On the last day of the semester, the exam results were published. These results not only included the final exams at Hogwarts but also the O.W.L. and N.E.W.T. exam results.
Because exams in the magical world didn't follow a grading system found in books but rather a friendly scoring system, most young witches and wizards truly experienced the real meaning of the phrase "hard work pays off."
Although most industries in the magical world were old-fashioned, they had a remarkable advantage compared to the Muggle world: there was no intense competition. To thrive in the magical world, all you needed was to obtain the N.E.W.T. certificate, and surprisingly, this exam that determined the fate of wizards wasn't based on a ranking!
The Wizarding Examinations Authority didn't set it so that only a small percentage of wizards could get an Outstanding grade; they merely defined scoring levels. If it were a 100-point test, scoring over 90 points meant you had an Outstanding performance. Your rank wouldn't be lowered just because there were too many high scorers.
That was truly good news!
Of course, as long as you weren't a werewolf. If you were, no matter how outstanding your grades were, it didn't matter.
Wizarding society had a strong aversion and fear of werewolves. Not everyone leading a miserable life in the magical world was a werewolf, but all werewolves led miserable lives in the magical world. Despite being a prominent member of the Order of the Phoenix and possessing top-class magical ability, Lupin lived a life of hardship before the Wolfsbane Potion was invented.
Werewolves among the Death Eaters faced the same situation, the only difference being that Voldemort provided them job security, but they were still at the lowest rung of the hierarchy, being called and treated as servants by Voldemort's followers, with no trace of dignity.
When the results were published, everyone breathed a sigh of relief. Percy, who was always a bit nervous, regained his smile. He had been worried that his grades wouldn't meet the Ministry of Magic's standards.
When he saw the string of "O" (Outstanding) grades on his report card, Percy became the kindest wizard at Hogwarts. Even if his twin brother left a "surprise" under his chair, he simply opened the window to air it out, keeping his cool.
This mood continued until Percy saw Fred and George's report cards for the O.W.L. exams. He checked multiple times to make sure they were his brothers' report cards. Then, he returned to being the Percy Weasley everyone knew.
It's said that on that day, Percy's voice volume was louder than a Howler.
Fred and George's grades could only be described as disastrous, with the best anyone could come up with being "at least they got some grades."
Through the students' grades, one could see that Hogwarts teachers had a high level of professionalism. For example, Harry's Potions class was rated as "good," and Hermione's Divination class was rated as "pass." This made the girls in Hermione's dormitory wonder if Tom had flirted with Professor Trelawney.
Hermione had had a passionate showdown with Professor Trelawney in the exam, and still, she managed to pass—it was ridiculous!
"Did you really do something?" Hermione raised her head suspiciously and looked at Tom sitting in front of her.
These words made Tom shudder; his hands and feet went cold. "This phrase insults my personal integrity and aesthetic sense..."
Hermione didn't reply but asked Tom for his report card. Starting from the third year, it was difficult to rank again: students like Tom and Hermione typically took two or three additional subjects compared to other students, so how could they be ranked based on total scores?
However, everyone had a scale in their hearts, and in the first year of school, only Tom and Hermione could compete for the top spot. Apart from Divination class, Hermione excelled in all subjects, while Tom had two subjects with a "good" rating: Muggle Studies and Arithmancy.
Tom hadn't prepared much for Muggle Studies; he had taken it directly without studying, much like most half-blood wizards. Arithmancy calculations were too complicated, and Tom got confused towards the end; he missed the days when he had a calculator. But what infuriated Tom was that he lost in calculation skills to Hermione, which was hard to fathom.
Although Tom had two "good" grades, Hermione had a "pass," so it was hard to judge who between the two of them was better in terms of grades. They both unilaterally considered the other slightly more outstanding.
At the end of the semester, there was another significant event: the House Cup ceremony. Thanks to their outstanding performance throughout the semester and their excellent performance in the Quidditch Cup, Ravenclaw House took home the House Cup title for this year. The end-of-term dinner would be held in Ravenclaw's representative colors, bronze and light blue.
The overall atmosphere was harmonious and cheerful, everyone eating and drinking together, laughing and chatting while also bidding farewell to the graduating seniors. There were many vacancies for Prefects, the Annual Award, and team captains, which meant that the Heads of each House had a lot of work ahead of them during the holidays.
"I've decided, I won't be taking Muggle Studies next year," Hermione said after dinner, holding the Time-Turner as she looked for Tom.
"Finally, you've understood!" Tom always thought that young wizards from Muggle families didn't need to take Muggle Studies and that, instead, it should be mandatory for pure-blood wizards.
The current situation was quite the opposite. Almost all Muggle-born wizards chose to take Muggle Studies, while few pure-blood wizards were willing to study the subject, rendering the course completely meaningless.
"This year's Time-Turner really pressured me too much..." Hermione sighed. "By dropping Muggle Studies and Divination, I'll be able to have a normal schedule."
Tom pondered for a moment and then said, "I think I'll drop Muggle Studies and Arithmancy."
"Well, I'll go talk to Professor Flitwick... Wait, do you want to keep taking Arithmancy?!"
Tom nodded.
"But that means our schedules might be different," a small unease crept into Hermione's heart. Since they entered school, they had been in the same classes together, and if Tom stopped taking Arithmancy, what was she going to do?
"Can you...?" Hermione instinctively wanted to plead but felt it would be too selfish. Why should she control Tom's course plans?
"In that case, I'll drop Arithmancy too," Hermione decided at that moment, finding a solution that would benefit them both.
"It's not necessary, don't you like Arithmancy?" Tom tried to console her with kind words. "Besides, I can't go anywhere else, so do as you prefer, or maybe there's another option. We can keep this Time-Turner, and then I'll accompany you in Arithmancy. But let me tell you in advance, I won't touch the Arithmancy assignments."
Hermione still had some doubts. "What about Professor Flitwick?"
"We'll see what to do in the future," Tom believed that there would always be a solution to problems. For now, what they needed most was to board the little train back home, as wonderful summer holidays awaited them.