[Third Person Pov]
After Arthur finished granting Hermione her star, he turned his attention toward Harry. The boy had already arranged his papers into a neat stack, having wrapped up his presentation halfway through Hermione's.
"This honestly felt like I was in the middle of Art class," Harry said, exhaling as he squared the sheets in front of him. The comparison made him chuckle to himself—he hadn't expected spellcraft to involve so much sketching.
Arthur let out a warm laugh at the analogy. "Yeah, I can see why you'd think that. A lot of drawing is indeed involved. Now go on, show me your masterpiece. I'm eager to see what you've prepared."
Harry took out his wand and held it at his side. "The only ones I knew were the ones you personally showed us before," he admitted, sounding a touch unsure. "I hope that's alright."
"That's perfectly fine," Arthur assured him with a patient nod, folding his hands behind his back. "As long as you can safely recreate them, they become part of your arsenal. From there, you'll be free to adapt and refine them however you desire."
Relieved, Harry nodded and tapped the first sheet. The drawn magic circle pulsed with white light, threads of energy weaving together until a glowing sphere materialized above it. Harry had successfully created the Magic Bullet spell.
Arthur nodded in approval. Encouraged, Harry slid the sheets aside and moved on to the next circle. Another tap summoned a shimmering dome that rose like a bubble.
Arthur bowed slightly, examining the barrier as he began tapping it repeatedly with his wand, making the surface ripple with each impact. "I honestly didn't expect you to remember this one," Arthur admitted, sounding genuinely impressed.
Harry smiled a little, looking both proud and bashful. "I thought it was pretty cool—and practical. So I tried to memorize it."
He transitioned to the third spell and then paused, looking back at Arthur with a puzzled expression. "How exactly do I show off this one?"
"Just rip it," Arthur instructed, having recognized the spell from the diagram. "I'll be able to tell immediately."
Harry tore the page down the middle—and the moment he did, a feather-light sensation washed over him. His eyes widened in amazement. "Woah. I never actually tried it on myself before… I feel light."
"That's the Haste spell," Arthur confirmed. "It enhances your speed by reducing the sense of weight on your body. One thing you must always keep in mind is duration. A Tier One Haste spell lasts exactly five minutes. A Tier Two version doubles that. Don't forget it."
Harry nodded rapidly, taking the information as seriously as a quiz question before the O.W.L.s.
His last two spells ended up being simpler, everyday charms: the fourth was a cleaning spell that swept the dust off his desk in a single swirl of magic, and the final one was the levitation charm—one he had shamelessly copied from Hermione.
"Nice work," Arthur said with a satisfied nod. He reached into his coat, withdrew a gleaming star-shaped pin, and stepped forward. "Congratulations on officially becoming a First Tier Mage. Keep up the hard work."
"Thank you," Harry said, grinning as Arthur pinned the star onto his robe. "That was a lot more fun than I expected."
With Harry's test complete, Arthur and Merlin turned toward the final student. The two instructors exchanged a look before marching—Arthur in particular—with exaggerated formality toward Ron's desk.
"Well, well, well," Arthur declared in a tone far too dramatic to be serious.
"Well, well, well what?" Ron asked, raising a suspicious eyebrow at him.
"Nothing," Arthur said with mock innocence. "I'm just curious about what you've got in store for us, that's all."
Ron grinned broadly. "Prepare to be blown away."
Merlin and Arthur immediately took two steps back. Ron's smile flattened into a deadpan glare. "I didn't mean literally, you bunch of donkeys."
Both chuckled and stepped forward again as Ron lined up his first spell. He flicked out his wand, tapped the sheet, and the magic circle erupted into a bright red-orange glow. A 1st Tier Fireball roared to life, crackling and swirling above the page like a miniature sun.
"Ta-da!" Ron announced smugly, relishing the stunned expressions on both Arthur and Merlin.
"How do you know that one?" Arthur demanded as he stepped closer, baffled. "We didn't even show that spell yet."
Ron smirked with unmistakable pride and said, "I won't be so shameless as to take all the credit. Hermione helped me create it when she was teaching me."
"Not bad… honestly, I'm astonished," Arthur admitted, looking genuinely flabbergasted as Ron confidently prepared the next spell.
The following two spells were the Lumos charm and the Levitation charm—both of which Ron had shamelessly copied from Hermione. He presented them with the same smug, triumphant expression that made Hermione pinch the bridge of her nose.
Then came the fourth spell—one that sent both Arthur and Merlin into another round of stunned disbelief. Ron held up the sheet so they could see the magic circle first, then tore it neatly down the middle. Magic surged around his body in a faint golden ripple, and Ron immediately rolled up his sleeves and began flexing his thin arms with exaggerated confidence, eyebrows waggling suggestively.
"You made the strengthening spell?!" Arthur nearly shouted, unable to contain his disbelief.
Ron puffed out his chest at Arthur's reaction. "Yeah, it was fairly simple really. I just used the Haste magic circle thingy as a base. I figured: if I can make myself go faster, then I should be able to make myself stronger too. Of course, Hermione helped—"
"Actually," Hermione cut in, lifting one finger, "all I did was help him find the proper rune for strength instead of speed. I can't really take credit for the spell itself. The rest was all Ron."
Arthur and Merlin exchanged a slow, impressed glance… then began to clap. Dramatically. Loudly. In perfect unison.
Ron's face immediately flushed bright red. "Stop," he muttered, glaring at them as the clapping continued another beat longer than necessary.
The final spell was the barrier charm Harry had demonstrated earlier—another one Ron had quietly copied, though he executed it with confidence.
When Ron finished his presentation, Arthur and Merlin shared a silent look before both nodded in agreement.
Merlin stepped forward, withdrawing a star-shaped pin. Her voice was warm as she fastened it onto Ron's robes. "Congratulations, Ronald Weasley. You are now officially a First Tier Mage. You should be proud of yourself."
"Thank you…" Ron said, his expression stretched into a dorky, uncontrollable grin.
"Actually," Arthur added, "there's one more thing I owe you." He reached into his pouch, rummaged for a moment, and pulled out a smaller pouch hidden inside.
Ron looked confused—until Arthur set the pouch on the desk and opened it, revealing a glittering pile of galleons inside.
Ron's entire soul seemed to leave his body through his eyeballs.
"Congratulations on winning our previous wager," Arthur said casually, giving him a playful wink. "You are now the proud owner of those mighty galleons. Try not to spend them all in one place."
Ron tilted backward so hard that his chair flipped, sending him crashing onto the floor with a deafening BANG. He lay sprawled out, staring up at the ceiling in utter disbelief.
The classroom erupted into laughter. Arthur joined in as he turned away, then looked over at Harry. "And don't think I've forgotten about you. I still owe you a favor. Whenever you want to cash it in, just let me know."
Harry nodded, intrigued, as Arthur and Merlin returned to the front of the room.
"Now then," Arthur announced, "I want to give one final round of congratulations to everyone for advancing this far. Go on, give yourselves a round of applause."
Gwyneth enthusiastically began clapping with a radiant smile—until she noticed nobody else had joined in. She froze, slowly lowered her hands to her lap, and stared forward as if nothing had happened.
Arthur sighed dramatically at the lack of applause. "Fine, fine. Moving on. Before class is dismissed, I need to explain the requirements to be considered a Second Tier Mage."
He paused meaningfully. No one looked excited.
"There will be a written exam for this—"
"Urghhhh—" the class groaned as one.
Arthur raised a hand in a silencing gesture. Shockingly, it worked.
"I understand the complaining," he said with a patient tone, "but becoming a Second Tier Wizard isn't about raw magical power or your ability to draw a magic circle quickly. What you need—what is absolutely essential—is knowledge."
The room quieted.
"You must understand runes. You must understand magic circle formations, their structures, and their practical uses. Without that fundamental knowledge, you cannot advance. Power means nothing without understanding. That is why this exam is mandatory. Only then will you be recognized as a Second Tier Wizard."
The class absorbed his words, some with dread, others with determination, and even a few with dawning excitement.
Arthur clasped his hands together. "And with that… class dismissed."
********************************************
+10 advance Chapters and my other patron exclusive content on: patreon.com/Shadow_D_Monarch3