Finally, the exam results were announced, which meant that my first academic year at Hogwarts had come to an end. As expected, I had achieved the highest marks in every subject, leading professors to offer me praise whenever we crossed paths.
Before long, I made my way to the Great Hall for the end-of-year banquet. Since Slytherin had won the House Cup for the fifth year in a row, the hall was decorated in shades of green and silver. A massive Slytherin banner, featuring a serpent, hung on the wall behind the staff table.
The entire Great Hall was incredibly noisy—especially at the Slytherin table, where the students were overflowing with joy over their victory and the conclusion of the school year. I eventually took my seat, and a short while later, Headmaster Dumbledore rose from the table to deliver his speech.
"Well, another year has come to an end!" Dumbledore exclaimed cheerfully.
"But before we begin our magnificent feast, I shall trouble you with a bit of old-man grumbling and idle chatter. It has been an excellent academic year! I trust your heads are a little heavier than they were when the year began—though, fortunately, you have the entire summer ahead of you to set things right and empty them out completely before the next term starts."
Dumbledore swept his gaze across everyone present, his eyes twinkling.
"And now, as I understand it, we must determine the winner of the House Cup. Let us start from the bottom: in fourth place, with two hundred and ninety-six points, is Gryffindor House." In third place is Hufflepuff, with three hundred and twelve points. In second place is Ravenclaw, with four hundred and nine points. And in first place—Slytherin, with four hundred and seventy-two points.
Our table instantly erupted in loud cheers and applause. It reached the point where some Slytherins began banging their golden goblets against the table; the noise was so deafening that I had to cover my ears.
"And now, let the feast begin!" Dumbledore waved his hand, and in an instant, every table was laden with an abundance of food. The students, already ravenous from the intense emotions and excitement, fell upon the feast like a pack of wolves descending on a slab of fresh meat…
***
Just minutes after the banquet ended, dorm rooms were cleared out and trunks were packed. Every student was issued a reminder not to use magic during the holidays—though this primarily applied to those living with or near Muggles. That certainly wouldn't stop me, especially once I arrived at our family estate.
Hagrid, our towering gamekeeper, escorted the students to the lakeshore and ferried us across in boats. We boarded the train, chatting and laughing.
Outside the windows, the wild landscape gave way to well-tended fields and neat, tidy houses. As we passed by Muggle towns, the students happily munched on sweets; later, with equal enthusiasm, they shed their robes in favor of jackets and coats. Finally, the train pulled into Platform Nine and Three-Quarters at King's Cross Station. No sooner had I stepped off the train than Flora—a girl with the energy of a Bludger, and my younger sister to boot—crashed into me, knocking every last bit of air from my lungs…
"Brother! You're finally home!" the restless, irrepressible girl exclaimed, refusing to let go—nearly causing me to lose my balance and fall a couple of times.
"Ha-ha, Flora. Good to see you, too," I said with a smile, before shifting my attention to my parents—mindful of a mistake I'd made during the previous Christmas break.
"Mother! Father! I hope you've both been well. I've missed you terribly and would love to give you a hug, but as you can see…" I gestured toward the now significantly taller Flora.
"Dear, let your brother go. He must be exhausted from the journey. You two can play once we're home," Narcissa said, smiling as she stepped in to intervene.
"Yes, Mother," Flora replied, finally loosening her iron-like grip—allowing me to draw a proper, unencumbered breath at last.
Before long, our family returned home via Floo Powder—just as we had the last time—and Flora immediately began peppering me with questions about my life at school and everything else. And just like that, my summer holidays with the family began…
***
The summer flew by in the blink of an eye, and once again, a letter from Hogwarts arrived at our home. It stated that on the first of September, as usual, I was to board the London-to-Hogwarts express at King's Cross Station—the train that would carry me back to school. Enclosed with the letter was a list of textbooks for the second year; to my surprise, only one new book was required: *A Guide to Magic, Second Year*, by Miranda Gussokl. For all other subjects, the same textbooks from the first year were to be used. There were a couple of additional reference books on the list, though they were not strictly mandatory—not that that applied to me, of course. So, that weekend, I headed to Diagon Alley once again with my mother to purchase the books and order a new school uniform; I had outgrown last year's set—which, thanks to various enchantments, had remained in pristine, like-new condition. Besides, it simply wouldn't do for the scion of a wealthy, ancient family to wear the same...
***
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