Chapter 391: The Noisy Hall

“Yes, secondly, Miss Hermione Granger, who solved the crucial mystery—therefore, I award her fifty points!”

Dumbledore continued.

The hall erupted in deafening noise; the Gryffindors’ enthusiasm nearly tore the ceiling off. The stars above them seemed to tremble faintly from the clamor.

Amid it all, Jia Jia Siting could be heard exclaiming: “Brilliant, Hermione. We all know it was you who uncovered the legend of the Basilisk and made Professor Binns recount the story of the Chamber.”

Hermione’s face flushed red; unlike her previous quiet sobs, this time she nodded, accepting the honor with quiet composure.

Dumbledore raised a hand. The hall gradually fell silent.

“It is foolish and forgetful for the elderly to underestimate the young.”

“I understand that one of our finest wizards has emerged.”

“Yes, someone asked me how this compares to my own youth? I think it was even more remarkable.”

“I must award Ravenclaw three hundred points. One hundred of those go to Mr. Wizard Sean Green, who, before anyone else, solved the Chamber’s riddle alone and found the monster within…”

Before Dumbledore finished, a chorus of sharp intakes of breath echoed around the hall.

Wizard Sean couldn’t help but think of the joke about how inhaling deeply causes global warming.

Soon, applause rose from sparse to thunderous; the Weasley twins at the Gryffindor table shouted: “Great Green—”

The Ravenclaw students exchanged glances, wondering if Ravenclaw might finally win the House Cup for a seventh straight year—after all, they had dear Mr. Green;

Even Slytherin clapped with restrained courtesy, some with fervent eyes—like the platinum-haired Malfoy;

The Hufflepuff students looked crestfallen; rumors had it that dear Mr. Green had once wished to be sorted into Hufflepuff…

At the head table, Professor Flitwick could not suppress his grin; he muttered happily to himself until he noticed his two colleagues’ grim expressions, then slowly lowered his voice.

“You should have given him detention.”

Minerva McGonagall said.

Severus Snape said nothing, only nodded coldly. After a few seconds, when no one was looking, he let slip a look of quiet vindication.

The hall was too loud, cheers rising in waves; some students even stood to cheer.

“Two hundred of those—”

Dumbledore had to cast a Sonorus charm to drown out the noise,

“are awarded to Mr. Wizard Sean Green. Before the tragedy occurred, he bravely defeated the Basilisk—yes, an astonishing feat—”

The students’ clamor ceased instantly.

They stared at each other, rubbed their ears, as if unsure they’d heard correctly.

“What do you mean, ‘bravely defeated the Basilisk’…”

Ernie from Hufflepuff was bewildered, hoping his friends could explain.

Unfortunately, his friends were no better off; eventually, he, Hannah, and Susan exchanged blank looks.

The same silence spread across every corner of the hall; the roaring crowd had become utterly still in an instant.

At the head table, Dumbledore smiled warmly.

He clapped his hands; the Ravenclaw House hourglass surged upward in a terrifying spike.

It climbed past Gryffindor, which had just edged ahead, and left all others far behind.

Now, even if Gryffindor won the Quidditch Cup afterward, they could never catch Ravenclaw.

The gap was three hundred points.

“Merlin’s beard—”

Luo Jie was the first to cheer—thank Merlin! Now, even if their recruitment plan failed, Ravenclaw would not lose the House Cup—and he shouted in relief.

Beside him, the entire Quidditch team erupted in cheers, igniting Ravenclaw like an explosion of shouts.

It wasn’t just Ravenclaw that boiled over; Gryffindor and Hufflepuff ignited in the same instant.

No one cared about the House Cup anymore—what’s the point of longing for something unattainable?

All they needed to know now was: how had the Basilisk been defeated?

That was one of the most terrifying creatures to roam Scottish soil.

Wizard Sean was used to being watched, but the sheer intensity of everyone turning to stare at him still unsettled even a wizard.

He heard someone shouting, “Great Green—” and the cry triggered a faint stress response.

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

…

The heated discussion lasted until nightfall.

The corridors rang with students’ loud debates.

Within a second, the Castle Cat Club attributed all credit to the Lucky Black Cat.

Think about it: Hogwarts Castle held so many dangers, yet none had truly come to pass.

What else could it be but the Lucky Black Cat’s favor?

Just thinking of this made them forget their entire Christmas had yielded nothing.

“Headmaster Dumbledore actually said that…”

Along the corridor, beside the armor, Hermione remained in a daze.

Everyone in the Wish Hut shared the unspoken belief that Wizard Sean would likely surpass Headmaster Dumbledore.

But that was merely the judgment of young wizards; compared to the wisdom of legendary wizards, they still lacked much.

Now, the legendary wizard’s own endorsement had solidified their uncertain convictions.

“Tell us again, Wizard Sean—how did you defeat the Basilisk?”

Ron asked excitedly, already picturing himself recounting Wizard Sean’s “heroic deeds” to everyone.

“Yes—”

Even Harry couldn’t help chime in.

“I used some Transfiguration, a few immobilizing barrier charms, and…”

Wizard Sean said.

“Merlin…”

Ron’s ears rang with the thought of smashing his head against the castle window’s stone sill.

Wizard Sean tilted his head toward Ron.

“He means, Wizard Sean, go on.”

Harry quickly cut Ron off.

He genuinely wanted to learn this.

“And the Sword of Gryffindor.”

Wizard Sean paused, then added,

“The Basilisk’s hide was immune to most spells, so I used Transfiguration to sink the floor and trap it…”

“Transfiguration… to sink the floor?”

Ron’s eyes widened. What did that even mean? He’d studied Transfiguration so hard for so long—how could he now not understand?