As Alexander left the office, the door clicked shut behind him.
Dumbledore sighed.
Slowly, he turned his attention to the battered, twitching figure resting on the desk.
The Sorting Hat suddenly sprang to life.
"DUMBLEDORE—DO YOU HAVE ANY IDEA WHAT THAT CHILD DID TO ME?!"
Dumbledore adjusted his glasses calmly.
"I imagine you are about to tell me."
The Hat began ranting furiously.
"He drowned me! DROWNED ME! Do you know what it's like being soaked for hours?!"
Dumbledore nodded sympathetically.
"And then—AND THEN—he stomped on me! Stomped! I am an ancient magical artifact, not a doormat!"
The portraits on the walls began murmuring.
But the Hat wasn't done.
"And the HOUSE ELVES! He let them throw me into a coop! Chickens pecked me, Dumbledore! CHICKENS! I want to retire! I quit! Find another hat!"
Dumbledore raised a calming hand.
"My dear Hat, I assure you will be sent on a well-deserved vacation. Full restoration, repairs, and reinforcement charms. This will never happen again."
The Hat grumbled.
"Vacation…?"
"Yes. Somewhere quiet. No students."
A long pause.
"…With polishing?"
"Of course."
"…And no chickens?"
"Absolutely none."
The Hat finally relaxed, muttering under its brim before going limp.
Within minutes, it was asleep in its corner.
The office did not remain quiet for long.
The former Headmasters and Headmistresses in their portraits began speaking all at once.
"That Stone should not be with that child!"
"Reckless decision!"
"Far too dangerous!"
Dumbledore folded his hands peacefully.
"Officially," he said, "the Stone will be destroyed. No one else will know of its fate."
The portraits continued arguing anyway.
Dumbledore simply leaned back in his chair, eyes twinkling, letting them debate into the night.
Meanwhile—
Alexander returned to his room.
He showered, changed clothes, and spent half the night inside his briefcase preparing space for his newest acquisition.
By the time he finished organizing the terrain for his troll.
The sun was already rising.
Before breakfast the next morning, Professor McGonagall personally escorted him to the dungeons beneath Hogwarts.
There, still chained but visibly cheerful, was his reward.
The Troll.
It even gave a happy grunt when it saw him.
Without ceremony, Alexander opened his briefcase and stored it inside.
He then headed to breakfast and sat beside Cho.
She noticed his eyes looked tired, but he had a big smile on his face.
She didn't ask questions.
They talked about summer plans and random school gossip.
Near the end of the meal, Dumbledore stood up from his chair.
The Great Hall fell silent.
He began speaking about the House Cup.
As it stood, Ravenclaw was in the lead, thanks to winning the Quidditch Cup.
Alexander had already prepared celebrations in advance.
Peeves was already in position to take photos.
Fireworks were ready as soon as he waved his wand.
And, of course—
Kissing Cho in front of everyone.
He was thorough.
Dumbledore continued.
He announced final point adjustments.
The trio received 160 points.
Neville earned 10.
For their bravery.
The Gryffindor table erupted in cheers as they shot to first place.
But Dumbledore raised his hand.
"Silence."
The Hall became quiet again.
"Even though Gryffindor did a great job and nearly won this year. They have made great improvement from previous years…"
A pause.
"…thanks to Mr. Chen for his intelligence and contributions in helping Hogwarts this year…"
All eyes turned to Alexander.
"He will be awarded 100 points."
Gasps echoed.
"And he will receive the Special Award for Service to the School for his outstanding contributions."
Dumbledore sat down.
Silence—
Then the eruption.
The Ravenclaw table exploded with cheers.
Students swarmed Alexander.
At the staff table, Filius Flitwick clapped excitedly, beaming with pride.
It had been years since Ravenclaw last won the House Cup.
This year—
They had both the Quidditch Cup and the House Cup.
All thanks to Alexander.
Students celebrated wildly around him.
Alexander smiled and said.
"I didn't just win it by myself. I would like to thank everyone for their contributions this year."
"Without you, we would not have won."
He waved his wand, and fireworks went off in the Great Hall.
Ravenclaw house celebrated with hugs and high-fives.
Cho looked for an opportunity to thank him.
When she thought no one was looking, she leaned in and quickly kissed Alexander on his cheek.
The Ravenclaw house saw and gasp.
Then they cheered even louder.