69novels Chapter 54 Year-End Dinner
Chapter 54 Year-End Dinner
For a whole week, Thea was busy "building relationships" with the members of the study group.
When Thea heard that Harry and his two companions had moved into the hospital wing, she raised an eyebrow, thought for a moment, and decided to visit them, hoping to gain some unexpected insights.
Since Ron and Hermione's injuries were not serious, they were mainly unconscious due to exhaustion and shock.
Harry's situation was much more serious; in addition to physical injuries and shock, his worldview was also severely impacted.
That old bat who had always disliked him had actually been protecting him all along!
Merlin's beard!
Harry would never have believed it if Quirrell hadn't said it.
When Thea arrived, she saw that Ron and Hermione had recovered and were sitting next to Harry's bedside, looking at the somewhat haggard Harry with some concern.
The trio reacted differently when Thea pushed the door open and came in:
Hermione was genuinely delighted, Ron was somewhat surprised, while Harry looked more terrified.
Did Quirrell say something?
Thea wondered to herself, but her expression remained smiling.
Thea was the first to greet the three of them, and after patting Hermione's fluffy hair, Thea changed the subject to the exam.
Hermione's eyes lit up at the mention of exams, and she excitedly pulled Thea along to compare answers.
The two underachievers next to her didn't look too good. Seeing that the situation was not right, Thea took the opportunity to change the topic to why the other party had entered the medical wing.
The trio's expressions turned sour.
When Thea saw the expression she had expected, she was secretly pleased, but asked with a somewhat frightened look, "...Did I say something wrong?"
Harry couldn't bear it any longer and hesitated for a moment before saying, "Dumbledore said... this must not be told to anyone..."
Upon hearing this, Thea's face instantly turned aggrieved. "Others? I'm actually...someone else? Aren't I...your friend?"
As soon as she finished speaking, Thea turned and left, completely ignoring the explanations of the three people behind her.
Harry had intended to share his difficulties, but instead angered Thea and drove her away. He became even more anxious, completely forgetting Quirrell's dying words.
Hermione and Ron were also stunned by this.
“…Brother, you’re really something!” Ron said with a hint of schadenfreude.
"Ron! What are you saying? Thea's already stormed off!" Hermione cried anxiously, then rushed out of the medical wing.
Harry looked at the fruit basket Thea had brought on the bedside table and, for the first time, wanted to seal Ron's and his own mouth shut.
You're talking nonsense!
I'll teach you to speak without thinking!
Not long after, Hermione returned dejectedly. Facing Harry's expectant gaze, she stammered, "...Thea was angry and walked very fast; I couldn't catch up..."
Harry was very disappointed.
Thea, who had already returned to her dormitory, patted her chest with some relief. Luckily, she had reacted quickly today and preemptively took advantage of Harry's impulsive nature to "drive her away" before Harry could even begin to harbor doubts.
Those three little lions must be filled with remorse right now!
Ha! It's good that you feel guilty; that way, you can temporarily divert their attention and gradually make them forget the trouble Quirrell has caused you.
Feeling guilty, they should be able to understand their subsequent actions.
Thinking about the upcoming annual banquet, Thea's smile grew wider and wider. The annual banquet is such a lively scene, I have to do my part!
While the trio was "encircling and intercepting" Thea, the annual banquet began.
This year's House Cup still belongs to Slytherin.
Before the banquet began, the Great Hall had been newly decorated in the green and silver colors that represent Slytherin, and even a banner depicting the Slytherin snake had been hung on the wall behind the professors' seats.
Given the proud nature of the Slytherins, they wouldn't actually raise their arms and shout, but their pride was evident on their faces.
"...Now, let's begin the House Cup awards ceremony. The specific scores for each house are as follows: Fourth place, Gryffindor, 312 points; Third place, Hufflepuff, 352 points; Ravenclaw, 426 points; Slytherin, 472 points."
At the year-end banquet, Dumbledore announced the final grades for each house.
A thunderous cheer and applause erupted at the Slytherin table, and everyone's face was beaming with smiles, even the usually serious Professor Snape had a slight smile on his lips.
“However, a few recent events must also be taken into account,” Dumbledore said suddenly, and the Slytherins’ celebrations fell silent as an uneasy atmosphere began to fill the long table.
Immediately afterwards, Dumbledore's words utterly disappointed the entire Slytherin family. All the previous cheers from Slytherin now turned into slaps to their faces without mercy.
Because after Dumbledore finished speaking, Glenn, who was previously in last place, had reached the same score as Slytherin!
"...Thanks to Mr. Longbottom's courage, I have decided to add ten points to Grandin's score!"
As the score hourglass belonging to Glenfindor completely surpassed that of Slytherin, Glenfindor erupted into ecstasy, with cheers nearly lifting the roof off. The Weasley twins of Glenfindor even stood on chairs to cheer.
"This means we need to make a few small changes to the decor here."
Dumbledore waved his wand, and the main color of the entire hall turned completely red, with Slytherin's green banner being completely replaced by Gryffindor's red lion.
This seemed to be the last straw that broke the camel's back.
Thea sat blankly in the chair until she heard the sound of shattering glass next to her. Thea suddenly came to her senses, and the blood-red color filled her entire field of vision.
Thea disregarded everything else, waved her wand, and a healing spell flew onto Draco's palm, completely erasing the bloodstains.
“…Thea, I don’t understand why he likes…Harry Potter so much…”
Draco's voice, filled with gritted teeth, rang in Thea's ears. This was the first time she had called Harry Potter's name so seriously, but Thea had no doubt that if looks could kill, he would have been torn to pieces by now.
Thea didn't answer Draco's question. Instead, she looked around. Draco wasn't the only one with red eyes. Daphne, Pansy, Milison... they all had red eyes, as if they would burst into tears at any moment.
The older students were clearly better at managing their expressions, but Thea still noticed that their hands were clenched tightly, and the veins were bulging.
Thea had only ever seen Gryffindor's joy before, but now, being in Slytherin, she truly understood Slytherin's wrath. She had never realized it so clearly before:
She was a Slytherin, and honor meant nothing less than life itself to them.
Thea was surrounded by silence, so quiet that it seemed out of place with the lively atmosphere of the hall. The silence was so profound that Thea could clearly hear her own heartbeat.
Amidst countless dissuasive and worried gazes around her, Thea slowly stood up.