The next evening was the end-of-year feast.
As students poured into the Great Hall, the air buzzed with chatter and excitement.
Ever since some professors had learned of Douglas's advice regarding the basilisk, Professor Snape had been even colder toward him than usual. Not that Snape had ever been warm, but this time, Douglas could tell the professor was truly displeased.
Still, Douglas was certain that Dumbledore hadn't shared his suspicions about how Harry became a Parselmouth with Snape. If he had, there was no way Snape would be calmly mocking Douglas like this.
It was a mystery Douglas couldn't quite unravel. Sometimes, he even wondered if it was because he'd excelled too much at Occlumency—maybe Dumbledore was eyeing him as a future second Snape, or planning to split Snape's burdens, with Douglas guiding Harry down his destined path.
The system did contain some alternative magical theories about dealing with soul possession, but Harry was his student—Douglas would never experiment with soul magic on a child. Besides, soul magic was dangerous in any world, and since canon had already provided a good solution, there was no need for him to risk it himself.
While Snape was in the midst of delivering a withering, drawn-out tirade, he suddenly noticed Douglas had completely zoned out. Snape's irritation spiked.
Luckily, Dumbledore arrived at the Great Hall just then. Snape gave a cold huff, turned away, and the other professors breathed a collective sigh of relief.
No one wanted to advise Snape to be magnanimous—after all, it was during his tenure as Head of House that Slytherin's Chamber was discovered, which should have been a triumph. But a Hufflepuff's suggestion had led to the destruction of Salazar Slytherin's basilisk. No Head of House would take that lightly, especially since the Headmaster and the Ministry had already reached a consensus before Snape even learned that someone from another house had cracked the Chamber's secret.
What nobody realized was that since learning the Chamber's true identity, Snape had pored over every source he could find, but came up empty. He'd suspected Parseltongue, but as far as he knew, the last Parselmouth in Britain was locked away in Azkaban—a lunatic, by all accounts. He certainly wasn't about to strike a bargain with that person, and had no idea where Dumbledore had found a Parseltongue recording…
With Dumbledore's arrival, the din in the Great Hall gradually faded.
Dumbledore beamed and began,
"Another year has passed! Before you all dig into these delicious dishes, I'm afraid you'll have to indulge this old man and listen to a few of my customary remarks…
What a marvelous year it's been—especially since Professor Holmes joined us. Not only has he been diligent and dedicated as our Defence Against the Dark Arts instructor, but he's also contributed several excellent ideas to the school: the magical practice rooms, the end-of-term exams, the monthly assessment system…
Oh yes, I know those last two aren't exactly your favorites, but you must admit the results speak for themselves, don't they? I imagine you can feel the difference…
Let's all thank Professor Holmes for his contributions to Hogwarts!"
The applause was thunderous. Of course, not everyone was thrilled about exams, and nobody was clapping for the tests themselves.
But outside of exams, Professor Holmes had brought plenty of benefits: every year group had their own practical projects, the magical practice rooms let them experiment after hours, and morning runs had become a new kind of couple's date…
As Dumbledore raised his arms, the applause slowly faded.
"Now, as I understand it, we must first present the House Cup. Truth be told, this year's scores are almost unprecedented in Hogwarts history—though the ranking remains unchanged.
The final points for each house are:
Fourth place: Gryffindor, 876 points;
Third place: Hufflepuff, 957 points;
Second place: Slytherin, 1,150 points;
First place: Ravenclaw, 1,213 points."
The Ravenclaw table erupted in thunderous cheers and stamping.
At the Gryffindor table, Harry and Ron ducked their heads, quietly tallying up whether, if they hadn't lost those last sixty points, they might have surpassed Hufflepuff. The answer was no, which eased their guilt—slightly.
Still, they were rather miserable. In the end, Professor McGonagall had spared them further point deductions in light of their six-foot-long apology essays, but had instead assigned them mountains of summer homework. In hindsight, a few more lost points might have been better—they wouldn't have changed the outcome anyway.
George and Fred, catching the pointed looks from their housemates, hurried to explain,
"We've already made up the two hundred points we lost at the start of term…"
"As study room tutors and class reps, we earned loads of points for Gryffindor…"
The study room tutors were the most disgruntled—Professor McGonagall had promised a reward for first place, after all.
It wasn't just them. At the Slytherin table, the study tutors were glaring daggers at anyone who'd lost points.
Only Hufflepuff seemed content. After all, they'd just won the Quidditch Cup for the first time in years—what more could they ask for?
Dumbledore cleared his throat, and the Hall fell silent once more.
He continued,
"Yes, well done, Ravenclaw. However, there are certain events from this year that must also be taken into account…"
At these words, Slytherin and Gryffindor perked up with excitement—a familiar script. Last year, after Dumbledore said something similar, Slytherin had tumbled from first, and Gryffindor had leapt from last to first.
All eyes turned to Harry.
But the stares from the Ravenclaw table were anything but friendly.
Harry frantically waved his hands,
"I didn't do anything this time, I swear…"
Beside him, Hermione's eyes sparkled as she whispered,
"Harry, Parseltongue—only you could open the Chamber…"
Harry paused, and a grin crept over his face. He whispered back,
"How many points do you think I'll get this time, Hermione?"
Gryffindors nearby caught the exchange and felt a surge of hope. Once again, the Boy Who Lived might just save Gryffindor from disaster.
Dumbledore's voice rang out from the dais:
"As young witches and wizards, when you encounter powers beyond your understanding, or dark wizards you cannot hope to match,
I hope you'll have the clarity and courage to recognize your own limits. Don't let overconfidence blind you—learn to seek help from professors or trusted older students at the first sign of trouble.
In this respect, Miss Luna Lovegood of Ravenclaw has set a wonderful example.
Thanks to her timely report to the staff, Hogwarts avoided a crisis that could have forced the school to close…
Therefore, I am pleased to present Miss Luna Lovegood with the Hogwarts Special Achievement Award. Oh, and Ravenclaw, you may thank Miss Lovegood for earning you two hundred points!"
A hush fell over the Hall. Then, every Ravenclaw turned to stare in disbelief at Luna, who was still calmly reading The Quibbler as if none of this had anything to do with her.
A heartbeat later, the Ravenclaw table erupted in applause louder than ever before. Even Professor Flitwick climbed onto his chair, clapping enthusiastically toward his house.
The Ravenclaw female prefect walked over, gently taking the magazine from Luna's hands.
"Loony—sorry, I mean Luna, you're amazing!"
Luna looked up, her gaze drifting dreamily over the cheering crowd. Suddenly, she burst out laughing, her butterbeer cork necklace bouncing with her. Then, beaming, she declared:
"So many Wrackspurts!"
~~~~❃❃~~~~~~~~❃❃~~~~
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