Some people never show up when you really need them, but when you've handled all the problems on your own, they suddenly arrive to claim the spoils.
In the wizarding world, these people have a collective name, the Ministry of Magic.
The strongest fortresses are often conquered from within, even in the wizarding world.
When Allen engineered a situation that left the powerful vampire gravely injured, a massive BOOM shook the lab. The once-impenetrable defenses were riddled with gaps.
The sudden change unsettled those watching from outside, but they still worriedly began trying to dismantle the protective wards.
As the defensive wards broke down, wizards who had merely been assisting gained new roles, they became explorers.
Their participation instantly doomed the near-graduating students' exploration mission, though, in reality, they were doomed from the start.
Thanks to the vampire's interference, three students were killed; they had refused the vampires' coercion and fought fiercely.
Among the remaining wizards, some were controlled, and others hid throughout the castle. The vampires' pursuit of Allen gave them precious time to conceal themselves.
When the Ministry of Magic arrived, all the surviving young wizards were rescued. The vampires were decimated, with only a few escaping; the rest were eliminated on the spot.
And that, in essence, is how the Ministry swooped in at the last minute to claim the MVP.
Of course, publicly, the story was presented differently. According to newspapers:
"…According to our reports, young wizards from Hogwarts and Ilvermorny, originally engaged in friendly collaborative exploration, were ambushed and abducted by shameless vampires. These vile creatures murdered three hostages in an attempt to force compliance. Yet our brave young wizards remained unbowed, demonstrating extraordinary courage…"
"Fortunately, our heroic Aurors arrived in time, and with assistance from professors from both schools, successfully broke through the vampires' defenses, rescuing the hostages and eliminating the vampire threat. Our esteemed Minister of Magic…"
Allen casually used the newspaper to pad the chair, stone furniture in the winter fortress was cold as ice.
The overall mood, surprisingly, was quite good, even with a Slytherin casualty.
When the fallen student's family arrived, the uncle showed no sorrow. No matter how you looked at him, he was smiling.
The deceased was Norris, the student who had traded with Allen. Perhaps his family felt grief, but it was clearly offset by the Ministry's compensations, Allen knew exactly what treasures the lab contained. If he hadn't been focused on taking down the vampire, he wouldn't have passed up the opportunity to collect everything.
As the group with the largest number of wizards, the Ministry gained far more than expected, Allen even received a token "relief fee" of one hundred Galleons. Considering the Ministry's usual stinginess, that was generous.
Allen, of course, didn't mention the rare books and important experimental logs he pocketed along the way. From the Ministry's perspective, the mission had been a complete success, and the temporary workers like him weren't expected to gain anything.
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Upon their return, a grand welcome banquet awaited. Having just seen off the American Ministry, Allen's group now faced the British Ministry.
As the sayings goes, "Heavenly talent and earthly treasures belong to those destined to have them." The West may not have this exact saying, but the principle was similar.
And for clarification, "destined" simply means whoever is strongest gets their way.
Thus, after the American Ministry left with their spoils, Ilvermorny and the British Ministry teamed up, Hey, we want a piece too, can we borrow some dumplings?
Using the unbreakable rule, "within wand range is truth," their joint claim of "yours is mine, mine is still mine" was quickly enforced.
In other words, while Allen's group was en route, the American Ministry swung from joy to disappointment. Allen had no intention of refunding them.
Allen and Annie, for their outstanding performance, earned exemption from two exams and were guaranteed the highest O grade on their N.E.W.T.s, earning the envy of all the wizards remaining at school. Of course, Allen couldn't exactly tell them he earned it through fighting.
Returning to school felt like heaven, minus one professor.
Yes, yet another Defense Against the Dark Arts professor was gone.
The kindly professor had been fired.
Why? Because he joined the fight.
Fighting in itself isn't an issue, even professors can lose their tempers, but this professor's method was… unique.
He ganged up, well, more accurately, he single-handedly beat a group of wizards.
Just like the exchange at Ilvermorny, the atmosphere at Hogwarts wasn't ideal either. Even if Hogwarts students didn't want trouble, the visitors were all troublemakers.
One day, when students arranged a duel, a passing slightly drunk professor intervened, he subdued all the students alone.
Hogwarts was fine, but the opposing school sent a biased professor. Words clashed, and the drunk professor attacked.
After that… nothing else. According to students who were restrained by magic during the duel, their Defense Against the Dark Arts professor handled the fight one-on-one, two-on-two, until no reinforcements remained.
An entire exchange group was subdued by one drunk professor, even Dumbledore couldn't intervene.
Self-defense, yes, but knocking out an entire school's exchange group? That was excessive.
Thus, Dumbledore again found himself searching for a new Defense Against the Dark Arts professor.
Amid all this calm, the school year ended. The House Cup went to Hufflepuff for the first time in decades, and possibly the last, thanks to their team's massive points.
On the train back, Allen said farewell to Annie and acquaintances, everything seemed calm.
But beneath the surface, currents of tension churned.