Exams Are Over!

Fiora's sudden request for his number made Axston a little nervous; no girl this pretty had ever spoken to him like that before.

His impression of the little girl in front of him was limited to her excellent grades, good family background, and good looks.

I am not a good communicator, and I have always aspired to be an excellent wizard like Professor Wallop. Now is the time to focus on my studies.

Looking at Axston, who was staring blankly across from her, Fiora felt a surge of anger. Axton had been praised by Professor Wallop so many times in class, and despite being from the Muggle Family, he had performed better than students from the Wizarding Family like herself. His answers to questions were always so sharp!

Why do you seem so dull during your free time?

"Come with me." Fiora crossed her arms and spoke in a commanding tone.

"Oh, okay..." Axston was a little nervous, but the honest boy still followed.

The two left the classroom, Fiora led Axston to a secluded corner.

The little girl put her hands on her hips and said, "Why are you so dense?"

The boy swallowed hard, and said nervously, "Actually, it's okay..."

Fiora's face turned bright red. She stared at the other person with disappointment, then slowly deflated like a punctured balloon.

"Professor Wallop has praised you so many times for your keen insight..." Fiora said helplessly.

"I was just lucky..."

"No, doing well is doing well. You are better than others in your learning and talent in Transfiguration, including me—" Fiora suddenly became serious.

The little girl then adopted an adult-like air. "Don't always be so timid and subservient to people. You clearly want to study wholeheartedly, but is that how you do it yourself?"

Axston instinctively wanted to retort that he only wanted to focus on his studies, but when he thought of his past life at Hogwarts, he immediately fell silent.

Fiora said in a lecturing tone, "If someone in the class asks you for help and you agree, if they ask you to copy their homework and you let them, if they ask you to bring them food and you don't refuse, they're just using you as free labor!"

"Besides, you're not trying to make friends, you just can't say no!"

Axston was speechless. He knew that what Fiora said was true.

"It's a small matter, but Professor Wallop rewarded you with such a valuable gift today, and those guys pounced on you like hyenas—you won this with your own strength, why should they get it?!" Fiora's voice grew louder as she spoke, directly defending Axston.

"I can't stand them! And I can't stand you! They say they'd trade with you, but what's the point if you don't play chess or ball? Besides, the Potions Professor Wallop gave us has never been seen on the market before, and its value is hard to estimate. Furthermore, these people will probably find an excuse to take it back from you after a while. Isn't that blatant robbery?! And you don't even refuse? You just silently nod when they say something?! Seriously!"

Axston scratched his head, feeling like he'd been scolded by a teacher.

His voice was a little soft, but he still argued, "My classmates aren't as bad as you say..."

"Yes, of course it's not bad—" Fiora snorted. "They're perfectly normal. Glenn Bennett, who said he'd trade you a limited edition Wizarding Chess, gets along very well with everyone. He even did me a small favor yesterday."

"There are other people, most of whom don't really have bad intentions, but you're too easy to talk to and too bad at saying no!"

"Their escalation is only targeting you, don't you understand now?"

Axston was speechless for a moment, and he lowered his head somewhat awkwardly.

Just like Fiora said, he had also realized his problem, but... he just couldn't change it.

"Hmph, you know it yourself but can't change it, right?" Fiora said directly, as if she could see right through him.

Axston finally nodded sullenly.

"So, give me your number, and I'll protect you from now on!" Fiora patted her chest, exuding a powerful, boss-like aura.

"Ah?"

"What do you mean 'ah'? From now on, come with me. I'll say what you're afraid to say, and I'll refuse what you're too embarrassed to say. They can't do anything to me. Besides, this isn't free. In exchange, you have to tell me about your Transfiguration —that's why I asked for your number. I don't want to waste such a long summer vacation. Don't even think about studying hard behind my back!"

The little girl tilted her nose up and put her hands on her hips.

"But you could have just asked me directly. Professor Wallop said that we should learn from each other and improve together..."

"Hey, stop talking nonsense, I'm just asking you, do you agree or not?!"

Okay, fine.

Fiora turned and left satisfied after getting a number from Axston.

After taking two steps, she turned back to look at the other person. "What are you standing there for? Come on, we're friends from now on."

"Oh, oh, okay." Axston hurriedly followed.

"From now on, I'll be counting on you, Campbell. Don't call me Fiora anymore. I have a name. My name is Natasha Fiora. Call me Natasha from now on."

"Oh, oh, okay."

"Um?"

"Okay, okay, Natasha... no, Latasha... no, Natasha! I'm sorry."

"Minor problem, that's more like it."

Laughter came from inside the stone wall after the two left.

Sean said with a smile, "These two kids are quite interesting."

Beside him, Stephanie nodded. "That girl named Fiora is strong-willed but very smart, and she also has a kind heart."

"Indeed, very good, oh my—" Sean stretched. "I was thinking I'd have to have a little meeting with Axston or something. That kid is exceptionally talented, has good character and personality, and is courageous when it comes to important matters—it's just that he's a little too easygoing in his dealings with people. But with Fiora around, I don't need to give him any special instructions."

Stephanie glanced at him sideways and said softly, "Are you thinking of starting to build your own power base?"

Sean smiled calmly, "Isn't it obvious? Professor McGonagall knew it too, and Professor Dumbledore certainly knew it too, but they both tacitly approved of my actions—besides, I have to correct you on one mistake: I started cultivating my own power a long time ago."

Stephanie's expression remained unchanged. "That's definitely your style. If you need any help, feel free to ask me."

"Hey, don't worry, even Troll know to grab any bargains quickly." Sean chuckled and shrugged.

Stephanie smiled instead, "That's good."

After saying that, she drifted away.

Sean stood there and shrugged; he really couldn't figure out what this girl was thinking.

He originally intended to wait for Axston to come out and talk to him, but he happened to run into Stephanie, who was taking a shortcut, inside the wall. The two of them simply watched the whole scene of the girl giving instructions to the boy.

Sean turned his head again to look in the direction the other person had left—was it really just a coincidence?

Time was flying by, and the incidents caused by the two moles, Max Dawson and Gilrod Lockhart, became the biggest news at Hogwarts during this period.

After that, life in the castle continued as usual, even somewhat uneventfully.

Of course, because of that lost year, the students' academic workload increased significantly, and as the final exams approached, the atmosphere of preparation and review within the castle was more intense than in any previous year.

Even George and Fred, those two troublemakers, reluctantly split their precious prank time in half with the library—they skipped from fifth to sixth grade, and not only did they have to complete the OWLs exams that were supposed to be taken in fifth grade, but they also had to take additional assessments on some sixth-grade material.

Students in other grades weren't much better off; the exams covered more than half again as much material as a normal final exam, and it included more advanced knowledge.

First-year students have it a little easier, but they only have six months to learn, and the task is just as arduous.

In this situation, probably only Sean and Daisy can relax.

Hermione, of course, was completely immersed in studying. She even put a waterproof spell on her books before taking a bath, and then recited the "Epic Battle of 1667 between the Goblin and the Cave Dwarfs," which she had memorized more than ten times.

As for Sean, he had no problem with any subject that required practical spellcasting (the same was true for Hermione, who was already very strong). Professor McGonagall had even privately tested him on Transfiguration several times and said that Sean's Transfiguration skills far surpassed those of many graduates.

As for the written test, Sean's memory has always been pretty good, not to mention there's Hermione, who compiles all the review points into a study notebook.

Daisy was the same; she had all of Hermione's notes, making exams a piece of cake, and she was guaranteed an excellent grade in Potions. Sean suspected that even if Daisy cooked a pot of mud, Snape would still give her a perfect score.

In practice, the same applies. Little White Flower is naturally gifted, and under the tutelage of Hermione and Sean, she has become incredibly strong—last time, she single-handedly dealt with two Slytherin who spoke rudely to younger students, both of whom were fifth year students.

Daisy used just a few of the evil spells Sean taught her to tear the two men apart, and Snape happened to be there at the time...

As you can imagine, the two Slytherin who uttered "Mudblood" were immediately punished, and Daisy even received a stiff "thank you" from Snape: "Next time, don't scold them before you take action."

The old bat was reminding Daisy that she should use sneak attacks if possible, as protecting her own safety was the most important thing.

Incidentally, after being punished by Snape, those two Slytherin were taken away by Malfoy and his men.

Under Sean's guidance, young Master Malfoy mastered the art of Pure-blood honor to the fullest—a behavior that was considered extremely shameful by Malfoy and his group, who were known for insulting others Mudblood.

Where did you put the glory of Pure-blood?

As final exams approached, the Scottish Highlands grew increasingly hot and humid, making everyone feel drowsy in the classroom.

In this weather, Hogwarts held its first exams after the entire grade skipped a grade due to Time Incident.

Just as Sean had expected, he didn't encounter any difficult problems in the exam. The most difficult thing was probably how to avoid falling asleep during the Philosopher's Stone exam while Professor Binns was watching.

When Sean perfectly demonstrated to Newt how to calm an angry Fire-Mouthed Hornbill, the professor of the Care of Magical Creatures applauded happily.

"A perfect demonstration; I couldn't have done a better job than you."

Wearing Dragon-hide gloves, Sean rubbed the Fire-Mouthed Hornbill hornbill's beak counterclockwise, and replied with a smile, "Professor, you're too kind."

"No, I'm not very good at lying. Besides, although it's against the rules, I can still secretly tell you that you've already gotten an O from me."

"Thank you, Professor." Sean laughed cheerfully.

The exams that weren't too stressful for Sean were over, and when the last exam ended, the students all cheered.

Finally free from this demanding semester!

Quidditch enthusiasts are calling out to their friends and family, Dumbledore has promised their indoor Quidditch Pitch are now open 24/7 – it's time to let loose!

The girls changed into their cool school uniforms and chattered excitedly about their summer vacation plans.

The others also plunged headlong into the various forms of entertainment offered by the wizards.

Meanwhile, Dumbledore was rarely seen at school, returned, bringing with him good news.

The tense situation outside has been brought under control to some extent, and all restrictions have been eased. However, to ensure safety, he still does not recommend that all students travel around during the summer vacation.

Sean, on the other hand, was lost in thought. After the exam, he had been organizing all the information he had received in the past, trying to discover the truth or connections that he had not noticed before.

Unfortunately, the results were minimal.

Hermione recovered from her initial post-exam anxiety, which Daisy kept trying to distract her from. After angrily chasing the Little White Flower around, her anxiety actually subsided considerably.

That day, Room of Requirement, three people were studying a thick, black book.

Sean also told Hermione and Daisy about the Collection of Greedy Poet's Stories, " and after their initial surprise, the two began to help analyze it.

"I hate the Riddler..." Sean held a pen in one hand and supported his body with the other.

Hermione didn't even look up; she was flipping through another book.

"This animal often had various meanings in ancient times, and if we can match them up, we should be able to see more," Hermione said.

Daisy helped Hermione take notes, saying as she wrote, "But, isn't the Realm of Illusion different from our real world?"

"They're definitely different, but who knows, maybe we can find some connection... hmm?"

Hermione suddenly made a questioning sound.

"What's wrong?" Sean leaned closer.

"This nursery rhyme has similarities to the poet's experience in the Realm of Illusion... wait, this seems a bit strange..."

Just then, there was a knock on the wooden door of the Room of Requirement.

The group all looked up at once, and then Hermione and Daisy both looked at Sean.

There is only one person who can knock on the door.