"Doing alright? What's so great about it?"
Ron immediately chimed in, his voice filled with frustration and confusion. He poked at the chicken leg in his bowl with his fork, tearing the meat to shreds. "We don't know what kind of weirdo we'll get for our Defence Against the Dark Arts professor next term. It's giving me a headache just thinking about it," he said with a heavy sigh, his face a mask of worry. "We finally had a professor who was halfway normal."
Hermione gently nudged Ron's arm, a silent plea to be quiet, though her eyes held a similar sadness about Professor Lupin's departure. Harry looked at Dylan's calm profile, his mind still full of unanswered questions, but he didn't know how to ask them. He simply picked up his knife and fork, mechanically cutting the food on his plate.
"You know how it is. The Defence Against the Dark Arts post never ends well," Dylan said, shrugging, his voice as nonchalant as if he were talking about the weather. "It's a good thing Professor Lupin resigned when he did. At least he's safe." He paused, then added, "Look at him now. He only has a few minor injuries. If he had stayed in that position for just a few more days, who knows what worse things might have happened to him."
This made Harry, Ron, and Hermione's eyes twitch. They exchanged glances, knowing full well that Professor Lupin's injuries were, at the end of the day, tied to Dylan... but they had to admit, Dylan had a point.
They thought of Professor Quirrell, who ended up turning to dust. And Professor Lockhart, who just... disappeared, with no one knowing if he was dead or alive. They figured he was probably killed by Voldemort. With this in mind, Ron pursed his lips. Hermione nodded, her brow furrowed. Even Harry thought that despite Dylan's harsh words, there was a kernel of truth to them. Professor Lupin's clean escape was a good one.
Dylan lowered his head to sip his soup, a flicker of emotion in his eyes. It's a shame. Lupin has only avoided this for now. The debt he owes will come due when he returns to Hogwarts in a few years.
Professor Lupin's resignation and the news that he was a werewolf caused a huge commotion among the students. In the days that followed, you couldn't go anywhere without hearing people talking about it. The topic was still being whispered about at the End-of-Term Feast, though the focus had shifted to who the next Defence Against the Dark Arts professor might be. Someone even suggested that it might be a vampire.
"Silence, students, if you please."
As Professor Dumbledore walked to the front of the Great Hall, a gentle smile on his face, his long beard gleamed in the light. The clamor in the hall vanished as if under a Silencing Charm, and every eye turned to him.
"Before we begin our feast, we will present the House Cup." He paused, his gaze sweeping over the students. "But before that, I have something—something of great importance—that I simply must take a moment to share with you all."
At this, the smiles on the faces of the Slytherin students froze. Memories of the House Cup presentations of previous years, where everything was turned upside down, flashed through their minds, and their bodies tensed. But then, a few quick-witted Slytherins realized something: Gryffindor had already won the Quidditch Cup this year, and the House Cup was practically theirs.
Could there be a twist this year? Could it be... They began to feel a strange flicker of hope. Maybe they would get to see Gryffindor win the Quidditch Cup only to lose the House Cup in the same year! With that thought, they stared at Professor Dumbledore, their eyes gleaming.
Below, Harry and Hermione exchanged a confused look, their brows furrowed. What was Professor Dumbledore up to? Was he going to award them points for saving Buckbeak and Sirius Black? But... weren't they supposed to keep that a secret? A feeling of unease washed over them as they waited for him to continue.
"I believe this has been a year of great significance for every one of you," Dumbledore said, his gaze slowly moving over the crowd, his voice filled with emotion. "But for Hogwarts, this year has been particularly special." He looked pointedly at the Ravenclaw table, his eyes holding an unspoken meaning. "And this special moment is most notable for the Ravenclaw House."
The Ravenclaw students looked at each other, their faces filled with confusion. They remembered the strange turn of events before the House Cup ceremony the past two years and wondered if this year it would be their turn. After all, both Slytherin and Gryffindor had won the cup consecutively, so it only made sense that it might be their turn next. But why? They couldn't think of a reason.
Harry and Hermione blinked, still confused. As the rest of the students stared at him, Professor Dumbledore smiled mysteriously and raised his hand toward Professor Flitwick.
"Today, as Hogwarts approaches its thousandth year, let us witness a truly important moment: the lost artifact of our founder, Rowena Ravenclaw, has finally returned to Hogwarts!"
Professor Flitwick excitedly stood on his chair, a brilliant smile on his face, and carefully raised the velvet cushion he was holding. Resting on the cushion was none other than the Ravenclaw Diadem! The silver of the diadem was still a bit dull, but the jewels embedded in it glittered brilliantly in the candlelight of the Great Hall, instantly drawing all eyes to it.
For a moment, the hall went silent. Everyone held their breath, their eyes locked on the diadem, their brains struggling to process the sudden news. After a few seconds, a deafening shriek erupted like a volcano, threatening to lift the roof off the Great Hall. The Ravenclaw students were ecstatic; many of their voices were hoarse from yelling, and their faces were a mix of disbelief and pure joy. The roar of the Ravenclaw students, in both its intensity and duration, was almost as loud as the one that had erupted the year before when the students were told their exams were cancelled.
Everyone's face was flushed. Many stood on their chairs, waving their arms, their shouts tearing at their throats. This was an emotion that came from the very blood and honor of their house. Faced with this incredible, rediscovered treasure, the House Cup, which so many had been thinking about, was completely forgotten.
Who cared about points and rankings? For Ravenclaw, their founder's artifact was the symbol of their legacy, a mark of honor that flowed through the very veins of their house. In comparison, a House Cup was nothing at all.
After the initial excitement from the Ravenclaw students died down, the other houses began to applaud. It started with a few claps and then grew into a roar of admiration and astonishment. While this was a momentous occasion for Ravenclaw, the four founders had built Hogwarts together, and this recovery of a precious artifact was a significant and solemn moment for the entire school. However, the news was so sudden and so important that the applause was scattered. Most students were still in shock, their mouths hanging open, their eyes wide as they tried to process what they had just seen.
The professors, too, were in a state of disbelief. Many of them were whispering to each other, their eyes full of confusion.
The day Professor Flitwick found Professor Dumbledore and explained how he found the Ravenclaw diadem, Dumbledore decided it would be best to keep it a secret so the students could focus on their exams. For that reason, besides the ghosts and the portraits, only Dumbledore, Flitwick, and Dylan—who had found the diadem—knew the truth. Even Professor McGonagall, the Deputy Headmistress, was kept in the dark.
"And for that reason—"
When the clamor in the hall subsided enough for everyone to hear him, Professor Dumbledore spoke again. "As Headmaster, I must award the Hogwarts Special Services Award to the hero who recovered this treasure, Mr. Dylan Hawkwood!"
At his words, every pair of eyes in the hall, whether they were filled with curiosity, surprise, or scrutiny, turned to Dylan as if a spotlight had been cast on him. Dylan calmly stood up, a perfect smile on his face, and gave a slight nod to Professor Dumbledore and the rest of the faculty and students.
Beside him, Harry, Ron, and Hermione were in a state of shock, their eyes wide and their mouths slightly ajar. They all turned to look at Dylan, their eyes filled with questions.
Dylan? He found the Ravenclaw diadem? How was that possible? They didn't know anything about it! When did this happen? How had they not noticed?
It was easy to understand why they hadn't. Unlike the tense, thrilling treasure hunt they imagined, Dylan's quest was as easy as picking something up on the way. The path was already there, and the diadem itself was retrieved by Peeves... In the end, it was mostly Peeves who put in all the effort, and Dylan reaped the rewards.
When the applause finally died down, Dylan sat back in his seat. Although he was given the award, the real trophy would be placed in the trophy room. Before the feast, Professor Dumbledore had asked if he wanted a replica, and Dylan, after some thought, had said yes. The award ceremony was skipped, and he had taken the replica with him right then and there. It was now safely tucked away in his trunk. It was a nice keepsake, and it would look good on a shelf at home.
As for the actual diadem, since Ravenclaw and her daughter were both going to be his "possessions," a diadem was nothing. He didn't need it. The item inside had already been completely emptied out by Dylan anyway.
"Whoa, Dylan, when did you do that?" Ron asked in a hushed voice, his eyes wide.
"Yeah! And how did you find the Ravenclaw artifact?" Hermione asked, her face full of curiosity.
"Did you wear the diadem? Is it really like the books say..." Harry's questions followed, his eyes searching.
"Shhh," Dylan said, his brow furrowed as he raised a finger to his lips, urging them to be quiet so as not to attract more attention. "Professor Dumbledore isn't finished yet."
Sure enough, Professor Dumbledore spoke again from the high table: "And for that—as a matter of course—one thousand points to Gryffindor!"
As soon as he said it, the Great Hall erupted in a deafening cheer from the Gryffindor table. The roar of whistles and excited shouts filled the air. Students jumped from their chairs, high-fiving and hugging. The Gryffindor section of the hall was a sea of joy.
One thousand points! Under normal circumstances, it was rare for a house to get that many points in a whole school year! Sometimes the total score for an entire term wasn't even that high!
"Five hundred of these points are from Professor Flitwick, and the other five hundred are from me," Professor Dumbledore said with a gentle smile. "Gryffindor was already in first place after winning the Quidditch Cup, but I decided to add these points anyway." He paused, his gaze sweeping over the crowd, his voice taking on a more serious tone. "Because I believe that the House Cup rankings are not the only meaning of these points. We must not abandon the proper rewards for our students just because adding these points won't change the current standings."