The Great Hall was decked out in Slytherin's green and silver colors.
A massive banner with the Slytherin serpent hung on the wall behind the staff table. It meant they'd clinched the House Cup for the seventh year in a row.
Rove sat at the Hufflepuff table, surrounded by classmates buzzing about summer plans or griping about exam grades.
In his view, the whole hall looked like something else entirely.
[Scene: The Throne Room of Minas Tirith]
[Status: Eve of the Victory Celebration]
[Current Ruler: Saruman's Ally (Slytherin)]
"Looks like Gondor's steward is all set to toast his win," Rove muttered under his breath, poking at his mashed potatoes with a fork.
Justin Finch-Fletchley leaned over from across the table. "What are you talking about, Rove? What steward?"
"Nothing." Rove shook his head. "Just saying... Slytherin's decor is as gloomy as ever."
Right then, the hall went quiet.
Dumbledore had arrived.
The old headmaster was in a gold-and-red robe, smiling as he scanned the room.
"Another year's come and gone!" he said cheerfully. "Before you all dig into this feast, humor an old guy's ramblings..."
[NPC: Gandalf the White begins his post-battle recap]
As Dumbledore spoke, the Slytherins' grins got wider. The scores had them way out in front.
"However," Dumbledore pivoted suddenly, "some recent events need to factor in too."
The room went dead silent. Malfoy's smile froze.
"First off, points to Mr. Ron Weasley..." Dumbledore continued, "for the best game of chess I've seen. Fifty points to Gryffindor."
The Gryffindor table erupted in cheers.
"Second, to Miss Hermione Granger... for keeping a cool head with logic in the face of fire. Fifty points to Gryffindor."
Hermione buried her face in her arms and started sobbing.
"Third, Harry Potter..." Dumbledore paused. "For showing guts and real bravery. Sixty points to Gryffindor."
Now the scores flipped wildly. Gryffindor's tally shot up, and the hall was roaring. Everyone was scrambling to recalculate.
In the end: Four hundred seventy-two to four hundred seventy-two.
Gryffindor and Slytherin were tied!
The Gryffindors held their breath.
"Fourth," Dumbledore's tone got serious, "courage comes in many forms. Facing enemies takes real nerve, but so does standing by your friends. Ten points to Mr. Neville Longbottom."
"Oh!!!"
The Gryffindor table lost it. Harry, Ron, and Hermione jumped up, cheering wildly. Those ten points pushed them ahead of Slytherin! Gryffindor had snagged the House Cup!
But Dumbledore raised a hand, and the noise died down.
"Finally," Dumbledore's gaze cut through the crowd to the Hufflepuff table, "points to Mr. Rove Baggins."
All eyes locked on Rove.
His heart raced. System alerts flashed like crazy in front of him.
[Event: Maia's Award Ceremony]
[Please remain solemn]
"When facing unbeatable darkness," Dumbledore's voice grew deep and strong, "you still dared to swing your weapon—even if it was just a frying pan—and vowed to hold the last line."
"That kind of courage is every bit as real as staring down death."
Dumbledore smiled at Rove. "Fifty points to Rove Baggins."
Boom!
Now it was Hufflepuff's turn to explode. Susan, Hannah, Justin... everyone leaped up, screaming, cheering, banging plates on the table.
"Hufflepuff forever! We're not dead last anymore!"
Sure, Hufflepuff's total didn't beat Gryffindor, but those fifty points got them out of the basement—even ahead of Ravenclaw.
The hall filled with laughs and cheers, except at the Slytherin table. Watching their green banner swap to a gold-and-red lion, and Malfoy looking like he'd swallowed a bug, Rove couldn't help but smirk.
[Main Quest Complete: The Fellowship's First Victory]
[Quest Rating: S (Your frying pan will go down in history)]
[Rewards Processing... Check your mail]
...
The next day, the Hogwarts Express pulled into King's Cross Station.
Students poured out onto the platform like a flood.
"Hey, Rove! Harry!"
Hagrid came over, his big face all smiles.
"Figured I'd see you off." Hagrid wiped his eyes. "What a wild year, huh?"
He handed Harry a leather-bound photo album. "For you, Harry. Got some pics from old classmates... of your parents."
Harry was too choked up to speak.
Then Hagrid turned to Rove, pulling a small cloth-wrapped bundle from his pocket.
"This is from Professor Dumbledore, Rove." Hagrid winked. "He said they found it clearing out that gas-filled room... looks like a scorched metal scrap. The prof figured since you held that spot like your life depended on it, this might mean something to you."
Rove took the heavy little bundle and unwrapped it.
Inside was a blackened, sharp-edged metal fragment, like part of some ancient vessel or weapon, with traces of black fire scorch marks.
But to Rove, this scrap gleamed with golden light.
[Reward Mail: Please Check!]
[Acquired Item: Gandalf's Gift]
[System Analyzing...]
[Analysis Complete!]
[Acquired Legendary Item: Shard of Narsil (Hilt Piece)]
[Description: The broken sword of kings. It's just scrap now, but in the right hands, it deals true damage to dark creatures.]
[Note: The day the sword is reforged is the day the king returns!]
Rove's hand shook a bit. He carefully tucked the bundle away.
"Thanks, Hagrid." Rove looked up. "And tell... Gandalf thanks for me."
"Gandalf?" Hagrid scratched his messy hair. "You mean Dumbledore? Sure, I'll pass it on. Though he might not get your weird lingo."
Hagrid laughed and clapped the boys on the shoulders, nearly flattening them.
After saying bye to Hagrid, the two headed for the exit.
Harry dragged his big trunk, Hedwig hooting in her cage.
Ron and Hermione caught up.
"Hey there, Fellowship." Rove grinned as he met them.
"What fellowship?" Ron looked puzzled, but he shrugged it off quick. "You gotta come over this summer, Rove! Mom heard you're a whiz in the kitchen—she wants to swap tips on 'dealing with garden pests.'"
"You mean tips on cooking garden pests?" Hermione rolled her eyes, then turned to Rove, getting serious. "Rove, no messing around with your... weird gadgets in the non-magical world this break. Especially that sword or the frying pan."
"Don't worry, Elven Princess." Rove winked. "In the Shire, we'll bury the sword underground."
"No clue what you're on about, but it sounds okay." Hermione couldn't help laughing and gave Rove a hug. "Take care, Rove."
"You too." Rove patted her back.
Just then, Susan Bones ran up, blushing, with a small paper package in hand.
"For you, Rove." She shoved it into his hands. "Homemade toffee from my aunt. Might not be as good as yours, but..."
"This is top-notch trail mix." Rove took it solemnly.
[Acquired Item: Lembas (Knockoff)/Heartfelt Toffee]
[Effect: Stamina Recovery +50, Mood +100]
Susan's face went even redder as she dashed back to Hannah.
Rove pocketed the toffee close to his chest, then turned to Harry.
"So, heading back to that place, Ring-bearer?"
"Yeah." Harry gave a wry smile. "The Dursleys. You know, my muggle aunt's house."
"That's just temporary." Rove reached out and gripped Harry's hand firmly. "When darkness falls again, when Mordor's shadow looms... we'll rally once more."
"Until then, the Shire's always open to you."
Harry looked at Rove, the gloom in his eyes lifting a bit.
"Thanks, Rove."
As Harry turned to cross the platform barrier, Rove's system suddenly flashed a red alert.
[Warning: Suspicious Creature Detected]
[Traits: Small, Big Eyes, Muttering to Itself]
[Suspected Target: Gollum]
Rove whipped around.
In the bustling crowd, behind a thick stone pillar, he spotted a pair of tennis-ball-sized green eyes. A little monster with bat-wing ears was staring hard at Harry's back.
It wore a grubby pillowcase, looking pitiful and creepy.
Dobby.
But to Rove, the system slapped on a way more dangerous name.
[Target Locked: Gollum]
[Status: Tracking the Ring]
"Damn." Rove's hand instinctively reached for the frying pan in his bag. "It's tailing him."
The little monster seemed to sense Rove's stare, its eyes widening in terror before it vanished with a "pop."
First year over. Voldemort out (for now).
But a new threat was here.
"Looks like summer won't be boring." Rove tightened his bag straps and strode toward the exit.
Behind him, the Hogwarts Express's white steam faded, like the end of one epic dream.
And in the distance, Middle-earth's horns seemed to echo faintly!