After their victory over Gryffindor, the celebrations in the Hufflepuff common room lasted quite a while.
As Zacharias put it, "We're practically touching the base of the Quidditch Cup with one hand—Hufflepuff rules Hogwarts now!"
After all, Hufflepuff led Ravenclaw by one win and nearly 500 points in score differential. Even if Ravenclaw won their final match against Gryffindor by a huge margin, Hufflepuff would only need a draw—or even a narrow loss to Slytherin—to claim the championship!
Jon quickly shut down Zacharias' "traitorous" talk.
"Only need a draw to win"? That kind of setup had been proven time and again to be cursed—the worst kind of jinx.
"Yes, we can't let our guard down!" Cedric Diggory backed Jon up. "We still need to play our best in the final match. Just like Gryffindor and Ravenclaw, Slytherin is a strong opponent. They've got... well, they've got seven Nimbus 2001s—that's no joke!"
Even so, the Hufflepuff common room remained jubilant for weeks afterward—it felt like the New Year.
After all, it had been more than a decade since Hufflepuff last got this close to the Quidditch Cup.
...
The final days of February passed quickly, and March slipped by just as fast.
Ever since the Slytherin monster was defeated, Hogwarts had enjoyed a rare stretch of peace and quiet.
Astoria spent only a few days in the Hospital Wing before returning. Though she still looked a bit pale, her emotions seemed to have stabilized.
She never explained to Jon what had happened that day in Defense Against the Dark Arts, and Jon didn't press the matter either.
Ginny Weasley had also returned to school. Professor McGonagall didn't reveal the truth—she simply told everyone that Miss Weasley had taken a few weeks off due to illness. Still, Ginny was noticeably quieter than before, and her grades had dropped sharply.
The only ongoing concern...
...was that Tom Riddle's diary still hadn't been found.
Professor Sprout had already searched the Hufflepuff common room twice, even going through the dormitories.
And it wasn't just Hufflepuff.
The teachers, together with Filch, had scoured every inch of the castle. Aside from a few contraband items found in the Gryffindor and Slytherin dorms, there was nothing. That big diary had seemingly vanished into thin air.
If there was any noticeable change around school, it was how wildly popular Professor Dumbledore's temporary Defense Against the Dark Arts class had become.
Getting direct instruction from a wizard of his caliber was an incredibly rare opportunity.
And Dumbledore's mastery of the subject was truly exceptional.
In just over a dozen classes, he had introduced the first-years to several dangerous magical creatures and how to defend against them. He had also taught them basic defensive spells like the Disarming Charm and the Petrification Charm.
Even someone like Zacharias—who usually didn't pay much attention in class—was now working hard and taking notes.
Jon, however, remained fairly indifferent.
While Albus Dumbledore was undoubtedly one of the greatest wizards of the age, there wasn't much he could realistically teach someone at Jon's current level. It was simple: Jon was still too much of a beginner.
It was like an undergrad shadowing a top research professor—you weren't going to absorb much because the gap in knowledge was just too vast. Before diving into advanced material, you needed a solid foundation.
That same logic applied here: as a first-year, Jon and his classmates were simply too far below Dumbledore's level. Even if the professor wanted to teach them truly powerful magic, they wouldn't be able to grasp it.
As a result, Jon Hart's performance in Defense Against the Dark Arts was mediocre.
Especially when everyone else was putting in maximum effort, he came across as unremarkable.
He hardly caught Professor Dumbledore's attention at all.
...
During a Herbology class in mid-March, Professor Sprout announced that Easter break would begin the next day.
Easter break was their last long holiday of the school year, stretching from late March into early April—roughly two weeks total.
Jon didn't plan on returning to Southampton for the break. First, with summer holidays coming just a couple of months later, there wasn't much point. And second, not being able to use magic at home was a major inconvenience.
Besides, with final exams just ten weeks away, nearly every professor had piled on a mountain of homework.
Most students seemed to feel the same way—far fewer had filled out the departure forms for Easter break than they had during Christmas.
"There's one more thing..." Professor Sprout added with a smile. "Several Mandrakes in Greenhouse Three just held a loud and lively dance party. That means by the end of the break, they'll be fully mature!"
"Does that mean Justin is coming back soon?" a student asked.
"Yes... Mr. Creevey, Mr. Weasley, Miss Clearwater, and Justin will all be back after the Easter break."
"Will the Eagle Knocker be repaired?" asked a first-year Ravenclaw girl with waist-length, pale golden hair.
"Of course, Miss Lovegood," Professor Sprout replied with a nod. "With Mandrake root juice, Professor Flitwick will definitely be able to restore it."
"That's wonderful!" Luna Lovegood clutched her chest in relief. "I haven't been able to answer its riddles for over a month—I thought I was going to lose my mind!"
The nearby students burst out laughing.
As Jon left the greenhouse, he looked around at the students of all years, busy reviewing—or more like pre-reviewing—for finals...
After thinking for a moment, Jon decided it was time to try searching for Tom Riddle's diary.