"These are Allen Harris's berries from Ravenclaw. I think you ought to eat a few more; they'll do wonders for your recovery." Madam Pomfrey smoothly took the fruit basket off her arm and deposited it directly onto Harry's bedside table. With a discrete shove, she moved the clearly unhealthy snacks—Bertie Bott's Every Flavor Beans and Chocolate Frogs—behind the basket, out of immediate sight.
Harry, still weak but recovering, picked out a bright red, plump cranberry and popped it into his mouth. A sharp, tart, yet intensely refreshing burst of flavor instantly filled his mouth. He couldn't resist reaching for a second.
Seeing this positive reaction, Madam Pomfrey nodded with stern satisfaction. "This is much healthier than those sugary preserves. It's highly beneficial for warding off nasty urinary tract infections and general cystitis, particularly suitable for young women, mind you."
Hearing this rather specific endorsement, Harry instinctively recoiled his hand, pulling it back sharply from the bowl of cranberries.
As Allen walked from the Hospital Wing toward the Great Hall, he felt a quiet satisfaction seeing that the hall had already been redecorated in the glorious colours of blue and bronze to celebrate Ravenclaw's impending House Cup victory. A massive banner featuring a majestic Ravenclaw eagle was proudly draped on the wall behind the high table.
As Allen passed the cluster of Slytherin students, he noticed their collective gaze lock onto him. This was entirely understandable; Ravenclaw's crushing victory had brutally shattered Slytherin's dream of securing their seventh consecutive House Cup win.
It wasn't just Allen; every Ravenclaw student passing by was subjected to this chilly reception. But Allen clearly drew the most concentrated, venomous glares. His nickname, "Score Checker," was well-earned; as long as he was competing, the highest score in virtually every class was guaranteed to bolster Ravenclaw's tally.
A resourceful Ravenclaw student, doing some light reading of Hogwarts: A History, had recently proclaimed that Allen was arguably the highest-scoring student in the school's entire recorded history. This claim had been proudly confirmed by Professor Flitwick, who was, naturally, bursting with pride that Ravenclaw had produced such a prodigious talent.
Allen took his usual seat at the Ravenclaw table. The space around him was conspicuously empty; it was as if every other Ravenclaw implicitly acknowledged that this section of the bench belonged solely to Allen. Just as he settled in, he heard Edward's excited voice: "Allen, we've done it! We won the House Cup!"
Further down the Ravenclaw table, Penelope Clearwater was eagerly reciting the final tally, having mentally run the numbers dozens of times: "Fourth place, Gryffindor, 312 points! Third place, Hufflepuff, 352 points! Slytherin, 472 points! And us, the undeniable number one, having even snatched the Quidditch Cup! Ravenclaw, a phenomenal 568 points!"
Allen wasn't surprised in the slightest. He fully anticipated that even if the final score was high, Dumbledore, in his shameless way, would surely contrive a massive last-minute point bonus to ensure Gryffindor snatched the cup right out from under the higher-scoring Ravenclaw's beak.
When Professor Dumbledore finally stood to announce the initial House totals, the Ravenclaw table exploded with enthusiastic cheers and the rhythmic stomping of feet. Allen noticed the Gryffindors, despite being announced in a distant fourth place, celebrated their devastating defeat of Slytherin with equally enthusiastic applause, focusing on their historical rivalry rather than their poor standing.
To their credit, despite having their monumental seven-year winning streak obliterated by Ravenclaw, the Slytherin students remained outwardly composed, maintaining a strained, polite applause for Ravenclaw's declared victory.
"Yes, yes, well done," Dumbledore said, his eyes twinkling as he watched the commotion. "However, a few recent events must also be taken into account before the final result is confirmed."
The Great Hall instantly fell silent. Allen felt a faint, anticipatory thump in his chest, knowing exactly what was coming. Was Dumbledore truly about to award Harry and his friends a colossal, arbitrary bonus?
Allen privately maintained his belief that the original point distribution was profoundly unfair. Gryffindor had blatantly violated a school rule—a rule established by Dumbledore himself—by entering the forbidden Cerberus chamber. To reward them for this infraction while penalizing the houses, especially Slytherin, who had adhered to school rules, felt like an egregious display of bias.
"Now, now," Dumbledore said, clearing his throat dramatically, "I have a few final points of recognition to share. Let me see. First, to Mr. Ronald Weasley,"—Ron's face instantly went a brilliant, sun-dried carrot shade of red—"for playing the greatest game of chess seen at this school for many years, I award Gryffindor fifty points!"
The Gryffindors' cheers were so immense they nearly lifted the enchanted ceiling. Even the stars magically twinkling above them seemed to tremble slightly from the noise. Percy Weasley could be heard shouting himself hoarse to the other prefects, "My brother, you know! My youngest brother! He actually crossed Professor McGonagall's giant chessboard!"
Allen, relaxed and entirely unconcerned, calmly joined the Ravenclaws around him in applauding Ron's achievement.
It took a solid minute for the Great Hall to settle down. "Secondly," Dumbledore continued, "to Miss Hermione Granger, for her cool logic and her successful efforts to bring Mr. Weasley back to us when her friend was in peril, and for her immediate, sensible action in alerting the teachers. To Gryffindor, I award another fifty points!"
Hermione buried her face in her arms, overwhelmed, and the Gryffindor students sprang up and down around their table; they had just secured a full hundred points!
"Thirdly, to Mr. Harry Potter," Dumbledore announced. The Great Hall again fell into an absolute, breathless silence. "For showing immense courage and extraordinary bravery in standing up to those who would misuse power, I award Gryffindor sixty points!"
The noise was deafening once more. Students, even while screaming themselves hoarse, were rapidly counting: Gryffindor now had 472 points, drawing them level with Slytherin.
Dumbledore raised his hand. The Great Hall slowly quieted down again.
"There are many forms of courage," Dumbledore smiled gently. "It takes a spectacular amount of courage to stand up to our enemies, but it takes an equal amount to stand up to our friends. Therefore, I award ten points each to Mr. Neville Longbottom and Mr. Fogg Stock."
Gryffindor's score now successfully surpassed Slytherin's, putting them firmly in second place with 492 points.
The Great Hall again fell silent, everyone waiting for Dumbledore's next pronouncement. The Gryffindors were now vibrating with excitement, wondering if there could possibly be more bonus points coming. Even though they had earned almost half of their total term score in the last ten minutes, they sensed victory was within reach.
Dumbledore then turned his attention to the true academic giant of the room. "And finally, Mr. Allen Harris, who demonstrated his ability to calmly analyse a perilous situation in the face of fire, utilizing his vast Ravenclaw knowledge and unmatched intelligence to protect the Philosopher's Stone. For this display of true Ravenclaw wisdom, I award Ravenclaw a final sixty points!"
The moment Dumbledore finished his speech, the Ravenclaw table erupted in an explosive, confident cheer. The "Score Checkers" had delivered as expected, providing the final, unshakeable foundation for Ravenclaw's victory. Allen felt nothing special about the points themselves; whether he received credit for breaking school rules or not, it had no real impact on Ravenclaw's definitive House Cup triumph.
The Gryffindors cheered their victory over their hated rivals, Slytherin. Even the usually composed Hufflepuffs were thrilled by the dramatic turn of events. Anything less than first place felt like a failure to Slytherin, but being overtaken by Gryffindor at the absolute last second left the young snakes' faces a furious shade of green.
The traditional end-of-year banquet commenced shortly after, offering a wide array of delicious food and drink, including sweet honey tarts, rich cream chicken, and savoury Yorkshire pudding.
This ensured that the young wizards, whose appetites had thankfully not been diminished by the dramatic House Cup results, enjoyed a hearty and restorative meal.
Allen ate slowly, savoring the House-elf cooking, all the while thinking of the Centaur camp he would soon be heading to, and the priceless, astronomical knowledge awaiting him there.