November's weather gradually grew colder, but it could not freeze the passage of time.
Douglas announced in class that November's monthly exam was canceled.
But before everyone could celebrate, Douglas announced that the first semester's final exams would take place in the second week of December.
Groans rose from every year.
Worse still, several professors teaching core subjects seemed very interested in this examination of their students' progress at the end of the first semester.
Finally, a week before the end of November, it was confirmed that Transfiguration, Potions Class, Charms Class, Defense Against Dark Magic, and Astronomy would jointly hold Hogwarts' first-ever first-semester final exams.
Professor Snape even stated explicitly that anyone who failed to achieve a good grade in this exam would have no opportunity in his classes next semester except to practice their knife skills on vegetables from the Kitchen.
He also made it clear that using those vegetables and cauldrons to practice flame control in Potions Class was strictly forbidden.
Douglas saw a "Potions Class Ingredient Preparation Practice Sheet" that George and Fred had. It listed some fairly common vegetables, followed by the corresponding methods of preparing potion ingredients.
Clearly, Snape had put real thought into it, because if those vegetables were handled properly, it would not affect their use in cooking at all.
Still, Douglas quietly told the Kitchen that his meals must never contain vegetables the Potions Class students had practiced on.
Seeing the troubled expressions on the House-elves' faces, Douglas concluded that Snape had definitely instructed the Kitchen to cook those vegetables for him...
By comparison, the other professors did not set such high requirements.
They simply required anyone who failed to copy out their textbook once during the second semester.
Even the usually lenient Professor Flitwick agreed to this requirement.
November came