It was late May, and only seven days remained until the end-of-year exams.
A tense atmosphere permeated the Hogwarts Castle, with anxiety like an invisible mist enveloping the entire school.
In the corridors, students came and went with various expressions; some hurried to classrooms, as if hoping to grasp a lifeline in the last few review classes.
Others looked pale and walked heavily, as if they could no longer cope with the upcoming pressure.
Some even walked while anxiously muttering over the content they had memorized, fearing they might forget some crucial knowledge.
In the Great Hall, the long tables, usually filled with laughter, now carried a hint of suppression.
Many students were mechanically stuffing food into their mouths, their eyes fixed on textbooks, clearly eating only to fill their stomachs and sustain themselves.
Some students even anxiously pulled their hair or bit their nails, completely disregarding hygiene during meals, as if this could relieve their stress.
Calming Draughts and Glee Potion once again became essential Potions for the Little Wizards, but thankfully, the school's Potion reserves were quite ample, so Madam Pomfrey wasn't overwhelmed to the point of collapse.
Peeves, the ghost who often caused trouble at Hogwarts, keenly noticed the Little Wizards' stress.
He would occasionally appear suddenly next to the tense Little Wizards, shouting, "Exam time!"
"Stop studying, you're definitely going to fail with your level!"
Such pranks often caused students to shriek in terror, and some timid Little Wizards would even turn pale and fall to the ground.
For a time, Peeves incurred widespread indignation, and many Little Wizards found Sebastian to denounce Peeves's misdeeds.
"In just one morning, Peeves made several stressed classmates cry," Malfoy said indignantly.
"He must have observed those students carefully to be able to pinpoint their pain points every time."
"Professor Swan," Malfoy pleaded, "Can you do something about him?"
Oh—
Little Malfoy has made great progress; he even knows to care about his classmates now.
Sebastian's lips curled slightly, and he looked at Malfoy with a smile.
As if understanding Sebastian's gaze, Malfoy's expression straightened: "I'm not sticking up for those classmates."
"It's mainly that Peeves is too annoying, causing everyone to be on edge and unable to study quietly."
"Professor, you must help us."
Watching Malfoy's insincere expression, Sebastian smiled slightly.
"Peeves is indeed a bit out of line. Let's go, I'll deal with him and cheer everyone up."
Soon, the group found Peeves in the second-floor corridor, spewing insults at the Little Wizards.
Sebastian raised his wand and used Emotion Magic to make Peeves and the Little Wizards experience empathy.
Immediately, Peeves was greatly impacted, his eyes became unfocused, and he kept muttering.
"It's over, I'm definitely going to fail. The O.W.L. Exams are too hard."
"Why is History of Magic so annoying? There's too much to memorize. I hate memorizing."
"I still need to review the compulsory questions for each subject. I don't want to fall at the last hurdle."
"I'm going to blow up the school, I'm going to blow up the school! That way I won't have to take exams."
Emotion Magic was surprisingly effective against Peeves; for a moment, it was as if all the Little Wizards' anxiety appeared on Peeves.
"Professor, will Peeves stay like this forever?" The students exchanged excited glances, eagerly asking, "Peeves doesn't seem so annoying like this."
Looking at the students' excited eyes, Sebastian smiled slightly: "This state will probably last for a week."
"Peeves won't bother you anymore until the exams. Go and review properly."
After Sebastian left, several students who had been bullied by Peeves bravely approached him.
They folded him into a ball shape and played a passing game together.
The Little Wizards vented their anger, each one beaming with joy, and their anxiety was greatly diluted.
While Sebastian was dealing with Peeves, in the Gryffindor common room, Harry, Ron, and Hermione were huddled together, diligently studying for the end-of-year exams.
Hermione's quill glided quickly across the paper, trying to remember every possible spell and theory more firmly.
Occasionally, she would let out a soft complaint about a difficult problem, then immediately bury her head and continue.
Harry quietly held his Astronomy Class textbook and studied hard; among his several classes, Astronomy Class and History of Magic were his weak points.
Unlike Harry and Hermione, Ron seemed quite agitated and restless.
Suddenly, he threw his textbook down, slumped in his chair, and cried loudly.
"I'm finished! My Potion Class will definitely have to be retaken. I still can't remember all the steps for the compulsory question—brewing the Swelling Solution."
"My mind goes blank every time I think of Professor Snape's stern expression."
"I haven't succeeded even once so far. I'm doomed!"
Hermione couldn't help but roll her eyes and said irritably, "I've been telling you to review since February."
"What did you say? 'There's still enough time, I'll definitely be able to master all the compulsory questions before the exam.'"
"You dragged it out until now, and now there isn't enough time, is there?"
Although Harry had a good relationship with Snape, he was also afraid of Snape in his serious state.
If Ron messed up his compulsory question, his fate would surely be miserable.
Harry thought about the brewing steps for the Swelling Solution and comforted Ron: "Professor Snape has already simplified the brewing steps for the Swelling Solution a lot."
"I'll tell you the trick: add 2 scoops of dried nettles and 3 portions of pufferfish eyes to the mortar, grind them into a medium-fine powder. Don't get the quantities wrong."
"After mixing 2 portions of the powder, add them to the cauldron and heat over medium heat for 20 seconds. Remember this time."
"After gently waving your wand over the cauldron, brew for about 60 minutes."
Harry spoke very slowly, fearing Ron might not remember the key points, instantly displaying the demeanor of a Potion Class assistant.
"After completing the above steps, add 1 portion of bat spleen to the cauldron, stir counter-clockwise 4 times, and switch to low heat for 30 seconds."
"Before turning off the heat, don't forget the last step of waving your wand; if you forget this step, all your efforts will be in vain."
"As long as you follow it step by step, you'll definitely succeed in brewing it."
"How about this, don't just memorize it. I still have some Potion ingredients for Swelling Solution here; you can try it out directly."
"Thank you, Harry." Ron, with tears in his eyes, took the Potion ingredients Harry handed him.
"If I can pass the Potion exam, I'll repay you by serving you like an ox or a horse."
...