Chapter 296: Ravenclaw: Are We Going to Be First This Year?
"Good? How is that good?" Ron immediately jumped in, his tone a mix of confusion and frustration. He aimlessly jabbed his fork at the chicken leg in his bowl, tearing the meat apart. "Who knows what weirdo we'll get for the Defense Against the Dark Arts professor next term? It gives me a headache just thinking about it."
He sighed heavily, his face etched with worry about the future curriculum. "We finally had a relatively normal professor."
Hermione lightly nudged Ron's arm, signaling him to keep quiet, but her eyes held a touch of regret over Professor Lupin's departure.
Harry looked at Dylan's consistently calm profile, the doubt in his heart refusing to disperse. Yet, he didn't know how to voice his questions. He could only quietly pick up his knife and fork, mechanically cutting the food on his plate.
"You all know that the Defense Against the Dark Arts position at our school is cursed," Dylan said, spreading his hands. His tone was as flat as if he were discussing the most ordinary thing. "Professor Lupin resigning at this time is actually a good thing. At least he can preserve himself." He paused. "Look at him now; he only suffered minor injuries. If he had stayed in that position a few more days, who knows what worse fate he might have met."
His words made Harry, Ron, and Hermione's eyes twitch. They exchanged glances, all well aware that Professor Lupin's injuries were, ultimately, not entirely unrelated to Dylan...
Still, they had to admit that Dylan's point made sense. They thought of Professor Quirrell, who ended up turning to dust. Then Professor Lockhart, who simply vanished, his fate unknown. He probably didn't meet a good end, either. Voldemort likely finished him off.
Thinking this, Ron smacked his lips. Hermione frowned and nodded. Even Harry felt that, though Dylan's words were harsh, they held a kernel of truth. Lupin getting away relatively unscathed was indeed a good outcome.
Dylan lowered his head and sipped his soup, a fleeting sense of lament passing through his mind. It's a pity, though. Lupin only dodged this bullet for now. The debt he owes will ultimately have to be repaid when he returns to Hogwarts a few years from now.
Professor Lupin's resignation, coupled with the news that he was a werewolf, caused a considerable stir among the students. For days, discussions about it could be heard almost everywhere. Even at the End-of-Year Feast a few days later, some were still whispering about it. However, the focus of the conversation had shifted from Professor Lupin to speculation about the next Defense Against the Dark Arts professor some even suggested a vampire might be next.
"Students, please quiet down." As Professor Dumbledore slowly approached the High Table, a gentle smile on his face, his long white beard shimmering under the light, the noise in the Great Hall swiftly faded as if silenced by a charm. Every student's attention was on him.
"Before we enjoy this bountiful feast, we must first conduct the House Cup award ceremony."
"However, before that, I have one one exceptionally important matter that compels me to take up a little of your time."
Hearing this, the smiles on the faces of the Slytherin students gradually froze. Memories of the previous years' House Cup reversals instantly flooded their minds, causing them to instinctively tense up, their eyes becoming guarded.
But then, a few Slytherin students with good memories and quick wits suddenly realized: The Quidditch Cup this year had already gone to Gryffindor. Based on the points, the House Cup was almost certainly theirs as well. Could there be a reversal this year? Could it be... A strange anticipation began to bubble up in their hearts. Maybe we'll get to see Gryffindor lose the House Cup in the same year they won the Quidditch Cup! With this speculation, they stared intently at Professor Dumbledore, their eyes gleaming.
Harry and Hermione exchanged a confused glance, both frowning. What is Professor Dumbledore doing? Is he planning to publicly award us points for saving Buckbeak and Sirius Black? Is that... appropriate? We agreed that no one should know about that, didn't we? A wave of unease washed over them as they waited silently for Dumbledore to continue.
"I believe that for every student present, this has been a memorable year," Professor Dumbledore paused, his gaze slowly sweeping the hall, a hint of emotion in his voice. "But for Hogwarts, this year has been particularly special."
He then specifically paused, his gaze lingering on the Ravenclaw table, a look of profound meaning in his eyes. "And this special significance is particularly notable for Ravenclaw House."
The Ravenclaw students glanced at each other, their faces full of perplexity. They couldn't help but recall the unexpected twists before the House Cup awards in the previous two years and secretly wondered: Could the House Cup fall to us this year? After all, Slytherin and Gryffindor had both won the cup in consecutive years. By this logic, it seemed like it was their turn. But why? They racked their brains but couldn't figure it out.
Harry and Hermione blinked.
Under the puzzled gaze of almost every student in the hall, Professor Dumbledore offered a mysterious smile. He slowly raised his hand and gestured toward Professor Flitwick.
"As Hogwarts nears its thousand-year anniversary, let us bear witness to an important moment the relic of Ravenclaw House's founder, Rowena Ravenclaw's Diadem, has finally returned to Hogwarts!"
Professor Flitwick excitedly stood up on his chair, a brilliant smile radiating across his face. He carefully held the velvet cushion high. Resting atop the cushion was unmistakably Ravenclaw's Diadem! Although the main silver body of the diadem was still somewhat dull, the embedded gems sparkled brilliantly under the light of the countless candles in the hall, instantly capturing every eye.
In that instant, the entire Great Hall seemed to freeze, plunging into a deafening silence. Everyone held their breath, their gaze locked on the diadem, their minds struggling to process the sudden news.
After a few seconds, an ear-splitting scream erupted like a volcanic explosion, threatening to lift the roof off the Great Hall. The Ravenclaw students were ecstatic. Many of their voices grew hoarse and strained from sheer excitement, their faces flushed with unbelievable joy.
The cheers and shouts erupting from Ravenclaw House were almost equal in intensity and duration to the deafening uproar that had broken out last year when the entire school learned their exams were cancelled. Everyone's face was beet red, many stood on their chairs, waving their arms, their shouts nearly tearing their throats. This exhilaration, stemming from their blood and House honor, transcended ordinary joy.
Faced with this immense, regained treasure, the House Cup which many had been contemplating just moments before was instantly forgotten. Who cared about points or rankings now? For Ravenclaw, the founder's relic was the symbol of their heritage, the mark of honor running through their House's very essence. Compared to that, the value of a House Cup was infinitesimally small.
After the initial wave of excited screams from Ravenclaw House subsided, students from the other Houses gradually began to applaud. It started with a few isolated claps, then grew, tinged with respect and lingering astonishment. Although this was the return of a Ravenclaw relic, the four founders had built Hogwarts together. This recovery of a priceless treasure was indeed a significant and solemn moment for all of Hogwarts.
However, the event was so sudden, and its significance so profound, that the applause remained somewhat sporadic. Most students hadn't recovered from the shock. Many still stood with their mouths agape, their eyes fixed, their minds repeatedly confirming the sight they had just witnessed.
It wasn't just the students; even the professors at the High Table had looks of disbelief. Many huddled together, whispering, clearly surprised by the abrupt turn of events. In fact, on the day Professor Flitwick found Professor Dumbledore, after explaining the diadem's history, Dumbledore suggested keeping it quiet until after the exams. Therefore, apart from the castle ghosts and the portraits, only Professor Dumbledore, Professor Flitwick, and Dylan, who had personally retrieved the diadem, knew the truth. Even Deputy Headmistress Professor McGonagall was completely unaware.
"For this " When the clamor in the Great Hall subsided enough for everyone to hear him clearly, Professor Dumbledore spoke again. "As Headmaster, I must present the Hogwarts Special Contribution Award to the hero who recovered this treasure Mr. Dylan Hawkwood!"
The moment he spoke, all eyes in the Great Hall curious, astonished, or scrutinizing turned in unison toward Dylan, as if an invisible spotlight had instantly illuminated him.
Dylan calmly rose to his feet, offering a perfectly measured smile as he nodded slightly to Professor Dumbledore and the entire faculty and student body.
Sitting next to him, Harry, Ron, and Hermione's faces were a picture of shock. Their eyes wide, their mouths slightly open, they all swiveled to stare at Dylan, confusion in their eyes. Dylan? He found Ravenclaw's Diadem? How is that possible? Why didn't we know anything about this? When did this happen?
It was, in fact, perfectly normal that they were unaware. Unlike the tense, exciting, obstacle-filled treasure hunt they imagined, Dylan's process of retrieving the diadem was basically like casually picking something up. The route was already known. The diadem itself was retrieved by commanding Peeves to find it... During this entire process, only Peeves, who was running around doing all the work for almost a day, expended much effort. Dylan himself was simply reaping the rewards.
When the applause across the hall finally subsided, Dylan sat back down. Although he had been given the award, the actual trophy would be displayed in the Trophy Room. Before the feast began, Professor Dumbledore had asked him if he wanted a replica. Dylan considered it and agreed.
As usual, the award presentation process was skipped. He had taken the replica with him at the time, and it was currently resting safely inside his trunk. Regardless, it had some commemorative value and would look quite nice as a decoration at home later.
As for the real diadem, since Ravenclaw, and even her daughter, were meant to be his possessions, a mere diadem wasn't essential. Dylan had already thoroughly cleansed it of its former contents.
"Whoa, Dylan, when did you do this?" Ron couldn't hold back, leaning in and whispering, his eyes still wide.
"Yeah! And how did you find Ravenclaw's relic?" Hermione immediately pressed him, her face full of curiosity.
"Did you wear the diadem? Is it really like the books say..." Harry's question followed closely, his eyes full of scrutiny.
"Shh " Dylan frowned slightly, making a silencing gesture, signaling them to keep their voices down so as not to attract more attention. Dylan placed his index finger gently over his lips, telling his friends to wait. "Professor Dumbledore isn't finished yet."
Sure enough, as soon as he spoke, Professor Dumbledore on the High Table began again:
"In addition to this and quite deservedly Gryffindor House shall receive one thousand points!"
The moment Professor Dumbledore finished speaking, a deafening cheer erupted from the Gryffindor table. It was laced with whistles and excited yells. Many students jumped up from their chairs, hugging and high-fiving each other. The entire Gryffindor section instantly turned into a sea of joy.
One thousand points! Under normal circumstances, it was extremely rare for a House to accumulate one thousand points throughout the entire school year. Sometimes, the total points for the whole term wouldn't even reach that number!
"Of these one thousand points, five hundred were contributed by your Professor Flitwick, and the other five hundred I have personally added," Professor Dumbledore continued, a gentle smile on his face. "In truth, after winning the Quidditch Cup, Gryffindor's total score was already in the lead. However, I still decided to add these points to Gryffindor."
He paused, his gaze sweeping the hall, his tone becoming somewhat solemn. "Because I believe that the House Cup ranking is not the only meaning these points hold."
"We should not forgo the due reward for our students simply because these points will not change the existing ranking."
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