The Charms exam was all about making a pear do a tap-dance across a desk. Professor Flitwick graded each little wizard on how well their fruity dancer performed.
Some kids fumbled the spell and ended up with a pear doing the jitterbug. Others lost control completely, and poof—the pear turned into a frog.
Magic exams always come with wild mishaps. Turning your classmate into a badger? Totally possible.
That's why they went in one by one, with the professors checking everyone's work up close.
"Absolutely brilliant—"
Professor Flitwick beamed.
Inside the Charms classroom, he watched Seán's pear finish its routine with a perfect flourish—and Seán had done it all silently, no wand-flick or word.
The next few days were more of the same: exams, exams, exams.
Sometimes theory—like the orbits of Jupiter's moons.
Sometimes practical—like Professor McGonagall watching them transfigure a mouse into a snuffbox. The fancier the box, the higher the mark. Leave any mouse whiskers on it? Points off.
Besides Seán, both Ron and Hermione did great in that one.
When they met up in the corridor, Ron's face was glowing like a sun-dried carrot—McGonagall must've just praised him.
Today was the very last day of exams.
At the long table, Neville was muttering to himself over A Beginner's Guide to Potions. Next to him, Hermione had three open notebooks stacked up, rapidly correcting Harry on the parts of History of Magic he'd flubbed. The Hufflepuff kids sometimes quizzed each other on magical history timelines, but Seán figured that only covered a tiny slice—hardly useful.
Anyway, they'd survived Snape looming behind them during the heart-pounding Potions practical.
Just one more hour—name the weird old wizards who invented the self-stirring cauldron—and they were free. A whole week of nothing until grades came out.
When Professor Binns's ghostly voice told them to put down their quills and roll up their parchment, Seán heard a ripple of cheers all around.
Stepping outside, the sunlight poured over Hogwarts like warm honey. The little wizards felt like they were melting in the best way.
At the castle doors, the grass glowed under the sun, the windows looked lower, the air smelled sweet and green. The grass was seeding, the wind was rustling leaves, and everything felt light and perfect.
"Way easier than I thought," Hermione said as they joined the crowd on the sun-drenched lawn.
"I didn't even need to memorize the 1637 Werewolf Code of Conduct or the house-elf rebellions."
"Maybe," Ron groaned, "but can we not relive the exam the second it's over?"
Hermione always wanted to review everything right after. Ron said it made him queasy.
"You're supposed to reflect on what you learned this year," she scolded, frowning. "How do you improve if you don't know what you got wrong?"
"Nice weather…" Ron said dreamily, trying to change the subject. "Hey, there's the giant squid…"
He knew she was right, but knowing and doing are two different things.
"Hermione, we've been grinding every single day," Justin cut in gently. "Don't we deserve a break?"
"Yeah, exactly!" Ron lit up like Justin was his hero. Then his eyes slid to Seán, who'd left the castle without a single book. "Seán, back me up?"
Seán glanced at Ron and Harry. They'd changed a ton this year—consistent hard work meant they'd probably ace Potions now.
"Reflect later," Seán said. "Let's go see the squid?"
"Yes!" Ron pumped a fist. "Told you."
"Seán already finished reflecting," Hermione muttered out of nowhere.
Ron looked from Seán to Hermione and shut up.
So they ambled down the slope to the lake and flopped under a tree. Over in the shallows, the giant squid lounged in the warm water, sunbathing while Fred, George, and Lee Jordan gently poked its tentacles.
No more exams. They sprawled in the shade, swapping Forbidden Forest stories like they wanted the whole world to know—
They'd stopped Voldemort's plan!
Seán watched quietly, then pulled some alchemy materials from his bag.
While everyone chilled, he quietly finished another new invention.
…
The lazy afternoon didn't last long. Soon it was time for grades.
The whole Hufflepuff crew did great: Seán crushed it—untouchable first place. Rumor was no professor could bring themselves to dock him a single point.
He'd blitzed every exam with perfect scores.
Hermione came in second. She wasn't thrilled, but on the bright side—she'd solidly beaten Justin.
That night, Seán slipped into the depths of the Forbidden Forest.
His centaur teacher was already waiting—never a minute early, never a second late.
Seán's Divination magic was at five points proficiency, but the subject was so unpredictable he hadn't figured out anything solid yet.
Still, Firenze seemed pleased with his progress.
"Today we study herbs. As summer nears, we'll use mugwort and mallow…"
A gust of wind whipped through the trees. Seán, ready for it, pulled out his newest alchemy creation—an astrolabe.
It was a small ring that quickly grew on the ground, sparked into flame, and blocked the wind completely.
"This is…?" Firenze asked, eyes widening slightly.
"Just a simple tool," Seán said. "Makes fire, blocks wind, and moonsights."
He flicked his wrist; the astrolabe hopped into his hand. A telescope slid out from the ring.
Firenze's calm eyes flickered.
For centuries, centaurs followed nature's rules. When clouds hid the stars or wind howled, they waited. It was tradition—and they had no choice.
The astrolabe was a game-changer. For the next few days, Seán never once lost a clear sky to wind or clouds.
Summer holidays were creeping closer, and the final Quidditch match was right around the corner.
Seán didn't care much about that, but his to-do list was definitely growing.