one eye gone. Someone like that thinks he can compete with you for the job? I don't buy it from Twins."
The Professor's expression became... complicated. Moody? That old bastard? In all of Britain, there were only a handful of wizards Snape treated with real caution. If it weren't for Dumbledore shielding him, Lupin would have been run into the ground long ago.
Unfortunately for him, Alastor Moody was one of those people you simply did not mess with. Among Death Eaters, just hearing the name was enough to make spines shiver.
"Morningstar, exams are about to start and you still have the mood to joke around?" Snape snapped, this brat only brought misery every time he came, "If you're not top of the year this time, don't expect any special treatment from me next term."
After dropping that threat, Snape turned and left in a hurry. The retreating figure somehow managed to look a little flustered.
Lucifer's smile widened.
Ah, that felt good.
xxxxxx
When exams finally hit, an unnatural hush had fallen all over the Castle. Everyone was taking them seriously like they usually did, but this year seemed worse somehow.
Over the next few days, Lucifer attended his exams as usual.
In the practical Transfiguration exam, Professor McGonagall's task for most students was to turn a squirrel into a candlestick. Correct shape and function earned a Pass. Add decorative 'flair' or patterns, and it was an Outstanding.
That was everyone else's assignment.
When it came to Lucifer, Professor McGonagall instinctively raised the difficulty.
Transform a Kneazle into a rabbit.
Transfiguring one living creature into another was already an advanced application of the subject. Doing so with a magical creature like a Kneazle, which possessed innate magic, bumped the 'difficulty' up several more levels. If Hermione had to do this, her internal cat would break McGonagall's wand.
"Professor, that's discrimination."
McGonagall then smiled and offered a tempting deal, "Morningstar, if you can complete it, I won't assign you any homework this summer."
Lucifer's eyes lit up, and he accepted on the spot. Even if Hermione was still doing his homework for now, letting the young witch work a little less sounded nice.
He raised his wand and lightly tapped the kneazle. After a brief distortion, it turned into a small white rabbit, hopping over to Lucifer and rubbing against his trouser leg.
Professor McGonagall nodded in satisfaction and wrote a bold O on his grade sheet right in front of him. She applauded him accordingly, telling he did better than "last year."
....After their exam, Hermione began complaining about how her Tortoise looked more like a Turtle after she turned it from a Teapot, and that she could've done better.
On the bright side, they both felt great about Arithmancy.
Then after Lunch came Charms' written exam, which taught the students a harsh life lesson.
Professor Flitwick, usually humorous and endlessly forgiving, decided to get creative. He split the paper into two parts. Fifty percent covered material he had explicitly emphasized before. The other fifty percent included not only this year's content, but also spells from the previous two as well.
Even Hermione was scratching her head, looking so distressed she was on the verge of tears.
Two desks away, Lucifer was having the time of his life. He secretly gave Flitwick a thumbs-up. The Ravenclaw headmaster put on a stern face, but the smile in his eyes gave him away.
No need to guess where that wicked idea came from, he had suggested it himself, 'firmly' believed in building his happiness on others' suffering, a lesson he had taken from his own girlfriend who proposed the idea of more written exams.
Watching pain on everyone's faces, Lucifer wore a pain-filled expression too. Because holding back laughter was genuinely-----
For Lucifer, it was---Calling it an exam was generous. In practice, it turned into a discussion about Charm theory. Lately, Flitwick had been researching large-scale applications of the 'Summoning Charm' and had run into problems controlling the speed of flying objects.
They talked and talked, completely losing track of time. It took a full half hour before Flitwick realized they were still in the middle of an exam and hurried Lucifer out to call in the next student.
Rushing to keep things on schedule, they 'finally' wrapped up the afternoon testing just before 3'o clock.
Ancient Runes, Hermione didn't feel the greatest about; not perfect, but almost. She was sure Lucifer did perfectly. After dinner, he asked her to stay behind.
"There's something I need your help with."
"What can I do?" She brightened instantly when heard he needed her. All this time, Lucifer had been helping her in every possible way, while she'd never really been able to do anything for him. Even though their relationship was special, her strong willed nature still left her feeling like she owed him.
"Don't rush. This is right in your wheelhouse," Lucifer said, gently ruffling her hair, "It's a cursed dark object or a name starting with something like 'Ho', 'E', or 'J'. It hardly even counts as a clue, my friend was in pain when he said the letters. Once exams are over, try digging into it. You might stumble onto something unexpected."
Even though exams weren't officially 'finished' yet, Hermione had already started thinking about it on the way back to the dorm. Hopper? Eobard? Joker? Constantine? Was it spelled with a H or a K?
It wasn't until late that night, when she remembered there were still exams the next day, that she hurriedly grabbed a vial of "Energy Potion" from her desk and went back to revising.
The next day was their Care of Magical Creatures, Potions, and Astronomy exams, and they had an easy for Hagrid's class. He was so preoccupied with Hippogriffs diet, that he gave them Flobberworms to keep alive to end of the exam to pass.
No one really complained, but it was horribly boring. Potions was that afternoon and Lucifer, as expected, made the perfect Confusing Concoction. If Snape gave him anything less than a perfect score just to mess, he was going to have serious words with Dumbledore.
Astronomy was easy enough, being at Midnight made it all the more enjoyable. 'History of Magic', Lucifer and Hermione did with ease, as even though it was the most boring class in the world, it wasn't by any means hard, just hard to stay awake.
Herbology was on Wednesday morning and Hermione came the closest she had been all year to outright torching the Tentacula, but Sprout managed to calm it down, putting some sort of "Calming Charm" on the plant.
Unfortunately, being under the sun in early June wasn't a good thing for them, as the back of their necks had gotten sunburned, but Dean had some Aloe that his mother had sent to him mid-May, and gave a little bit each to his Gryffindor friends.
The day after that was Thursday and their last Exam day.
Defense was in the morning and Lucifer was the most prepared for it because he had the highest Defense score in the class. Harry had also proved to do well and received full marks on his exam.
Hermione went before Lucifer and had almost received a perfect score, but with the stress of exams looming over her, her Boggart had changed to McGonagall who was yelling that she'd failed everything and shamed the Gryffindor name.
She ran screaming out of the exam course Flitwick set up for them in Remus's absence, he asked Lucifer to calm her down before he went into the Course.
After he calmed her down with a little bit of snogging, Lucifer went last and when he got to his Boggart, it was Hermione pleading to be spared by her attacker, he aimed his wand and yelled "Expecto Patronum!"
And the silvery shield came from his wand and blocked the Dementor, not making it a 'Corporeal Patronus, cause there were others in line for exam, Lucifer simply forced the Boggart back into the Trunk, he exited course with a triumphant smirk and had also received full marks.
xxxxxxx
She then changed gears quickly, "How do you think you did in Potions?"
"If I don't see a perfect score, I'm going to Dumbledore. Snape can be biased all he wants, but I made that Potion perfect," Lucifer said with confidence.
Hermione smiled at him, admiringly, 'I know you did. Overall, you did better than me in most of the Exams... you make me feel proud to be your girlfriend.'
xxxxx
Author's Note
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