Dana sat there eating while the twins stood nearby, watching him.
"Fred, George," Dana said, taking a sip of soup to wash down the slightly dry meat, "you must have something to tell me, right?"
Fred glanced at George before replying.
"That's right! We still want to go to the Slytherin common room tonight!"
Dana's face darkened. The last time these two dragged him along, he'd nearly gotten exposed.
"I'm not going. I still have a lot of books to read here."
George leaned in and hooked an arm around Dana's shoulder.
"Don't be like that. The Slytherin common room is a lot of fun! We're going today because there's going to be some real entertainment!"
"Entertainment?" Dana raised a brow.
Fred explained with a mischievous grin.
"Today in the Great Hall, we overheard Farley and Carroll talking. Apparently, Dunat Avery has gone mad."
Dana arched his eyebrows. Dunat Avery, mad?
Well, that wasn't bad news. In fact, he'd be quite pleased if any misfortune befell the Averys.
"How did he go mad?" Dana asked.
George answered, half laughing:
"I heard he spends all day talking to his pet snake, muttering to himself. A few young Slytherins overheard him... and he actually called his snake 'Master'! I mean, come on! Who calls their pet snake master?"
Fred joined in, laughing loudly.
"Exactly! Even our silly brother Ron wouldn't call Scabbers 'master.' Oh, Scabbers is Ron's rat, by the way. Dana, you should've seen it."
Dana tilted his head back, finished the soup in one gulp, and thoughtfully stroked his chin.
Dunat Avery calling a little viper master?
It didn't take much to figure that one out. Given the chain of events and the plot he was familiar with, the answer was crystal clear.
Lord Voldemort hasn't left Hogwarts yet?
Relentless, isn't he?
The Philosopher's Stone must truly be irresistible.
As for Dunat Avery... Voldemort really would use anyone, wouldn't he?
Still, after learning about Fluffy's weakness, anyone—even Avery—could make it to the final stage under Voldemort's guidance.
Dana sighed.
"Sorry, Fred, George," he said, putting away his dishes and stacking them in the corner of the room. "I'm not interested in Dunat Avery. Didn't I teach you the Disillusionment Charm? You two go on your own."
Fred and George didn't push it. Instead, they rushed up, messed up Dana's silver hair into a fluffy rabbit's nest, laughed heartily, and left the room, tossing a final remark over their shoulders:
"Dana, read fewer books or you'll turn into a bookworm!"
As the twins exited, Dana shook his head with a small smile.
What did Voldemort stealing a fake Philosopher's Stone have to do with him?
With Dumbledore watching, everything would go according to the script. Harry Potter would heroically save the day and finish off Voldemort (again).
—Even though Lily Evans's magic was supposedly "love-based," it was, in essence, still a curse-type spell.
Even if Harry had started warming up to him again lately, it was still better for Dana to stay far away from the trouble.
So, Dana decided to switch into spectator mode:
No involvement. No risk. No participation.
At most, he'd check Avery's condition every day. Nothing more.
Then came the day when Dumbledore left temporarily for business at the Ministry of Magic. Dana watched as Dunat Avery put on his hat in the Great Hall...
No doubt about it—Voldemort had chosen that moment to possess Avery and make a move for the Stone.
Dana also saw the "golden trio" sneak out of their common room that night.
Perfect. The corrective power of the original timeline was clearly at work.
And what did that have to do with him, Dana Emrys?
Sure enough, by the next day, the news had spread:
Dunat Avery had dropped out of school. Harry Potter was unconscious after protecting the Philosopher's Stone.
Perfect. The first school year had ended just like that.
With summer ahead, Dana could fully focus on planning his revenge against the Averys—especially once Gilderoy Lockhart got locked up in Azkaban next year.
But just as he thought he could rest easy, life threw him a boomerang.
Because Harry was now in the infirmary, unable to participate in Gryffindor's final match against Ravenclaw.
Professor McGonagall found Dana and made a request.
"Would you represent Gryffindor in the match?"
Well, it was Professor McGonagall asking.
Dana genuinely didn't want to say no.
So, when Dana took the field at the Hogwarts inter-house Quidditch pitch on his Nimbus 2000 (naturally—professional players needed their own brooms), the entire student body gasped.
"This is cheating! A professional player in a school match? This is blatant unfairness!"
That came from a faculty member who insisted on remaining anonymous, shouting in frustration at McGonagall.
Professor McGonagall just smiled.
"Since when have you started caring about fairness? Besides, Dana is a student of Gryffindor. Him representing Gryffindor doesn't violate any school rules."
Professor Flitwick, standing nearby, sighed with slight disappointment, but still said,
"That's true. The school rules don't prohibit it. Honestly, Dana loves studying so much, he should really be in Ravenclaw!"
As they spoke, the match began.
To be honest, the match itself didn't have much suspense. We only need to hear Lee Jordan's commentary to know what happened.
After an extended rave about Dana, Lee finally announced:
"Alright, the match is about to begin!"
"Madam Hooch releases the Golden Snitch—it's gone! Now she tosses the quaffle into the air, and the game begins!"
"Gryffindor gains early control—Angelina Johnson has it! She's racing toward Ravenclaw's goal, dodging three defenders!"
"She passes to Katie Bell—Katie makes a tactical move, sends it to Alicia Spinnet down the sideline! Great teamwork! Alicia's just twenty yards from scoring!"
"Wait—timeout?! Madam Hooch is blowing the whistle. What's going on?"
"Merlin's beard! Dana Emrys! He's caught the Golden Snitch! That's right—he caught it in the tenth… no, ninth… no—eighth second of the match!"
"The youngest professional player strikes again! Dana Emrys—a complete level above the rest!"
Gryffindor wins. They are this year's Quidditch champions!
The first school year concluded.
Dumbledore didn't need to add any absurd bonus points this time. With the Quidditch championship and over a hundred points Dana had earned through academics and conduct, Gryffindor had more than enough to secure the House Cup.
Still, to boost Harry's confidence, Dumbledore added fifty more points for his bravery in protecting the Philosopher's Stone.
"Dana, how are you spending the summer?"
Professor McGonagall stood before him, concern etched on her face.
"You're just a child. Living alone isn't safe. Why don't you come stay with me? I have an extra room at home."
Living alone... unsafe?
Well, truthfully, the entire wizarding world was a bit unsafe.
Dana responded with a warm smile.
"No, Professor McGonagall. This summer, aside from training with the team and playing in matches, I plan to travel around Europe. It's my mother's final wish."
"She always dreamed of taking me to see famous historical sites, but she never had the money to do it…"
His eyes softened as he added:
"Now that I'm a professional and earning money—just last week, Whirlwind brand goggles approached me for an endorsement. All I have to do is take a few photos, and I get five hundred Galleons. That's enough to travel Europe for two months!"
As he spoke, Dana showed her a delicate silver ring hanging on a chain around his neck.
"This is my mother's ring. Wearing it while I travel feels like I'm fulfilling her dream, as though she's coming along with me."
Professor McGonagall hugged him tightly, her lips pursed and eyes slightly red.
"Oh, what a good boy… But promise me you'll be careful. And abroad—make sure to follow the law. Especially the International Statute of Wizarding Secrecy!"
"I promise, Professor."
End of Year One.
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