What happened next stayed pretty close to the script.
The very next day—the day of the Leaving Feast—a rumor hotter than summer break itself tore through Hogwarts like wildfire.
---
"You hear about the forbidden corridor on the fourth floor?"
"What happened?"
"It was Quirrell. He went after whatever they were guarding up there. Tried to steal it in the middle of the night. Harry stepped right in and stopped him cold!"
"Guy got hurt pretty bad doing it, too—they rushed him straight to the hospital wing!"
"Merlin's beard!"
---
"Honestly, I can't believe you guys left me behind," Neville muttered, biting into his sandwich while steam hissed out of both ears.
He shot Hermione a wounded look. "I told you I wouldn't stop you if you just took me along."
"But you hit me with a Full Body-Bind and left me sprawled on the common-room floor in my pajamas for two straight hours!"
Hermione gave him an apologetic little smile. "Sorry, Neville. Things got crazy fast and I didn't catch the second half of what you said."
"Where's Ron, anyway?" Neville asked, curious.
Hermione shrugged. "Back in the common room. With Harry in the hospital wing, everyone's been bugging Ron instead. He's grinning so wide you could fit a whole banana in there sideways."
She sounded annoyed, but the tiny smirk tugging at her mouth gave her away. Ron's chess sacrifice back in that final room had seriously changed her opinion of him.
---
"Ugh. One O, five E's, and an A," Terry groaned, scratching his head as he stared at his report card.
Five E's wasn't terrible, but next to his three best friends it looked pretty rough.
Richie: seven O's.
Stephen: five O's, two E's.
Anthony: three O's, three E's, one A.
Anthony had also scraped an A in Potions, same as Terry.
"Relax, man," Anthony said, clapping him on the shoulder with an easy grin. "You're still way ahead of most people. Could be worse."
Terry pulled a face. "If I hadn't wasted all that time on Quidditch, I would've crushed it."
"Yeah, yeah, sure," Anthony said quickly, changing the subject. "Hey, you guys hear about Harry Potter?"
"I heard…"
---
Night fell, and the Great Hall filled for the Leaving Feast. Students sat at tables groaning with food, buzzing with excitement.
At the Gryffindor table, Harry—freshly discharged from the hospital wing—was the undisputed center of attention.
Up at the staff table, Professor McGonagall tapped her glass.
Clink-clink-clink!
The clear sound rang through the hall and everyone fell quiet.
Dumbledore rose with a warm smile. "Another year gone. Time once again to award the House Cup."
The students leaned forward, eager.
Over at the Ravenclaw table the Eagles sat tall, chests puffed with pride. Thanks to Richie racking up at least fifty points single-handedly, plus the hundred from their two Quidditch wins, and all the points the other houses had lost during the flying-lesson brawl and the Gryffindor-Slytherin curfew bust, the Cup already felt like theirs to lose.
Dumbledore's voice carried across the hall. "The final tallies are as follows:
"Fourth place—Gryffindor, with three hundred fifty points.
"Third place—Hufflepuff, three hundred eighty-two.
"Second place—Slytherin, four hundred twenty-six.
"First place—Ravenclaw, five hundred fourteen."
The Eagles exploded into cheers. The rest of the hall clapped politely, though the envy was obvious.
Draco Malfoy glared toward the Ravenclaw table, eyes dark with resentment. Then he muttered under his breath, "At least Gryffindor's still below us."
When the noise died down a little, Dumbledore continued. "Ravenclaw's performance this year has been outstanding. However, before we declare a final winner, there are a few recent events that must be taken into account. I have some last-minute points to award."
Students started glancing around, curious.
"First, to Miss Hermione Granger—for using her quick thinking and cleverness when her friends were in danger… fifty points."
Hermione ducked her head, cheeks pink, while the hall burst into applause.
"Next, to Mr. Ronald Weasley—for the finest game of wizard's chess Hogwarts has seen in years… fifty points."
Ron beamed. Fred and George ruffled his hair, grinning like idiots.
"And finally, to Mr. Harry Potter—for courage and determination in the face of terrible danger… sixty points."
Harry felt a warm rush fill his chest. The Gryffindor table erupted.
"Harry Potter!"
"You legend!"
The Eagles' hearts sank as they did the math in a panic.
Three-fifty plus fifty plus fifty plus sixty… that's five hundred ten.
They still had a four-point lead.
Before they could even exhale, Dumbledore spoke again.
"Last of all… it takes courage to stand up to your enemies. But it also takes courage to stand up to your friends, and even more to step forward when you want to help. For that, I award ten points… to Mr. Neville Longbottom."
The hall went dead silent for half a second.
Then the Gryffindor table detonated.
Slytherin kids started whooping and laughing. Hufflepuffs clapped politely out of respect for Dumbledore. The Ravenclaws just stared at one another, stunned.
Their cooked duck had flown the coop.
Draco's face twisted into pure disgust. Great. First Richie Harland walks all over me, now Potter's doing it too.
Dumbledore gave a small, satisfied clap. "If my calculations are correct, the decorations could use a little change."
The green Slytherin banners that had hung in the hall all year rippled and transformed into bright scarlet Gryffindor ones.
"I declare Gryffindor the winner of the House Cup!"
The Gryffindors shot to their feet, hurling their wizard hats into the air with wild cheers. The rest of the school joined in, though with noticeably less fire.
Dumbledore smiled down at them all. "The school year is over. Go enjoy your summer, my young friends."