"Yes, and second, to Miss Hermione Granger. For solving a puzzle of the utmost importance, I award her fifty points!"
Dumbledore continued.
The noise in the Great Hall was deafening. The Gryffindors' enthusiasm nearly blew the roof off. The enchanted stars overhead seemed to tremble slightly from the sheer volume.
Amidst the din, Justin could be heard marveling, "Amazing, Hermione! We all know it was you who found the legend of the Basilisk, and you who got Professor Binns to tell us the story of the Chamber of Secrets."
Hermione's face turned beet red. Unlike last time, when she had quietly sobbed, this time she nodded, accepting the glory with grace.
Dumbledore raised a hand. The Hall gradually quieted down again.
"It is a foolish and forgetful thing for old men to underestimate the young.
"I am aware that among us, there has emerged a truly exceptional wizard.
"Yes, some have asked me, how does he compare to when I was young? I believe he is even more outstanding.
"I must award Ravenclaw three hundred points. One hundred of those points go to Mr. Sean Green. For solving the mystery of the Chamber before anyone else, and locating the monster within..."
Before Dumbledore could even finish his sentence, the sound of sharp intakes of breath filled the room.
For no reason at all, Sean suddenly thought of that joke about everyone inhaling sharply at the same time causing global warming.
Soon, applause began to ripple through the Hall, growing from a trickle to a roar. At the Gryffindor table, the Weasley twins were hollering, "The Great Green—!"
At the Ravenclaw table, the eagles were already doing the math, wondering if Ravenclaw would now win the House Cup for seven consecutive years. After all, they had their dear Mr. Green.
Even the Slytherins were clapping politely, with some looking downright fanatical—like a certain platinum-blonde Malfoy.
The Hufflepuff badgers, however, looked a bit forlorn. Rumor had it—according to reliable sources—that dear Mr. Green had originally wanted to be sorted into Hufflepuff...
At the High Table, Professor Flitwick couldn't suppress his grin. He was muttering something gleefully until he noticed the sour expressions on two of his colleagues' faces, at which point he slowly lowered his voice.
"You should have given him detention," Minerva McGonagall said stiffly.
Severus Snape didn't reply. He just nodded with a gloomy expression. A few seconds later, when no one was looking, a flicker of satisfaction crossed his face—as if his painstaking efforts had finally been recognized.
The Great Hall was chaotic, with cheers rising in waves. Some students even stood up to cheer.
"And the other two hundred points—"
Dumbledore had to use the Sonorus charm to be heard over the noise.
"Are awarded to Mr. Sean Green. For bravely defeating the Basilisk before tragedy could strike—yes, a truly incredible feat—"
The noise from the young wizards cut off abruptly.
They stared at each other, rubbing their ears, as if trying to confirm they hadn't hallucinated.
"Bravely defeating the Basilisk... what does that even mean?"
Ernie from Hufflepuff looked bewildered, hoping his friends could offer an explanation.
Unfortunately, his friends were just as clueless. He exchanged blank looks with Hannah and Susan.
This scene played out in every corner of the Hall. In the blink of an eye, the rowdy Great Hall turned into a zone of dead silence.
At the High Table, Dumbledore was beaming.
He clapped his hands, and the sapphires in the Ravenclaw hourglass experienced a terrifying surge.
They climbed rapidly, overtaking Gryffindor—who had just barely pulled ahead—and leaving all the other hourglasses far behind in the dust.
Well, that settled it. Even if Gryffindor won the Quidditch Cup later, they'd never catch up to Ravenclaw now.
It was a massive three-hundred-point gap.
"Merlin's beard—"
Roger Davies was the first to cheer—Merlin be praised! Now, even if their recruitment plan failed, Ravenclaw wouldn't lose the House Cup because of it. Roger shouted as if he'd just been granted a royal pardon.
Beside him, the entire Quidditch team erupted in cheers, setting off the rest of Ravenclaw table like a powder keg.
But it wasn't just Ravenclaw; Gryffindor and Hufflepuff were instantly ignited too.
No one cared about the House Cup race anymore—why worry about something you couldn't win?
What they absolutely needed to know right now was: How was the Basilisk defeated?
That was one of the most terrifying monsters ever to roam Scottish soil.
Sean was used to being watched, but having everyone turn their heads to stare straight at him was still uncomfortable.
He heard someone shouting "The Great Green—" again, which gave him a bit of a twitch.
He looked toward the High Table, where Dumbledore raised his goblet and winked at him.
---
The heated discussions lasted well into the night.
The corridors were filled with the sounds of students debating loudly.
The members of the Castle Cat Club immediately attributed the success to the Lucky Black Cat.
Think about it: Hogwarts Castle harbored so many dangers, yet not a single one had resulted in a real tragedy.
What could that be if not the blessing of the Lucky Black Cat?
With that thought, they completely forgot about their fruitless search over the Christmas holidays.
"I can't believe Headmaster Dumbledore said that..."
In the corridor, by a suit of armor, Hermione was still in a bit of a daze.
Everyone in the "Hut of Hope" group tacitly understood that Sean would likely surpass Headmaster Dumbledore one day.
But that was just their judgment as young wizards. Compared to the wisdom of a legendary wizard, they lacked perspective.
Now, however, the legendary wizard himself had confirmed it, solidifying their previously shaky belief.
"Tell us again, Sean. How did you beat the Basilisk?"
Ron asked excitedly, already picturing himself recounting Sean's "heroic deeds" to a captive audience.
"Yeah—"
Even Harry couldn't help but chime in.
"I used some Transfiguration, a few Impediment Jinxes to restrict its movement, and..."
Sean started.
"Merlin..."
Ron looked like he wanted to bang his head against the stone floor.
Sean tilted his head slightly toward Ron.
"He means... go on, Sean," Harry quickly cut Ron off.
He genuinely wanted to learn this.
"And the Sword of Gryffindor."
Sean thought for a moment and added,
"The Basilisk's tough hide is immune to most magic, so I used Transfiguration to make the ground cave in, trapping it..."
"Transfiguration? To make the ground cave in?"
Ron's eyes went wide. What does that mean? He had been studying Transfiguration so hard for so long, so why did it sound like gibberish now?
---