Ministry exams

Disclaimer:

Harry Potter and its world belong to J. K Rowling. I only own the original characters I made.

"Dialogue"

'Thoughts'

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"Don't dawdle Mr Crow. Madam Giselda Marchbanks isn't getting younger." McGonagall was taking the young man to the examination area in the Ministry. Robert couldn't help it. You could say whatever you wanted about the administration. But the building was magnificent. So many uncanny details. The relic of a grandeur past. You'd lose yourself in the atrium before even giving a chance to other levels.

"I thought Mrs. Marchbanks is indestructible. She even held the exams for the headmaster." She was a specimen alright.

'Maybe Voldemort should have holla backed at her.' And now that image will stick with him for the rest of the day.

"Why thank you young man. It seems the youth still can appreciate the wisdom of their predecessors." An aged voice caught Robert off guard.

'That's it. I'm making a magical radar if it's the last thing I do.' Robert had enough of old people hijinks.

"And yet you look like the type who would do the same." Mrs. Griselda said with mirth.

"I'd appreciate less reading of my expressions." Robert sighed

"If the both of you have finished I'd like to get Mr. Crow's examination underway." Minerva interjected.

"Oh hush, Minnie. I still remember your sense of excitement during your Tranfiguration Mastery." Slight pink embellished McGonagall's cheeks.

"At least I know where to get blackmail." Robert mused to himself.

They entered a room at the end of the hall. There was a lonely desk and chair in the middle of the room. Another desk was situated near the front wall. An examiner was already sitting there.

"I've brought our shooting star Pinkston." Marchbanks said.

"Its Pickertin, Griselda. Hopefully this won't be a waste of my time." He looked very unhappy.

"Mr. Crow if you could please sit down. Your written exams will commence when you're ready." Robert sat at the desk. The quill and ink was prepared for him. After making himself comfortable he signaled that he was ready to start.

History was first. No charms will stop him from cheating. After a couple of weeks his phone finally had a search engine for books. So knowledge was even more accessible. The next written portions of the exams were also a piece of cake for Robert. Only for Arithmancy he had to do some calculations. However everything's easier if you have the formulas before you. After this it was time for practicals. He had to observe and write down what constellations were shown for Astronomy. Muggle studies were quite awkward because he had to dress in clothes from the 1920s.

'I hope this isn't what they think is modern. And how good that I'm a man. A suit is good for every decade of men's fashion.' He sighed.

"What do you see in the tea, Mr. Crow?" Mr. Pickertin asked. He was questioning why would anyone choose this subject. There haven't been any seers for decades. And he didn't know what that old lying bat Sybilla was even doing in Hogwarts to begin with.

"Well, there's a key in my tea dregs. It's pointing to what I assume are the wings of a crow. One way to interpret this would be to say that i hold the means to my future within my grasp. But it can also mean that I'm the reason for my untimely death." Pickertin huffed at that. But still he couldn't say anything as Robert did interpret it by the book.

"Let's do Arithmancy first. As the person responsible for your Defense Against Dark Arts still hasn't arrived. What do you have prepared?" He said while checking something off on his board.

"Well, I have two wandless spell made by myself. I think that's enough to take my practical for newts." Robert summoned a dummy from the corner of the room.

"Two spells? Well they better be good." Pickertin mocked.

"Well first I'll start with the less damaging one. Slithering rope!" Without chanting a rope appeared and grabbed the dummy. Robert used the dummy as a meteor hammer slamming the body at the floor.

"Enough! That was surprising. Are you sure you've discovered this by yourself?" Pinkertin had a shocked face. Wandless magic at eighteen. And so much destruction.

"Okay. Then it's time for my last spell." Robert casted levioso on the dummy.

"Thrust!" A small ball shot out and went through the dummy. The wall had a dent in it. Which really surprised the examiner as the walls were enchanted to survive the worst things imaginable.

"Did I pass?" Robert asked with some cheek.

"If that wasn't a pass then I don't what is." A gruff voice said. Robert turned his head only to see the legend himself. Alastor Moody in the flesh.

"Alastor why do you never knock?" Pickertin was exasperated. Moody wasn't a man that knocks. Maybe with a Bombarda to someone's face. It's always better to catch the prey by surprise. Judging by his scars he learned that the hard way.

"It's a pleasure to meet the renowned auror, Mr. Alastor Moody. I'm Robert Crow. Sorry that I'll abstain from shaking your hand. You seem to take your job too seriously." Robert would rather not find out what can the paranoid man do if he reached with his hand towards him.

"Ha. You've got spunk kid. Keep it up and maybe I'll tolerate you." Moody laughed while dodging a jinx.

'Since the man came in swaggering then I'll show him constant vigilance.' Robert grinned and dodged a Stupify by hiding behind a desk.

"Aren't you a smart one." Moody cast a breaker spell on the desk. Since he had a magical eye he could see where Robert was at all times.

Robert summoned the table legs and used Depulso to chuck them at high speeds towards his opponent. Pickertin ran out of the room to not get hit by random spells. He did get knicked by splinters from the desk in the end.

"Amateur. You'll get yourself killed by having such poor spellwork." Alastor banished the legs to where they came from. Next he conjured ropes to try and tie the boy into an early Christmas ham.

"If efficiency is what you want then take this. Restrain!" Moody lost his balance and feel onto his face. The conjured ropes lost their power and also fell to the floor.

Robert wasn't done. He threw the balls of ropes from the twins and added his Slithering Rope to the mix.

"Levioso. And how did I do?" Robert stood carefully a distance away from the ex-auror. Who knows what he had in his sleave. Maybe even a bomb detonated by intent.

"Good. At least you know to never underestimate your enemy." Alastor said as he got rid of the hand binding. He ended the rest of the spells and tools with a powerful Finite and banishing charm. It seemed that his will or pure madness was enough to overpower Robert's spell.

"I know you were just testing me. Otherwise you would've used other more debilitating spells." Robert didn't let his wand down. Moody still hasn't said the exam was over. It was an advantage to know how certain people think.

"Quite. I like your drive to take the incentive. You also weren't shocked or in fear when the spells were flying. And those last spells of yours, wandless? They would have made my job easier during the war. But I still think it's better to terminate the problem permanently." A cruel smile was forming on the scarred face. Truly a grueling view.

"I have a couple of those up my sleeves also Moody." Determination beamed from Robert's eyes. He knew what was at stake and he couldn't take any chances with his enemies.

Tension and silence filled the devastated room. The smell of burning wood and stone floated in the room. A voice disturbed the status quo.

"Are you finished?" McGonagall said while Robert dodged to the right and simultaneously fired of a new spell of his.

"Bombarda!" The aged auror casted a Protego and fired a breaking bone curse which missed Robert by centimeters.

Robert used the examiner's desk to ready his other spell.

'Carriage of thunder, bridge of a spinning wheel. With light, divide this into six.'

"Art of sealing number 61 Six-Rod Light Restraint!" Six beams of light slammed into the midsection of Alastor Moody. Completely sealing his movements. You could see he was trying to overcome the bindings. However, the spell was much more potent. Not surprising since it was the more advanced version of number four. But also had the benefits of number one. The captured foe couldn't move a muscle.

After a couple of minutes finally Robert couldn't hold the man and let go of the spell. He dodged a quick jinx to the head from Moody and fired a Protego to save himself from a banished chair. Robert was strained by his casting of spells. Especially the last one which spent his reserves.

"You're good material lad. Hopefully you won't get yourself killed prematurely. Alastor turned his back only to almost get hit by a flying ball of rope. He banished it before it could open.

"And this is why you pass Mr. Crow." Moody laughed and passed by Mrs. Griselda and McGonagall. You could still hear the menacing clanking noises coming from Moody's peg leg hitting the stone floor.

"Robert, are you alright? That blasted man and his methods. He only sees the world in two states. Being at war or preparing for war" McGonagall huffed.

"It seems we've wrapped everything here nicely." Griselda said while casting spells to bring the room the state from before. She glanced curiously at a dent in the wall that was very slowly closing.

"Thank heavens. That took almost everything I had." Robert coughed from exerting himself. He'll need a very long relaxing bath after all this.