The chirping phoenix circled in the air a few times before slowly landing on the table in front of the invigilators.
Pierce, McGonagall, Flitwick, and the others leaned in to get a closer look at the magical creature. Marchbanks was tempted to touch it, but he accidentally burned himself on the flames surrounding the phoenix.
The crowd was now one hundred percent certain that this was real fire, and not some false vision.
"Incredible!" Professor McGonagall murmured to herself. As a Transfiguration Master herself, she was more surprised than anyone present.
Since Yvonne was reluctant to talk about it, she kept her curiosity to herself.
Seeing that the invigilators were circling around his phoenix and silently touching it for a long time without announcing the final result, Ivan had no choice but to remind them, "May I ask if I passed, Professor?"
"Of course! It's the best Transfiguration I've ever seen!" Marchbanks exclaimed.
She had been in charge of the Examinations Authority for over a century, and had seen her fair share of geniuses.
The most impressive of these was the N.E.W.T. exam that Albus Dumbledore had taken in the late 20th century, when he was so skilled at transfiguration that even she, an examiner, was impressed.
Marchbanks thought that after that experience, he would never again be surprised by an examinee's outstanding performance in his lifetime. He did not expect that there was no limit to a genius!
Professor McGonagall was impressed. "Hales, I'm afraid you've surpassed me in terms of Transfiguration. I don't think even Headmaster Albus could have done better."
McGonagall's praise for Dumbledore was nothing short of astonishing. Dumbledore was widely acknowledged to be the most powerful wizard in the British wizarding community, and even after his death, wizards of the British wizarding community still held him in high esteem.
And Dumbledore is known for his Transformation Charm…
After the two expressed their opinions, Pierce quickly took over, praising Ivan's outstanding performance and even stating that the existing examination evaluation system did not reflect Ivan's superior Transfiguration skills.
"Hogwarts should have a higher rating than Outstanding," Richard Goshawk joked, grinning.
If other students' "brilliant" results in Transfiguration are due to the other's ability, Ivan's is due solely to the fact that Outgoing is the highest rating they can give…
"Since no one has any questions, let's move on to the next test. It's time for the Defence Against the Dark Arts exam…" Flitwick reminded them quietly. They had four exams that morning, and they didn't have much time.
Pierce nodded and looked away from the phoenix to Ivan. "For the second exam, we'll go straight to actual combat practice, shall we? Mr…Hales?"
"Of course, Minister!" Ivan said nonchalantly.
Pierce immediately signalled to the Aurors in charge of maintaining order in the Great Hall, and three of them moved out of the crowd and stood in a semi-circle opposite Ivan.
"They're the Ministry's crack hitters, and they're going to attack you, and what you need to do is defend or break the spell they're using…" Pierce explained.
"Wait a minute, Minister Pearce, isn't this going too far?" Professor McGonagall asked, frowning at the three Hitters. "Hales may be a pretty good spell-caster, but he's still just a kid, and we can't expect a young wizard who hasn't even graduated to take on three seasoned Hitters."
Piers's expression grew strange at her words, and he wondered if she had misunderstood the term.
A man who had the nerve to storm the Ministry of Magic and kill the Minister, beating up the Dark Lord in Knockturn Alley, was not a child — he usually called it a monster!
However, Pierce naturally did not have the courage to say so in front of everyone, so he explained again, "I think Mr. Hales is perfectly capable of handling such a small situation. Last year, he was in a much more dangerous situation than this when he was fighting the dragons and merpeople."
Professor McGonagall's words trailed off, as she was well aware of Ivan's strength, and the fact that he had once saved Harry from Lord Voldemort with Sirius.
"What do you think, Harls?" Professor McGonagall asked, after much hesitation, leaving the decision to Ivan.
"I believe in Minister Pearce's arrangements," Ivan replied with a shrug.
Without Professor McGonagall to stop him, Pierce waved his hand and turned to the Beaters. "Thompson, you may begin!"
In case anyone made a mistake due to fear, he personally selected the three Hitters for the exam.
These people did not know that the young wizard in front of them was the one in control of the Ministry of Magic, so they did not show any fear before the battle.
As Pierce had predicted, Thompson and the others gripped their wands and focused on Ivan.
They had just witnessed Ivan's incredible Transfiguration skill, so they naturally did not look down on him. More importantly, there were so many people watching them now. If the three of them were to be defeated by a brat because of their carelessness, they would lose all their face!
In contrast to the cautiousness of the three Hitters, Ivan appeared relaxed and even casually slipped his wand into his pocket.
This almost contemptuous move made Thompson and the others furious. They did not care about numbers and attacked first.
"Langlock ~ (Throat locked)"
"Oppugno ~ (10,000 bullets fired)"
"Excellarmus ~ (excluding your weapon)"
Three magical beams flashed through the air. As elite hitters, even without prior discussion, Thompson and the others worked well together.
The Tongue-Sealing Curse could stop the opponent from casting spells, and the Disarming Charm was the final resort!
As the crowd watched, Ivan seemed to be really affected by the Throat-locking Charm. He faced the blinding red light and the large number of sharp rocks and did not utter any incantation. He just raised his index finger and tapped it in front of him…
Ivan's lack of reaction made Thompson regret his decision, as the young wizard in front of him was not his true enemy. If he were to be swept away by their tacit cooperation and made a fool of in public, he would have offended the young wizard, who was destined for great things.