This "small" incident did nothing to dampen Tver's enthusiasm for the banquet. As for Dumbledore buying a huge amount of sweets from Hogsmeade and Diagon Alley for the celebration...
That had nothing to do with it. Absolutely nothing.
The students knew nothing of that hidden detail, but it did not stop their faces from glowing with joy.
Parents and graduates who had hurried over joined them, and everyone sat together in the repaired Great Hall.
There were not even any house divisions. Even the Slytherin students were scattered among the four long tables, excitedly discussing the fierce battle that had begun the night before, or listening to others recount it.
Of course, there were also the inevitable reproachful looks from parents. In the Malfoy family's case, Draco had bragged in front of his parents about facing Voldemort head-on, only for Narcissa to tug his ear until it turned red.
Seeing this, Dumbledore stood up with a broad smile.
To be honest, he had once worried about the rivalry between the houses, especially after The Statute of Secrecy was abolished. Such divisions were not helpful in an increasingly complicated situation.
But he had not expected that a battle fought against a common enemy would bring such unexpected rewards.
"I am very pleased," Dumbledore said clearly, his voice reaching every ear and instantly quieting the lively Great Hall.
"I am pleased to see that after facing so many challenges, you were not frightened by the chaos and evil of war. Your faces still carry bright, spirited smiles, and you still hold beautiful hopes for the future..."
"You are still willing to believe that only by working together can we create a better future."
"You must understand that after The Statute of Secrecy is abolished, the challenges we face may not be fewer or easier than those brought by Voldemort."
"In fact, when we welcome an entirely new future, what we need may not be to fight, or to harm anyone."
"Rather, we need to learn friendliness. To treat those who do not understand magic with goodwill, and to show them the friendly side of wizards."
"But I am very glad, truly very glad, to see that you have taken the first step. You are willing to sit together with houses you once disagreed with, laughing and enjoying the fruits of victory."
The smile on Dumbledore's face grew even more gratified, while the students below finally realized that they had simply gotten carried away and somehow ended up sitting with their old rivals.
"Please forgive me. It seems I have a little more to say today, and originally, I had planned to announce this after your final exams."
"Are you joking?!" Ron suddenly stood up, showing quite a bit of the Weasley twins' old spirit. "I nearly died on the battlefield, and now you're telling us we still have final exams?!"
"Died on the battlefield?"
Percy immediately caught the slip in Ron's words, instantly drawing the attention of the Weasley family.
"Didn't you just promise us that you were hiding behind the professors the entire time?" Mrs. Weasley asked coldly.
"Er..."
Ron sat back down awkwardly, his pleading gaze darting among his family, only to find that his "good" brothers all looked away at the same time. Ginny merely shrugged helplessly and gave him a look that said there was nothing she could do.
"Even hiding behind the professors, you can still run into a tiny bit of danger..."
He could not exactly say that he had been so excited at the time that he charged straight to the front of the line with Harry.
If Hermione had not protected them in the end, they would probably still be lying in the Hospital Wing now.
Watching Ron being scolded by Mrs. Weasley as she tugged his ear, while Harry foolishly laughed along, Dumbledore's expression on the stage became a little sterner.
He gave Professor McGonagall a slight look, and after the two reached a silent agreement to make the students' exams more difficult, he continued his speech.
"As long as you are still students of Hogwarts, as long as Hogwarts has not been destroyed, and as long as the wizarding world still exists, you must take your full exams."
Looking at the students, who seemed to have been struck by lightning, Dumbledore's lips curved into an experienced, wicked smile.
"But before that, I have one more matter, or rather, one honor to announce."
The students' attention was immediately drawn back to him, and even the parents showed curious expressions.
"This year's House Cup will belong to all four houses of Hogwarts, in recognition of your outstanding contributions to the defense of Hogwarts."
"Tch." Ron immediately smacked his lips in disdain.
Draco, sitting not far away, rarely agreed with Ron's dissatisfaction.
"If everyone gets the House Cup, what's the difference between that and no one getting it?"
"Couldn't they at least consider us Hufflepuffs... and Ravenclaws?"
Even after graduating, Cedric still brooded over the fact that he had never won the House Cup. But when he saw the dangerous look in his girlfriend Cho Chang's eyes, he very tactfully added the second house.
"Our two houses haven't won the House Cup in ages. Can't they just kick Slytherin and Gryffindor out?"
On the other side, Roger Davies immediately nodded in agreement, but the Weasley twins were unhappy.
"Oh, so that's how it is, Ceddy and Roggy. You actually dare say something like that?!" George and Fred pounced on them at once, and the four of them instantly began wrestling cheerfully.
Only...
"Ceddy?" Cho Chang frowned, staring strangely at the four people tangled together.
Even she had never used such an intimate nickname for Cedric.
Dumbledore ignored them, clapped his hands, and summoned the sumptuous dinner prepared by the house-elves.
In any case, he was already used to the Weasley twins' nonsense. Besides, they had graduated a year ago, and the Great Hall had not been this lively in a year.
The students and professors, who had been hungry all day, immediately began eating heartily and stopped caring about those little details.
Tver, however, hesitated for quite a while between the small cakes and his curiosity. In the end, he could not help looking toward the calm Snape.
"I mean, since you can accept the Defence Against the Dark Arts position, why not consider contributing your talents to the Potions field, which is definitely going to shine across the world in the future?"
Carrying an air of righteous conviction, Tver placed his hand directly on Snape's shoulder, only to find that Snape did not move at all. He did not even glance at him.
"You just want my potion formulas, don't you?"
"Do I look like that kind of person?!" Tver demanded loudly.
"There are so many illnesses in this world. Even potions need someone to improve them!"
"..."
Not only Snape, but all the professors at the staff table stared wordlessly at Tver, as if looking for a lamppost.