Final Exams Arrive

As the exam approached, the noise in the castle subsided considerably, but a fiery atmosphere still lingered.

Because during Defense Against the Dark Arts, Dumbledore announced some news.

The students of Newmontgard will take the exam together.

Dumbledore probably couldn't find anyone else to temporarily teach the course, so he had no choice but to take it upon himself. Fortunately, there were only a few classes left.

However, the students were somewhat disappointed. Dumbledore's lessons were far less interesting than he usually was. The old man was only average in his teaching, better than Quirrell, but in terms of anticipation, he was not even as good as Riddle.

Only Sean knew why, because Snape had been much quieter in Potions lately, and he hadn't even mocked Harry for holding the silver knife incorrectly anymore.

During this time, Dumbledore and Snape devoted almost all their energy to researching the antidote. Once, when I was returning from Owlery, I happened to run into Professor Dumbledore and learned why they were so busy.

"Good day, Professor," Sean greeted him.

Dumbledore didn't even notice Sean at first; his aged face was full of weariness. "Oh, oh, Sean, it's good to see you."

"Professor, have you been too busy lately?" Sean asked with concern.

Dumbledore sighed with some distress, "Sean, I must say, when you do two very important things at the same time, you'll find yourself going in circles very quickly."

Sean knew that the two things Dumbledore mentioned were the Blood Curse and the Obscurus, because after Harry received a letter from home, he became quite depressed, and often he was so anxious that he couldn't finish his studies.

It seems Daisy isn't doing well.

A huge package floated in front of Dumbledore. As he and Sean walked out of the Owlery, he gave a wry smile, "I even regret giving this task to Severus. Merlin's beard, my office door gets knocked on three times a night, or even more."

Sean was a little taken aback, but it made sense; Snape was that kind of person—once he set his mind on something, he would do everything in his power.

Although we don't know what happened between them, or how Dumbledore persuaded Snape to rescue James and Lily's daughter, it's clear that Dumbledore touched Snape's most sensitive spot.

"Sean, after the exams, Severus and I should have a plan. We'll need your help then," Dumbledore said as they parted.

"Of course, Professor."

"Thank you, child. I hope you achieve your goal." With these words, Dumbledore manipulated the enormous package and departed.

Sean stood there scratching his head, feeling that the old man's words had a hidden meaning.

The atmosphere at Hogwarts became even more heated after Dumbledore announced that Newmontgard would also be taking the exams.

Although the results will not be made public, competition is inevitable.

Everyone, even the Gryffindor lion cubs, studied day and night, and the students of Newmontgard did the same.

They were all holding their breath, having been humiliated at the Duelling Club, their own school's professor being a Dark Wizard coveting Hogwarts' treasures, and to make matters worse, this thief had been outmaneuvered by a first-year wizard.

After so much Academic Exchange, the Newmontgard were extremely frustrated. Their pride and confidence felt like they were trapped in a pocket, which was then firmly gripped by that annoying, despicable, and insidious Sean Wallerup.

They absolutely refused to leave Hogwarts in disgrace; at the very least—they had to get first place in the exams!

Both sides became increasingly tense and worked harder. In this atmosphere, Sean, at the center of the storm, was probably the most relaxed person.

Besides studying, he also had to take time to go to Newt's box. The Wampus Cat had become increasingly clingy lately, and it seemed that it wouldn't eat unless Sean was around.

After Sean's stern warning, the Wampus Cat finally calmed down a bit.

Dave, who had been clinging to Sean, remarked. "He's not enthusiastic about eating; there's something wrong with his thinking."

Its appetite has increased from two meals a day to three meals a day. Moreover, contrary to what Professor Scamander said, the growth rate of the Swooping Evil should be extremely slow, but Dave's size is visibly increasing.

Born less than a year old, it was already larger than the adult Swooping Evil recorded in Professor Scamander's notes. Now, when it spread its wings, it could completely envelop an adult and then discuss the deliciousness of brains with that adult without being seen by others.

Besides dealing with Magical Creatures, another of Sean's tasks is to help Hermione relax, as she gets more and more nervous as the exams approach.

In Sean's opinion, the girl's revision progress was probably twice that of him, five times that of Harry, and more than twenty times that of Ron, but Hermione was still worried.

Sean seriously suspected that this girl thought she would be expelled from Hogwarts if she didn't get the top score in the entire grade.

Surrounded by various things, Sean felt very fulfilled. Perhaps it was because he had experienced too many major events that final exams were not something that made him nervous.

Under these circumstances, exam week arrived.

In the stuffy, large classroom, professors would hand out brand-new quill pens to students, each imbued with an anti-cheating spell.

In addition to the written exam, they also had to take some practical tests. After Sean turned a mouse into an exquisitely crafted snuffbox, Professor McGonagall's tired face broke into a smile. Sean knew that meant he would receive an "O," the highest grade: Excellent.

The Defense Against the Dark Arts exam had a uniquely Dumbledore element: students had to fight a spellcasting dummy, and their spells had to be cast precisely on the dummy's marked locations to score points.

If you miss too many scoring opportunities, the dummy will raise its hands and make a mocking sound, "Forget it, forget it, I'm not moving anymore, come and hit me!"

The last exam was on the History of Magic, and thanks to the perfect notes Hermione had lent him, Sean's quill pen never stopped. Just as he finished sketching chibi versions of the Swooping Evil and the Occamy on his draft, Professor Binns told everyone to stop and hand in their papers.

After a brief period of noise, everyone couldn't help but cheer.

"Sean, how could you draw such a blob of... a blob of that on your sketchbook?!" Hermione exclaimed, her eyes widening as she saw his sketch.

"...I just scribbled it randomly." Sean decided whether or not to go and explain.