Hogwarts: Don't call me Wandmaker

Chapter 146 Special Contribution Award

When Xilun woke up, it was already the next morning.

I must say, I slept really well. Both my body and mind were greatly relaxed, and I no longer feel tired at all.

Ron drank more potions than Siron, and he was still asleep, but you could tell that his complexion had regained its rosy hue, so he shouldn't miss the exam in two days.

I wonder if Ron will be happy to hear this news.

Lady Pomfrey wasn't in the house, and Siren was hesitating whether to return to the castle first when the door was pushed open from the outside.

Dumbledore was the first to walk in, followed by Madam Pomfrey and Snape.

"It seems you're recovering well," Dumbledore said with a smile, glancing at the bed on his left.

Xilun then noticed that the curtains of the bed had been pulled open, leaving only a slit, and from this angle, one could see exactly what was inside.

That familiar blonde hair...

“Gidero Lockhart?” Siren blurted out.

“Yes, you read that right,” Dumbledore said. “When he was brought here last night, you and Mr. Weasley were already asleep.”

"What happened to him?" Siren asked. "I heard from Ron that he and another person opened the secret chamber together, and now that the basilisk has been killed, how come he didn't run away?"

“If he were still conscious, he would probably run away,” Dumbledore said, walking to a chair and sitting down, a flash of recollection in his eyes.

"Many facts have proven that Tom Riddle was never a trustworthy partner. He was adept at deceiving people and making them fall into his traps without them even realizing it."

"Was he also deceived?" Xilun asked in surprise.

“You could say that,” Dumbledore nodded. “Tom Riddle certainly didn’t tell Lockhart the truth before he cut his own palm.”

“Wizards’ blood does indeed possess extraordinary magic and can be used as a medium to break certain spells, but few wizards do so because the price they pay for this method is far heavier than they imagine.”

Dumbledore didn't say what the specific cost was, but judging from his expression, it certainly wasn't the kind of recovery that could be achieved with just two days of rest.

“Headmaster…” Snape stepped forward, seemingly wanting to say something. But seeing Dumbledore gently shake his head, he reluctantly stepped back, his eyes fixed on Sirius.

Sylvanas felt a little awkward under his gaze and said to Dumbledore, "Headmaster, can I go back now? I'm really fine. None of those basilisks got on me."

“I’m sorry, Mr. Ollivander, but even as the headmaster, I cannot answer your question in the school hospital,” Dumbledore said with a gentle smile.

“However, I think you’ll be happy to hear another piece of news I have.” He blinked gently and took out a roll of parchment tied with colorful ribbons.

"In view of your composure under pressure last night, and your timely summoning of Cerberus with your calm mind to help Hagrid defeat the Basilisk, after discussion among the professors and board members, the school has decided to award you a Special Contribution Award."

He handed the parchment in his hand to Siron.

When Xilun took it, the ribbon tied to it immediately untied, transforming into a golden medal in mid-air. The parchment unfolded naturally, revealing the golden cursive script inside.

The gist of it is to commend him for his contribution to eliminating the basilisk. It seems pretty good and has a high value. If it were someone else, this parchment would help them find their ideal job more easily after graduation.

If you want to become an Auror, this parchment is worth five excellent NEWT certificates.

But for Xiren, this thing was of no use; he would have been better off with a phoenix heart tendon.

"Should I put this in the prize display room?" Xiren took out the gold medal, which felt heavy in his hand and looked like it was made of a single piece of gold.

But Siren just saw it; this thing is simply a ribbon turned into something else. "No need, there's already an identical one in the prize display room. You can keep this as a souvenir."

Keep it as a souvenir... Well, this thing is definitely fake.

Xilun casually put the items into his pocket.

“And…” Dumbledore continued, “Let me think… Oh, right, you earned two hundred points for Gryffindor.”

This time, Xilun appeared more composed.

If these 200 points could be carried over to the next school year, he might be happy for a while, but not now. After all, Siron had already added a lot of points, which allowed Gryffindor to maintain its first place position.

Adding another 200 points would only change their status from a sure thing to a guaranteed win of the Academy Cup to something they're certain of winning.

It seemed that Dumbledore had come just to talk to him about these things, and after he finished speaking, he stood up and prepared to leave.

Snape finally found his chance, stepping up to Siren and staring at him like a viper.

"Where's the stuff?"

"What is that?" Xiren blinked.

"Trying to pretend you know nothing, is that it?" Snape sneered.

“I really don’t know what you’re talking about.” Celen took a step back. “If you’ve lost something, why don’t you ask Filch? Maybe he found it.”

"You think you can get away with this so easily?" Snape narrowed his eyes. "I'm asking you, where are the basilisk's eyes and fangs, and most importantly, its gall bladder? Did you steal them?"

“I didn’t,” Xiren blurted out. “In Merlin’s name, I really didn’t steal any snake gallbladders. I’ve never even seen one.”

Siren’s tone was so certain that even Snape was taken aback. Instinctively, he felt that Siren was not lying.

But how could that be? If it's not Xilun, how could those things just disappear into thin air?

“I think you could try looking inside Luwei’s mouth,” Siren said seriously, as if he had guessed his thoughts. “When Luwei bit off the basilisk’s body, he probably swallowed the gallbladder as well.”

"What about the basilisk's eyes and fangs?" Snape took another step forward and pressed on. "You only mentioned the gallbladder."

“You should ask Hagrid about that; he probably smashed it,” Celen said.

"Even a giant couldn't smash the basilisk's fangs with his fists," Snape said, emphasizing each word. "The basilisk had four enormous fangs, and three of them have mysteriously disappeared... Can you explain how that happened?"

“I don’t know, Professor,” Siron said, emptying his pockets and placing everything on the bedside table, including the certificate and the gold medal.

“All my belongings are here. Professor McGonagall and Mrs. Pomfrey can attest to this. I was brought here after I returned from the Quidditch pitch and haven’t been anywhere else since.”

Snape wanted to say something more, but Dumbledore stopped him.

“Headmaster Dumbledore,” Snape frowned, “those are the eyes and teeth of the Basilisk, extremely dangerous things, we can’t…”

“I know, Severus, I know what you want to say.” Dumbledore turned his head, his bright blue eyes looking at Celeste.

“But as you can see, all of Mr. Ollivander’s things are here, and it’s clear that what you’re looking for isn’t in there.”

……

(End of this chapter)