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/HPMan

?Happy Halloween!?

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We left the hall, walking through it, and found ourselves in another corridor. But this time, the journey was rather short, and literally, the second door down this corridor was our goal. Once inside, we found ourselves in a spacious and rather classic office with dark wood trim, large and soft leather sofas, tables, cabinets with books. Of course, there was also a large desk, behind which sat an elderly stately lady in white clothes and a robe, with fine bluish patterns running along the edges. Her gray hair was gathered in a tight French twist, and her gaze was incredibly alive and sharp.

"Ah, Delphine, my girl," the lady smiled cheerfully, stood up from the table, and moved toward us.

"Grandmaster," Delphine bowed respectfully, and the lady quickly put her hands on her shoulders and returned her to an upright position..

"Leave these formalities. Is this your student?" the lady looked at me carefully and quickly.

"Yes," nodded Delphine. "Maximilian Knight."

This elderly lady came a little closer, and I politely bowed. It seemed that she saw something in me that only she knew, and she nodded sparingly but with satisfaction.

"Patricia Hart, Grandmaster of Transfiguration and Alchemy," she introduced herself, and many interesting works on her behalf immediately flashed through my mind, some dating from the mid-nineteenth century.

"I am honored to be introduced to such a distinguished expert in my field," I bowed respectfully again.

The Grandmaster nodded, taking the information for granted, and turned to Delphine.

"You must hurry if you are confident in your abilities. The Council may at any moment set aside squabbles and approve the new order of certification."

The Grandmaster headed straight into the wall with a confident step, as did Delphine. I had to put aside my questions and quickly get next to them. Before I reached the wall, I felt the fluctuations of magic from the Grandmaster, and the space around us seemed to blur. It was just for a brief moment, but it was enough for us to take the next step in a completely different room.

A spacious hall like an amphitheater. We were standing on a large round patch of the smooth yellow stone floor. It was as smooth as it seemed possible at all. At the edge of this space, massive wooden tables stood in a crescent. Those in the middle were somewhat more massive, and those that radiated from the center on the sides in the shape of a crescent were clearly intended for visitors. The lighting was unique, I would say, because all that was visible to me was the round patch of floor and the rows of tables in front of me. Everything else, if it was there at all, was drowned in darkness without drawing attention to itself.

Grandmaster Hart headed toward these central tables, near which seven wizards in black, dark blue, and white robes were standing, apparently arguing about something, gesticulating vigorously, and, judging by the emotions on some of their faces, there was an active discussion about whose bloodline the goats and pigs were in, and about the negative effect, such a kinship had on the intellectual abilities of their opponents.

"Stay here, don't go anywhere. We're about to start," Delphine said briefly and headed upstairs to her colleagues.

It took about a minute for the venerable wizards to stop their argument and settle into their seats at the large tables, looking up at me. Grandmaster Hart sat in the very middle and was clearly in charge of the gathering.

"Ladies and gentlemen," she spoke. "As the Chairperson of the twenty-first attestation commission for the title of master in the field of transfiguration, I declare the beginning of the seventh meeting to confirm the qualifications of the applicant open. Master Delphine Gabriela Greengrass, as a mentor to the applicant, has the right to debate. She is deprived of the final vote. Let's get started."

The Grandmaster swept her hand over her desk, and judging by the magic, something definitely happened there, but what was unknown. Colleagues stared at their desks. Perhaps some information had appeared there.

"Applicant," the Grandmaster spoke again, looking at me. "Introduce yourself."

I had read the minutes of the meetings, even though all the secret information there was deleted, as well as the rules, so I had no questions about what was going on.

"Maximilian Knight of the Black family, fifteen full years old. A student of the Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, a personal disciple of Master Delphine Gabriela Greengrass." historical

The wizards immediately whispered about something, discussing it vigorously. It only lasted a couple of seconds, and when everyone fell silent, continuing to study something on their desks, the Grandmaster continued:

"Due to the cancellation two days ago, and not having any requirements for applicants to have done research in a transfiguration at the time certification began, the question of having or not having publications is removed."

"However," spoke the elderly wizard, who had been arguing vigorously with his colleagues until recently. "I believe that the commission has the right to evaluate the applicant's research in the protected discipline. Master is not just a strong wizard who has memorized a bunch of spells. I think we all want to know if the applicant can contribute to the difficult and so multifaceted field of the study of magic."