Time flies, and before you know it, it's time for the end-of-term exams.
Since the leaves of the Sweet Mallow have all been used up, Harry has to wait until September to continue searching for the Merlin Ruins.
The Sweet Mallow used for Merlin's Trial is a rare magical plant native to the United Kingdom. Its leaves are not only used to initiate Merlin's Trial but are also an important ingredient in brewing magic potions.
Thus, in the market, this stuff is always highly sought after.
If you want to buy Sweet Mallow leaves outside of the harvest season, it will cost a fortune.
Harry, in order to start Merlin's Trial, has nearly bought out all the available Sweet Mallow, so there's basically none left on the market.
The exam content isn't complicated. Everything goes smoothly except for Professor Snape's Magic Potion class exam.
This time, Hogwarts' Defense Against the Dark Arts exam is handled by Abufosi.
After all, the board member, Miss Pabi Swedding, has sternly declared that Professor Snape displays partiality towards Slytherin, which is an inappropriate behavior that severely damages the image of Hogwarts teachers.
On learning that Pabi tattled on him, Snape's expression when looking at Pabi carried a hint of imperceptible complexity.
Of course, not quite like the way he looks at James Potter.
After completing the written exam for Magic Potion class, Ron sighed with relief.
After the exam ended, he stood up and took a few deep breaths.
He should say he is quite thankful to Hermione, at least Hermione made him write the paper himself, which he used for the Magic Potion class exam.
At least this time he won't get low marks in Magic Potion class, he thought.
"How did you do?" Seamus asked beside him.
Ron originally wanted to be honest, but after thinking about it, he said, "Not too well, kind of bombed it."
"Really?" Seamus showed a smile of finding a kindred spirit: "Oh gosh, I did terribly too. There were so many knowledge points I couldn't answer. Why was this magic potion exam so hard?"
"Same here," Neville said miserably: "Even though I studied hard before the exam, why did I forget everything during the test? Oh my gosh..."
Hermione, nearby, said: "I think you should overcome your inner tension. You're really too scared of Professor Snape."
At this, Ron thought for a moment and couldn't help bursting into laughter.
"What's the matter?" Everyone asked curiously.
Ron originally wanted to say, but he thought of Snape like a shadow behind him and decided to keep quiet.
"Let's eat first, then talk when we get back to the common room."
Saying this, everyone's curiosity was piqued, especially Seamus, who nudged Ron with his elbow, saying: "Come on, tell us, it's like there's a Sniff crawling inside our minds..."
"Not saying, not saying," Ron shook his head quickly: "I don't want to lose more points."
With this comment, everyone understood what was up.
It's probably about Snape behind his back, or else he wouldn't be so cautious.
Ron is now in a state of once bitten by a snake, ten years afraid of a rope. His biggest worry now is saying something bad about Snape and getting caught.
"You're being too paranoid," Seamus whispered: "I don't believe Professor Snape will suddenly appear behind you."
After saying this, he glanced behind him, and sure enough, Snape was at the faculty table having his meal.
"No, I've decided to wait a bit," Ron said cautiously.
Returning to the dormitory, Ron couldn't hold back his laughter.
Hearing him laugh stirred Harry's curiosity too.
"What are you thinking about?" he asked curiously.
"I was thinking, if Neville stays at school and becomes a professor in the future, would he still lose points when he encounters Snape?" Ron said, hugging his belly with laughter: "Imagine, Neville's first reaction upon seeing Professor Snape would be to step back, and then Snape would say to him—you're a professor now, I won't deduct points from Gryffindor, timid Longbottom."
While speaking, Ron very earnestly imitated Snape's tone, making everyone laugh heartily.
"Oh my gosh, Ron..." Neville shivered: "That's not funny, I can almost see Professor Snape saying that to me!"
"You'll have nightmares tonight, Neville," Harry patted Neville's arm and said: "I think you should focus on happy things now; stop always thinking about Professor Snape."
This was a genuinely good advice, which everyone agreed with.
That night, as Neville slept, he suddenly woke up from a nightmare.
"Professor Snape! Don't deduct my points!"
Harry, reading by moonlight, turned to comfort him: "Don't worry, you're in Gryffindor's dormitory, Neville."
"Oh, I'm in the dormitory..."
Neville nodded dazedly and lay back down to sleep soundly again.
Three days later, the results were officially announced.
To everyone's surprise, Ron received an "O" in Magic Potion class.
"You lied to me!" Seamus said angrily to Ron: "You told me you did poorly and then got an O! Oh my gosh, you traitor..."
"I really did do poorly, but I probably guessed right?" Ron said, scratching his head with a grin, making him even more punchable.
The consequence was the Weasley Twins holding Ron down for everyone to tickle him.
"Haha... stop tickling! Stop tickling!" Ron struggled madly, but the strong lock hold from his brothers made escape impossible.