Days at Hogwarts

Chapter 116 Year-End Banquet: Liquidation, a Thorough Liquidation!

Nighttime, the principal's office.

"...Hermione and Professor McGonagall are currently discussing some specific guidelines in the library. That's all." Loren leaned back in his chair, looking very tired.

He told Dumbledore about how they cleared out books from the Room of Requirement and built a reading corner.

Dumbledore smiled and said, "I've looked through some of the manuscripts and books many times, but I never thought of using them to help students who want to learn. Loren, you have a precious heart that's willing to share."

Loren raised his hand and said, "Stop! This was Hermione's idea. Don't flatter her."

Dumbledore remained unfazed by Loren's flippant tone. Wearing his crescent-shaped spectacles, he smiled, his eyes crinkling into crescents as well. "Miss Granger also has a heart of gold. In fact, most people who discover wealth tend to hoard it rather than share it."

"I'm just a little sorry, Miss Granger, I may have to write in the report that a friend of mine donated these books."

Loren didn't care about such empty titles, and he believed Hermione wouldn't either. He then brought up another matter, "Should I remove Harry's trail as well? He's very unhappy about going back to the Dursleys for the holidays."

If Harry could cast spells, things would be much easier for him.

"The Dursleys..." Dumbledore murmured the name, his smile fading.

"You know, when I sent Harry to live with his aunt, I included a letter." Dumbledore's eyes were deep. "The letter didn't hide anything; it explained Voldemort's situation, but they still adopted Harry. This was a very risky move, and I believe they had some affection for Harry."

Dumbledore's tone grew firmer. "Keep the thread. I hope Harry can understand the true meaning of family."

"Okay." Loren nodded.

If you say so, then so be it. As for the Dursleys' kinship, Loren thinks there might be some, but not much.

Since Dumbledore had made the decision, he certainly wouldn't interfere.

The next day, the young wizards from various colleges woke up to find new notices posted in the common room.

【notify

Dear students:

I hope you had a magical and wonderful school year. Summer vacation is coming soon, and the library has a new book corner where some books can be borrowed to take home and read.

Students who wish to borrow books can register at Mrs. Pince's desk in the library.

Note: Each person is limited to three books. Please do not damage the books.

Wishing everyone a fulfilling holiday!

Hogwarts Library

Ron looked at the notice, his brows furrowed tightly. "I don't understand, who would torture themselves during summer vacation?"

Harry wasn't in high spirits, and although he didn't say anything, he deeply agreed with Ron's words.

Then he thought about how he would be spending the summer at the Dursleys' house, a boring and long summer. Maybe he should borrow a few magic books; that would be more interesting than hiding in the storage room listening to Dudley playing games.

"There will always be someone who wants to read." Hermione said cheerfully. Unlike defeating the trolls and Quirrell, this was the first major thing she had accomplished.

She preferred this kind of thing, which wasn't about fighting and killing, but about helping her classmates in a different way.

She looked around but couldn't find Loren.

"Have you seen Loren?" Hermione asked.

Ron shook his head.

"He got up and went out very early." Harry was in a bad mood and was a light sleeper.

Loren got up and went out before dawn. Although he was very quiet, he still noticed.

When Hermione went to the Great Hall for breakfast, she still didn't see Loren.

The Great Hall has been renovated, with blue and bronze, representing Ravenclaw, as the main colors, and eagle wing and talon patterns all over the hall.

On the wall behind the main seating area, there was a banner that read, "Extraordinary wisdom is the most precious treasure of mankind," with two eagles spreading their wings at either end.

This was to celebrate Ravenclaw's victory in this year's College Cup and to prepare for the year-end party tonight.

Harry stared at the brand-new Great Hall decorations, his heart pounding so hard he couldn't eat. So close, so very close, and the Gryffindor House Cup would have been his.

Ron, his mouth bulging, said, "Try to look on the bright side, Harry. At least the champion isn't Slytherin."

Most of the young wizards in Gryffindor shared this sentiment, as did the young wizards in Hufflepuff. Although they didn't win the House Cup this year, they were all happy to have ended Slytherin's six-year reign.

So now, everyone in the Great Hall, except for the young wizards from Slytherin, is very happy.

After having breakfast, Hermione went to the library.

Compared to the empty library yesterday, there were significantly more people today, most of whom were there to borrow books or to accompany friends to borrow books.

Hermione spotted a familiar figure.

It was the Muggle witch Angelina had asked to bring her dress; she stood in front of the brand-new bookshelf, dressed in bright colors.

The little witch frowned, looking troubled, as she saw the old, tattered books on the bookshelf. After some hesitation, she finally mustered the courage to take out a slightly less old book and begin to read it.

She hadn't even flipped through a few pages when she discovered the precious notes inside. The little witch's eyes lit up with excitement. No longer caring about these old books, she quickly picked out two more and happily went to Mrs. Pince's to register them.

Many people were borrowing books, and there was a long queue in front of Mrs. Pince, most of them with joyful expressions.

Hermione sat by the window and watched the little witch choose books the whole time. Although she didn't know the contents of the books, seeing that the little witch and other people were borrowing books filled her heart with something inexplicable, and she felt a joy she had never experienced before.

She couldn't wait to share this joy with Loren, and couldn't even concentrate on her book. She put away her book and walked out of the library.

Just then, Loren was about to enter the library, and the two bumped into each other at the door.

Hermione pulled Loren's hand and sat him down by the window, pointing to the line of people borrowing books. "You wouldn't believe it, so many young wizards have come to borrow books, and they seem very happy..."

With a mix of nervousness and awkwardness, Loren held out his hand, showing a small bag simply woven from purple linen. "It was supposed to be decorated with some small beads and sequins, but I can't make it that elaborate."

Hermione's eyes widened as she took the small cloth bag from his hand, examining it closely before pondering, "The Unseen Stretching Charm?"

"Hmm, it can hold 13 cubic yards of stuff," Loren whispered. "If you dare mention the Ministry of Magic, I'll put you in a sack and throw you into the lake."

It's exactly 10 cubic meters, even bigger than the first suitcase Loren made. As his understanding of runes improves and his Unseen Stretching Charm advances, he can make it even bigger in the future.

Looking at the purple linen, Hermione was lost in thought. After a moment, she said, "Is this why you asked me what color I liked before?"

"Um."

Hermione's smile blossomed like a flower, stretching from the corners of her mouth all the way to her eyes and brows.

In the morning, the summer sun hadn't fully risen yet; its golden light was warm but not scorching. A misty haze hung over the shores of Black Lake, bringing a touch of coolness.

"So you went to the Room of Requirement early this morning to make this cloth bag." Hermione and Loren walked side by side by the lake, the small purple cloth bag slung over their shoulders, bouncing with each step.

Last night, Loren returned from the headmaster's office and buried himself in the Book of Fantasy, practicing drawing runes on linen. After successfully completing the experiment, he immediately got up and went to the Room of Requirement. This time, because the unicorn fur was fresh and free of impurities, he finished easily.

"If you're touched, I'll be asking you to do my stargazing report next year."

"Dream on!" Hermione skipped around with her hair down, her tone cheerful. "And yours, what color is it?"

"I haven't had time to make it yet. It wouldn't be appropriate for a boy to make a small cloth bag." Loren kicked a small stone, took a few steps forward with his left foot, then switched to his right foot, like he was practicing ball.

He plans to make a ring or pendant or something, but he can't draw such a detailed magic circle yet. Perhaps he could use incantations like expansion or shrinkage, but he's unsure if the incantations would affect the magic circle. He can try it out during the holidays.

If all else fails, making a slightly larger item like a locket would be a good alternative.

"What a pity. If you were also a cloth bag, I could put beads and sequins on it." Hermione wanted to put anything she saw into her little cloth bag—a bright green leaf, a nicely shaped stone—but after taking a few steps, she would empty it out again.

It's rare to see Hermione so childlike; she's incredibly cute.

"You said the little cloth bag with the Unseen Stretching Charm on it, won't it leak when filled with water?" Hermione had just put a stone in it, and looked up at Loren with bright eyes.

Loren was taken aback by the suggestion, then became eager to try. "Shall we give it a shot?"

"No, what if you break it?"

"I'll just make another one."

"I don't want that one, I just like this one."

……

In the evening, the long-awaited year-end banquet finally began.

The entire auditorium was filled with the rich aroma of broth, the sweet scent of stewed pumpkin, and the savory fragrance of roast meat. The tables were laden with a variety of delicacies: lamb chops, roast chicken, meat pies, and Roosevelt apple pie.

Just before the banquet was about to begin, Loren and Hermione rushed in, and the hall was already full of people.

"It's all your fault, we almost got late." Hermione was panting, with tiny beads of sweat on her nose.

"How can you blame me?" Loren was also panting. "I just wanted to see if the cloth bag could hold water."

Upon hearing this, Hermione clutched the small purple cloth bag to her chest protectively, saying, "If you break it, I will definitely not let you off the hook."

They put on their respective wizard hats; all the little wizards wore black, pointed wizard hats without brims.

George and Fred were imitating bullfighting, their pointed wizard hats serving as horns. They were using some kind of magic trick, mooing and their pointed horns clashing together, producing a sound like swords clashing.

Lee Jordan, providing an enthusiastic commentary, exclaimed, "George unleashed a powerful attack, but Fred wasn't afraid at all. He charged in, he charged in!"

"Ferdinand the bull Fred has knocked off the horns of the bull opposite him! Oh, and something fell out of his hat—ugh!"

Before Lee Jordan could reveal the secret, George covered his mouth and pressed him into his seat. They formed a circle and began discussing the simple prop.

The scene was similar at the long tables of the other houses; the Great Hall was in an uproar, with the young Ravenclaw wizards being particularly excited, each of them speaking loudly.

A moment later, Dumbledore arrived, and the noise in the Great Hall gradually subsided.

Dumbledore wore a gold and red suit embroidered with phoenixes and flames, and a small felt hat with upturned brim.

"Another year has passed, and before we indulge in these delicacies, I must trouble you all to listen to an old man's cliché..."

Loren stared intently at the pig's head, his saliva gushing out. "Dumbledore has changed. He's no longer the good leader who gave concise speeches at the opening banquet."

"First, we must hold the House Cup awards ceremony. The specific scores for each house are as follows: fourth place, Gryffindor, 332 points."

The young Gryffindor wizards, though indifferent to grades, were still not happy about being publicly executed. A chorus of snickers could be clearly heard coming from the Slytherin side.

Professor McGonagall sat in the guest of honor seat, her expression very serious.

Loren temporarily shifted his attention from the meat and gave George and Fred a coded signal, "Ssss!"

"Tsk tsk!" The twins exchanged a secret signal, indicating that they understood.

"Third place, Slytherin, 362 points."

"oh!"

"Ugh!"

"oh!"

The twin brothers and Loren cheered in turn, which seemed to trigger a chain reaction. The three houses other than Slytherin responded one after another, and the entire Great Hall erupted in thunderous cheers and stomping. Young wizards also banged their forks on their goblets, making a jingling sound. It was very lively.

The Slytherin table was deathly silent. Snape, seated at the head of the table, had a horribly grim expression, while Professor McGonagall gave a faint smile.

"Second place: Hufflepuff, 392 points. First place: Ravenclaw, 416 points."

Polite cheers rang out in the hall, greatly enhancing the atmosphere of the banquet.

"I think everyone has done a very good job over the past year," Dumbledore said. "However, a few recent events must also be taken into account."

Here it comes, the underhanded dealings, the collusion, the wicked collusion...

Loren straightened up.

The auditorium fell silent. Quirrell's situation was too big; everyone had more or less guessed what was going on.

"Well, uh," Dumbledore cleared his throat, "I still have points to distribute."

"First, Mr. Ron Weasley. He played the most brilliant game of chess at Hogwarts in many years, displaying the spirit of Gryffindor, and for that he earns 50 points!"

Ron's face turned bright red, and he couldn't stop smiling.

The Gryffindors cheered, and Percy boasted loudly to the other prefects, "He beat Professor McGonagall's giant chessboard and even used it to seriously injure Quirrell!"

The cheers went on for a while, and everyone understood that they had four warriors. With the points added up like this, the House Cup was definitely Gryffindor's.

"Secondly, Mr. Loren Morgan, for his unwavering support and dedication in helping his friends and rescuing them from danger, earns him 50 points!"

Loren spat slightly; he only scored 50 points. Although he hadn't participated in the challenges, Dumbledore was definitely trying to put him down.

332 + 50 + 50

432 points!!!

The young wizards of Gryffindor went wild. They had the House Cup in their hands and jumped up from their chairs to cheer.

"Third, Mr. Harry Potter, he showed great courage and extraordinary bravery, for which I award him 60 points."

"Finally, Miss Hermione Granger, facing the flames, calmly reasoned. Facing a formidable foe, she fearlessly wielded a sword with a brilliance I had never seen before. For this, she earns 100 points."

Hermione buried her head in her arms, blushing from her neck to her ears, and dared not look at anyone.

Actually, Hermione probably wouldn't have gotten such a high score if you only counted the Philosopher's Stone incident. Loren guessed that Dumbledore had included the contribution from the Book Corner.

(End of this chapter)