When Char blurted out "the College Cup," Professor Sprout also nodded excitedly, a rare blush appearing on her face. "Right! It's the House Cup!"
No wonder she was so excited. It was really because Hufflepuff had not won the honor of the House Cup for so many years. But she didn't have any better solutions. After all, the characteristic of young Hufflepuffs was that they generally achieved success late in life. Many students only showed their excellence after the fifth year. But at that time, they were just dealing with exams and planning for further studies and employment, which was enough to drain their energy. There was no time or energy left to compete for the House Cup. Most of the students in the lower years were still confused. They really couldn't compete with the other houses. In previous years, before the school year was even halfway through, Hufflepuff had lost all hope of competing.
But this year was an exception. The appearance of Char had promoted the overall improvement of the first-year students in Hufflepuff. Until now, their scores were still far ahead. It could be said that this year was the most promising year for the house. Her long-cherished wish was about to come true tonight, so no wonder she was so excited.
Char's heart moved slightly. He remembered what would happen tonight in the original book. In the original, Slytherin was far ahead and Gryffindor had the lowest score. As a result, Dumbledore had waved his hand and added a full 160 points to Harry and his two companions, directly leveling the scores. Then he had given Neville another ten points, managing to move Gryffindor from last place to first and win the House Cup. In the original book, Snape had looked like he was eating a fly. Tonight, this treatment wouldn't fall on Hufflepuff, right?
He pondered this possibility in his mind, then shook his head inwardly. There was no point in thinking so much. Let's go and have a look. He wished old Dumbledore wouldn't be so shameless. If only such a huge gap could be bridged... oh, that would be really shameless. Not to mention that his house would be dissatisfied; he was afraid the other heads of house would not be so easy to get rid of either. Thinking of this, he was certain. So he temporarily interrupted his planting business and followed Professor Sprout towards the Great Hall.
The Great Hall at this moment was almost full. Although the young wizards had experienced a thrilling event three days ago, under the effect of the Forgetfulness Charm, plus the exciting House Cup outcome, everyone had forgotten their previous fear. Their hearts were full of longing and anticipation for the Cup.
When Char came to the Great Hall, everyone couldn't help but stare at him. At this moment, the hall became completely silent. The first-year wizards themselves didn't know why they had such a deep respect for him from the bottom of their hearts. In their memories, it seemed as if he had done something very great and saved them all. What had happened? For a while, many of the young wizards were frowning as they recalled, especially Susan and Hannah at the Hufflepuff table. The two little girls who had almost been eaten by the Quintapeds could almost recall the scene in their minds.
The professors in their seats looked a little nervous at this moment. None of them specialized in the Memory Charm. Even Professor Flitwick, who taught Charms, had the Oblivion Charm as one of the spells with his lowest attainments. After all, almost everyone wanted to have a photographic memory. Except for those who had experienced intense pain and tragedy, few people would wish to be masters of forgetting. And magic was closely related to everyone's will. If you didn't want to forget, then the spell would naturally not be very powerful. Even with Professor Flitwick's magical attainments, it was very difficult to modify the memories of so many young wizards in such a short time, especially since this memory was so profound. If they were slightly stimulated, they might remember it. At this time, Professor Flitwick was on guard, ready to cast a spell at any time. At the same time, he sighed in his heart. "I wonder if Gilderoy Lockhart, whom I recommended, will accept Dumbledore's invitation. I remember that he showed an astonishing talent in the Oblivion Charm back then. But now, he's a well-known novelist, and he's done a lot of great things that people talk about. I hope he can come."
Fortunately, at this time, Dumbledore appeared. The young wizards' thoughts were interrupted, and their attention was turned back to the winner of the House Cup which would be announced shortly. They had no time to dwell on the memories that frightened and terrified them. This finally made the professors breathe a sigh of relief.
Dumbledore also forced a smile. He threw all the prepared manuscripts behind his mind and finished speaking those clichés briefly at lightning speed. After a moment, he got straight to the point. "Now, as far as we know, we first have to conduct the House Cup awards ceremony."
Along with his announcement, everyone held their breath again. Char saw that the kids next to him were so nervous that they almost closed their eyes. Hannah was muttering to herself as if she was chanting a spell. "Unexpected upset, leave quickly—unexpected upset, leave quickly—"
At this time, Dumbledore announced the total scores of each house one after another. "Fourth place, Gryffindor, 332 points. Third place, Slytherin, 367 points. Second place, Ravenclaw, 455 points."
Char raised an eyebrow. This was generally higher than the scores he remembered. It seemed that due to his arrival, the performance of this generation of young wizards was indirectly better than in the original work.
Immediately following, Dumbledore paused. He reported a score that surprised even the professors. "First place, Hufflepuff, 532 points!"
This score caused a commotion in the Great Hall. Nearly one hundred points higher than second place? A full two hundred points higher than last! The senior students who had been attending the school for several years had never seen such a scene. None of the students present had ever seen a score above 500. Even professors who had been at Hogwarts for many years had only seen such scores a few times. The little Hufflepuffs couldn't help but clench their fists, their faces turning red. The cheers were almost reaching their throats.
But then, Dumbledore's words made them nervous again. "Yes, yes. Very well done, Hufflepuff. However, several recent events must also be taken into account."
Over at the Gryffindor table, Harry and the other two met face to face. Sure enough, excitement and hope suddenly ignited in their eyes. This had to do with what they had done last!
Dumbledore began his announcement slowly. "Mr. Ron Weasley—" Ron's face flushed crimson, almost redder than his increasingly red hair. "—he won the most exciting game of chess Hogwarts has seen in many years. Perhaps it also contributed to the extremely rare performance of Transfiguration among first-year students. I award Gryffindor House sixty points for this."
Char's brow furrowed. If he remembered correctly, in the original book, Dumbledore had given Ron an extra 50 points. Now it had become 60. This old man... no way? In the professors' seats, several heads of house couldn't help but cast confused glances at Dumbledore. Professor McGonagall, as the beneficiary, was no exception. Her face even turned redder than Ron's. But an unfathomable smile appeared on the corner of Dumbledore's mouth. He continued his announcement.
"Miss Hermione Granger—she faced the raging fire and calmly engaged in logical reasoning. They faced many difficulties along the way and demonstrated remarkable knowledge and ability. For this, I will award Gryffindor House another sixty points."
This time, the commotion in the Great Hall grew more intense. The little Gryffindor lions were all ecstatic, and the Hufflepuffs all clenched their fists. Judging from their expressions, it seemed as if they had already thought of something bad. They were almost crying with anxiety. It seemed like everyone was praying that this kind of extra points would not continue. After all, with the extra 120 points, Gryffindor had jumped to second place, only eighty points away from Hufflepuff. If it happened again, it might be hard to say who would win the House Cup. But things often go against one's wishes. While the little ones were praying that no more accidents would happen, their hearts sank when they heard Dumbledore's next announcement.
"Harry Potter—he showed tremendous courage and bravery. Sharing, especially in times of danger, is a precious quality that can protect you and others. For this, I shall also award Gryffindor eighty points."
At this point, Gryffindor's scores were officially on par with Hufflepuff's. In the professors' seats, Professor McGonagall looked like she was trying to find a hole to crawl into, her face as red as if it was burning. She looked at Dumbledore in disbelief. The other heads of house couldn't help but show indignation. Even Snape, who was destined to lose the House Cup for seven consecutive years this year, had a sarcastic smile on his face. This old man... was he still not giving up?
But at this moment, Dumbledore made a face at them, as if to say it was just a joke. He immediately raised his hand, as if he was about to announce something important. "There are many kinds of courage. It is certainly a form of courage to take risks alone. To deal with the enemy, we need superhuman courage. But the courage shown to protect a friend is even more valuable. Mr. Char Sprout, in the Forbidden Forest trial, faced an out-of-control troll. He stepped forward, attracted the troll's attention, and protected everyone. Therefore, I shall now reward Mr. Char Sprout with one hundred and twenty points."
Hearing this, Professor McGonagall breathed a sigh of relief. For the past seven years, she had dreamed of bringing the House Cup back to Gryffindor. But this year, if Dumbledore had really dared to do this, to give the House Cup to Gryffindor, she would have been really embarrassed. It would have meant she couldn't lift her head.
Several other heads of house now understood. That old Dumbledore... was this another bad taste of his? But at this time, in the professors' seats, Professor Binns of History of Magic, who had long since become a ghost, suddenly spoke out of character. He seemed to remember something, and there was a rare hint of fluctuation in his voice. "So, the Hufflepuff house score has reached 652 points? As I recall, this would have been ranked among the top ten in the past thousand years. Number one, let me think—I remember it was Ravenclaw. He led the Ravenclaw class to a high score of 777. No other house has come close to this record in hundreds of years."
Hearing what Professor Binns said, the entire Great Hall suddenly fell silent. The professors and students were all staring at Dumbledore at this moment, staring at the glittering numbers he had arranged in the air. Professor Binns reporting the first House Cup score in history made them feel dizzy just listening to it. 777 points? Slytherin's score this year was less than half of that. How did they get that? More importantly, Hufflepuff... we were actually close now? Could it be...
And at this time, Dumbledore's smile widened. He said loudly, "Not only that, but we must overcome our fears, stand up and unite in the face of danger. This is also the most valuable quality that Hogwarts hopes to teach you. Miss Hannah Abbott and Miss Susan Bones, you overcame your fear in the face of danger and completed the spell. A beautiful spell! And to the rest of the first-year students in the house, you bravely drew your wands and faced your fears to protect your friends. In this Defense Against the Dark Arts exam, Hufflepuff House should be ranked first. And this will bring you one hundred points of extra points. Plus my extra bonus, Hufflepuff House, a total increase of one hundred and fifty points!"
This moment, the Great Hall fell into a deathly silence. Everyone was constantly doing addition and subtraction in their minds. Adding these 150 points, what was Hufflepuff's total score? Until a dozen seconds later, Hermione ran over this simple math problem in her mind over and over again, then gave the answer that everyone wanted to know in a trembling voice. "802 points!"
In a moment, the Great Hall looked like it was about to explode. All the young students in Hufflepuff heard this score. There was a cry like a landslide and a tsunami. "802 points? It's higher than 777, right? That is to say—we're number one? Number one in the history of the House Cup in a thousand years! We are the champions!!!"
Then, almost all of them stretched out their arms towards Char at the same time. They lifted him up and threw him high into the air. And in the professors' seats, all four heads of house stood up, applauding for him. Even Snape, who often had a gloomy face, at this moment, his face showed more pleasure than anger at losing the House Cup. He was more pleased for Char. As for Professor Sprout, not to mention her. While clapping, she almost fainted from excitement. Tears silently flowed from her eyes. The scene of her school days when she was waiting in the Great Hall with her brother for the results of the House Cup to be announced seemed to appear before her eyes. "Your child, Char, do you see that? He made history. He's going to be a great wizard, I swear to you!"
And at this time, students from the other three houses couldn't help but stand up and applaud. Char was rising and falling in mid-air. His eyes met Dumbledore's gaze. Dumbledore winked at him. Char felt helpless. This old man was quite good at creating suspense. But he was quite particular. Watching the House Cup coming towards Hufflepuff, his gaze turned to Professor Sprout, who was sitting in her seat with an excited and happy face. A smile appeared on his face as well.
But very quickly, that very night, he couldn't laugh anymore. Because this night, for the House Cup, for the new history created by Hufflepuff, the entire house was in an unprecedented carnival. Even if they were first-graders who theoretically shouldn't drink, they all drank butterbeer in big gulps. Professor Sprout, the head of house, not only did not stop it but also "led by example." She took out her treasured fruit wine made from various herbs and fruits. The entire house, including herself, was put down. Only Char was not affected and remained conscious thanks to his strong physique.
Looking at the drunk Hufflepuffs lying on the ground, his face was full of helplessness. Waving his wand, he moved the tables and chairs together in the common room and put them up. After doing all this, it was already late at night. All of Hogwarts was in complete silence. He then breathed a sigh of relief. He walked out of the common room and came to the door of the small greenhouse. The cheerful atmosphere of today flashed through his mind. A warm look appeared on his face. But he knew it wouldn't be long. Perhaps this joyful atmosphere would be gone forever. Basilisks, Dementors, Death Eaters—Hogwarts was not peaceful. Moreover, the plot of this Philosopher's Stone was very different from the details in the original work. In the following years, he was not sure whether such a huge change would occur again. He could grasp only himself. He hoped to share this joy with the head of house and Professor Sprout, and keep it for a while longer.
Immediately, he entered the small greenhouse, continuing the work that had been previously interrupted. But it didn't last long. An unexpected knock came from the door. He frowned, subconsciously tightening his grip on his wand. But he heard a familiar voice coming from outside. It was Dumbledore. "Char, are you still working so late? You really don't give yourself any time to relax. Can I come in and take a look? Oh, and there's a friend of mine who hasn't visited Hogwarts in a long time. About—hundreds of years?"
Right at this moment, another voice reached his ears. "Hello, Mr. Sprout. I am sincerely happy to see that the Hufflepuff greenhouse has welcomed a new master as outstanding as you. Oh yeah, look at my memory. I've been living in seclusion for so long that I've forgotten even social etiquette. You can call me—Nicolas Flamel."
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