At the end-of-year feast, young wizards from all grades gathered in the Great Hall, sitting neatly at the long tables of the four Houses.
Today was the day to announce final exam results and declare the ultimate winner of the House Cup. For Hogwarts students, this was extremely important.
The First place throne was unsurprisingly claimed by Dudley, Second was Hermione, Third was Harry, and Fourth was Malfoy, followed by Ron and Neville. The first four were no surprise to anyone—their abilities were well-recognized. Ron and Neville, however, were two unexpected dark horses.
The Great Hall was decorated anew in green and silver, representing Slytherin, celebrating their seven consecutive years of House Cup victories. Behind the high table hung a huge banner depicting the Slytherin serpent.
Unsurprisingly, Slytherin had crushed the other three Houses with absolute dominance to claim the House Cup.
The current rankings were:-
Fourth place: Gryffindor, 111 points
Third place: Hufflepuff, 352 points
Second place: Ravenclaw, 406 points
First place: Slytherin, 609 points.
Slytherin's points alone nearly equaled the other three Houses combined—all thanks to Dudley. He was like a point-earning machine, gaining several points every class. Terrifying.
Actually, Gryffindor shouldn't have been this pathetic. Hermione had earned them quite a few points, but group fighting cost them 200 points from Professor McGonagall, attacking classmates cost another 50 points, and then Hermione stopped earning points altogether. Even with a good Quidditch ranking, Gryffindor remained dead last.
Not being in double digits was already generous. But the Gryffindors didn't seem to mind—they were used to being last anyway.
"Before the feast officially begins, we must first hold the House Cup award ceremony. I think everyone has already seen the scores," said Dumbledore from the headmaster's seat, speaking unhurriedly.
The Slytherin table immediately erupted in thunderous cheers and stamping feet. The House Cup was a done deal.
609 points—hey, 609 points! What could they possibly use to beat us?
"Yes, Slytherin has performed very well this year," Dumbledore said meaningfully. "However, I think some recent events must also be taken into account."
The Great Hall immediately became very quiet. The Slytherins seemed to sense something, and their unstoppable smug smiles restrained somewhat.
"Ahem." Dumbledore cleared his throat. The next second his voice became very loud, echoing in every corner of the Great Hall: "There are still some final points to be awarded..."
"Let me see." He pulled out a piece of parchment from his pocket and put on glasses, seemingly carefully deciphering the writing.
"Ah yes... First item—Mr. Ron Weasley... for winning the most spectacular game of chess Hogwarts has seen in many years, he should be awarded 100 points."
The Gryffindor table immediately erupted in cheers. Ron was a Gryffindor member—his points would definitely go to Gryffindor House.
"Second item—Mr. Neville Longbottom for his familiarity with Devil's Snare and excellent Flame Charm... awarded 100 points."
'Who's Neville? Oh, that silly-looking first-year from the Longbottom family.'
"Third item—Miss Hermione Granger for her cool logical reasoning... awarded 100 points."
'Miss Know-It-All—at least somewhat useful.'
These various points added up to 300 points. The Gryffindor students were incredibly excited. Combined with their original 111 points, Gryffindor now had 411 points. The previously last-place hourglass leaped up, surpassing the former third and second places, trailing only Slytherin's 609 points.
The students in the Great Hall began whispering to each other, immediately creating a buzzing of discussion. The Hufflepuff students were at a loss—weren't they supposed to be third? How were they back to last? The Ravenclaw students whispered quietly among themselves. The Gryffindors had fallen into ecstatic cheering. Only Slytherin remained most composed.
Buddy, this is 609 points. Even if Gryffindor added 300 points, there's still a huge gap between us. Could they possibly add another 200 points to overtake us?
Dumbledore continued announcing as if he hadn't noticed anything.
"Fourth item—Harry Potter... for showing fearless courage and outstanding bravery, he should be awarded 200 points."
The moment he announced this, the Great Hall became extraordinarily quiet. All the students stared at Dumbledore in disbelief.
611 points—a full 2 points higher than 609.
This meant the House Cup championship would change hands.
After a brief silence, thunderous cheers erupted. All of Gryffindor boiled over. Red fireworks continuously shot skyward, dyeing Slytherin's green hanging banners bright red. Those were the Weasley twins' fireworks.
Upper-year students stood up, pulling out their wands. Under their collective spellcasting, the huge Slytherin serpent faded away, replaced by a majestic Gryffindor lion.
"Glory to Gryffindor! The House Cup belongs to Gryffindor!"
Someone started the chant, and the entire Gryffindor table began cheering, celebrating their House's victory.
The Slytherin students' faces turned iron-gray. They couldn't understand how their absolute crushing advantage had somehow inexplicably lost to Gryffindor.
Why? Because they cheated?
They didn't accept these points! This wasn't won through fair competition! However, those words came from the greatest white wizard of the century—despite having ten thousand grievances, they could only hold it in.
"Hey, Slytherin, you lost the House Cup!"
Some student who enjoyed watching drama called out mockingly, causing the Slytherins who had barely calmed down to lose it.
'We are Slytherin, we must assess the situation, we must be—damn it, so angry!'
The Slytherins collectively turned toward Gryffindor, glaring at them with murderous eyes.
However, the ecstatic Gryffindors didn't notice that the few people Headmaster Dumbledore mentioned showed little emotional reaction, and Professor McGonagall, who should have been happiest as their Head of House, showed no reaction on her face.
Dumbledore just sat there, quietly watching the scene unfold, quietly waiting...
BOOM!
A tremendous crash shook the surrounding windows and doors, attracting all the students' attention. A figure walked to the center of the Great Hall.
His voice wasn't loud, but it was extremely penetrating, reaching every corner.
"I believe Gryffindor has no right to win the House Cup!"
[Chapter Complete]
***
Want more? Check out my Patreon for:
✓ Advanced chapters of all my stories
✓ Exclusive novels & fanfics
✓ Early access content www.p@treon.com/meowthtl
💪 Community Goal: 500 Power Stones unlocks a bonus chapter!
Thanks for reading and supporting the story!
Want more? Check out my other stories!