Chapter 905 - 364: Snape as a Study Buddy—Do You Really Want That Kind of Luck? (Part 2)

Chapter 905: Chapter 364: Snape as a Study Buddy—Do You Really Want That Kind of Luck? (Part 2)

"Maybe you should go find Professor Snape," Hermione said to Ron.

"Oh, come on, Hermione," Harry rolled his eyes and said, "You know what Professor Snape would say—’Oh, it seems our clever Mr. Weasley knows to come looking for his poor old professor after getting poked—he should have reported it last night, though.’"

He mimicked Snape’s tone perfectly, and Hermione couldn’t help but cover her mouth and laugh.

"Stop laughing," Ron sighed, "Okay, I’ll go see Professor Snape then. After all, he’s the Magic Potion class professor—or not, I must go to the school hospital to find Madam Pomfrey!"

However, Madam Pomfrey advised him to find Professor Snape, so as to suffer less.

Reluctantly, Ron had no choice but to seek help from Professor Snape. After a whole half-day of venomous treatment, Ron finally got his antidote.

After applying it on his arm, it returned to normal within a quarter of an hour.

"Sometimes I have to admit, Professor Snape is a good person," Ron said thoughtfully to Harry, "Maybe we’ve misunderstood Professor Snape all along... Is it possible that he actually cares about us deep down, despite always looking and sounding disdainful?"

"Oh no!" Harry slapped his leg, "Looks like the illness has fired into his brain with the speed of a Fire Crossbow Arrow; merciless disease is devouring his brain cells—"

"How many Butter Beers did you drink to say something like that?" The Weasley Twins chimed in sarcastically from behind.

"Perhaps this thing might affect the brain," Hermione hesitantly asked Harry, "How about... we go see Professor Dumbledore?"

"No, why don’t you trust me? You guys?" Ron put down the ointment, looking at the twins, Hermione, and then Harry: "Trust me, I really think Professor Snape is a good person!"

"If you’re sick, go treat it quickly, Ron," Neville looked at Ron worriedly, "Dragging it out is bad for your body, don’t you think?"

Ron took a deep breath.

He chose not to argue anymore.

With the O.W.Ls exams approaching, Ron wasn’t the only one acting strangely.

Hufflepuff’s Ernie Macmillan increasingly liked to inquire about others’ study times, developing a rather annoying habit.

"How many hours do you think you can study in a day?" He asked Harry and Ron anxiously while they lined up for Herbology.

"I don’t know," Ron said, "A few hours, I guess."

"More than eight hours or less?"

"I think less," Ron said, showing a bit of a cautious expression.

"I can study for eight hours," Ernie said proudly, "Eight to nine hours. I study for an hour before breakfast daily. It’s an average of eight hours. If things go well, I can study for ten hours on weekends; I studied for nine and a half hours on Monday. Tuesday wasn’t as good—only seven hours and a quarter. Then Wednesday—"

"I don’t actually study," Ron said earnestly.

"You’re joking, right?" Ernie laughed and asked.

"No, I’m serious, Ernie," Ron nodded seriously, "In fact, studying isn’t necessarily necessary; I think it’s better to focus on key learning areas, don’t you think?"

"Then what do you study?" Ernie was bewildered.

"Like Magic Potion class," Ron patted Ernie’s shoulder.

"You’re joking, Ron," Ernie said a little angrily, "Even if you don’t tell me the truth, you shouldn’t lie!"

"No, it’s true," Ron said, "I’ve found a really great teacher for private tutoring."

"Wow!" Ernie believed it immediately, enviously saying, "Really? You’re so lucky, Ron..."

Ron interrupted him, "Do you want the luck of studying with Professor Snape?"

Ernie’s eyes widened instantly.

"Uh—" he said, "Such luck is best left alone, Ron, I think studying by myself is a better choice—rather than studying with Professor Snape."

Study? Or study with Professor Snape?

Ernie genuinely, deep in his heart, felt that Ron was quite a character.

Just then, Professor Sprout led them into the greenhouse.

Now, amidst fifth and seventh graders concentrating and boosting their brainpower and treating insomnia, a thriving black market trade had emerged among them.

Eddie Camille, a sixth-year Ravenclaw student, wanted to sell Neville and Seamus a bottle of Bafei Awakening Potion, which they were quite interested in.

Eddie confidently stated that he scored nine "Outstanding" on his O.W.Ls exams last summer, all thanks to this potion, and it was priced at twelve Galleons for a whole pint.

But before they could close the deal, Hermione seized Camille’s bottle and poured the contents into the toilet.

"You’re so ruthless," Seamus said regretfully as he looked at the Bafei Awakening Potion in the toilet, "This thing could actually be useful to us, Hermione—"

"But its side effects are obvious, Seamus," Hermione said with some frustration, "This might boost your brainpower, but it also makes you dazed for a while. If I were you, I would definitely not use it."

"Then why does Camille still peddle such things to us?" Seamus asked, unwilling to accept.

"Because he wants to make money," Hermione said helplessly.

Seeing Seamus still unwilling, Hermione added: "If you want to try dried dung from a fox spirit, which is present in the ingredient list, I won’t oppose."

Upon hearing this, Seamus finally stopped thinking about that Bafei Awakening Potion.

He didn’t want to become Old Eight Finigan.

Even if a potion contained dung, he didn’t want to try it.

Time flew by faster and faster, and before they knew it, it was June.

The castle grounds shone in the sunlight, looking as if freshly painted; the clear sky reflected on the shimmering, tranquil lake; the satin-smooth green lawn occasionally rippled in the gentle breeze.

The arrival of June only meant one thing to fifth year students: their O.W.Ls exam was finally upon them.

Teachers no longer assigned homework; all class time was dedicated to reviewing topics teachers thought were most likely to appear in exams.

In the next Transformation Class, they learned about the O.W.Ls exam schedules and specific arrangements during exams.

"As you can see," Professor McGonagall said as students noted down the exam dates and times from the blackboard, "Your O.W.Ls exams will last two weeks. You are to take written tests in the morning and practical exams in the afternoon... Of course, your Astronomy practical exams are scheduled for the evening."

"Now, I must remind you that your papers are under the strictest anti-cheating spells. Bringing automatic answering Feather Pens into the exam hall is prohibited, as are Memory Balls, detachable cuff notes, and automatic correcting ink. I’m afraid I have to say, it seems at least one student every year thinks they can evade Wizard Examination Bureau regulations; I just hope Gryffindor isn’t involved."

As she said this, Professor McGonagall instinctively looked for the Weasley Twins.

Seeing it was now the fifth-year Transformation Spell class, Professor McGonagall shook her head with self-mockery.

Indeed, apart from the Weasley Twins, who else would have such audacity? Even if they behaved themselves during O.W.Ls, it was a matter of choice, not courage.