Chapter 687: O.W.Ls Steamroller
Chapter 687: O.W.Ls Steamroller
After breakfast, the four of them shouldered their bags and made their way to the Potions classroom in the basement. To be honest, having Potions class right after a meal wasn't conducive to proper digestion.
"The door's locked," Fred said as he reached out to push it open, only to find it locked.
George raised an eyebrow as he looked at the timetable in his hand. "Do you think we got the wrong schedule?"
"I don't think so, but maybe..."
"Let's wait," Albert cut them off, stopping them from attempting to open the door themselves.
Soon, the corridor filled with students, all waiting for Professor Snape to arrive and unlock the Potions classroom.
"Looks like we're not late," Angelina and Alicia hurried over, their gazes lingering on Albert for a moment. "You forgot your badge?" they teased.
"I forgot," Albert admitted.
"You can forget things too?" they asked, surprised.
Albert noticed the girls glancing at the boy next to him and realized they were teasing the Ravenclaw prefect, not him.
"I think you should wear it all the time. It makes you look more impressive, like Percy, making sure everyone knows he's the Head Boy," Fred said, not holding back when it came to speaking ill of Percy. It was clear that they had also noticed that only the Ravenclaw prefect, Selwyn, was wearing his badge.
Hearing this, Selwyn's face turned gloomy, and he turned away to discreetly remove the badge from his chest and pocket it.
Noticing Albert's curious glance, Alicia explained, "You didn't see how arrogantly he was lecturing us just now."
Albert raised an eyebrow but didn't pay it much mind.
Soon, the whispers in the corridor died down as Snape approached with a gloomy expression on his face.
The Potions master pulled out his keys and unlocked the classroom door.
"Before we begin the lesson, I must remind you of something," Snape said as he strode towards the lectern. Turning to face the students, his eyes swept over them sternly. "Next June, you will be sitting your O.W.Ls, and I expect you all to at least 'pass' the exam, or I will be very displeased."
"Of course, after this year, many of you will no longer be taking my class," Snape's eyes flickered over the students, a slight curl to his lips. "I only select the most outstanding students for my N.E.W.Ts Potions class, which means some of you will have to say goodbye."
"Until that happy moment of farewell, we still have a year to endure," Snape said softly. "So, whether or not you intend to take the N.E.W.Ts exam, I suggest you all focus on your studies and strive to meet the high standards I set for my students in the O.W.Ls."
Fred and George were winking at Albert, seemingly celebrating the fact that they wouldn't have to take Potions class or see Snape as often next semester.
Of course, they weren't the only ones with such thoughts.
It was common knowledge that Snape's N.E.W.Ts Potions class had the highest requirements of all the professors, and so the number of students in his class rarely exceeded double digits each year.
"Today, we will be brewing a potion that often appears in the Ordinary Wizarding Level exams—the Soothing Solution. It calms and soothes agitated and anxious emotions and can relieve pre-exam stress. I've seen many students crumble under the pressure of O.W.Ls, so I suggest you learn how to brew this potion well and administer it to yourself or others if necessary."
Ignoring the delighted looks on the students' faces, Snape continued, "Of course, if you're careless with the ingredients, you might end up sending the drinker into a deep, sometimes irreversible, slumber. So, pay close attention when brewing the Soothing Solution. The ingredients and instructions are on the board. You have an hour and a half...Begin."
With a wave of his wand, Snape opened the supply cabinet doors.
The Soothing Solution wasn't particularly difficult to brew, at least not in Albert's opinion.
As long as one followed the strict order and measurements, adding the ingredients to the cauldron, stirring the mixture methodically, maintaining the temperature at a certain stage when the cauldron boiled, and then adding the final ingredient, it would be a success.
Precision and adherence to standards were always key to successful potion-making, but for most students, this seemed to be a challenging task.
As Albert added two drops of Sneezewort Syrup to his cauldron, Snape suddenly appeared behind him and whispered, "Professor McGonagall should have mentioned the Potions Championship to you. You'll need to come here every weekend at three in the afternoon for temporary training."
Albert didn't respond, keeping his focus on the cauldron in front of him.
Snape's sudden appearance had been deliberate.
If Albert had shaken and added too many drops just now, who knew what this potion would have turned into.
However, the current result was quite satisfactory, with a faint, silvery vapor rising from the cauldron, matching Snape's description.
Albert poured half of the potion into a small vial, labeled it with his name, and stored the rest in his own bottle for future use.
Only after completing this did Albert have time to look around. Aside from him, no one else had succeeded. A few had made minor errors, resulting in steam colors that didn't quite match the expected outcome.
"This is a pile of dragon dung!"
Lee Jordan muttered under his breath as he watched thick, dark gray clouds billow from his cauldron.
“We won't have to see Snape next semester." Fred wasn't faring much better than Lee Jordan, as his potion emitted a strong sulfurous stench of rotten eggs.
"Looks like you'll be flying solo in Potions class next semester."
Lee Jordan didn't seem to mind at all and even maliciously speculated, "Judging from the performance of our year, I doubt Snape's N.E.W.Ts Potions class will have even ten students."
"I think five would be a stretch." George analyzed, "Slytherin and Ravenclaw are better at Potions than us. Katrina from Ravenclaw should be fine, but it's questionable if Sandra will get an Outstanding. As for Hufflepuff..."
"Digory's pretty good." Albert reminded them.
"Okay, let's count him in, that barely makes four. How many outstanding students can Slytherin produce?" George sneered, "Are we expecting Montague to pull through?"
"Changing the topic, if we didn't take the advanced class, could we graduate from Hogwarts early?" Lee Jordan suddenly asked.
"Since we plan to open a shop, it doesn't matter if we mess up our O.W.Ls." Fred and George didn't seem to care much about their O.W.Ls results.
"I think your family will be very disappointed with your grades, and your summer vacation won't be pleasant." Albert reminded them, "Also, I think if you completely fail your O.W.Ls, you might have to repeat the year."
"What do we have for our afternoon classes?" Fred stiffly changed the subject, clearly not wanting to discuss this further.
"History of Magic and Defense Against the Dark Arts." Albert warned them, "Don't get any funny ideas."
"I just hope our Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher is more competent than Lockhart." George complained, "I think we'll do alright in Defense Against the Dark Arts this time."
Last semester, Lockhart had been a disaster, causing no small amount of trouble for the previous year's students.
"This Professor Lupin seems decent, being able to cast a Patronus means he's a capable wizard."
"Hopefully, we'll actually learn something."
The afternoon History of Magic class was incredibly boring, with Professor Binns lecturing on the history of the Giant Wars, while most of the students were too distracted or sleepy to pay attention.
Albert didn't bother listening either and instead pulled out another book from his bag to pass the time.
As for the exam and homework, he had already borrowed Isabelle's notes on History of Magic. Anyway, Professor Binns always lectured monotonously from the textbook, so everyone's notes were pretty much the same.
The next Defense Against the Dark Arts class, however, was more interesting.
Professor Lupin didn't lecture but instead spent a lot of time figuring out what they had learned from their first to fourth years.
"I am well aware of the situation with the Defense Against the Dark Arts classes. You've had four different professors by now, and it's understandable that, in such chaos, it would be difficult for you to apply what you've learned in the upcoming exams and achieve satisfying results." Lupin said softly, "However, rest assured, the situation isn't as dire as you might think. Most of the O.W.Ls exam content is covered in 'Dark Forces: A Guide to Self-Protection', and the practical exam will mostly involve banishing some dark creatures. As long as you master the methods to counter them, you shouldn't worry too much about failing the exam."
"Dark creatures? But how do we defend ourselves against other dark wizards?" Fred raised his hand and asked, "For example, the fugitive, Black?"
"I think it's highly unlikely for you to encounter any dark wizards, at least not before you leave school." Lupin said helplessly as he saw the expectant looks on everyone's faces, "Alright, Professor McGonagall did mention that Professor Lockhart taught you the Disarming Charm. Mr. Anderson, would you mind coming up and demonstrating it for us?"
As Albert was pushed forward by his classmates, Professor Lupin waved his wand to clear a space for them.
"How do we defend ourselves against spells cast by other wizards?" Professor Lupin nodded at Albert, signaling for him to begin.
The helpful Albert obediently raised his wand and cast the Disarming Charm at Professor Lupin. The spell was blocked by a Shield Charm cast by Lupin.
Applause immediately broke out in the classroom.
"Very good, excellent, Mr. Anderson." Professor Lupin said to the class, "As you can see, I successfully blocked Mr. Anderson's Disarming Charm. Does anyone know what spell I used?"
"Shield Charm."
"Yes, it's the Shield Charm, ten points to Gryffindor." Lupin continued, "The Shield Charm creates a magical barrier that deflects hexes and physical entities, protecting a specific person or area. It's a defensive spell that can counter multiple offensive spells. The incantation is: Protego."
"Professor, are we going to learn the Shield Charm in the next lesson?" A student asked eagerly.
"No."
"Why not? I think the Shield Charm is more useful." Someone asked unhappily.
"Because I need you to get the best possible scores in your O.W.Ls." Lupin said gently, "If, after finishing the remaining content in 'Dark Forces: A Guide to Self-Protection', we still have time, I will teach you some defensive spells. But for now, you should focus on your O.W.Ls."
This chapter has been revised, so please refresh the content.
I won't upload it until the next revision, so as not to affect your reading experience.
So, sometimes the update may be later in the day, or the next day.
(End of Chapter)
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