Bang!
A loud explosion of magical fireworks interrupted the chaotic noise in the Great Hall.
The students all turned toward the entrance. Albus Dumbledore and several Heads of House were standing at the doorway, unable to properly enter because the center aisle was completely blocked by a mob of students surrounding the Slytherin table.
"Blocking the aisles is not a wise choice," Professor McGonagall called out sternly. "Return to your seats at once. Professor Dumbledore has an announcement to make."
The students sensibly scattered, scrambling back to their respective house tables. They sensed that whatever the Headmaster was about to say would likely answer the wild questions buzzing around the room.
Once the path was clear, the group of teachers walked slowly up to the high table.
Albus Dumbledore cast a subtle Sonorus Charm on his throat, amplifying his voice so that every student in the massive hall could hear him clearly. He spoke in a slow, unhurried tone.
"A deeply sad event has occurred today."
The hall fell dead silent.
"During the holidays last year, Professor Quirrell was afflicted by a vicious, dark curse," Dumbledore began. "Under the constant erosion of this dark magic, Professor Quirrell's physical and mental condition deteriorated rapidly. Tormented by the curse, Professor Quirrell tragically felt he had no choice but to seek help from the very Dark Wizard who had cursed him."
Dumbledore carefully omitted any mention of Lord Voldemort's name, sparing the younger students the terror.
"However, after an illegal break-in at Gringotts Wizarding Bank earlier this year, my good friend Nicolas Flamel entrusted the Philosopher's Stone to me. It was kept temporarily here at Hogwarts Castle, as he rightly believes Hogwarts is one of the safest places in the world."
"Good heavens—the Philosopher's Stone?" several older students gasped in surprise. Whispers broke out across the hall.
Dumbledore held his hands out, palms down, motioning for the students to settle. Once the noise subsided, he continued.
"After learning the whereabouts of the Stone, the Dark Wizard conceived a plan to steal it. Using Professor Quirrell as his vessel, he successfully infiltrated Hogwarts. We set up multiple layers of complex defenses to protect the Stone; however, the Dark Wizard managed to bypass these obstacles and reach the final chamber."
The students below held their breath nervously, leaning forward in their seats, terrified of missing a single detail.
Dumbledore smiled faintly. "However, a group of brave, determined, wise, and highly restrained students discovered this conspiracy."
"I am profoundly proud of them."
"Through their combined efforts, and by passing layer upon layer of dangerous trials, they successfully defeated the Dark Wizard and prevented the theft of the Philosopher's Stone, avoiding a true catastrophe."
Dumbledore's eyes twinkled. "Now, I believe I have some last-minute points to award."
The hall collectively held its breath.
"Ron Weasley..."
Ron's face flushed brilliant crimson. He had just been discharged from the Hospital Wing after taking his medicine at noon. Neville, sitting beside him, hadn't even needed medicine since he had only been put to sleep.
"...for the best-played game of wizard chess Hogwarts has seen in many years. For this, I award Gryffindor fifty points."
The Gryffindor table erupted in deafening cheers and applause. Percy Weasley, the strict prefect, actually stood up on his bench and shouted to the other prefects, "That's my brother! My youngest brother! He beat Professor McGonagall's giant chessboard array!"
Once the students finally calmed down, Dumbledore continued.
"Hermione Granger... for the use of cool logic and careful observation to uncover Professor Quirrell's abnormality. For this, I award Gryffindor fifty points."
Hermione buried her face in her hands, so moved she was on the verge of tears. The Gryffindors around her erupted into wild cheers once again.
"Neville Longbottom... for displaying extraordinary courage. He trusted his friends' judgment and bravely drank a dangerous potion without hesitation. For this, I award Gryffindor fifty points."
Neville and Ron excitedly hugged each other, but the movement pulled on Ron's bruised ribs, making him yelp in pain.
The Gryffindors screamed themselves hoarse. They had just gained one hundred and fifty points in a matter of minutes!
"Harry Potter..." Dumbledore said, his voice ringing with pride. "...for displaying astonishing boldness, exceptional character, and true nerve. For this, I award Gryffindor sixty points."
The Gryffindors leaped to their feet, screaming, clapping, and frantically calculating the hourglasses in their heads. Two hundred and ten points!
Before this feast, Gryffindor had been dead last in the rankings. But with this massive influx, they surged directly into first place! For the first time in years, Gryffindor actually had a chance to win the House Cup!
However, Dumbledore raised a hand. He had not finished speaking.
"Finally," Dumbledore said, looking toward the silver and green table. "Damian Black... for passing Professor Snape's lethal puzzle with masterful potion-making skills, and for utilizing breathtaking, flawless magic to personally defeat the Dark Wizard and protect the Philosopher's Stone. For this, I award Slytherin sixty points."
A round of thunderous, explosive applause erupted from the Slytherin table.
With those sixty points, Slytherin violently reclaimed first place, though they were now only a handful of points ahead of Gryffindor. This incredibly tight margin had the little lions of Gryffindor buzzing with adrenaline, immediately whispering about how they could earn enough points to overtake Slytherin before the term ended.
Because of Damian's intervention, Quirrell's attempt to steal the Stone had happened much earlier than it normally would have. The school year wasn't over yet, leaving plenty of time for the House Cup standings to shift.
After the students had argued and cheered for a few minutes, they noticed Dumbledore was still standing at the podium.
"Although the theft was thwarted," Dumbledore said solemnly, "to avoid attracting further covetousness from dark forces, my good friend Nicolas Flamel has decided to completely destroy the Philosopher's Stone."
"But... but that's the Philosopher's Stone!" several Ravenclaw and Slytherin students exclaimed in sheer, horrified disbelief.
At this moment, Professor Snape stepped forward from his seat at the high table. Dumbledore gestured toward him.
"Furthermore, since we have unfortunately lost our Defense Against the Dark Arts professor, and it is far too late in the term to find a suitable replacement, we have decided that Professor Snape will serve as the substitute Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher until the summer holidays."
A rare, highly satisfied smirk appeared on Snape's normally cold face.
"Very well. That is all. Please, begin your meal," Dumbledore concluded, returning to his seat to enjoy his dinner.
Down at the Gryffindor table, the students looked absolutely ashen. With Snape teaching Defense Against the Dark Arts, it seemed their chances of winning the House Cup had just plummeted to zero.
Ron buried his head in his hands despairingly. "That's honestly worse than having Quirrell teach. At least Quirrell was too scared of his own shadow to deduct points from us."
"At least Snape actually knows what he's doing," Harry offered weakly, trying to console himself. "Damian always says Professor Snape is incredibly skilled."
Across the hall at the Slytherin table, Geralt threw his arm around Damian's shoulder, looking utterly starstruck. "Mate, when did you get so powerful? Taking down a fully grown Dark Wizard and a professor in one night!"
Damian chuckled, buttering a roll. "It just happened naturally. I didn't really realize it."
"Good grief, you really love humble-bragging, don't you?" Geralt groaned, using a Muggle phrase he had recently learned from Damian.
Jerry snorted from across the table. "Geralt, you're just mad because you spend all your time doting on your Ravenclaw girlfriend. If you actually studied, maybe you'd know some magic too!"
"You're just jealous because you don't have a girlfriend, Jerry!" Geralt shot back. "And I don't see you fighting any Dark Wizards either!"
Jerry rolled his eyes. "At least my grades are better than yours! Damian is just a freak of nature; normal people can't compare to him."
It was true; among their dormmates, Geralt's grades were consistently at the bottom.
"Let's just eat," Damian laughed. He reached for a bowl of rich mutton soup to line his stomach. He had exerted a massive amount of magical and mental energy today, and he was starving.
Throughout the feast, Damian could barely eat two bites before having to deal with older students from various houses coming over to politely greet him or ask questions. Today, he had accomplished something the entire school thought was impossible.
The feat of a first-year student defeating a possessed professor and a Dark Wizard would be a legend discussed in the halls of Hogwarts for decades to come.
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