The written exams were always a bit boring. During the exam period, aside from a Hufflepuff being caught using a self-writing quill, there were no other major incidents.
Among the written exams for the seven main subjects, the Potions and Transfiguration exams were the most difficult, followed by Charms and Herbology. The remaining exams were basically very simple; although not quite at the level of just copying from the book, most of the answers could be found in the textbook. For someone like Sean, who had almost memorized the textbook, they were not difficult at all.
In contrast, Blaise was just okay in other subjects, confident that he could pass. However, for the Potions and Transfiguration exams, Blaise was really not confident. He kept sighing from the end of the written exam until the start of the practical exam.
"Blaise, stop sighing," Sean said without looking up from his book. "Part of the final grade is based on the practical exam score. If you can get a high enough score on the practical exam, it can make up for your insufficient written exam score. Passing shouldn't be a big problem."
Hearing Sean's words, Blaise immediately perked up and said confidently, "If it's a practical exam, then I'm not worried! I'm not very good at written exams, but I'm absolutely confident in practical work."
"Alright, we're about to go in for the exam. The first one is Professor Flitwick's Charms. He's relatively easy to talk to. If the exam doesn't go well, say something nice and ask to try again."
"Don't worry, I'll be fine!"
Seeing Blaise full of confidence, Sean didn't say anything more and quietly followed the line into the Charms classroom for the practical exam.
The exam involved making a pineapple tap dance across a desk.
To achieve this required the cooperation of multiple spells. If one were lazy on a daily basis, it would be difficult to complete the exam. Generally speaking, as long as the pineapple could walk across the desk, it was considered a passing grade. If the pineapple could tap dance, one could get a good score. If the pineapple could perform a standard tap dance, one would receive full marks.
Among the first-year Slytherin wizards, except for Goyle and Crabbe, who had some difficulty and merely dragged the pineapple from one side of the desk to the other using magic, most of the other Slytherin wizards could get good scores.
Sean was the last Slytherin to take the exam. Before him was Blaise, who performed reasonably well. According to Sean's estimation, he could probably get a grade around 'E' (Exceeds Expectations), which was one level above the passing grade of 'A' (Acceptable).
Blaise left the examination area and stood by the door at the back of the classroom, waiting for Sean.
Professor Flitwick looked at Sean, a smile on his face. Although Sean was a Slytherin student and had gotten into an unusual fight at the start of the school year, the qualities Sean displayed in later classes truly impressed the professor. For the Head of Ravenclaw House, who loved knowledge, Professor Flitwick's favourite students were those like Sean, who possessed intelligence and had a thirst for and respect for knowledge.
"Sean, let me see what kind of dance you can make this pineapple perform."
Drawing out his wand, Sean bowed slightly to Professor Flitwick and said, "As you wish, Professor."
With a light tap of his wand, the pineapple immediately seemed to come alive. It spun once on the desk and began to tap dance from left to right, like a true dancer, moving little by little towards the other side of the desk.
Meanwhile, Sean was like an orchestra conductor, his wand acting as the baton, guiding the pineapple to the other side of the desk and finally having it spin several times to conclude the dance.
When the dance finished, Professor Flitwick immediately clapped his hands and said, "A perfectly executed tap dance, absolutely perfect, a very standard spell. I think your grade, Sean, is beyond doubt. That represents an Outstanding O, a perfect O!"
"Thank you, Professor Flitwick."
"You deserve it."
Sean didn't stay to watch the Hufflepuffs take their exam after the Slytherins. Instead, he left the Charms classroom directly with Blaise. After all, there were still the practical exams for Transfiguration and Potions, and Sean didn't want to waste time.
The Transfiguration exam required transforming a mouse into a snuffbox. The difficulty of this exam was quite high, similar to the written exam, and it was considered a rather difficult practical exam for first-year wizards. Therefore, Professor McGonagall's grading standard wasn't overly high. As long as the mouse could be transformed into something resembling a snuffbox—even if there were still whiskers or a tail on it and some mouse fur on the surface—it was considered a pass.
So, as long as one put in a little effort in Transfiguration during the term, one could more or less complete the exam and pass.
Of course, the difficulty of this exam also meant that getting the highest grade of 'O' was very difficult. Many students who performed well on a daily basis, such as those with quite good written exam results, couldn't get an 'O' on the practical exam.
Standing in the Transfiguration classroom, Blaise was slowly transforming the mouse in front of him into a golden snuffbox.
Sean, on the other hand, pondered slightly. After about a few breaths, he waved his wand and lightly tapped the mouse in front of him.
Swish, swish, swish…
The mouse's body spun violently, transforming into a pure silver snuffbox in the blink of an eye. The snuffbox gleamed brightly, with extremely intricate carvings on its surface. In the center of the snuffbox was a rather standard Hogwarts crest.
As soon as Sean had cast the spell, Professor McGonagall had already walked over.
When Sean finished the Transfiguration, Professor McGonagall looked at the successfully transformed snuffbox and couldn't help but show a smile on her serious face. She said, "A quite perfect piece of work, undoubtedly full marks."
"Thank you, Professor McGonagall."
Professor McGonagall looked at Sean and didn't leave immediately. Instead, she thought for a moment and said in a low voice, "Sean, don't give up practicing Transfiguration after the holidays. Maintain your standard."
After saying these words, Professor McGonagall left to check the exam results of others, especially Hermione's grade. Professor McGonagall wanted to see it properly. As the best first-year student in Gryffindor, she hoped that Hermione could also achieve an 'O'.
Sean watched Professor McGonagall leave and suddenly understood her meaning a little. It seemed she had the idea of inviting him to join a Transfiguration club, but Professor McGonagall obviously wanted to observe further, which was why she told Sean to practice Transfiguration more during the holidays.
With the Transfiguration exam finished, only Potions remained. Sean and Blaise went together to the Potions classroom to prepare for this final and most difficult practical exam.
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