With Hogwarts gearing up for final exams, the entire House was putting in serious effort. Slytherin’s latest monthly exam results had been outstanding, 95% of students scored at least an 'E' (Exceeds Expectations). That achievement had sent a wave of excitement through the House, making their long-standing goal of academic dominance feel within reach.
To maintain this momentum, the upper-year students were helping younger ones whose grades weren’t up to standard. For Alex and the other members of the Slytherin committee, the most pressing concern was the upcoming O.W.L. exams for the fifth years. Their performance would determine how many O.W.L. certificates they earned, which in turn would dictate their academic paths.
While an 'E' was enough to advance in certain subjects like Divination, Muggle Studies, and Ancient Runes, most core subjects required an 'O' (Outstanding) to continue into N.E.W.T.-level courses. Unlike previous years, where most sixth-year Slytherins only passed between two and four O.W.L. subjects, aside from the exceptional Welen, who earned six, this year’s fifth years had a shot at securing five or more certificates each. Their confidence was through the roof, and they were pushing themselves to maximize their results. The more O.W.L.s they earned now, the more N.E.W.T.s they could take in their seventh year, which would directly impact their career options after Hogwarts.
The wizarding world wasn’t so different from the Muggle one, having more qualifications opened doors. Whether it was the Ministry of Magic, Gringotts, the Daily Prophet, the Wizarding Wireless Network, publishing houses, or broomstick manufacturing companies, all of them prioritized hiring highly skilled, well-educated wizards.
In recent years, due to the aftermath of the war, the average Hogwarts graduate only walked away with two to four O.W.L.s, except for the Ravenclaws, who always seemed to do better. But if Slytherin’s current fifth years could break that trend and achieve an average of five or more, it would give them a serious advantage over not just their peers, but even older alumni from other Houses. And that? That was something worth striving for.
Alex stepped through the underground stone door and entered the Slytherin common room. It was just past six in the evening, still a while before self-study hours officially began, but the dungeon hall was already packed. Motivational banners covered the walls, and every student wore a dark green headband embroidered with the word WIN in silver thread. The atmosphere was intense, everyone was deep in their books, revising with unwavering focus.
Some students were even multitasking, holding a piece of bread in one hand while flipping through their textbooks with the other. Clearly, they had decided that mealtime was an unnecessary distraction from studying.
A few younger students noticed Alex’s return and instinctively started to rise and greet him, but he quickly waved a hand, silently telling them to stay focused.
Wendy and Louis, whom Alex had put in charge of exam preparations, immediately approached him. Without hesitation, they followed him into the student representative’s office. “Prefect, all the exam prep materials have been compiled and distributed,” Louis reported as he shut the door behind them. He handed Alex a thick document. “We organized past test questions by subject and compiled them into booklets as you requested. Every grade level now has structured review materials, and everyone is participating in targeted tutoring.”
Alex flipped through the papers, skimming the contents before looking up. “Good. What about the analysis for the fifth-year exams?”
“We’ve finished it,” Wendy confirmed, pulling several parchments from a neatly stacked pile. Her expression was serious as she began her report.
“For Transfiguration, the past several years have focused on Vanishing Spells and Switching Spells. The pattern hasn’t changed much, so everyone has memorized the relevant theory and is confident in the practical portion. This should be one of our strongest subjects.” She glanced at another parchment before continuing. “For Defense Against the Dark Arts, the written exams have covered vampires and Grindylows in the past two years. Based on that trend, we predict this year’s topic will be werewolves. As for the practical exam, curse-breaking and defensive spells are always tested. This year, we suspect the Boggart-Banishing Spell will be included.”
Alex nodded approvingly. Louis took over. “We’ve been drilling everyone hard, and most students have a solid grasp on these topics. The only area we’re struggling with is the Patronus Charm, over eighty percent of students still can’t cast a corporeal Patronus.”
“That’s to be expected,” Alex replied. “The Patronus Charm is notoriously difficult. Tell them not to stress over it. Their time is better spent on areas where they can see quicker improvement.” He turned back to Louis. “Continue.”
“For the Potions written exam, we believe they’ll test either Polyjuice Potion or a Strengthening Solution. Neither has appeared on the exam in years. For the practical exam, we found two clear patterns from previous years, one, they never test potions that take too long to brew, and two, they never test something students only learned in fifth year. Based on this, and eliminating topics from the last two years, we’ve narrowed the likely exam questions to three possibilities: Antidote to Common Poisons, Swelling Solution, or Stamina Draught. I asked Professor Snape about it this morning, and he agreed to let the fifth years practice all three in class.”
Louis grinned. “Say what you want about Snape, but having him as our Head of House does come with perks.”
Alex smirked. “Even with extra practice, we need to make sure every student can brew at least one of these potions correctly. Otherwise, it’s pointless. Keep a close watch during practice sessions, make sure no one wastes the opportunity.”
“Got it,” Wendy confirmed. “Potions, Charms, Transfiguration, and Defense Against the Dark Arts are our strongest subjects. We’ll focus on securing as many O.W.L.s in these as possible.”
One by one, the two continued reporting on each subject, outlining the meticulous planning that had gone into their preparation. The last month had been a whirlwind of work. The Slytherin study committee had collected past exam questions for every subject from the past five years, analyzed the patterns, and predicted the most likely topics for this year’s exams. Then, they structured study plans around those predictions, ensuring students prioritized the most important material. Of course, Slytherins were more than capable of handling exams with standard revision alone. But they weren’t just aiming for passing grades. They wanted more, more O.W.L.s, more top scores, and ultimately, more opportunities after graduation.
Targeted studying wasn’t about cutting corners; it was about efficiency. With limited time, focusing on high-probability questions gave them the best chance of securing top results across multiple subjects. Alex leaned back, satisfied. “You’ve both done well. Now it’s up to the students. We have less than a week left before final exams, so don’t let your own grades slip in the process.”
“Yes, Prefect!” “Yes, Prefect!” With the meeting wrapped up, Alex and the two of them returned to the common room, making their way through the sea of studying students.