"I don't know," Ron said honestly. "I followed Hermione's notes step by step, but I still feel like Snape gave me a low grade on that potion."
"Why?"
"Because he sneered as he walked past me."
Harry patted him on the shoulder, unsure how to comfort him.
Hermione was the last to emerge from the classroom, her expression calm.
" Hermione, how did you do on your exams?" Ron asked.
"It's alright," Hermione said.
What does "it's alright" mean?
"There are basically no mistakes," Hermione said, frowning.
Harry and Ron both widened their eyes, while Hermione's lips curled up almost imperceptibly.
In the common lounge, the students who had finished their exams chattered and made a ruckus like a flock of doves released from their cages.
Some people are discussing which method to use to solve that calculation problem in Potions Class, while others are debating whether the rabbit that turned from a teacup in the Transfiguration practical exam counted as a success.
Some people were lamenting that they had answered the History of Magic terribly.
"I reversed the dates of the Europe Wizarding Council of 1294 and the Magical Council of Britain of 1279!"
A Hufflepuff boy pounded on the sofa armrest, "A full ten! Ten!"
"Well, you're lucky then," said a Ravenclaw girl next to me. "I answered the entire question about the Goblin Rebellion as ' The Giant Wars,' and only after checking my answers did I realize I was completely off-topic."
"Stop talking, stop talking, my head is starting to hurt."
Ron slumped in his armchair, his feet propped up on the edge of the coffee table, clutching a half-eaten Chocolate Frog in his hand, looking completely drained.
" Harry, do you think you can make the top ten?" he asked, turning his head to look at him.
Harry thought for a moment, then shook his head. "I don't know. Charms and Transfiguration should be okay, but I'm not so sure about the History of Magic, and Potions even less so."
"Your Potions are at least better than mine," Ron mumbled, stuffing Chocolate Frog into his mouth. " Snape may not like you, but at least you won't put the wrong ingredients in your potions."
"I put in the wrong ingredient," Harry said.
Ron paused for a moment.
Which flavor?
"I put out Bezoar, and it turned out to be... uh... goat dung."
Ron slowly swallowed the Chocolate Frog in his mouth, then leaned back and said in an almost relieved tone, "Well, looks like I'm not the only one who failed the test."
Hermione, who was passing by, heard this and paused.
"You two, stop this." She placed the stack of books she was holding on the table next to her.
"The exam is over, there's no point in dwelling on it. Besides, you all studied very hard, so the results won't be bad."
Ron blinked, looking somewhat touched.
As Hermione reached the top of the stairs, she added without turning back, "Don't worry too much. I think I did pretty well on the test, but you two didn't do as badly as you think."
For the next few days, an eerie calm permeated the corridors of Hogwarts.
The exams are over, but the results haven't come out yet; it's like a trial with no resolution in sight.
Everyone waited quietly.
Finally, on a Thursday morning, the results were announced.
The bulletin board was packed with people, a dense mass of heads, making it impossible for anyone to see the long report card on the wall.
"Make way! Let me see!"
"Don't push! I haven't found my name yet!"
Where is Hermione? Hermione must be number one, right?
Hermione squeezed to the edge of the crowd, standing on tiptoe to peek inside.
She wasn't tall enough, and her view was completely blocked by the students in front of her.
" Hermione, can you see it?" Ron asked her from behind.
"I can't see it."
"Don't worry, let me take a look for you." Fred peeked out from the crowd; he was taller than most people and had a good view.
"The second-year student is number one... the number one student is... Hermione Granger."
A chorus of expected sighs and exclamations rose from the surrounding area.
"I knew it," Ron exclaimed.
Hermione's face remained expressionless, but the tips of her ears turned slightly red.
"Second place is... Antony Goldstein of Ravenclaw," Fred continued, "Third place is... Daphne Greengrass of Slytherin. Fourth place..."
He read up to the tenth place in one breath, then suddenly stopped.
"What's wrong?" George asked from the side.
Fred turned around and looked at Harry with a very subtle expression.
"Tenth place," Fred said, " Harry Potter."
Harry was stunned.
"What?"
"Tenth place, Harry. You've made it into the top ten."
Harry squeezed to the front of the bulletin board and finally saw the report card.
His name was indeed ranked tenth, with his scores in each subject listed next to him: Charms O, Transfiguration E, Potions A, History of Magic E, Herbology E, Astronomy O, Defence Against Dark Magic O.
" Merlin's beard..." he murmured.
"Stop looking, stop looking, let me see mine." Ron squeezed up from behind, his eyes eagerly searching for his name on the report card.
His gaze swept down from the first place and finally stopped at the twenty-second place.
Ron's face immediately fell.
"Twenty-two." His voice sounded like it was being squeezed out between his teeth. "Twenty-two... I studied for so long, got up at 6:30 every day, and I'm still only twenty-two."
Harry didn't know what to say.
Hermione squeezed through the crowd and stood next to Ron, comforting him, "It's okay, everyone's working hard. At least this time the results are much better than last time."
Students kept pouring in to see the results, some happy, some sad, a cacophony of voices, a chaotic scene.
No one noticed Professor McGonagall walking down the corridor.
She walked quickly, the hem of her robe billowing in the wind, her expression as serious as ever.
But she stopped at the door of the Gryffindor Common Room and turned to look in Ron's direction.
" Mr. Weasley," she said.
Ron looked up, his expression suggesting he was prepared to be scolded.
"Come with me."
Ron followed Professor McGonagall into the common room, with Harry and Hermione following behind.
Several people were already seated in the common room: Neville, Seamus, Dean, and a few Gryffindor students whose names Harry couldn't recall.
They sat on sofas or armchairs, all with similar expressions of confusion on their faces.
Professor McGonagall stood in front of the fireplace, looking at the group of students before her, and remained silent for a few seconds.
"You didn't rank in the top ten of your grade in the exams," she said.
The people lowered their heads.
"However," Professor McGonagall continued, "The professors believe that you have made very significant progress this semester."
Ron slowly raised his head.
"Especially Mr. Weasley," Professor McGonagall said, "Your History of History of Magic grade has improved considerably since last semester."
Ron's mouth opened slightly.
"And Mr. Longbottom," Professor McGonagall turned to Neville, "Your Potions Class grade has also improved from 'barely passing' last semester to 'good'."
Neville's ears turned red.
"The same goes for everyone else." Professor McGonagall's gaze swept over everyone present.
"Your efforts have been recognized by the professors. Therefore, although you did not make it into the top ten of the grade, the professors have unanimously decided that you can still choose one dynamic card."