Chapter 234 233. Exams.

Time always flies when you're busy, and that held true for Severus, who had more than enough to keep him occupied. At times, with a naive, nostalgic smile, he even recalled his original plans from when he first found himself in this body.

This life bore little resemblance to the one he'd imagined back then, but he was quite pleased with how things had turned out.

After all, if things had gone differently, he might never have met so many people. He could have been lounging on some remote island in complete solitude, basking in the sun, or perhaps traveling the world, or even trying to conquer it. There was no telling what might have crossed his mind.

Earlier, Severus had thought there was still plenty of time before next month's exams. How wrong he'd been.

Immersed in his work, he barely noticed July arriving and the school year drawing to a close, aside from the optional extra lessons. Those who wished could prepare for their O.W.L.s and N.E.W.T.s on their own.

That year, for an "unknown" reason, the school year had been extended by a month, dedicated entirely to exam preparation.

The Board of Governors had decided to keep the children safe during these troubled times. The war could resume at any moment. Only a handful knew about the contract signed by the Minister of Magic, Voldemort, and the leaders of the largest gangs.

Naturally, most children and their parents, who didn't fully grasp the situation, were unhappy about this. Everyone wanted to see their children after a whole year at Hogwarts.

However, the professors would speak with such parents, bringing them up to speed. Afterward, those same parents would practically demand that all children remain at the castle over the holidays for their own safety.

But those requests were denied for several reasons. First, keeping students longer meant extra costs for teachers' salaries and food. Second, most aristocrats in power wanted to see their own children, so they compromised on a single month to avoid offending either side.

N.E.W.T.s were the final exams taken in the seventh year, usually in subjects selected after the O.W.L.s that were required for one's future profession.

For example, to be accepted at Mungo's, a wizard needed to achieve "Exceeds Expectations" in Transfiguration, Herbology, Potions, Charms, and Defense Against the Dark Arts, a feat simply impossible for most students.

For the same reason, sixth- and seventh-years, with a few exceptions, were noticeably quiet. They spent nearly all their time buried in books, preparing for the very exams that could determine their futures.

Still, even to gain entry to N.E.W.T. classes, students needed certain grades in those subjects, with the minimum threshold set by each professor. McGonagall, for instance, required "Exceeds Expectations" in Transfiguration, just one step below "Outstanding," the highest possible grade.

Slughorn, on the other hand, was far more lenient, allowing students with an "Acceptable" to try their luck.

N.E.W.T.s weren't just any exams; they were the highest level. Teachers couldn't simply let anyone pass, because these students might one day become civil servants, Aurors, or Healers. Entrusting such critical work to incompetents was a genuine crime, if anyone found out, of course. And such wizards were usually exposed quickly enough.

For that reason, the professors were strict and meticulous. None of them wanted to lose their position or earn a black mark on their record that would leave them unemployable.

The first exam was scheduled for July twelfth, covering two subjects at once: Arithmancy and Astronomy. Severus had no intention of skipping either.

He intended to surpass the record for the most subjects passed in the entire history of the School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, a record held by Merlin himself, who had achieved ten Outstanding grades and one Exceeds Expectations. Even now, a certificate commemorating this hung on a solitary stand in the trophy room, and in the annals of history, his name had become synonymous with power and genius.

And Severus meant to change that. He would accomplish what even Dumbledore and Tom had failed to do, and etch his name into this castle for the rest of its existence. He had once promised that Severus Snape (now Prince, but that was beside the point) would be remembered for a very long time. One of this young man's lifelong aspirations had been to graduate from Hogwarts as the best in his year, if only to impress a certain someone. But he had decided to expand that dream just a little to the scope of the entire school's history.

And to fulfill that dream and help himself in the future…

---

The first exam, Arithmancy, was scheduled for the morning. Unsurprisingly, only nine students sat in the classroom, along with the professor, Septima Vector, a woman of about twenty-five, and a Ministry observer of roughly the same age, who watched the students with a bored expression, stroking his short, dark beard.

It was hardly surprising that this subject wasn't required for most careers, except for curse-breakers, whose job was to remove charms or curses from objects or locations.

Such wizards were highly valued at Gringotts, where their duties included dispelling enchantments from various treasures and even entire tombs, whenever they were discovered.

But the Ministry needed them too, for removing enchantments from illegally charmed objects, which the organization had in staggering numbers.

The downside of the profession was its high degree of danger and difficulty. One wrong move and a spell could destabilize and break free, crippling or even killing the unfortunate curse-breaker.

For that reason, few chose to pursue such a dangerous profession, despite its generous pay.

Arithmancy, though classified among the divinatory sciences that Severus so disliked, differed from them by employing a stricter, more mathematical approach to predicting the future. Using it, one could build predictive models based on variables and deduce cause and effect, though the results were more likely to be wrong than right. Still, Severus far preferred this to reading tea leaves with that old woman, whose exam he also intended to take.

Beyond that, the mathematics of this subject could greatly assist in creating magical formulas, replacing certain components with numbers and thereby reducing their length by half or even two-thirds.

This made it far easier to fit a formula on a ring or earring, and the result could even function better, strengthening the charms placed on an artifact and reducing activation time, which in the heat of battle could save a life (as had happened more than once).

Septima Vector herself was a very strict professor, and many students even feared her. Because of this, few chose to take this exam unless they planned to become curse-breakers, though some found the subject easier than others and selected it accordingly.

After all, passing the five required subjects to become a Healer or an Auror was merely the minimum and didn't guarantee acceptance. Because of this, many students relied on quantity.

With six N.E.W.T.s at Exceeds Expectations or higher, one's chances of being hired in their chosen field improved dramatically.

---

The moment Severus stepped into the classroom, he was met with an oppressive atmosphere. Not a single student so much as glanced his way; they were all tensely preparing for an exam that promised to be anything but easy.

Septima wasn't particularly surprised by his appearance. She had already been informed that he intended to do the impossible: take all twelve N.E.W.T. subjects in his seventh year, including Transfiguration, Potions, Charms, History of Magic, Defense Against the Dark Arts, Astronomy, Herbology, Divination, Arithmancy, Ancient Runes, Care of Magical Creatures, and Muggle Studies.

At first, of course, she had been shocked. Though he had attended her classes, she had never expected him to attempt every subject. But she soon calmed down, recalling that he already had an Outstanding in every discipline. For him, it wouldn't be impossible.

Naturally, attending all twelve classes for an entire year was impossible; he simply didn't have the time. So Severus had arranged with the professors to attend most lessons no more than once a month, while still submitting all homework and passing the assessments.

The professors understood that Severus was exceptionally busy and made allowances, turning a blind eye. The Headmaster remained silent on the matter, so they kept quiet as well. After all, he fulfilled all his obligations completely: submitting everything on time and always earning an Outstanding. This was hardly surprising, given that his Grimoire contained all the knowledge Hogwarts had to offer. But Severus also studied diligently in his free time.

Not wanting to disturb the other students, he gave Septima a slight nod in greeting, then calmly sat down at the front desk by the window. He closed his eyes and spent the next few minutes basking in the warm sunlight.

This surprised the Ministry observer, though not by much. In his years of work, he had seen far stranger people. One examinee, several years ago, had even taken his exams upside down and, most surprisingly, had passed. That man now held a high-ranking position in the Ministry of Magic.

He recognized Severus easily enough. His photograph was kept by nearly every Ministry employee, stamped in large letters with the words: TREAT WITH RESPECT! For a long time, the observer had wanted to see this genius in person: the one who had bent almost the entire state apparatus to his will.

Yet after observing him for a while, the young man didn't inspire the expected awe, only mild approval of his physique, which made him look considerably older and underscored that he hadn't merely learned to wave a wand around.

Still, the observer decided to watch him more closely.

Ten minutes later, a sharp crack signaled the start of the exam, and the door swung shut.

"Clear everything off your desks!" the brunette commanded, her cold emerald eyes sweeping over the nervous students, who immediately dropped their gazes, all except one, who was completely unaffected by her technique. On the contrary, he met her gaze with his usual calm smile. She gave no reaction and continued evenly, "Since you've come here, you must understand the full complexity of this subject and my attitude toward rule-breakers."

"And if I catch anyone, they'll immediately receive a 'Troll' with no chance for a retake." She drew her wand and gave it a light upward flick. An inkwell, a quill, and two parchments appeared before each of them: one blank, the other containing the exam questions. "You have forty-five minutes. Begin." Almost immediately, the young wizards started reading the questions frantically, as did Severus, though far more calmly.

Upon opening the parchment, he found only three questions. The first was relatively simple, merely defining certain numbers considered magical, but the others were anything but. *Like opening a textbook on higher mathematics. With this many formulas, you'd lose your mind if you didn't understand a thing… but then again, if you don't even know this much, becoming a curse-breaker is pointless.* Severus nodded approvingly. Though Septima behaved like a real b****, as nearly all students saw her, she understood exactly what one needed to know to avoid dying on the very first assignment, and what to watch out for. The third task dealt precisely with what required special attention in placed charms: which numbers or combinations carried death or could destabilize the entire formula. Only by answering the third question and listing all of them could one earn an 'Outstanding,' and only with that grade were curse-breakers typically hired at Gringotts and the Ministry, though even they conducted additional tests, just in case. *Well then, let's begin.* With that thought, he opened the blank parchment and began answering the questions.

---

*Hogwarts uses a twelve-point grading system.*

*Passing grades:

10-12 points: Outstanding (O)

8-9 points: Exceeds Expectations (E)

6-7 points: Acceptable (A)*

*Failing grades:

4-5 points: Poor (P)

2-3 points: Dreadful (D)

0-1 points: Troll (T)*

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