Chapter 111: Dumbledore's Crooked Nose
Chapter 111: Dumbledore's Crooked Nose
The news of Olren's incident quickly spread throughout the magical community.
The Daily Prophet portrayed him as an extremely evil and insane Dark Wizard, dedicating an entire page to his wanted poster.
The remaining pages were filled with praises for the Ministry of Magic's heroic efforts in successfully rescuing two students during the operation.
However, very few people actually read these articles.
Many parents wrote letters to the school, requesting an early end to the term.
They were concerned that Olren might still be hiding in the Forbidden Forest, and they didn't feel safe leaving their children there.
Dumbledore agreed, allowing students to take the Hogwarts Express home that day, with their report cards to be delivered by owl in the following days.
Within a single day, Hogwarts lost a third of its population, leaving the castle feeling empty.
However, Kyle did not leave, and Cedric and the others stayed as well.
Chris returned, arriving at Hogwarts in a rush and thoroughly checking Kyle from top to bottom several times before finally relaxing.
He then took Kyle to an empty classroom and sternly said, "Didn't I tell you not to get involved in this matter?"
"It was an accident," Kyle replied honestly. "I'll be more careful next time."
Chris was clearly dissatisfied with Kyle's response and scolded him for a long time.
Throughout the process, Kyle did not defend himself; he just nodded and showed a very apologetic attitude.
As the two were leaving the classroom, Newt also happened to come out of Dumbledore's office. When they left, Chris asked if he wanted to go back together.
However, Kyle declined, saying he wanted to take the train back with his friends. Chris thought about it and didn't insist further.
But to Kyle's surprise, Diana also showed up the next day.
Unlike Chris, she first went to the Forbidden Forest and then headed straight for the Headmaster's office on the eighth floor.
What happened after that, no one knew, but during this time, many students noticed that the portraits in the castle corridors had some unfamiliar faces, and they claimed to be past headmasters of Hogwarts.
Additionally, the Talking Fountain on the eighth floor was also missing.
...
Kyle didn't know when Diana had left.
That evening, he and Cedric attended the year-end banquet in the Great Hall, which was divided into two sections: the left side represented Slytherin with green and silver decorations, and the right side represented Hufflepuff with yellow and black decorations.
It is worth mentioning that Olren's extra points earned in the Forbidden Forest were still valid.
Combined with the Quidditch Championship... Hufflepuff's house points were now tied with Slytherin, both in first place.
The two sat down at the Hufflepuff table, and Kyle noticed that Conna was still absent.
After a while, Dumbledore arrived as well, and Kyle couldn't help but feel that his nose seemed even more crooked than before.
The noise in the Great Hall gradually subsided.
"Another year has passed!" Dumbledore exclaimed excitedly. "Before you indulge in these delicious dishes, I must trouble you all to listen to an old man's rambling.
Despite the minor incident at the end, it is undeniable that this has been a wonderful year, and your young minds have undoubtedly become richer than before... You have an entire summer to digest these experiences and clear your minds before the start of the next term..."
"Now, let's proceed with the House Cup award ceremony. The scores for each house are as follows:
Fourth place, Gryffindor, with 101 points; third place, Ravenclaw, with 332 points; Slytherin, with 497 points; and Hufflepuff, also with 497 points.
The expected cheers did not erupt, as both Hufflepuff and Slytherin glared at each other, both feeling slightly dissatisfied with the outcome.
There was only one House Cup, and it was impossible to award it to two houses at once, wasn't it?
The students from the other two houses quietly watched the unfolding drama, enjoying the show.
"Indeed, both houses performed exceptionally well," Dumbledore cleared his throat. "However, a recent event must also be taken into consideration, Mr. Kyle Joestar..."
All eyes turned to Kyle.
"Not only did he save a new student in the Forbidden Forest, but he also discovered the hidden Dark Wizard within the school, displaying exceptional bravery and courage."
"Therefore, I have decided to award him the Hogwarts Special Contribution Award and grant two hundred points to Hufflepuff!"
Although the number of attendees at the feast was significantly smaller than before, the cheers were still deafening. If someone were standing outside the Great Hall at that moment, they might have thought an explosion had occurred.
There was no need to calculate scores anymore; Hufflepuff had successfully prevented Slytherin's six-year streak and won the House Cup! And most importantly, there was the Hogwarts Special Contribution Award.
Fred and George stood excitedly on their chairs, shouting to Kyle, "Don't worry, Kyle! When you're in detention again, we'll make sure to clean your trophy extra well!"
"And make it cleaner than anyone else's..."
Professor McGonagall gave them a cold glance, feeling a sudden wave of exhaustion.
"This means..." Dumbledore shouted. "We need to make some small changes to the decorations here."
He clapped his hands, and the green hanging ribbons turned yellow, silver turned black, and a huge banner featuring the Hufflepuff badger appeared on the wall behind the main table.
Snape was shaking hands with Professor Sprout, his face calm as he naturally displayed his trademark smile, showing no signs of anger.
Before leaving school, the exam results were also released.
Kyle achieved an exceptionally high score, becoming the top student in his year.
Cedric looked at Kyle's transcript in amazement, exclaiming, "Merlin, your score is much higher than mine last year, and you were just one point away from a perfect score! What a pity..."
Kyle also felt a bit regretful.
During the exam, he had written down thirteen uses for Dragon's Blood instead of twelve, which cost him a point.
It seemed that the professors didn't consider Dragon's Blood as a culinary ingredient in dishes," Kyle thought to himself.
Aside from this minor flaw, he had achieved perfect scores in all other subjects, including Potion Brewing.
Snape awarded him full marks for the Boil-Cure Potion, a rare honor even for Slytherin students.
Conna came in second place for the year, and with Cedric in first place for the second year... Hufflepuff had truly made a name for itself this year.
Professor Sprout didn't even bother going to the greenhouses; instead, she spent her time strolling in front of the other professors.
...
(End of Chapter)
Chapter end
Report