Chapter 57: Before the Exam - Harry Potter: The Duelist of Hogwarts

Dumbledore's investigation had come to an abrupt halt.

The young wizards' final revisions were still in full swing.

In the library, Sean guided Blaise in his revision while simultaneously speeding through books, striving to catch up with the Potions Club's discussion pace before the end of the first school year.

"Sean, the exams start the day after tomorrow. What do you think I'll do if I fail?"

Looking at the bewildered Blaise, Sean said to him while looking down at his book, "Instead of worrying so much, you could memorise the second part of my Transfiguration notes and then go back and practice more. The Transfiguration exam is mostly practical. As long as you practice the practical components sufficiently, you should at least get an 'Acceptable' and not fail."

Scratching his head, feeling a bit annoyed, Blaise calmed down and continued to pore over Sean's notes.

It must be said that Sean's notes saved Blaise a lot of time. Without Sean's notes, Blaise would definitely be having a much harder time now.

Aside from Flying Class, there were only seven compulsory subjects in the first year.

Among them, Sean was most proficient in Potions. Next, Transfiguration, Charms, and Defense Against the Dark Arts were also quite excellent subjects, given the time and energy Sean intentionally devoted to them. Finally, there were History of Magic, Herbology, and Astronomy. Aside from Herbology, which was studied in conjunction with Potions and where his performance was good, Sean could only say his performance in History of Magic and Astronomy was passable, not much different from other excellent young wizards.

Therefore, even before the exams, Sean actually had a good idea of his results.

After dinner in the Great Hall, Sean and Blaise parted ways. Blaise took Sean's notes back to his room to study diligently. Even he didn't dare to meet his girlfriend in the days leading up to the exams; otherwise, he would truly fail.

Sean carried his books to the Potions Club classroom. As soon as he arrived, Jennifer Frawley came over and whispered to him, "Sean, have you been collaborating with someone to sell potions recently?"

Students at Hogwarts selling potions privately is, strictly speaking, against school rules. However, Hogwarts has never strictly pursued this matter, being somewhat lenient instead. Of course, the prerequisite is that the potions sold must be up to standard and free of problems; otherwise, Hogwarts' punishment is also very severe.

Therefore, the students of Hogwarts had no qualms about buying and selling potions.

Looking at Jennifer, Sean nodded and said, "Yes, I've collaborated with others to sell some potions. What about it?"

"Nothing really," she said. "I just wanted to ask if you're interested in collaborating with me. As long as the potions you provide meet the quality requirements, I can help you sell them in the Frawley family's shop, only charging you a ten percent commission. How does that sound?"

Hearing Jennifer's words, Sean's eyebrows slightly lifted. The terms she offered were even better than those Dorian had given him. Selling in a shop meant using external commercial prices, not the cheaper internal Hogwarts prices. As for the ten percent commission, it was extremely low.

These terms truly couldn't be more advantageous, but Sean didn't intend to agree.

It wasn't because of Oliver Frawley but because Sean had always been quite wary of Jennifer, constantly feeling that his nominal cousin wanted something from him.

"Thanks, but I'm currently collaborating very happily with my partner, and the galleons I'm earning are sufficient. I don't want to switch to another party."

Listening to Sean's words, Jennifer showed no displeasure at all. Instead, she smiled and said, "Alright then, since you don't need it, I won't bother you. Look, Professor Snape should be arriving soon."

As soon as Jennifer returned to her seat, Snape swept in with his billowing black robes, commencing this round of Potions discussion.

With the discussion concluded, Sean sat in his seat and slightly exhaled. After half a year of catching up, he could finally just about keep pace with others' discussions. Previously, in order to catch up, he hadn't chosen to go home during the Christmas break but had stayed at Hogwarts to continue his studies. Sean's parents had complained about this for a while.

Of course, keeping pace was just that—keeping pace. Sean mostly listened to others' discussions and rarely participated himself, so Sean still needed to work hard.

With the Potions Club ending, everyone left again.

Sean was still the last to leave. He tidied up his things and waited for Snape to give him a new reading list, but this time Snape didn't give him one. Instead, he said directly to Sean, "Exams are coming soon, and once they're over, this school year will end. I won't give you a new reading list during this time. If you still want to delve deeper, summarize what you've learned before and study it again; you will gain new insights."

"Professor, why don't you recommend me a couple of books? Otherwise, I'm afraid I'll become lax after the holidays."

Hearing this, Snape's expressionless face suddenly twisted into a highly sarcastic smile. He opened his mouth and began spewing venom at Sean, saying, "If you can become lax over one holiday, it means you are completely unsuited for the Potions Club and Potions, just like those idiotic Gryffindors. In that case, there's no need for you to occupy a spot in my Potions Club."

Wearing an awkward yet polite smile, Sean had originally intended to make a joke, but facts proved he had overthought it. Trying to joke with the Slytherin Snake King was purely asking for trouble and waiting to be sprayed.

Returning to his room, Sean put down his books and looked at Kulkan sleeping in her nest. At this time, she was a circle larger than when the school year began. He didn't know if Hogwarts was particularly nurturing for magical creatures or if there was some other reason. When he was at the Magical Menagerie, Sean had asked the shopkeeper, and Kulkan had maintained the size she was when bought for two or three years. Yet, as soon as she was brought to Hogwarts, she started growing. Growing a little wasn't a big deal, but he was afraid she would grow too large, making her difficult to raise in the future.

He reached out and stroked Kulkan's head, causing Kulkan to retract her head into her coil, clearly not wanting to be disturbed while sleeping.

Seeing this, Sean smiled and sat down at his desk to continue reading.

Two days passed in an instant, and soon it was time for the exams.

The exams were divided into two parts: written and practical. For Sean, the written exam was completely without difficulty. As for the practical part, as long as it wasn't a Flying exam, Sean feared no challenge.

The first exam was Charms. Sean and Blaise, who was rambling prayers to Merlin for a smooth exam, walked into the examination hall together, beginning the three-day exam period.Chapter 57: Before the Exam