Hogwarts Study Panel

Chapter 391, page 389: The Noisy Auditorium
“Yes, secondly, Miss Hermione Granger, she solved the crucial mystery, and for that I will award her fifty points!”

Dumbledore continued.

The noise in the Great Hall was deafening; the Gryffindors' enthusiasm nearly lifted the ceiling. Even the stars above them seemed to tremble slightly from the noise.

In the midst of this, Justin can be heard exclaiming, "Fantastic, Hermione. We all know that you found the legend of the Basilisk, and you got Professor Binns to tell the story of the Chamber of Secrets."

Hermione's face was flushed. Compared to her previous quiet sobs, this time she nodded and accepted the honor with composure.

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

"When older people underestimate younger people, it is foolish and forgetful."

I understand that the most outstanding wizard has emerged among us.

Yes, some people ask me how I am compared to when I was younger. I think I'm even better now.

I have to add three hundred points to Ravenclaw's tally. One hundred of those points are for Mr. Sheehan Green, who solved the Chamber of Secrets puzzle and found the monster inside before anyone else..."

Before Dumbledore could finish speaking, he heard gasps of shock from those around him.

For no apparent reason, Sheen thought of the joke about gasping for breath causing global warming.

Soon, applause began to rise in the Great Hall, and the Weasley twins at the Gryffindor table shouted, "The great Grimm—"
The eagles at the Ravenclaw table pondered whether Ravenclaw could win the House Cup for the seventh consecutive year, after all, they had their beloved Mr. Green.

Even the Slytherins clapped with restraint, and some even had fervent eyes, such as a certain platinum-haired Malfoy.

The young wizards of Hufflepuff were somewhat disappointed. Rumor had it that dear Mr. Grimm had originally wanted to be assigned to Hufflepuff…

At the head table, Professor Flitwick couldn't suppress the urge to smile. He muttered something excitedly until he noticed that his two colleagues didn't look too good, at which point he lowered his voice.

"You should put him in solitary confinement."

Minerva McGonagall said.

Severus Snape didn't answer, but just nodded with a cold expression. After a few seconds, when no one was paying attention, he finally showed a look of relief that his good intentions had been discovered.

The hall was incredibly noisy, with cheers rising in waves. Some of the young wizards even stood up to applaud.

"Two hundred percent of them—"

Dumbledore had to cast a Loudspeaker spell to quell the noise.
"It was as a reward for Mr. Sheen Green. Before the tragedy occurred, he bravely defeated the basilisk—yes, what an incredible thing—"

The noisy chatter of the young wizards abruptly ceased.

They stared at each other, then rubbed their ears, seemingly not quite understanding what they had heard.

"What do you mean by 'heroically defeating the basilisk'...?"

Ernie of Hufflepuff was bewildered and hoped his companion could give him some explanation.

Unfortunately, his companions weren't much better off, and in the end, he, Hannah, Susan, and the others looked at each other blankly.

Such things happened in every corner of the auditorium, and the noisy auditorium became a silent place in the blink of an eye.

At the head table, Dumbledore smiled broadly.

He clapped his hands, and Ravenclaw's House Points hourglass experienced a terrifying surge in a short period of time.

It climbed all the way up, overtaking Gryffindor, who had just crossed it, and leaving all the hourglasses far behind.

That's it, even if Gryffindor wins the Quidditch Cup later, they still won't be able to catch up with Ravenclaw.

That's a difference of a full three hundred points.

"Merlin's beard—"

Roger was the first to cheer—thank goodness Merlin! Now, even if their recruitment plan failed, Ravenclaw wouldn't lose the House Cup—and Roger shouted as if he had been granted a pardon.

Beside him, the Quidditch team members cheered, causing the entire Ravenclaw to erupt in a deafening roar.

It wasn't just Ravenclaw who were in a frenzy; Gryffindor and Hufflepuff were also instantly ignited. Nobody cared about the House Cup anymore; what was the point of worrying about something you couldn't even win?
But what they need to know now, no matter what, is how the basilisk was defeated.

That was one of the most terrifying monsters roaming the Scottish territory.

Sheen was used to being watched, but it was still uncomfortable for the wizard to have everyone turn their heads and stare at him.

He heard someone shouting "Great Green—", which made him somewhat jolted.

He looked toward the head table, where Dumbledore raised his goblet and winked at him.

……

The heated discussion continued until nightfall.

The corridor was filled with the loud chatter of the young wizards.

The members of the Castle Cat Club immediately attributed the credit to the lucky black cat.

Think about it, Hogwarts Castle harbored so many dangers, yet none of them actually occurred.

What else could this be but the blessing of a lucky black cat?

With this in mind, they even forgot about the fact that they had gained nothing throughout the entire Christmas.

"How could Headmaster Dumbledore say something like that..."

In the long corridor, beside the armor, Hermione remained in a dazed state.

Everyone in Hope Cottage tacitly agreed that Sheehan was very likely to surpass Headmaster Dumbledore.

But this is just the judgment of some junior wizards; compared to the wisdom of legendary wizards, they still lack a great deal.

Now, the personal endorsement of the legendary wizard has solidified their not entirely firm stance.

“Say it again, Sheen, how did you defeat the basilisk?”

Ron asked excitedly, already imagining himself recounting Sheen's "great achievements" to everyone.

"yes--"

Even Harry couldn't help but chime in.

"I used some transfiguration, some movement-restricting barrier spells, and..."

Sheen said.

"Merlin..."

Hearing this made Ron want to make intimate contact with the ground outside the castle window.

Sheen tilted his head slightly to look at Ron.

“He means, Sheen, go on.”

Harry quickly interrupted Ron.

He genuinely wants to learn this.

"And the Gryffindor sword."

Sheen thought for a moment and added,
“The basilisk’s tough skin is immune to most magic, so I used polymorph to create a depression in the ground and imprison it…”

"Transformation, causing the ground to cave in?"

Ron's eyes widened. What did this mean? He had studied Transfiguration magic so hard for so long, how come he couldn't understand it now?

(End of this chapter)