Hogwarts: Harry Returns from Azeroth

Chapter 252, Section 251: Celebration Dinner and Awards

“Your mother will be happy for you,” Snape said, sitting beside Harry in a rare gentle tone. “Remember to tell her.”

“I will,” Harry nodded. It was quite troublesome that Dumbledore would suddenly bring up this news at this time. After all, if Professor McGonagall hadn’t been sitting at the table, the Gryffindor students below would probably have rushed up and eaten him.

“I’ve always thought you’d have this day, Harry,” Professor Flitwick said, patting Harry’s arm happily. “Ever since I saw your picture appearing so frequently in the newspapers, I’ve wondered if you would one day become the headmaster of Hogwarts, but I never expected it to happen so soon.”

“I think this is probably a choice made out of necessity,” Harry said to Professor Flitwick with a sigh. “If the whole world hadn’t become so chaotic, I don’t think the position of headmaster would have fallen to me.”

Harry had no intention of refusing this responsibility, because the world was becoming dangerous at a visible rate, with elemental spirits harboring their own agendas, invading demons... and these dangers might even be caused by him.

Those with ability should stand at the forefront and lead everyone; this is the mission and responsibility of a hero—Harry still firmly believes in this.

That's why, when Hogwarts was invaded by demons, Harry naturally stepped forward to take on the responsibility of protecting these young wizards.

This way, Dumbledore would have the time and energy to fulfill his duties as president of the International Confederation of Wizards, and also have the opportunity to visit his old flame.

“This story tells us that capable people will always reach where they belong,” Professor Sprout, who was sitting a little further away, said with a slight tilt of his head. “Congratulations, Professor Potter—oh, I should call you Principal Potter now. I believe you will be a good principal. Listen, the students support you very much.”

“That’s right,” Professor Flitwick said mysteriously. “Let me tell you a secret, Harry: no matter who the outsiders elect as headmaster, if the students don’t support him, then that headmaster will not last long.”

“Phineas Black, the headmaster?” Harry laughed.

"That's right, you actually knew that?" Professor Flitwick said with some surprise.

“I’ve learned some things from Dumbledore,” Harry nodded. “Even his portraits are quite annoying, aren’t they?”

“Yes… cough cough, I mean—well, anyway, the children from the four houses managed to unite and drive him away, and even the Board of Trustees couldn’t go against the wishes of so many children,” Professor Flitwick laughed even more heartily.

"After all, no student has considered Principal Potter as their classmate for a long time, right?" As one of the younger professors, Professor Sinister even brought his chair over to join in the fun, "especially after the reports of Principal Potter's speeches at international conferences came out."

“Oh, you’ve changed your tune quite quickly, Aurora,” Professor Sprout said, feigning a complaint. “I really hope Principal Potter will increase the funding for the school’s greenhouse; both Professor Snape and Mrs. Pomfrey need quite a lot of herbs…”

Harry... Harry chose to pretend he hadn't heard.

Fund allocation is a very heavy topic no matter what world it is in, and Harry knows this all too well.

Both the main table and the four long tables below were filled with lively discussions. Ron, who was more familiar with Harry, was excitedly telling those around him about Harry's greatness, while the Weasley twins, who were more lively, were singing songs to celebrate the great coronation of the Gryffindor bull-lion king.

Of course, most students were still imagining what Principal Potter's rise to power would bring them, what the school would become, and so on... Some had even started thinking about the history of magic, as they were the ones who would witness history.

By this time, no one cared about dinner anymore; the feeling of hunger seemed to have vanished on its own.

After waiting for a long time without the students quieting down, Dumbledore launched a series of fireworks high in the dining room to finally calm them down.

“Oh, you’re really hurting an old man’s feelings,” Dumbledore said, feigning grievance. “At least I haven’t resigned today.”

“Don’t worry! Headmaster Dumbledore! You will always be my favorite headmaster!” Fred shouted.

“At least until Principal Potter takes over, you will always be my favorite principal,” George chimed in from the side.

Their conversation caused the laughter in the restaurant to pick up again, and Dumbledore himself laughed heartily.

"Alright, alright, but let's postpone the popular inaugural address of Principal Potter until after his official appointment is announced. I'll have to trouble you all to be patient with this old codger for a while longer," Dumbledore said with an exaggerated sigh. "In short, while I'm still at least the principal, I have to get what I'm supposed to do done... I've already missed a lot, I can't miss the final ending too."

"Please be quiet." Dumbledore suddenly became serious. He looked at the students below and said earnestly, "Just over a week ago, Hogwarts suffered the most dangerous attack since its founding. I will not make excuses for myself. As the headmaster, I was unable to stand by the school when it was in crisis. This is my dereliction of duty, and it is the reason why I voluntarily resign and hand it over to someone who is better able to protect it."

"Before the banquet officially begins, I think we need to observe a minute's silence together for the Aurors and strikers who sacrificed their lives at Hogwarts. It was their heroic struggle that protected Hogwarts and our world."

After saying this, Dumbledore closed his eyes and began to mourn—even the most mischievous students, or even the Slytherins who looked down on other bloodlines, mourned together at this moment.

When Hogwarts was attacked by demons, they were immediately evacuated by the professors to the relatively safe place of Hogsmeade. Even though they did not witness the cruel and terrible side of the demons, they could imagine what had happened just from the damaged castle and the corpses.

They are still just a bunch of young kids; even if they're bad, they won't be that bad.

A minute passed quickly.

“We should never forget those who sacrificed themselves for us, and we should always remember where our comfortable lives come from.” Dumbledore’s eyes were slightly moist as he spoke again, but he quickly became lively again. “Then, I’m afraid we should give a commendation for what happened a week ago.” “Ron Weasley.”

The sudden mention of Ron's name made the Weasley children tense up.

"Before that brutal war began, Mr. Weasley bravely confronted Lockhart, a cultist of demons. With extraordinary courage and intelligence, he used verbal provocation to stall Lockhart's actions, successfully delaying the arrival of the rescuers and thus protecting the students who were almost sacrificed in the dark magic ritual."

Ron's face was as red as a monkey's bottom, and he was even trembling with excitement.

"For this, Mr. Weasley paid the price of two broken ribs, half a mouthful of teeth knocked out, and severe injuries all over his body," Dumbledore said seriously. "Not everyone would have had the courage to protect others in your situation, nor would everyone have the same courage to endure pain, even many adults cannot do it, and you are just a twelve-year-old wizard."

"You possess true Gryffindor courage within you, and as a reward for your bravery, Gryffindor will award you two hundred points."

The moment Dumbledore's voice fell, the Gryffindor students erupted—an explosion of sound.

The cheers and whistles were mixed together, almost indistinguishable from the cheers when Harry was announced to be the new headmaster. Even at the other long tables, including the Slytherin table, many students were clapping and cheering for Ron.

Especially those who were lured by Lockhart to become sacrifices, they came from various houses.

"Of course, a score alone cannot fully express the greatness of this courage," Dumbledore said loudly after casting a megaphone spell on his throat with his wand. "Mr. Weasley will also receive a special contribution award, and hopefully this honor will stay with him for the rest of his life."

It's Chinese New Year, and the Gryffindor students are celebrating it like it's New Year.

Their cheers were so loud that even Dumbledore, who had cast an amplification spell on himself, couldn't drown them out. Amidst all the cheers, Harry could also hear Fred and George's almost frantic shouts.

"That's my brother! You all know that! That's my brother!!!"

Percy even ran over to Ron and picked him up, well, he just grabbed him under the armpits and lifted him up!

"Hero! Hero! Hero!"

Gradually, all the cheers had somehow merged into a single word: a cheer. Ron, his face flushed, was being tossed around in the air by the others.

Sitting in the VIP seat, Harry watched this scene with a smile. He believed that everything that happened today would be one of Ron's fondest memories in the future—after all, no matter how he told stories recently, it couldn't compare to the affirmation given by Dumbledore himself today.

Especially those 200 points and the special contribution award, they're absolutely awesome.

"Of course, we should not forget the others who fought bravely," Dumbledore continued as the cheers finally subsided. "Hermione Granger, Neville Longbottom, and Luna Lovegood were the first to discover their classmates' disappearance, and then bravely found Professor Flitwick and used magic to locate Mr. Weasley and the others, ultimately leading to their successful rescue."

“I will not judge a person based on a single house quality. Just like Miss Lovegood, even though she is a Ravenclaw, she has extraordinary courage to save her classmates. For this, I will award Gryffindor two hundred points and Ravenclaw one hundred points!”

This time, it wasn't just the Gryffindor students who were caught up in the frenzy; even the Ravenclaw students next door cheered wildly. These little eagles, who usually prided themselves on being intelligent, calm, and rational, could no longer remain composed.

Just like Ron earlier, Luna was surrounded by Ravenclaw students, while Hermione and Neville received the same treatment at the Gryffindor long table on the other side.

“Yes, I know what you’re all waiting for,” Dumbledore said, blinking. “Miss Granger, Mr. Longbottom, Miss Lovegood, you will all receive a special award for your heroic deeds.”

A night of joy.

"We are the champions!!" The shouts from the Gryffindor table were incessant, with some even standing on the table and dancing tap dances or other bizarre dances to express their excitement. "Four hundred points! A full four hundred points!!! This year's House Award is definitely ours!!"

Dumbledore watched the lively scene with amusement; he loved such vibrant sights and never tired of them.

"But what about Headmaster Dumbledore's and Professor Potter's awards?" Roger Davis suddenly shouted. "Although Professor Potter is a professor, isn't he also a student? He's a student, but Professor Potter went into battle to protect us. I think he deserves a special contribution award too!"

Roger's words elicited a chorus of agreement. Harry looked at the boy, who was winking at him with a mixture of amusement and exasperation. Clearly, as an apprentice, Roger Davis was trying to secure some benefits for his mentor.

“Thank you, but no need,” Harry said with a smile after casting an amplification spell on himself. “I’ve already received the best reward, haven’t I? Becoming the headmaster of this ancient school.”

“I think Davis makes a good point, Albus,” Professor McGonagall suddenly said. “In any case, Professor Potter is still a student, and he was indeed studying magic at the school.”

“It’s a bit tricky, isn’t it?” Dumbledore nodded and said, “Fortunately, I had anticipated this problem, so I’m happy to tell you that our Shamanism professor will be awarded a Merlin First Class medal in recognition of his efforts in the defense of Hogwarts.”

"At the same time, all the professors who fought in the defense will also receive a Merlin Second Class Medal. Of course, the Aurors and henchmen who participated in the battle will also receive corresponding medal rewards—well, I must say this may be the first time in hundreds of years that so many medals have been awarded at once," Dumbledore said with a chuckle.

(End of this chapter)