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"It's just a test." Snape snorted coldly:
"That kind of fearlessness...he showed it too clearly."
"But you have to understand, Severus, that having secrets is not something unforgivable. It's just that you have too deep a prejudice against Kyle."
Snape frowned and remained noncommittal.
"Oh, right." Dumbledore seemed to suddenly think of something and sighed:
"Because of Fiendfyre, I can't hide what happened in the dungeon from Kyle and Harry's family. They should be here soon."
"Do you remember that Diana came to the academy last year because of Oren? I have to say that even though so many years have passed, the girl hasn't changed at all. She's still so... impetuous."
Snape's expression turned ugly at a speed visible to the naked eye, and he asked coldly: "When!"
"It should be here soon." Dumbledore thought for a moment, "But the person coming could also be Chris."
"very good."
Snape turned and left the room.
"Are you going to greet her?"
"No...it has nothing to do with me whether she comes or not."
Snape said without turning his head: "I just suddenly remembered that I forgot to pick up a batch of potion materials I ordered from Hogsmeade."
(End of this chapter)
Chapter 231 The Twists and Turns of the Award Ceremony
Of course, Diana didn't come in the end. For some reason, she rarely showed up in crowded places like school.
But despite this, she sent a Howler to Dumbledore.
No one knew the contents of the Howler, but that day, someone saw a phoenix on the Quidditch field, and a group of boastful old men and women appeared in the portraits of the castle.
"That little girl is so scary..."
When someone was passing by the corridor, he heard a big-nosed wizard complaining to the witch next to him:
"She actually scolded us... Merlin's socks. What does Dumbledore hiring Death Eaters as professors have to do with us? I've been dead for more than three hundred years..."
Dumbledore? Death Eaters?
The student felt that he had discovered something and stopped in a hurry, wanting to listen clearly.
But when he turned to look at the portrait, he found that the person inside was chasing a pony and was not talking at all.
Look over there... two witches are having afternoon tea.
"Did I hear it wrong just now?" He scratched his head and left in confusion.
By the afternoon...Chris finally came.
But Kyle felt that he was more like taking this opportunity to visit relatives and friends in the school. He didn't say much to him, but he had a very good chat with Professor Flitwick next to him.
Later, Professor McGonagall also came. The three of them became happier and happier as they talked, and finally they went to the Three Broomsticks to drink together.
Kyle stared at them leaving the castle in amazement and gave them a silent thumbs-up in his heart.
As for Harry, he was still in the school hospital, lying sadly on the hospital bed.
He wasn't surprised that the Dursleys didn't come.
He was sad because he didn't get to play in the last Quidditch match, and Madam Pomfrey wouldn't let him leave the hospital no matter what.
In order to drive away the nagging Oliver Wood, she even asked Filch to guard the door.
Without him as the Seeker, Gryffindor's morale was extremely low and they were defeated by Ravenclaw.
Qiu caught the Golden Snitch in the seventh minute of the game, leaving them no time to score.
After the game, they were tied for first place with Slytherin, who had lost three games in a row... and last.
At that time, Professor McGonagall looked frighteningly ugly.
There was also a little wizard who said that he saw Professor McGonagall taking Wood to the Astronomy Tower...it seemed that she wanted to hang him at the highest place in the castle to reflect on himself.
But in the end someone confirmed that this was a rumor... In fact, Professor McGonagall went back to her office after the game and never came out again.
……
In this way, time quickly came to the last day before the holiday.
That evening, everyone went to the year-end banquet.
When Kyle and his companions arrived at the Great Hall, it was already full of people. The Great Hall was decorated in yellow and black, representing Hufflepuff, to celebrate their winning of the House Cup for two consecutive years. On the wall behind the guest of honor, there was a huge banner with a Hufflepuff badger painted on it.
The Quidditch champions added a lot of points, allowing them to overtake Slytherin at the last minute and become first place.
The hall was bustling with activity, as everyone was looking forward to the upcoming holidays. The noise gradually died down after Dumbledore arrived.
"Ah, another year has passed..."
At the dinner table, Kyle didn't want to listen to what Dumbledore said.
He wondered with some curiosity whether Hufflepuff could win the final house cup this year.
Dumbledore didn't keep him waiting long...
"Now, we will first hold the award ceremony for the College Cup. The specific scores of each college are as follows:
Fourth place, Gryffindor, 410 points.
Third place, Ravenclaw, 436 points.
Second place, Slytherin, 495 points.
First place, Hufflepuff, 500 points!"
The Hufflepuff table erupted in thunderous cheers and stomping, but Kyle did not celebrate. He knew very well... this was definitely not the final outcome.
"Yes, yes, well done, Hufflepuff," said Dumbledore, "but recent events must also be taken into account."
The auditorium became very quiet, and Cedric and the others' smiles faded a little.
Dumbledore cleared his throat:
"I still have some points to distribute, let me see...
"First, Mr. Kyle Chopper..."
Kyle was a little surprised. He didn't expect that he would be the first one.
"…With his outstanding herbal skills, he helped the school solve the problem of insufficient potion materials and also helped find the lost precious items. I reward Hufflepuff House with 50 points for this!"
All the Hufflepuff students were ecstatic, and some who were familiar with Kyle, such as Cedric and Mikel, were dancing with excitement.
But Kyle couldn't laugh at all.
Potions ingredients?
No wonder he didn’t even see the remains of the biting cabbage when he went to the restricted area again…
"Second, Mr. Ron Weasley...he won the most exciting game of chess that Hogwarts has seen in many years, and I award Gryffindor House fifty points for this!"
This time the cheers came from Gryffindor's side, and Ron's face suddenly turned red, like a carrot dried in the sun.
Percy was loudly telling the other prefects, "It's my brother, you know! My youngest brother, who made it through Professor McGonagall's giant chessboard!"
Everyone finally calmed down.
"third……"
Then, Dumbledore gave Hermione and Harry another 50 points each.
Gryffindor had risen a full 560 points, and they were now on points, just ahead of Hufflepuff.
They won the House Cup from last place?!
There was a brief silence before the Gryffindor table cheered so loudly that it nearly blew the enchanted ceiling off.
Harry, Ron and Hermione stood up and cheered loudly, and the Weasley brothers stood on the stools, waving their hats and laughing triumphantly at Kyle.
"That means!" Dumbledore had to shout over the thunderous cheers. "We need to make some small changes to the decor here."
He clapped his hands, and immediately, the yellow draping ribbons turned bright red, the black turned gold, and the huge Hufflepuff badger disappeared, replaced by a majestic Gryffindor lion.
After many days, Professor McGonagall finally smiled.
But just as she was about to shake Professor Sprout's hand...
"Bang bang bang!"
Suddenly someone knocked on the door of the auditorium, and then seven gray-haired old wizards pushed the door open and walked in, exhausted.
The person walking in front was holding an exquisite box in his hand.
He looked at the bustling hall and said with a smile: "Thank Merlin, Hogwarts hasn't closed for the holiday yet. It looks like we've arrived just in time."
(End of this chapter)
Chapter 232 Merlin's Order of Merlin, Second Class Medal
The sudden arrival of the guest immediately attracted everyone's attention.
The cheers and celebrations became much quieter, and the young wizards turned their heads to look at those people, but they only recognized the Minister of Magic, Cornelius Fudge, and had no impression of the others at all.
Even Dumbledore, who was sitting in the guest of honor seat, was slightly stunned.
But he soon came forward:
"Oh, Doug, and Cornelius, Pegasus..."
Dumbledore greeted them one by one: "It is so nice to see you all at Hogwarts. I thought you would not arrive until tomorrow."
"It was supposed to be tomorrow..."
Dug McPhail, the old wizard walking in front, smiled and said, “But Nico thinks this is a rare opportunity and it shouldn’t be known by only a few people.
And I personally think so, after all, there has never been a little wizard who received the Order of Merlin at the age of twelve before. This is a very remarkable achievement, and that child has brought the minimum age record down by eight years. "
"This is indeed cause for celebration," said Dumbledore with a smile.