Chapter 36: The Young Wizards Begging for Snacks!

After Lockhart finished calling the names, he stood on the podium, looking at the young wizards below. Their expectant eyes gradually dimmed, extinguishing the last glimmer of hope that Professor Lockhart might give them a special effects show.

Lockhart noticed their disappointed expressions and, with a faint smile, said in a brisk tone, "Okay, I know what you are thinking. Actually, I wasn't ready to show it to you, but if you meet my requirements, I can show it to you once."

Upon hearing this, the young wizards' eyes immediately lit up, and they all stared at Lockhart with renewed interest.

Seeing everyone's high spirits, Lockhart raised the test paper in his hand and said, "Before that, you need to take a test." As soon as he finished speaking, the smiles on almost all the wizards' faces disappeared. The wizards sitting in the front looked as if their faces had frozen, while George and Fred in the back lowered their heads and whispered.

"I knew that Professor Lockhart would be up to no good."

"I knew it."

Lockhart noticed everyone's expressions, still smiling, and waved his wand, causing the test papers to float in front of each young wizard. He said, "I know it's really inappropriate to have a test in the first class of Defense Against the Dark Arts. But there's no way around it. The principal mentioned that your foundation in DADA is a bit weak and you need me to make up for it."

Lockhart was quite experienced in shifting blame, and even if the principal knew about it, he would laugh it off.

"So, I want to assess your level through this test and then formulate a targeted study plan for you." After hearing what Lockhart said, all the wizards looked even more dejected, realizing there was nothing they could do about it.

"But," Lockhart continued, his tone changing to one of temptation, "this exam is not for nothing. If you do well, there will be rewards."

Hearing this, the young wizards immediately raised their heads, their eyes lighting up, and they began to ask loudly.

"Professor Lockhart, what is the reward? Is it a snack?"

"Yes, professor! I like dragon milk cheese."

"Professor, if I get good grades, can I skip writing a paper?" George and Fred chimed in.

"Professor, I actually like chocolate frogs and moonlight toffee. Can you use this as a reward?"

"I like it too. In fact, strange-flavored beans are also fine."

Lockhart's face was full of black lines as he heard the wizards begging for snacks. It seemed that the story about giving dragon milk cheese to Alice had spread this morning.

"Shh!" Lockhart signaled for silence, and soon the room was quiet. He raised a test paper and said gently, "Don't worry, if you do well in the test, not only will there be snacks, but I will also give you a personal-made amulet."

Hearing this, the young wizards cheered in surprise. Lockhart added unhurriedly, "Of course, you two still have to write the paper."

George and Fred, instead of being dejected, were very excited. The reward was the most important thing, and they must take the test seriously this time. They had heard Ron talking about the magic amulet Professor Lockhart gave Harry, and they were envious. Now they had a chance to get one too.

Lockhart looked at the wizards and began to introduce the exam rules. "The exam lasts one hour, and the results will be determined according to O.W.L.s. Students who obtain the highest grade, O (Outstanding), can get a magic amulet made by me and 20 points for their House."

"Of course, if you want snacks, that's fine too. If you reach the E (Exceeds Expectations) level, I will give you the snack you want."

Upon hearing this, the wizards cheered. They knew that reaching O (Outstanding) was difficult, but E (Exceeds Expectations) was within their grasp.

"Students who achieve A (Acceptable) should study more and listen carefully to the lectures." As for P (Poor), D (Dreadful), and T (Troll), which symbolized unsatisfactory results, Lockhart didn't need to say much. They knew the consequences.

"The contents of this test paper are all derived from the textbooks you studied before. Their sources will be pointed out after the test."

As he spoke, Lockhart waved his wand. Almost simultaneously, a group of colorful fireworks appeared in the air and exploded with a small bang, signaling the start of the exam.

"Let's get started, the timer starts now."

Following Lockhart's order, the wizards immediately began answering the papers seriously. Lockhart watched them with a slight smile.

Everything he said was true, but he didn't think highly of their previous performance in Defense Against the Dark Arts. He had collected information beforehand. Last year's Professor Quirrell was focused on other matters, playing a dangerous game with Dumbledore. What could these wizards learn from that?

The year before, the professor was a vampire, reportedly drooling at the students. Despite this, there were no teaching accidents, but the wizards were scared and avoided classes.

The year before that, a normal wizard taught, but his teaching level was average, and he left after a year. As the years changed, the wizards lost focus on this course.

Both Defense Against the Dark Arts and History of Magic classes at Hogwarts were challenging due to inconsistent teaching quality. For the History of Magic, Professor Binns' lectures were too boring. For Defense Against the Dark Arts, the teachers changed yearly, disrupting the curriculum.

Lockhart's exam paper was not difficult. His main goal was to identify those who had been studying seriously so he could focus on cultivating them. He liked self-taught students because they were less demanding on his time and energy.

As the young wizards diligently answered their test papers, Lockhart observed with satisfaction. Everything was proceeding according to plan.