The atmosphere in the Great Hall was lively the next morning.

Many young wizards had finished their exams and were chatting loudly, preparing to enjoy the last moments of leisure before the holidays. They had every reason to be happy because, as usual, except for a few who hadn't passed their Charms exam, the professors wouldn't burden them with any academic requirements, especially not homework.

"We still have one more exam," Ron said, poking at his fried eggs with his fork.

"Look at it this way, after today, we'll have almost two weeks of free time," Hermione said, her mouth full of food as she tried to comfort them. Harry agreed, but his gaze subconsciously flickered towards Neville. Today's subject was Defense Against the Dark Arts, and they were about to see 'Professor Bagshot' again.

"No, what comforts me is that the exams for fifth and seventh years are still ongoing," Ron said, rallying himself. "Ginny still has a few exams left, right?"

"Four," Harry confirmed.

Ron sighed contentedly. At that moment, a large group of owls flew in, folding their wings and landing on the table, making the plates clatter. Six or seven owls surrounded Dumbledore at the teacher's table, and Professor McGonagall, sitting beside him, seemed to be allergic to owls as she kept sneezing.

Harry watched with interest until Ron yelped in pain. He turned to see a gray owl perched on their table, its beak just released from Ron's finger.

"It bit me!" Ron exclaimed, picking up the letters that had fallen on the table in annoyance. "Let's see whose owl this is—oh," his tone turned melancholic, "it's from Bill."

He opened the letter, quickly read it, and his expression changed from shock to joy. Before Harry could speak, Ron started babbling excitedly.

"It's from Bill and Fleur, they're planning to get married this summer—Merlin's beard! Hmm, the letter says the date isn't confirmed yet, they need to check the schedules of some important guests, but it's tentatively set for early August. They asked me to ask you guys—are you coming?" Ron asked, seeking confirmation.

"I'm definitely coming."

"Yeah, we have to be there."

Harry and Hermione quickly agreed.

Ron happily reread the letter and then looked up, somewhat surprised. "I wonder how Bill managed to convince Mum to accept Fleur, considering her attitude has always been... well—" he paused, "maybe Mum finally realized that Bill and Tonks were a lost cause."

"Tonks is engaged to Lupin," Harry reminded him.

"Yeah, I guess that's why," Ron said. "Mum's hopes have completely dashed." He put away the letter, and the three of them finished breakfast, preparing for today's Defense Against the Dark Arts exam with joyful hearts.

On the teacher's platform, Felix opened a letter. It was a formal invitation, written in rock 'n' roll style English, signed by Bill Weasley. He glanced at Dumbledore, who calmly tucked away a letter.

"The International Confederation of Wizards?" Grindelwald, sitting on his other side, suddenly asked.

"Babajide asked me for advice on the new laws. Poor man, to face such a serious situation so soon after taking office," Dumbledore said calmly. "Actually, he did quite well in the past, just lacking a bit of confidence."

Grindelwald was skeptical, squinting as he contemplated. Felix asked, "Headmaster Dumbledore, have you received a letter from the Weasley family?"

"Ah, I have seen it," Dumbledore said, lifting a letter with elegant handwriting and examining the signature. "It's from Arthur and Molly, let's see what they have to say? Oh, oh—a wedding, another lovely couple!"

Professor Marchbanks was desperately leaning back, constantly fanning the air in front of her, trying to keep the owls away. "Let me go, I can't stand this!" she exclaimed loudly. After Professor McGonagall helped her leave the table, Dumbledore continued cheerfully, "The scene of Arthur and Molly strolling in the moonlight seems like just yesterday, but in the blink of an eye, their children are about to enter the realm of marriage. Time is truly a fascinating thing!"

"I suppose," he turned to Felix with an expectant tone, "James Sirius and Amelia, and Remus and Tonks, these two couples are also almost certain, right?"

Felix nodded.

"In that case, I should prepare—at least three gifts. In the two or three years after the last war ended, I also received quite a few wedding invitations," Dumbledore stood up, dancing lightly on his tiptoes, "compared to these joyful news, official business seems too dull and boring. I must remind Babajide that he is now the Chairman of the International Confederation of Wizards."

Grindelwald stared at Dumbledore's retreating figure in silence for a moment, seeming to ask a question but also speaking to himself, "Is what he said true?"

"Which part? The Headmaster said a lot," Felix asked.

"Yeah," Grindelwald said slowly, "he said a lot."

At the edge of the long table, Snape discreetly glanced at the group, his mind filled with various thoughts. Dumbledore had hidden too much— he was absolutely sure that he wasn't the only one enjoying this treatment. People like Felix, McGonagall, and even that mysterious Bagshot were all part of Dumbledore's plan. But no one could see the whole picture.

For example, he believed that no one else in the world knew that Dumbledore's Elder Wand had silently changed owners.

What did Dumbledore really want to do?

Snape coldly put down his utensils and left the Great Hall. He didn't believe Dumbledore's nonsense about 'it's best to remain a perpetual mystery', or 'that's your business now'. If Dumbledore truly wanted the Elder Wand to disappear, all he had to do was live to a ripe old age, Snape didn't believe anyone would dare to harm Dumbledore.

Unless he was guarding against someone. Snape paused, looking at Felix on the table.

Then he strode across the long hall and ascended the spiral staircase. Dumbledore's words from that night resurfaced in Snape's mind, 'I hope the day will never come when it is necessary, it's best to remain a perpetual mystery, meaning that there will be no major changes in the wizarding world.'

Major changes… Snape mulled over these words, pushing open the classroom door.

Dumbledore sensed some kind of danger, but he wasn't sure if or when it would occur. In such a situation, making a powerful wand disappear into history seemed unwise, so he was Dumbledore's contingency plan, a temporary guardian of the… ownership of the Elder Wand?

Who did Dumbledore consider the ideal heir?

Snape opened the door and saw Harry sitting in the front row. A strong sense of disdain welled up within him; he never believed Dumbledore would choose Potter, even though Potter had surpassed him in combat prowess... Combat prowess?

Snape's body stiffened. If you speculated from this angle, the range of choices available to Dumbledore was actually very small.

Harry stared at Snape in bewilderment, his mind not catching up yet. Why would Snape appear in the exam room? And why was his expression so strange

?

"Bang!"

Snape forcefully shut the door, striding to the podium with an icy demeanor. Then he swung his wand, and piles of exam papers flew out of the locked cabinet, landing precisely in front of each student.

"The time now is nine o'clock. You have two hours to complete the exam."

The students looked at each other, whispering among themselves.

"Silence," Snape said loudly, and the sixth-year students once again felt the long-lost low pressure enveloping the entire classroom.

"Where's Professor Bagshot?" Neville asked nervously.

"He's still alive, but—" Snape's cold eyes stared at him, speaking slowly and deliberately, Neville's face turned pale, but but what? Harry's heart also suspended. "But you'll only see him in the afternoon. I am in charge of monitoring the sixth-year written exam. Now, shut up—all of you! The exam begins!"

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