Time is the most merciless force, because as it passes, you realize that your meticulously planned diet and New Year's resolutions have achieved nothing, a sad story indeed…
However, an even more tragic fate exists: working hard only to have your plans fail miserably. Like Voldemort, who spent a whole year infiltrating enemy lines only to lose his only servant in the process, or Dumbledore, standing on the stage delivering the year-end speech.
At this moment, the Great Hall was decorated with Ravenclaw's blue ribbons. Bronze-colored ornaments adorned the sky-blue satin, elegant and tasteful, yet Allen couldn't shake the feeling that something was off, why did it feel like a Bronze League promotion ceremony?
Had the celebrating Ravenclaws known what Allen was thinking, they might have tried to kill him. But for now, oblivious to his thoughts, they continued rejoicing in their hard-earned victory.
The scores of the four houses had been fiercely close. Gryffindor imported a batch of points-grabbing prodigies, Hufflepuff naturally excelled at scoring, Slytherin had dominated previous years due to strong fundamentals, and Hufflepuff, well, both Allen and Cedric were masters at racking up points, so their totals were far from low.
So how did Ravenclaw ultimately win this brutal competition?
The answer was simple, they hardly lost any points.
During the year, Hufflepuff lost points with Allen's help, Gryffindor mainly due to the twins and the trio, and Slytherin because of Annie and Malfoy, making Professor Flitwick the biggest winner of the house competition.
Watching Harry and friends happily interacting, showing no resentment for Ravenclaw's victory, Dumbledore felt conflicted, should he add points to adjust the balance?
Even though a few days ago, that mischievous kid had tried to smear him, well, more accurately, treated him as if he were Snape, even trying to attack Snape wouldn't have been good, but at least it proved his education hadn't gone astray, right?
In the end, Dumbledore chose not to award extra points. Harry had done well enough already; he didn't want to burden him further.
••┈┈┈┈┈༓┈┈┈┈┈•••
Soon, everything proceeded according to routine: grades were announced, and students' luggage was packed by house-elves onto departing trains.
At the same time, students received a universally despised notice, the Holiday Magic Ban.
Most students hated it because they were still under seventeen, eagerly anticipating carefree days post-military-style training.
"So, why is their work efficiency suddenly so high?" George asked, using his wand to make the notice sprout tiny legs and arms, rolling it across the table to show his impatience.
Allen, half-lying in his seat, tossed a chocolate into his mouth and said casually, "Honestly, this thing is useless. Sometimes we can completely bypass its restrictions."
His words instantly grabbed everyone's attention. For wizards, having innate magic restricted by the Ministry was painfully frustrating.
"Allen, you mean the Ministry's ban is basically a scam?" Harry asked first. For him, summer with or without magic made two very different experiences.
"No. The Ministry isn't joking. If you actually cast a spell, a notice will soon arrive by owl."
The twins nodded, confirming Allen's words, they had received similar warnings before.
Allen sipped chilled pumpkin juice and continued: "To bypass these rules, we need to understand how the Ministry monitors us. It's called the Trace. Until we turn seventeen, it's always active, exposing both our location and magical activity."
"Then, Allen, do you know how to break the Trace?"
Allen shook his finger: "No. Even if I knew, I wouldn't do it, disabling the Trace before seventeen would only bring the Ministry down on me."
After a pause, Allen used his wand to lock the compartment door, this discussion wasn't meant to be interrupted by salesmen. He couldn't ferry this group out mid-conversation.
"You know where the Trace is?" Allen continued, answering before anyone could respond: "It's embedded in your wand. That's why we've never seen Ministry officials at Hogwarts, yet the Trace was active from day one."
"No way, Allen, I got warned once without even using my wand!" Fred exclaimed. They had clearly studied this closely.
"It doesn't just detect your wand's spells, it monitors surrounding magical activity. If magic comes from another wand, it won't trigger the Trace. This prevents young wizards from abusing innate magical abilities, you know, many can cast spells before even enrolling."
"Wait, Allen, are you saying we can use someone else's wand at home?"
"Exactly," Allen nodded, then glanced at Ron: "If I'm right, Ron's wand isn't monitored, the Trace on it is outdated."
Ron, gulping his chocolate, choked as the twins eagerly snatched his wand.
It belonged to Charlie. After Charlie switched to dragon care from Quidditch, the wand was no longer suitable for him. Once Charlie bought a new wand, this one was left for Ron.
Having lost its master, the wand lost its luster and seemed ready to retire this year.
The twins' eyes fixed on their younger brother: "You foolish Oodoo…"
Allen, having completed his demonstration, happily sat back to eat, ignoring the disappointed glances of Harry and Hermione.
What is he doing?
Just freeing productivity, without magic experiments, the twins wouldn't be twins at all, right?