HP: The Dropout Who Saved the World

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Jane was indeed brewing something, though not as earth-shattering as Dumbledore imagined.

She was merely plotting how to avoid the written History of Magic exam, which severely challenged her English proficiency.

She had discovered a loophole in Hogwarts' examination system - their extremely lenient retention policy. Even if she skipped one or two final exams, she could still advance to second year with excellent grades in other subjects pulling up her average.

As temperatures rose and the sultry air of midsummer approached, final exams loomed near.

Conversation among the Slytherins had dwindled these days, everyone immersed in revision pressure. The only sound echoing through the common room was the rustling of turning pages.

Only Jane remained carefree, taking long naps.

She had already decided to only take the practical exams. Having slept through Professor Binns' History of Magic classes, completely missing his lectures, she would likely just stare blankly at empty parchment during the exam.

Moreover, unlike other Slytherins, she had no parents pressuring her to bring home an "Outstanding."

Thus, she became the most relaxed student in school, confident in her decision.

Whenever she strolled through the common room, the Slytherins would look at her admiringly.

—How confident, how self-assured!

—Is this what it means to be at the top?

Exam season arrived as scheduled. For Charms, they had to make a pineapple tap-dance across a desk. This was effortless for Jane - she even made her pineapple gracefully bow to the audience. In Transfiguration, they had to turn a mouse into a snuffbox - she transformed hers into a gold, diamond-encrusted box with an automatic clasp, earning an immediate "O" from Professor McGonagall. Potions was even easier - Snape kept her Forgetfulness Potion as an example for next year's students.

The exhilarating exams passed quickly, and the common room atmosphere returned to its usual relaxed state.

At the end-of-year feast, the Great Hall was decorated with Gryffindor's red and gold hangings, with a lion emblazoned on the banner. They had won the Quidditch Cup and had barely lost any major points.

Slytherin lost the House Cup by a tiny margin, even though Jane had made up the hundred points deducted at the start of term.

Perhaps this was the fate of supporting characters, Jane mused.

At the silver and green table, everyone's face was grim.

Prefect Gemma and Quidditch Captain Flint hung their heads low.

Losing to Gryffindor made them feel like they had ants crawling on their backs.

Jane could hear the laughter from the red and gold table at the far end.

Some tactless senior Gryffindors were already shouting at Flint:

"Thanks for the Quidditch Cup, Flint!"

She could sense the Quidditch captain barely restraining himself from hexing them.

Fortunately, Prefect Gemma held him back firmly.

Moments later, Headmaster Dumbledore arrived, just in time to prevent an all-out brawl.

"Another year gone!" he said cheerfully. "I hope you all have an enjoyable summer..."

Jane noticed many Slytherins covering their ears, refusing to listen to these platitudes.

Dumbledore began the House Cup ceremony:

"In fourth place, Hufflepuff with 352 points; third, Ravenclaw with 426; Slytherin 462 points, and Gryffindor 473 points."

The Gryffindor table erupted in thunderous cheers and stamping. Harry, Ron, and Hermione hugged each other while others jumped onto the tables.

"Crude," Blaise commented succinctly with three adjectives, "barbaric and uncivilized."

Draco threw his silver spoon onto his plate with a loud clang.

He snarled to the surrounding Slytherins:

"It's not fair! Jane drove away a Dark wizard and got no points!"

Clearly all the Slytherins had realized this, their expressions darkening considerably.

Prefect Gemma and Flint shot up from their seats, pulling Jane up with them.

Draco and Blaise followed... from first years to seventh years, all the Slytherins stood up.

The other three houses watched them in astonishment.

They formed an orderly line in silence, heading toward the Great Hall's exit.

"One moment, children," Dumbledore cleared his throat, stopping them. "I have two important honors to award."

"First, to Miss Jane Yu of Slytherin—her paper 'Processing Methods and Uses of Bubotuber Pus' has been published in International Potions Research. For her outstanding achievement in Potions, Slytherin receives 10 points!"

Now they were just one point away from winning the House Cup.

But the Slytherins remained silent, eyes fixed on Dumbledore, waiting for the points they really wanted to hear.

"Additionally, there are more points for Miss Yu—for her quick wit and bravery in facing a Dark wizard, demonstrating remarkable courage and exceptional valor, I award her 50 points!"

The cheering was deafening, rising in waves.

The Slytherin table hadn't erupted in such celebration for nearly a century - it was like an explosion.

Jane was nearly overwhelmed by the crowd rushing to embrace her. Prefect Gemma, crying and laughing, hugged her tightly while invoking Merlin's underwear. Thankfully the Quidditch team members came to her rescue, lifting her high above their heads. She had to struggle to maintain balance, fearing another soul-departing fall.

The Slytherins clapped until their hands were red, every face beaming with excitement.

Across the hall, the Gryffindors fell silent as if hit by a Binding Spell.

"Have you seen Malfoy?" Ron mumbled. "I've never seen him grin like that before."

Harry looked over to see Draco banging a silver goblet on the table, his smile practically reaching his temples.

Though Harry knew Jane deserved it, seeing Malfoy's smug expression and losing the House Cup still filled him with disappointment.

"Merlin's beard—" he heard Percy the prefect lament, "This girl, I remember she was unhappy about being in Slytherin at the start of term—when is she transferring to Gryffindor?"

Indeed, why wasn't Jane in Gryffindor?

He brooded silently.

Dumbledore had to use Sonorus to be heard over the Slytherin celebrations:

"The new points call for new decorations!"

The red streamers and hangings turned green, the lion on the banner transformed into an "S"-shaped serpent, and silver and green confetti rained down.

Another round of roof-shaking cheers erupted.

Even Professor Snape's lips curled upward. This drew horrified stares from all students - it was perhaps the first time they'd seen him smile something other than a sneer.

After the feast, exam results were quickly published.

As a school celebrity, Jane's results drew much attention.

Given her constant point-earning in class, many expected her to be top of the year.

Surprisingly, Hermione took that position, with Jane coming second.

But the young witch sensed something odd. She checked the results and told Harry and Ron in shock: "Have you seen Jane's results? She got perfect scores—in every exam—she took!"

"She got all the bonus points too, without losing any!"

The boys were quite surprised and asked:

"Then why isn't she first in the year?"

Hermione took a deep breath, gazing toward the Slytherin dormitory with admiration and aspiration:

"She simply didn't take the History of Magic exam! The results show she was absent!"

The news spread quickly, making Jane the center of attention once again.

What confidence and pride!

The exams they had agonized over were mere mood-lifters to her!

The gap between people could be so vast!

According to many Slytherin students, their parents had heard about this and written:

[Look at Miss Yu - second in the year even missing an exam. What about you?]

She became the "other people's child" that wizard parents compared their children to, drawing envious glances wherever she went.

...

The holidays arrived quickly.

The Slytherin students had packed and boarded the train home.

Only Jane remained in the common room.

She soon received word from Dumbledore, asking her to pack and prepare to leave.