"Go, go, go, of course we must go!"
Michael excitedly said, "The Alchemy Competition, like the Quidditch World Cup, only takes place once every four years! It's one of the top international competitions in the Magic World! I've only heard about it before, never seen it myself! Such a great opportunity can't be missed!"
The group was heading to the hall when Leian asked curiously, "Even if Vid doesn't participate, you can still buy a ticket to be a spectator, right?"
"You don't understand, do you?"
Michael faced the group while walking backward, shaking his finger and said, "The Alchemy Competition is different from the Quidditch World Cup; it's invitation-only."
"The contestants are directly invited by the committee, young alchemists who have made a mark in the past four years. Spectators are also limited to wizards who receive a gold foil invitation letter, but contestants and judges can bring a group of friends and family!"
"Moreover, the spectators who receive invitations are usually academic giants, high-level officials, big businessmen, and representatives of pure-blood clans, along with a few famous editors and journalists. Generally, people simply don't have the opportunity to buy a ticket to watch, and some might not even know about the competition!"
Leian rubbed his chin, "So mysterious?"
Vid explained, "After all, unlike Transfiguration and Magic Spells, Alchemy doesn't involve direct confrontation between contestants, and the competition doesn't look that exciting. Without a certain knowledge of Alchemy, watching this kind of competition would mostly just be boring."
"Additionally, many Alchemy products need to be experienced up close to appreciate their mysteries. If there are too many spectators, most of them would end up sitting blankly for several hours, without understanding the judging criteria at all."
"But in the arena, I find your Alchemy very exciting, Vid!" Leian said, "Even without the subsequent battles, it's enough to be pleasing to the eye."
Vid chuckled and said, "Everyone's process of Alchemy is different..."
"Hey, don't be modest!" Michael pressed Vid's shoulder and said to Leian, "That's why this guy is invited to be a judge—he's on a different level from others!"
The group agreed with nods, and then Theo said, "Actually, I think this year's Alchemy Competition should be different from previous ones. Even if there's no chance to be at the site, we should be able to watch the livestream on Flow Mirror..."
"That would be so boring! If Vid isn't on the judge's panel, watching the Alchemy Competition live broadcasts is less interesting than watching Muggle talk shows!" Michael said interestedly, "Vid, do you know how many friends and family judges can bring?"
"The invitation says judges can bring seven people, contestants can bring five, and invited spectators can bring one companion..."
Before Vid finished speaking, the group stepped into the hall and exclaimed in unison, "Ah oh."
In the hall, the usual distinct colors were nowhere to be seen, replaced by a sea of silver and green decorations to celebrate their winning of the House Cup after three years.
"Wow..."
Michael was stunned for two seconds and couldn't help but exclaim again, "This scene... hasn't been seen in a long time..."
At the end of their first year, they had also seen Slytherin's flags covering the hall.
But then, Dumbledore, because of the heroic acts of a group of students who ventured into the Chamber of Secret, added points, letting Gryffindor take the championship in the end.
In the following two years, due to Harry Potter's outstanding performance in Quidditch matches, Gryffindor won the championship every year, giving people the feeling—that the celebration of the beginning of the holidays should be in red instead.
Vid couldn't help but say the obvious, "This year the House Cup champion is Slytherin?"
"Obviously." Michael asked, "What's our Ravenclaw's score?"
Vid: "…How would I know?"
The two looked at their reliable Hufflepuff companion.
"Uh..." Theo showed a helpless expression, "Well, how should I put it..."
"Got it, we're last, right?" Michael asked indifferently, "What about Gryffindor?"
Before Theo could speak, a voice came from behind them:
"Ravenclaw three hundred forty-one points; then Gryffindor, three hundred fifty-five points; Hufflepuff is three hundred eighty-six points, and finally Slytherin... five hundred and seven points."
Hermione walked over and said, "You guys are last; we're second from last."
Theo smiled bitterly.
Beside Hermione, Harry and Neville seemed a little angry, and Ron couldn't help but mutter, "It's all because of Snape... he keeps adding points for Slytherin—Malfoy even got ten points for slicing Daffodil Root well! Other houses had their points harshly deducted!"
Harry also couldn't help but grumble, "If Professor McGonagall could favor us once in a while, that would be nice..."
"What? Don't even think about it!" Hermione walked towards her seat, "You might as well hope for a new Potions Professor next term—that's more realistic!"
Vid and Michael exchanged glances, both showing the same indifference.
Since tonight is the year-end feast, they didn't sit at the same long table, instead heading towards their respective houses.
Vid ignored the eyes looking at him and sat with Michael at the front of the long table; Anthony sat on his other side, his burly stature immediately blocking various gazes.
"Weird, really weird." He said, "I think the Slytherins don't seem particularly happy!"
Indeed, at the Slytherin table, aside from a few lower-grade students who appeared excited, most were silent. Some looked at the green decorations overhead with faces of ridicule.
In this atmosphere, even the Slytherin students who wanted to celebrate also fell silent uneasily. After whispering among themselves, a silent gloom began to spread across the long table. Ultimately, the ones who should celebrate had the most oppressive atmosphere.
"With their fathers in Azkaban, it's hard to celebrate, right?"
Padma whispered across the way.
Michael shook his head, "Not everyone's father was caught. If you ask me, they're probably reminded of first-year..."
He squinted at everyone, making his point obvious.
—When Slytherin's believed they had taken the championship, suddenly losing that honor is an even greater humiliation than ending in last place.
These people are probably silent, worrying about history repeating itself?
Padma suddenly understood, looking at Vid, "I recall... Vid and Harry won the league championship and... thwarted that person's plot. The school hasn't added any points for them!"
Michael nodded with a meaningful smile.
Anthony widened his eyes, "What kind of points would match your feats? Five hundred points? A thousand points? Seriously, no matter the amount, it seems reasonable!"
"No wonder Slytherin is like that." Nearby Cho Chang muttered, "It's better to have never gotten something than to have it and eventually lose it!"
Vid suddenly felt a heaviness in his heart; he looked at the Slytherin Long Table and then at the teacher's seat, regretting he hadn't paid attention to the house scores or talked to Dumbledore earlier.
In his view, the competition points could be left unadded—the Ministry of Magic had already rewarded them with Galleons and honors; or they could add points beforehand to lock the championship's ownership before tonight, but not change it just before the feast began.
As he watched, the teacher's seat gradually filled up. After all the students arrived, Dumbledore stood up, and the hall gradually fell silent.