A few days before exams, Ratton finally returned to Hogwarts. When Kyle returned to the common room after dinner, he saw his owl perched on the windowsill. Ratton looked exhausted—its eyes drooping, its body visibly thinner, and its once-lustrous feathers dull and gray.
Upon spotting Kyle, Ratton lifted its head and attempted to fly over to him, flapping its wings weakly. But midway, its strength gave out, and it began to fall. Kyle quickly stepped forward, catching it just in time.
"I recognize this owl," Cedric said, glancing at Ratton, who had promptly fallen asleep in Kyle's arms. "Why does it look so worn out? Has it been delivering letters non-stop?"
"Just one… but I think he misunderstood my instructions." Kyle gently placed Ratton on the sofa beside him and removed an envelope from its talons. It was a reply, and the handwriting on the envelope was Newt's. Apparently, Ratton hadn't returned to Dorset after delivering the letter but had flown directly to Newt and then come all the way back. No wonder it had taken so long to return. Kyle shook his head, amused and exasperated. That silly bird.
With exams starting the next day, the young wizards went to bed early, hoping to be well-rested. Kyle sat beside Ratton, rubbing its neck feathers softly before opening Newt's letter. The reply was brief.
'Kyle,
I was surprised to receive your letter from such a distance. I've thought over what you mentioned. The venom of the Swooping Evil isn't corrosive—it only affects the brain and doesn't impact plants.
However, I examined the wood you sent. It indeed contains components of Swooping Evil venom. This is an important discovery. Once I finish my work here, I'll come to Hogwarts immediately.
(P.S. Your father asked me to remind you to avoid any danger and leave the matter to Dumbledore.)
—Newt Scamander'
After reading the letter, Kyle closed his eyes, thinking quietly. The pieces finally started to fit together.
Hagrid hadn't gone to the Forbidden Forest that night because he'd spotted them during a nighttime walk, but because he'd been drawn there by someone—or something—else. Likely, he had encountered that person deep in the forest, leading to a struggle and the two messy rows of footprints by the tree. But the opponent must have had a Swooping Evil.
Its venom had likely affected Hagrid, causing him to forget the entire encounter. This would explain why he didn't show up with the Christmas tree at the assembly hall on Christmas Day—he believed it was still autumn.
Everything made sense now. And that Swooping Evil was likely the one the Ministry of Magic had been searching for.
The only mystery left was who had poisoned Hagrid. Could it have been one of the hooded wizards at the Hog's Head pub? Or perhaps someone hiding in the castle?
Half an hour later, Kyle gave up his musings. Sometimes, mysteries could only be solved by letting them go. As Newt's letter reminded him, Dumbledore was already involved. Kyle could let this matter rest and focus on enjoying his holiday soon enough.
With that comforting thought, he picked up Ratton and headed back to the dormitory.
...
The next day, exams began. The first one was the Magical Theory exam—also known as the written exam. To prevent cheating, students were forbidden from bringing their own quills and ink, instead using school-provided stationery. But this didn't stop some young wizards from trying their luck.
Katie Bell from Gryffindor entered the exam room nervously. Shortly after sitting down, Professor McGonagall strode over, reached out, and pulled off the large red hair accessory Katie was wearing. "Miss Bell," she said coldly, "that's not how Transfiguration works."
The "hair accessory" squirmed in McGonagall's hands, transforming into a piece of parchment covered with tiny writing. Kyle, watching this unfold, gave Katie a discreet thumbs-up. Cheating with transfiguration in front of Professor McGonagall? That took a level of courage fitting of Gryffindor House.
Other students with cheat sheets written on their clothing didn't escape her scrutiny either. As McGonagall patrolled the classroom, she seemed to have an instinct for finding guilty expressions, deftly pulling each cheater out of their seats. A seasoned professor and Deputy Headmistress at Hogwarts for over three decades, McGonagall needed no magical aids to spot nervous students.
As students began answering questions, McGonagall muttered that Dumbledore really shouldn't have put her in charge of the first-year exam room. It simply wasn't challenging enough; she would have preferred supervising fifth years and above, where the cheating techniques were far more sophisticated.
With older students, professors had to contend with creative tactics like potions, enchanted objects, coded hand signals, and subtle Charms. Particularly in Potions, items like Baruffio's Brain Elixir and Waking Potion were common, with whispers of students attempting to sneak in Felix Felicis for N.E.W.T.s. There were even instances of attempted Polyjuice Potions and Disillusionment Charms, turning exam supervision into a "war without smoke" for the professors.
For most, it was a nuisance, but McGonagall thrived on the challenge of outwitting students. Unfortunately, this year she'd been assigned to supervise the "Novice Village," as she put it, a simple group of first-years. An hour into the exam, she glanced at the dutiful students and sighed, "Really, Albus… why assign me to the first years? Even third years would be a step up."
After the written test came the practical exam. Professor Flitwick had each student attempt to make a pineapple "ride" a makeshift broomstick—just a wooden rod with a feather attached—for a lap around the room. This task was no issue for Kyle. Not only did he complete the assignment flawlessly, but he even managed to make the pineapple execute a classic Quidditch trick, which earned him an immediate perfect score from Professor Flitwick.
Next up, Professor McGonagall tested their Transfiguration skills by asking each student to transform a rabbit into a brooch.
The more detailed the brooch, the higher the score, with deductions if the brooch retained any rabbit-like features. Kyle, recalling a brooch he'd received as a Christmas gift from Mikel, created an exact replica, and McGonagall awarded him a perfect score.
Finally, the Potions exam required students to brew a simple boil-cure potion. Kyle carefully followed each step, resulting in a flawless potion. Yet he wasn't optimistic about his score; throughout the entire exam, Professor Snape loomed over him, watching intently and shaking his head with apparent disapproval. Kyle could already imagine Snape deducting points wherever possible, just for the sake of it.