Chapter 236 - 235. Not a Minute of Peace.

Chapter 235. Not a Minute of Peace.

Astronomy, as a school subject, differed little from its Muggle counterpart when it came to studying the position, movement, structure, and evolution of celestial bodies. In some respects, it even surpassed its Muggle equivalent; telescopes enhanced with charms and runes allowed observers to see much deeper into the cosmos. That was rather surprising, given how far wizarding medicine and Arithmancy lagged behind their Muggle equivalents.

For this reason, Severus tried not to skip the subject, especially since it was taught by a highly knowledgeable witch who had authored several dozen books and countless articles in her time. He disagreed with some of her conclusions, particularly when she attempted to drag astrology (a branch of Divination that Severus despised) into her scientific research, but other works of hers sparked genuine interest and surprise in him.

If he had to describe the exam in three words, they would be: too many people.

The entire Astronomy Tower was packed to capacity with seventh-years seeking a free Exceeds Expectations for their records. The staff had been forced to use Undetectable Extension Charms and set up additional desks to accommodate everyone.

Admittedly, astronomy was a difficult subject for those intending to pursue it professionally. The exam papers included a third question that allowed students to earn an Outstanding (twelve points total rather than nine), but the first two questions were never particularly challenging; quite the opposite, in fact.

For Severus, who had studied both Muggle and magical literature on the subject, the exam posed no real difficulties. The third question took him an extra ten minutes to write out the detailed response, and twenty minutes later he submitted his parchment, answered a few oral questions, and earned his well-deserved Outstanding. He left the classroom to find Regulus already waiting, and together they waited for the others.

Besides Severus himself, several acquaintances were taking the subject: Layla, the Austin brothers, the three idiots (now four again since they’d reconciled with Pettigrew), as well as Lily. A couple of other Slytherins with whom Severus had once associated, though rarely since becoming who he was now, were also present.

The following day brought two more exams: Divination and Muggle Studies.

Strangely, neither subject enjoyed astronomy’s popularity.

Only twelve students showed up for Divination, deterred by the instructor’s strictness, her eccentric quirks, and her habit of reading coffee grounds and seeing things that bore no resemblance to what the students perceived. Consequently, few ever achieved even an Exceeds Expectations in her class, let alone an Outstanding.

Muggle Studies, however, drew a full nineteen students. Not a single Slytherin sat among them, with the exception of Severus himself, hardly surprising given the house’s predominantly aristocratic disdain for Muggles.

The first exam, Divination, earned him twelve points by only the narrowest of margins. He’d been forced to cheat slightly by reading the old woman’s thoughts; the questions had proven surprisingly unpleasant, and she had latched onto him like a rabid dog, refusing to let go. Had a Ministry observer not intervened, she certainly would have done something outrageous.

The old woman remained convinced that Severus had cursed her (women’s intuition, apparently), but she failed to fail him. Though not a vindictive man, Severus remembered the incident. With an innocent expression, he sincerely wished her good health and a speedy recovery, watching her face go pale as she realized her mistake. By then, it was too late to mend things.

The Ministry observers, who had witnessed the Divination exam and seen the teacher use her authority to pressure a student while deliberately attempting to fail someone of importance, documented the incident in full detail, appending a recommendation to replace the "unqualified teacher" immediately.

Muggle Studies proceeded far more smoothly, aside from the stares of students surprised to see a "snake" taking the exam. They were even more shocked when he earned an Outstanding, answering questions with the level of detail of someone who had spent years studying the material. Few knew that Severus had lived in the Muggle world until age eleven.

The Slytherins, for their part, barely reacted to this development. They already knew of Severus’s past, and quarreling with such a person over such a trifle would have been the height of folly.

Over the next two days, he sat two more exams that most students found quite challenging: Defense Against the Dark Arts and Potions.

Though calling the former difficult would be generous.

The exam focused primarily on practical demonstration, while the theoretical portion remained at a fourth- or fifth-year level that almost everyone could pass. For the practical, Severus had to demonstrate offensive and defensive spells: the Stunning Spell, Stupefy; the Shield Charm, Protego; and the Disarming Charm, Expelliarmus.

Severus had prepared the Patronus Charm, which he had mastered a year earlier, but he had resolved never to cast it again unless his life or the lives of his loved ones depended on it. The issue was not the complexity or size of the creature, but its form. He was simply too ashamed to show it to others. He had expected a Dragon or a Phoenix, or at worst a serpent, but certainly not *this*. He still remembered Nagini’s laughter and her comment that this particular animal suited him perfectly.

Potions proved equally effortless. No practical component was required, and his rank as a Silver Cauldron potioneer was dozens of times higher than Hogwarts examination standards, so Slughorn merely asked a couple of complex questions regarding Felix Felicis and the cure for dragon pox for the sake of formality.

Thus concluded his fourth day of examinations: six Outstandings and seventy-two points total. Saturday arrived, bringing two days of respite, though few seventh-years actually rested. On Monday loomed the Transfiguration exam, whose difficulty rivaled Arithmancy and which was mandatory for nearly every career path. Unlike previous subjects, this one could not be skipped, and the entire seventh year buckled down to prepare.

In one of the alleys branching off Britain’s magical market, in its darkest corner, a young man held a pale, bald wizard by the throat. Mild irritation flickered across his face as he gripped the man in the black leather jacket. Five more bodies in matching outfits lay scattered around him.

"Nothing again..." he grumbled, grabbing the unfortunate wizard by the head and slamming him into the brick wall. Blood splattered across the masonry, leaving a small dent from which brick fragments crumbled away. The unconscious body collapsed to the ground. "A second attack... this is starting to get annoying."

When the bounty on his head was removed, the harassment should have stopped. Instead, the unknown parties simply reposted it on the largest semi-official black market in the world, located in USSR territory. There, dark magic was viewed with greater tolerance, though the open sale of cursed items still carried penalties ranging from fines to imprisonment.

No one knew who controlled that particular market, so its owners didn’t care about Severus’s personal power or ihiros standing at his back. With their influence and authority, they had no reason to fear any mage, no matter how powerful.

Arnold had also been unable to provide any information about them, as he had only recently begun extending his roots into the USSR’s magical world. He had, however, managed to uncover something about those who originally posted the bounty through the mercenaries’ guild.

Though they tried to conceal their actions, they made two glaring errors. First, by tracing the movement of funds, a difficult task requiring extensive connections and the "gift" of tens of thousands of Galleons, he learned that the money had initially flowed from five sources in America before splitting into hundreds of separate transactions.

These sources were merely shell companies, typically created for money laundering; three had already dissolved. Working backward through them confirmed that the funds originated from that country.

Their second mistake was overlooking Muggle surveillance cameras, which allowed Severus to identify the client.

Though that man had already been found dead, Severus now knew where these bastards had taken root, the ones who refused to let him live in peace. Only the knowledge that he would soon leave the country and visit America within a few years restrained his immediate impulse to hunt them down.

"Tobby, transfer them to the cage."

"Yes, Master!" The bodies vanished.

Severus adjusted his collar, brushed away the blood that had spattered his shirt, and left the alley. *When I find them, I’ll make them eat every single Galleon they placed on my head,* he thought, his gaze narrowing dangerously as he passed other wizards and glanced at the goods displayed in glass storefronts. None of it interested him. The gloomy, overcast sky that perpetually shrouded Diagon Alley only deepened his foul mood.

Yet even in these troubled times, one dark ray of light could still lift his spirits and bring a smile to his face.

A young girl stood near the Gringotts branch, dressed in her favorite dark gown, her expression eternally icy. But upon spotting the young man approaching through the crowd with a bouquet of flowers, her face softened. The corners of her lips lifted slightly, and her gaze grew less cold, radiating a warmth nearly imperceptible to anyone else.

*No, this day will be hard to ruin.*

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