"Yes, yes, very well done, Ravenclaw."
Dumbledore said.
"However, there are a few things that happened earlier which must be taken into account."
The hall fell very quiet. Students pricked up their ears.
What happened earlier?
Snape trying to assassinate Quirrell?
A lucky black cat wandering the castle?
Or that Hogwarts really produced some kind of alchemy prodigy?
It couldn't possibly be that Ron and the others guarded the Forbidden Forest, protected a unicorn, and fought off a mysterious figure trying to steal the secret object on the fourth floor, right?
That was practically a fairy tale.
Dumbledore cleared his throat:
"I have a few last points to award. Let me see. Ah, yes…"
"First—Mr Ron Weasley…"
Ron's face turned scarlet. He couldn't believe his name was coming up right now.
"…who spent two nights in the Forbidden Forest and stood firm against dark forces. For that, I award Gryffindor House fifty points."
Gryffindor froze, then the roar nearly blew the enchanted ceiling off. The stars above them seemed to tremble from the noise. They could all hear Percy shouting at the other prefects:
"That's my brother, you know! My youngest brother! Merlin—what on earth did he do?!"
It took a long time for everyone to calm down again.
"Second—Miss Hermione Granger… who stayed calm in the face of flame and used logic to get them through. I award Gryffindor House fifty points."
Hermione buried her face in her arms.
Sean and Justin leaned in to block her from view—she was secretly crying.
The Gryffindors around them were wild with delight, bouncing up and down beside the table—they had just gained a full hundred points.
"Third—Harry Potter…"
Dumbledore said. The hall fell utterly silent.
"…who showed remarkable courage and bravery. For this, I award Gryffindor House sixty points."
The noise now was deafening. Those students who could both shout themselves hoarse and still do sums in their heads realised Gryffindor now had 410 points—they had just climbed by 160.
Just a bit more and they could even overtake the snickering Slytherins.
Dumbledore raised one hand. The hall quieted again.
"Neville Longbottom, Justin Finch-Fletchley—who likewise did not bow to fear and darkness. I award Gryffindor and Hufflepuff fifty points each!"
Dumbledore smiled.
"We've passed Slytherin!"
If anyone had been standing outside the hall just then, they might have thought something exploded. The cheers from the Gryffindor table rolled in waves.
Harry and Ron jumped to their feet, shouting; Neville had gone so white with shock he was immediately swallowed by a crush of people hugging him.
"Gryffindor has 460 points! R—Ron, I, I was wrong."
Seamus was stammering out an apology.
The Slytherins, meanwhile, were stunned; their faces were not pleasant.
"Has anyone else done anything?! Any more points?!"
Percy was practically hysterical. One more award and Gryffindor could actually flip the outcome, overtake Ravenclaw, and win the House Cup.
From rock bottom—possibly a historic low—to a last-minute surge for the crown… they were writing a legend.
"There's more…"
Ron, coming down from the high, looked toward Sean. Sean was smiling as he applauded them.
His applause set the whole Ravenclaw table clapping; the eagles didn't seem worried at all.
"Lastly, I have one more important announcement.
"Among us is someone who possesses Gryffindor's courage, Slytherin's leadership, and, most precious of all, Hufflepuff's kindness…
"He successfully organised a brilliant counterattack and, together with Professor Quirrell, defeated the dark wizard who infiltrated Hogwarts.
"Because of his outstanding actions, Ravenclaw's wisdom has shone again—I award Ravenclaw one hundred points—for Mr Sean Green!"
The Ravenclaw table surged to its feet. They cheered and clapped so loudly they briefly drowned out Gryffindor.
"Any more points for Ravenclaw?!"
Percy practically howled; he seemed to have gone round the bend.
Prefect Penelope shot him a curious look, the corner of her mouth twitching up.
Professor Flitwick flicked his wand and the painting of a lone eagle soaring high let out a clear, ringing cry.
The tiny professor's face was flushed with joy; he shook McGonagall's hand vigorously, then Snape's.
Both of them were in a surprisingly good mood now, watching Sean being surrounded by Ravenclaws with genuine interest.
Professor Quirrell's body had only just begun to recover. When he heard "together with Professor Quirrell defeated the dark wizard who infiltrated Hogwarts," he fell into a dazed state.
Then he clutched his head, bowed low, and began to tremble.
…
The Hogwarts Express rolled into the station.
Compared to his shabby trunk at the start of the year, Sean's luggage now was practically luxurious.
Inside were the clothes and scarves Professor McGonagall had picked out, plus a great many jars of potion ingredients and various finished potions.
His trunk had vanished twice in the night—after the second time, nothing else would fit in it.
Sean ended up stashing his letters and books in the Niffler-like, bottomless pouch Dumbledore had given him.
Worth noting: it really acted like a Niffler—if Sean didn't offer it a silver Sickel as "payment," it wouldn't hand anything back.
If he tried to force it, it would bite and punch—granted, the soft cloth "body" meant it couldn't hurt him—but either way, Sean always paid the fee.
With a great hiss and a jolt, the big red train, trailing clouds of steam, came to a halt.
As Sean, Justin, and Hermione sat together in the same compartment, all three of them had a moment of dazed silence.
Outside, the countryside grew greener and neater. The train rattled past one Muggle town after another.
Compared to the journey to Hogwarts, this trip home went by far too quickly; by the time King's Cross Station loomed closer, Justin and Hermione finally seemed to realise they were about to part.
"You will come find me, right?"
Justin sounded more flustered now than he had facing a troll.
"We promise."
Hermione said, exasperated by his panic; it took some of the sting out of parting.
"We'll come."
Sean agreed to Justin's plan to meet up in Diagon Alley; with Floo Powder, it wasn't too hard.
"Oh, I still think it's amazing we're all wizards from non-magical families…"
Justin laughed once he'd caught his breath.
"Mm-hmm."
Hermione nodded.
Talking, they walked off the platform together.
A wizened old guard manned the barrier, letting only two or three people through at a time so a whole crowd wouldn't come bursting out of solid brick and attract Muggle attention.
Hermione's family, Justin's family, and Professor McGonagall were all waiting near the edge of the concourse.
"Goodbye."
Justin waved, his voice a bit shaky.
"My mum says I don't need to be sad—winter always comes round again, and the people meant to meet will meet again."
~~~
Patreon(.)com/Bleam
— Currently You can Read 120 Chapters Ahead of Others!