Because of Harry's absence, the Quidditch final between Hufflepuff and Gryffindor was almost entirely one-sided.
Led by two powerhouse players, Kyle and Cedric, Hufflepuff secured an easy victory with a score of 370 to 80.
In addition to claiming the Quidditch Cup, the honor of the House Cup also seemed destined for Hufflepuff.
Following the conclusion of the Quidditch finals, Hogwarts Castle welcomed the End-of-Term Feast, marking the close of the academic year.
At this moment, the magnificent Great Hall had been redecorated with various items representing Hufflepuff to celebrate their victory in the House Cup.
On the wall behind the High Table hung a massive banner emblazoned with a badger, while the walls surrounding the Hall were draped in the earthen-yellow banners of Hufflepuff.
This was Hogwarts' tribute to the ultimate winner of the House Cup.
Despite the "poisonous gas incident" in their common room just a few days prior, it did nothing to dampen the spirits of the little badgers. Every student sitting at the long table was engaged in excited discussion.
Professor Sprout sat at the staff table, her eyes welling with tears of emotion.
In her decades of teaching at Hogwarts, the number of times Hufflepuff had raised the House Cup was...
Zero.
Just like the Quidditch Cup, the winner of the House Cup was almost always either Gryffindor or Slytherin; it rarely had anything to do with the other two houses.
So now, with Hufflepuff having achieved a rare final victory, it was no wonder Professor Sprout was shedding tears of joy.
Snape's expression, however, was quite unsightly.
The "little snakes" shared his sour mood; the atmosphere above the Slytherin table was dreadfully heavy.
Before this, Slytherin had held a six-year winning streak for the House Cup.
If they could have taken the championship this year as usual, they would have completed an unprecedented seven-year grand slam—an achievement no house had ever accomplished since the founding of Hogwarts.
Dumbledore walked to the front of the High Table, and the cacophony in the Hall gradually died down.
"Another year has gone by!" Dumbledore said brightly.
"Before we tuck into these delicious viands, I must trouble you all to listen to an old man's tired cliches..."
Dumbledore spoke voluminously from the podium. The little badgers around Kyle listened intently, all waiting for Dumbledore to officially announce them as the House Cup champions.
Hannah's already rosy face grew even redder with excitement.
Seeing the little girl so thrilled, Kyle felt it was best not to throw cold water on her just yet.
Just last night, Dumbledore had consulted him regarding the final ownership of the House Cup.
Dumbledore's intention was to award points to Harry and his friends for their trials in the underground chambers during the End-of-Term Feast, helping his Savior-protégé build self-confidence.
But Kyle and the rest of Hufflepuff had worked hard for their House Cup.
It was a dilemma for the Headmaster. Giving the House Cup to Gryffindor would be unfair to the Hufflepuffs who had fought hard all year.
One had to remember that the vast majority of Hufflepuff's points were earned through the outstanding classroom performances of Kyle and Cedric.
But if he gave it to Hufflepuff, what would become of the Savior he was so painstakingly nurturing?
Therefore, Dumbledore could only ask in a wheedling tone if Kyle would agree to let Hufflepuff and Gryffindor share the honor of the House Cup.
After hearing this, Kyle essentially told him that if that was the case, Dumbledore might as well adopt Harry as his son and act as if Kyle never existed.
The Savior trio had merely navigated a gauntlet of the lowest possible difficulty—could that really warrant over a hundred house points to overtake them?
He had faced Voldemort head-on twice, literally dancing in front of the Grim Reaper, and yet his efforts were worth less than Harry's little adventure?
At that moment, Dumbledore's expression had frozen.
In the end, Dumbledore hadn't made it clear to Kyle exactly what he intended to do.
Kyle stood with his arms crossed, staring coldly at the rambling Dumbledore on the stage.
If his "old man" really dared to boost Gryffindor's points to match Hufflepuff's—or worse, exceed them—then Dumbledore could forget about coming home with him for the summer holidays.
And if Dumbledore had the audacity to follow him back anyway, Kyle would ask his father, Grindelwald, to settle the score.
He didn't believe for a second that two men named Grindelwald couldn't take down one outsider.
"We must first perform the House Cup awards ceremony. Currently, Hufflepuff stands in first place with a high score of 612 points..."
A thunderous roar of cheers and stomping erupted from the Hufflepuff table.
"Yes, yes, well done," Dumbledore said. "However, recent events must also be taken into account."
The Great Hall fell very silent. Kyle's gaze grew even colder.
Avoiding Kyle's eyes, Dumbledore cleared his throat.
"I have a few last-minute points to dish out..."
"Harry Potter, and his friends Mr. Ron Weasley and Miss Hermione Granger, did, last night, protect from the hands of a Dark Wizard something a dear friend entrusted to my care—the Sorcerer's Stone."
"To reward their heroic actions, I award them each fifty points!"
Kyle's gaze softened slightly. Fortunately, Gryffindor's points had not yet surpassed Hufflepuff's.
Dumbledore raised a hand, and the Hall gradually quieted down again.
"There are many kinds of courage," Dumbledore smiled. "It takes a great deal of bravery to stand up to our enemies, but just as much to stand up to our friends. Therefore, I award ten points to Mr. Neville Longbottom."
Blast it all! [Translator's Note: The original text uses a slang reference to Fluffy (Luwei) the three-headed dog.]
Kyle shot up from his seat at the Hufflepuff table.
With this move, Hufflepuff's score had been overtaken.
A strange silence fell over the Hall, followed by deafening cheers erupting from the Gryffindor table.
A large bag of Dungbombs appeared in Kyle's hand. Cedric and Hannah rushed to hold back the "Little Demon King," who had clearly lost his mind.
"Calm down! Kyle! Calm down!"
The noise was absolutely ear-splitting. If anyone were standing outside the Hall, they might have thought an explosion had occurred.
"Silence!" Dumbledore had to use a Sonorus charm on himself to barely drown out the students' voices.
"In addition, I would like to commend Kyle Dumbledore, Cedric Diggory, and Hannah Abbott of Hufflepuff House."
Dumbledore's words caused Kyle to instantly retract the massive sack of Dungbombs.
If a bag of Dungbombs of that magnitude went off in the Great Hall, they might have to find a new place to eat for the next seven years.
"As you all know, a few nights ago, the Hufflepuff common room suffered a terrible terrorist attack..."
Dumbledore shot a half-smiling look at the three culprits.
Kyle, who had been ready to fight Dumbledore to the death a moment ago, didn't feel a shred of guilt. Like Cedric, he simply turned his head away, refusing to look at Dumbledore.
Although 99% of the damage in that battle against Voldemort had come from Hagrid opening the Fourth Gate, Dumbledore still awarded each of them ten points in the end.
In this way, Hufflepuff's position as House Cup champions was finally secured.
"Now, let the feast begin."
As Dumbledore's voice fell, the long tables before everyone were instantly filled with a vast array of delicious food.
The many "foodie" badgers of Hufflepuff immediately shifted into eating mode. Perhaps because they were in such high spirits, their "combat effectiveness" in devouring the meal was significantly higher than usual.
With the End-of-Term Feast over, the students would be boarding the Hogwarts Express to go home the following morning.
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