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At the end-of-year banquet, the young witches and wizards from every year had gathered in the Great Hall, seated neatly at the four House tables.
This was the day the final grades would be announced.
And also the day that would decide, once and for all, who the House Cup would belong to.
For the students of Hogwarts, it was an extremely important occasion.
As expected, first place for the year went to Dudley.
Hermione came in second.
Harry was third.
Malfoy was fourth.
And after them came Ron and Neville.
The top four surprised no one. Their abilities were already obvious to everyone. Ron and Neville, on the other hand, were two completely unexpected dark horses.
The Great Hall was decorated in Slytherin's colors, green and silver, in celebration of the House's seventh consecutive House Cup victory. Hanging on the wall behind the staff table was a huge banner bearing the Slytherin serpent.
As expected, Slytherin had crushed the other three Houses by an overwhelming margin and claimed the House Cup.
The standings at that moment were:
Fourth place — Gryffindor, 111 points.
Third place — Hufflepuff, 352 points.
Second place — Ravenclaw, 406 points.
First place — Slytherin, 609 points.
Slytherin's score alone was almost on par with the other three Houses combined.
And all of it was thanks to Dudley.
He was practically a point-scoring machine. In every class, he managed to rake in a few more.
It was downright terrifying.
In truth, Gryffindor did not need to have ended up quite so miserable. Hermione alone had already earned a good number of points for the House. But after Professor McGonagall docked them 200 points for group fighting and another 50 for attacking fellow students, and with Hermione no longer earning points for the House after that, they sank completely. Not even their strong Quidditch performance was enough to save them from last place.
The fact that they hadn't dropped to two digits was mercy enough.
But from the looks of it, the Gryffindors did not care all that much.
After all, they were already used to coming in last.
"Before the feast officially begins, we must first hold the House Cup ceremony... I imagine everyone has already seen the points."
Seated at the High Table, Dumbledore spoke slowly, with all the calm in the world.
The Slytherin table immediately erupted into thunderous applause and stomping feet.
The House Cup was practically guaranteed already.
They had 609 points. The gap was overwhelming.
So what exactly were the rest supposed to use to beat them?
As a certain wise man once said, "Until the very last second, never let your guard down. Even when everything seems obvious."
"Yes, yes, Slytherin, this year's performance was very impressive."
Dumbledore spoke in a tone full of implication.
"But I believe several recent events must also be taken into account."
The Great Hall fell silent at once.
The Slytherins seemed to realize something, and even the exaggerated smiles on their faces dimmed a little.
"Ahem, ahem..."
Dumbledore cleared his throat.
The next second, his voice grew much louder, echoing throughout the entire Great Hall.
"There are still a few final points left to be awarded..."
"Let me see."
He took a piece of parchment from his pocket and put on his spectacles, as though carefully reading what was written there.
"That's right... first, to Mr. Ronald Weasley..."
"For winning the finest game of chess Hogwarts has seen in many years... 100 points."
The Gryffindor table instantly exploded in celebration.
Ron belonged to their House.
So those points, without question, were going to Gryffindor.
"Second, to Mr. Neville Longbottom. For his familiarity with Devil's Snare and his refined use of the fire charm... 100 points."
"Who's Neville? Oh, that slightly dim first-year boy."
Some students barely even remembered who Dumbledore was talking about.
"Third, to Miss Hermione Granger. For her logical reasoning and calm under pressure... 100 points."
"Isn't that the know-it-all? So she was useful for something after all."
Adding all that together, Gryffindor gained 300 points in one stroke.
The Gryffindors were ecstatic.
Added to the points they already had, the House now stood at 411. The hourglass that had been sitting in last place made a sudden leap, overtaking third and second place alike, leaving it behind only Slytherin's 609 points.
Students all across the hall immediately began whispering among themselves, and an intense buzzing of conversation spread through the room.
The Hufflepuffs were bewildered. They should have been in third place, so how had they ended up back in last?
The Ravenclaws whispered among themselves, having just lost second place.
As for Gryffindor... it had already erupted into euphoric cheers.
The only ones truly calm were the Slytherins.
Come on, they had 609 points.
Even if Gryffindor had just gained 300, the gap was still huge.
Were they really going to get another 200 points and pass Slytherin?
As though he had not noticed any of it, Dumbledore continued.
"And third... to Mr. Harry Potter."
"For demonstrating exceptional courage and extraordinary bravery... 200 points."
The instant he finished saying that, the Great Hall sank into an even deeper silence.
Every young wizard stared at Dumbledore in total disbelief.
Gryffindor had reached 611 points.
Two more than Slytherin's 609.
Which meant the House Cup was changing hands.
After a few moments of absolute silence, an explosion of applause and celebration swept through the hall.
Gryffindor erupted.
Red fireworks shot into the air without end, dyeing Slytherin's green banners bright crimson.
They were Fred and George Weasley's fireworks.
The older students rose to their feet, drew their wands, and under the combined force of their magic, the great Slytherin serpent vanished, replaced by a majestic and imposing Gryffindor lion.
"Glory belongs to Gryffindor! The House Cup belongs to Gryffindor!"
No one knew who had started it, but the entire Gryffindor table began chanting it in unison, celebrating the fact that their House had won the Cup.
Although many of them, apart from Harry, did not even recognize the names Dumbledore had mentioned, that did not stop them from being happy about it.
Especially because they had surpassed Slytherin.
The Slytherins, on the other hand, had gone green with rage.
They could not understand it.
They had clearly won by an overwhelming margin, so how could they possibly have lost to Gryffindor like this?
On what grounds?
Just because they'd pulled a stunt like that?
They refused to accept those points!
That had not been a victory won fairly!
But those words had come from the mouth of the greatest wizard of the century and the school's Headmaster.
No matter how much they wanted to complain, all they could do was swallow it.
"Hey, Slytherin, you lost the House Cup!"
No one knew which little wizard enjoyed stirring up trouble so much, but someone shouted it in a mocking tone.
And that completely shattered the last scraps of self-control Slytherin had managed to keep.
"We're Slytherins. We have to stay calm. We have to assess the situation carefully. We have to... fuck, I'm furious!"
The Slytherins all turned at once toward the Gryffindor table, shooting looks that seemed ready to kill everyone there.
But the Gryffindors, immersed in their ecstasy, did not notice in the slightest.
They also failed to notice that the people Dumbledore had mentioned did not seem to be showing much emotion at all.
And the one person who should have been happiest of all, their Head of House, Professor McGonagall, was showing no reaction whatsoever.
Dumbledore remained seated in silence, calmly watching the entire scene unfold.
Watching.
And waiting.
Then, with a sudden loud crash, the windows and doors around the hall trembled slightly, drawing every young wizard's attention.
A figure walked into the center of the Great Hall.
His voice was not loud, but it carried with piercing force to every corner.
"I don't think Gryffindor has any right to the House Cup!"
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