Hogwarts Study Panel

Chapter 243: The Cycle

"Yes, yes, good job, Ravenclaw."

Dumbledore said.

"However, the events that happened before must also be taken into account."

The hall became very quiet, and the young wizards were all quite curious.

What happened before?
Did Professor Snape assassinate Professor Quirrell?

A lucky black cat appeared in the castle?
Or did Hogwarts really produce an alchemical genius?
Surely it couldn't be that Ron and his crew guarded the Forbidden Forest, protected the unicorn, and defeated the monster who wanted to steal the mysterious artifact from the fourth floor, could it?
This is practically a fantasy.

Dumbledore cleared his throat:
"I have a few last points to allocate. Let me see. Oh, right..."

"First—Mr. Ron Weasley..."

Ron's face flushed red; he couldn't believe he was being brought up at this moment.

"...He spent two dark days in the Forbidden Forest, fighting against the evil forces to the very end. For this, I award Gryffindor fifty points."

The Gryffindors were stunned for a moment, then erupted in cheers that nearly lifted the enchanted ceiling. Even the stars above them seemed to tremble slightly. Percy could be heard loudly telling the other prefects:

"It's my brother, you know! My youngest brother! My God! What has he done!"

It took everyone a while to calm down.

"Second—Miss Hermione Granger… She calmly reasoned logically in the face of flames, and I award her fifty points to Gryffindor."

Hermione buried her face in her arms;
Sheehan and Justin blocked her way—she cried secretly.

The Gryffindors around the long table in front of them were ecstatic, jumping up and down around the table—they had gained a full hundred points!

"Third—Harry Potter..."

"Dumbledore said. The Great Hall fell into an eerie silence."

"...He demonstrated great courage and extraordinary bravery, for which I will award Gryffindor sixty points."

The noise was deafening. Those students who were shouting until their voices were hoarse while still mentally calculating their scores knew that Gryffindor now had a score of 410—a full 160 points higher.

They were so close; they could have even surpassed those Slytherins who were laughing at them.

Dumbledore raised a hand. The Great Hall gradually quieted down again.

"Neville Longbottom and Justin Finley, they too did not bow to fear and darkness. I award Gryffindor and Hufflepuff fifty points each!"

Dumbledore smiled.

"We've surpassed Slytherin!"

If someone were standing outside the Great Hall right now, they might think there had been an explosion, as cheers from the Gryffindor tables were rising in waves.

Harry and Ron stood up and cheered loudly. Neville was so surprised that his face turned pale, and he was immediately overwhelmed by the crowd that pushed forward to hug him.

"460 points in Gryffindor! Ron, I, I was wrong."

Simo stammered an apology.

The Slytherins were all stunned, and their expressions were not good.

"Did anyone else do anything else?! Any extra points?!"

Percy was going crazy. With one more point, Gryffindor could even turn the tide, surpass Ravenclaw, and win the House Cup.

From being the least favored team and having the lowest possible score in history, to their final comeback victory, they are writing a legend!
"There's more, right..."

Ron snapped out of his excitement and looked at Sheen, who was smiling and clapping for them.

His clapping inspired the entire Ravenclaw community, who seemed completely unconcerned.

"Finally, I have one more important announcement to make."

One of us possesses the courage of Gryffindor, the leadership of Slytherin, and, most importantly, the kindness of Hufflepuff…

He successfully orchestrated a brilliant counterattack, joining Professor Quirrell to defeat the dark wizard who had infiltrated Hogwarts.

Because of his outstanding performance, Ravenclaw's intelligence has shone once again—I award Ravenclaw a hundred points—for Mr. Sheen Green! The Ravenclaws stood up and applauded, cheering loudly, their voices at one point even drowning out the Gryffindors.

"Any bonus points for Ravenclaw?!"

Percy roared, as if he had gone mad.

Prefect Penelope glanced at him curiously, a slight smile playing on her lips.

Professor Flitwick waved his wand, and the image of a lone eagle soaring in the distant sky emitted a loud eagle cry.

The short professor, his face flushed, shook hands first with Professor McGonagall, and then with Professor Snape.

The two were in much better spirits now, and they even found it quite interesting to see Sheen surrounded by the Ravenclaws.

Professor Quirrell had just recovered, and after hearing that "Professor Quirrell and others defeated the dark wizard who had infiltrated Hogwarts," he fell into a state of confusion.

Then she buried her head in her hands, trembling.

……

Hogwarts is almost here.

Compared to his previous simple suitcase, Sheen's suitcase is now quite luxurious.

It was filled with clothes and scarves selected by Professor McGonagall, as well as many jars of potion ingredients and all sorts of potions.

His suitcase disappeared at night, and after disappearing twice, it was completely full.

As a result, Sheehan could only keep his letters and books in the Niffler Expansion Pouch given to him by Headmaster Dumbledore.

It's worth mentioning that it really is like a Niffler; it won't hand over the contents unless Sheen gives it a silver scimitar as payment.

If Sheen tries to take it by force, it will bite and hit. Although the fabric's shape means it will not cause any harm, Sheen will still give it some reward in the end.

With a deafening roar, the massive red train arrived at the station amidst billowing steam.

When Sheehan, Justin, and Hermione sat in the same box, all three of them were momentarily dazed.

The countryside outside the window grew increasingly lush and tidy. The train passed through one Muggle town after another.

Compared to last time, time flew by this time, so much so that Justin and Hermione didn't realize it was time to part ways until they were getting closer to King's Cross Station.

"You promised you'd come looking for me, right?"

Justin is more panicked now than when he was facing the troll.

"We agree."

Hermione looked at him and said irritably. The sadness of parting lessened considerably.

"It will come."

Sheen agreed to Justin's plan to meet in Diagon Alley; with Floo fans, it wasn't too difficult.

“Oh, I still find it amazing that we are both wizards who weren’t born into magical families…”

Justin caught his breath and suddenly laughed.

"uh-huh."

Hermione nodded in agreement.

As they spoke, they slowly walked off the platform.

A withered old guard stood at the partition wall, allowing only two or three people to pass at a time, so that they wouldn't burst out of the solid wall in large numbers and attract the attention of the Muggles.

Hermione's family, Justin's family, and Professor McGonagall were all standing on the edge of the platform.

"Goodbye."

Justin waved his hand, his voice trembling slightly.

“My mother told me that I didn’t need to be sad at all, because winter would come again and again and people who were meant to meet would meet again.”

(End of this chapter)