On her way to the Great Hall, Jane Yu found herself still mulling over Dumbledore's cryptic words.
Her guardian was once again indulging in his penchant for riddles, muttering vague phrases like "helping you recover your memories" and "returning to where it all began"...
Was "Riddler" some sort of Hogwarts-exclusive species?
If so, she'd gladly have them all shipped off!
But with the term drawing to a close, Jane figured she might be the one getting shipped out of Hogwarts first—likely during the summer holidays.
"There you are at last!"
Daphne had been pacing anxiously near the entrance of the Great Hall. The moment she spotted Jane, she grabbed her and dragged her to the Slytherin table.
"Merlin's beard—we've been listening to Flint ramble for nearly half an hour. Save us, please!"
Jane followed Daphne's gaze and saw Flint sitting there, muttering like a broken record.
"I was so foolish, truly," he lamented, lifting his lifeless eyes. "I thought I was the only one with a gaming console and access to the 'Quidditch' game. I never imagined Wood would have one too. Early this morning, I discovered the console's secrets and instructed our Quidditch team to study the tactics within. They were obedient, listening to my every word. They learned the strategies, and I led them onto the field. We executed a combination of the Porskoff Ploy, the Wronski Feint, and the Hawkshead Attacking Formation. But then I noticed Gryffindor using the same tactics. I panicked, thinking they'd stolen our strategies—until we played against Davies and Diggory and saw they also had consoles. Everyone said, 'Oh no, it seems we all learned from the same source.' And sure enough, their tactics matched ours perfectly..."
Tears began to stream down his face, and his voice trembled with emotion.
Daphne leaned in to whisper the backstory to Jane.
"We did win, but the final score ended up tied with Gryffindor. No one expected the scores to align so perfectly."
"Now Flint has to lift the trophy with Wood... and by protocol, they even have to shake hands."
Jane couldn't help but cast a sympathetic glance at Flint.
"Flint, you're at it again," Gemma said impatiently, glaring at him. "Let me ask you this: didn't we win the Quidditch Cup?"
"Mm-hmm," he mumbled in response.
"Then what are you complaining about? Isn't the joy of winning enough to outweigh the displeasure of shaking hands with Wood?"
"But the trophy belongs to both houses—" Flint protested.
"And when Dumbledore suggested the joint trophy, why did you ultimately agree?"
"Ah—I wanted to propose another match to settle it, but the Headmaster's authority is so overwhelming—"
"I don't believe you. You must have agreed yourself and are now blaming his authority."
"Ah—you... you try it yourself," Flint replied with an awkward laugh.
The younger Slytherins around them burst into laughter, and the Slytherin table was filled with a cheerful atmosphere.
Fortunately, Dumbledore soon rescued Flint, who looked ready to crawl under the table in embarrassment.
—He called Flint and Wood up to the stage.
"Another delightful year!" he announced loudly. "I trust you've all learned a great deal this year! And, of course, played quite a lot as well!"
The hall erupted in laughter, everyone fully understanding the Headmaster's playful remark.
"Now, I shall announce this year's Quidditch Cup winners—though I believe you already know!"
"A miracle, a once-in-a-century occurrence!" Dumbledore said cheerfully. "Different matches, identical scores! Truly memorable!"
"After much deliberation, we have decided that this trophy shall belong to both the Gryffindor and Slytherin teams!"
Flint and Wood stood on opposite ends of the podium, refusing to look at each other.
Though they were dissatisfied with sharing the trophy, the joy of winning the championship in their final year overshadowed their grievances.
Under Dumbledore's guidance, Flint and Wood lifted the trophy together—both being extremely careful not to let even a single strand of hair touch the other.
"Now, please shake hands—"
Flint raised an eyebrow and curled his lips, while Wood squinted and grimaced. Their hands barely brushed before pulling away, making it likely the first time they hadn't tried to crush each other's hands in a handshake.
Lee Jordan, ever the instigator, let out a loud whistle, and the Weasley twins began banging their goblets, egging them on—
"Oliver, don't be shy!"
"What's the big deal about a handshake? Stop being so coy!"
"It's just a handshake, not sharing a bed!"
The trio's banter sent the entire hall into fits of laughter. Wood gritted his teeth, and Flint glared at them, their handshake resembling two men marching to their doom.
Dumbledore then moved on to announce the House Cup winner:
"Alright! As you can see from the decorations here—let's congratulate Slytherin for winning the House Cup for the ninth consecutive year!"
Thunderous applause erupted from the Slytherin table, but to everyone's surprise, the other three tables also joined in with applause.
—This was a stark contrast to previous years when Slytherin's victories were met with silence from the other houses.
Jane realized that Dumbledore was once again wrapping up the year's accounting. As usual, she figured her MVP award for Special Contributions would be next.
Sure enough—
"Next, I would like to recognize a student who has made outstanding contributions to the school's safety and social responsibility this year—"
But before Dumbledore could announce her name, the hall erupted into a tidal wave of applause and cheers. Many craned their necks to look in her direction, and Harry and Ron could barely contain their excitement, nearly standing up.
"I imagine you've already read about it in the papers or heard it from your classmates—" Dumbledore raised an eyebrow in mild surprise. "In that case, let us congratulate Jane Yu for her collective efforts in uncovering the criminal hiding within our school! Once again, she has earned the Special Contribution Award!"
Applause came in waves, and Flint, Gemma, and the other upperclassmen skillfully shielded Jane from the crowd, preventing any trampling incidents—after three consecutive years, they had mastered the art of forming a protective human wall.
"Who would have thought the criminal would turn into a rat and hide in Hogwarts? Jane's foresight in raising snakes is truly remarkable!"
"Have you all forgotten? She's a Seer!"
Every house table had students who had interacted with Jane or bought gaming consoles from her. They excitedly drummed on the tables, cheering for her, and some even broke into tap dances!
Amid the deafening noise, a bold Gryffindor student, overcome with excitement, let out a loud shout:
"I propose we give Jane Yu another Special Contribution Award—for her gaming console! A groundbreaking invention!"
The hall fell silent in an instant. Everyone turned to glare at the source of the voice. Nearby students quickly pinned him under the table and covered his mouth—
Some things are better left unsaid!
They had fought tooth and nail to defend Jane and move past the gaming console debacle!
Bringing up a banned item in front of the entire faculty—was he trying to get everyone expelled?
"Um—a very interesting proposal," Dumbledore said with mock seriousness. "However—"
Before he could finish, the teacher's table was overwhelmed by a tide of students, forcing all the professors to stand and try to calm the fervent crowd.
"Jane did nothing wrong! You can't believe the rumors outside!"
"If you're going to expel her, you might as well expel all of us who played with the console!"
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