Anthony cracked open the test paper and smiled. "Relax everyone," he said. "If half the class fails, that's on the teacher, not you. Don't sweat it."
"First question: Muggles and wizards are both human. Good job, everyone, that was a perfect start."
"Question two: Why does the Hogwarts Express use steam? It's to mimic Muggle steam engines, not electricity. Don't be fooled by any 'electricity' options."
"Question three, the trick question: Electric airplanes. Remember when we talked about Muggle transportation? Their airplanes aren't electric. Steer clear of 'electric' on this one too. Over the years, the examiners love throwing in these electricity questions in the O.W.Ls."
"Question four: The common currency for British Muggles? Pounds and pence, classmates. Muggles, not Galleons and Sickles. Pay attention to the question next time."
"Question five..."
Apart from Anthony's explanations, the only sounds were the faint rustling of paper and the gentle scratching of quills. His analysis was occasionally punctuated by triumphant whispers ("We knew it!" the Weasley twins muttered), quickly silenced by disapproving glares from nearby students.
...
"Alright, that's it all folks," Anthony announced, rolling up his test paper. "Anything unclear?"
A student shook their head.
"Then off you go, class dismissed. Don't worry too much," Anthony consoled them. This class was usually the most engaged group he taught. He hadn't expected such disappointment after just one exam. He briefly considered offering the test to other classes.
He started toward the door, then doubled back and pointed at the coconut sorbet on the podium. "By the way, remember to split the sugar before you leave. I guess everyone aced it, huh?" He winked and headed back to his office.
The classroom mood rarely dipped this low. Accustomed to harsh reprimands, point deductions, and detention, Anthony's gentle disappointment only amplified their guilt.
"Ugh, I feel awful," Fred muttered.
"Yeah," George chimed in, "Why didn't he yell at us or take points?"
"Maybe he's embarrassed?" Fred offered, intrigued.
Angelina punched him playfully. "Shut up, you two! Professor Anthony is amazing!"
"He really is a great teacher," Patricia Stinson agreed. "Last week, I wrote home, and Dad said his lessons were spot-on. Much better than that professor he had, what was her name again, Burbage? But hey, the fourth years seem to like him, so at least he's not worse than Burbage, right?"
"Speaking of Burbage, what is the passing rate for Professor Burbage's students... in their O.W.Ls?"
"Eighty-seven percent," Fred answered.
"Percy studies non-stop," George added.
Stinson frowned and asked, "So, what's ours?"
They huddled together, tallying scores and calculating their class pass rate for the test: a meager 56%.
"No wonder the Professor's disappointed..." The students exchanged gloomy glances and sighed, slowly gathering their things for dinner.
........
As the golden sun began to set gently, it cast a warm amber glow over the verdant Hogwarts Quidditch grounds. News of the test had quickly spread throughout the third-year class, and everyone was telling each other that Professor Anthony had suddenly given Gryffindor a test, and half the class had failed. However, the new professor of Muggle Studies still maintained his record – he was the only professor who had not deducted points from any house, according to Hogwarts school history records. Even Professor Binns had deducted points before, so no one believed that Gryffindor had truly failed the exam.
"How is it possible, unless Snape knocked him out and used Polyjuice Potion to replace Anthony in class?" A fourth-year Muggle Studies student said disdainfully. "Besides, has Gryffindor even been deducted points? It's been a rarity."
Finally, as the warm glow enveloped the grounds, Wood announced that Gryffindor's training was suspended, allowing the Hufflepuff team to take the pitch.
Hufflepuff's Quidditch team had a good relationship with the Gryffindor house team - Wood had once bluntly stated that it was because everyone disliked Slytherin - so the two teams often shared the training grounds.
Hufflepuff's substitute Seeker, Cedric Diggory, was very popular and had a good rapport with the Gryffindor players. During a cross-training session, he asked the Weasley twins, "Did you guys choose to take Muggle Studies?"
"We did. Do you want to ask about the test?" Fred said with a smile.
"The test paper was extremely difficult," George added.
"Don't listen to their nonsense," Angelina interrupted. She stopped her broom with a sudden turn, jumped down, and sat next to them, taking a sip of water. "The paper was very easy, but we didn't answer it well. The professor was very disappointed."
Cedric scratched his nose, "I didn't actually want to ask about the difficulty of the exam. But anyway, thank you for telling me." He stood up and was about to leave.
The Weasley twins grabbed him playfully, "Hey, where are you going? What did you want to ask?"
The Golden Snitch fluttered provocatively in front of them. Cedric quickly snatched the fluttering little thing and threw it to Wood, who was packing the ball box.
"I really wish you were our Seeker," Wood said jealously.
"Hey!" Hufflepuff's chaser flew over, "What are you talking about? This is our seeker."
"You'll select a suitable Seeker. Will it be next week?" Cedric stepped onto his broom and smiled at the Weasley twins. "I originally wanted to ask if it was really an exam. Now I know, so I'll go back and revise."
Anthony was immersed in studying undead magic, oblivious to the gossip spreading outside.
Professor Sprout overheard a student vowing to tell his classmates that they must review carefully because Gryffindor had not performed well on the exam. Another student claimed that Professor Anthony was holding Myrtle and crying in the girls' bathroom, and all the students passing by could hear it. Others said he was planning to resign and work as a gamekeeper near the Forbidden Forest.
"But what about Hagrid?" someone in the crowd asked worriedly.
"He'll become the new professor," another responded.
"Oh, my God!"
News travels swiftly among Hufflepuffs. Professor Sprout brought a small bag of homemade biscuits and came to Anthony's office to comfort him. "It's okay, you've done a good job. The headmaster will not agree to let Hagrid replace you."
Anthony looked dumbfounded and asked a house-elf to add a chair to his office, gesturing for her to sit down.
"I'm not sad or angry," he declared. "It's my shortcoming that they didn't perform well on the exam. This school year has just begun, less than a month ago, and I still have time to adjust."
Professor Sprout eyed him suspiciously but spoke kindly, "Of course, Professor Anthony. We all have confidence in you."
As Anthony walked her to the office door, she tried to leave the cookies with him.
"Eat something sweet, you'll feel better," she insisted.
Anthony had no choice but to accept her offering.
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