allendalepharm Chapter 214 Eagle Wings Soaring High
Chapter 214 Eagle Wings Soaring High
Chapter 214 Eagle Wings Soaring High
The final day of the term finally arrived. Hogwarts Great Hall was newly decorated, but this year's main colors were not the usual gold and red or silver and green, but a refreshing blue and bronze—the Ravenclaw banner hung high in the center of the four house banners, its enormous bronze eagle emblem gleaming under the starlight of the magical dome. Blue silk ribbons cascaded down from the high dome, adorned with magical sparkles like stars. An atmosphere different from the past, imbued with intellect and joy, filled the air.
When the students flooded into the auditorium and saw the sea of blue and bronze, the burst of discussion almost lifted the roof off.
"Merlin! It's Ravenclaw!"
"We won! The Academy Cup is ours!"
"Oh my god! Six years! Finally, I'm not a Slytherin anymore before graduation!"
The Ravenclaw students erupted in cheers, hugging and high-fiving excitedly. Penelope tried to maintain her composure as prefect, but the smile on her face was impossible to hide. Cho Chang and her friends excitedly pointed at the eagle emblem on the dome, chattering incessantly. Cullen and her roommates sat together; Wesley was so excited he almost spilled pumpkin juice on Ernesto. Fabian adjusted his glasses, his eyes sparkling behind the lenses. Ernesto maintained his composure, but the uncontrollable upturn of his lips betrayed his good mood.
The Gryffindor Long Tables reacted even more enthusiastically than Ravenclaws themselves.
"Fantastic! Well done, Ravenclaw!" Lee Jordan stood up and cheered loudly.
"Finally, those venomous snakes ate us!" Ron slammed his fist on the table, his face beaming with excitement, as if his academy had won.
"Congratulations!" Harry and Hermione sincerely congratulated Ravenclaw as well. Hermione looked in Cullen's direction, her eyes filled with complex emotions, a mixture of recognition for Ravenclaw's achievement and a hint of unwillingness to admit defeat.
Fred and George ran over and patted Karen and Wesley on the shoulder: "Well done! Data kid! And the best chaser! Watch us next year!"
The Hufflepuff table erupted in sincere applause and congratulations. Cedric led the applause, his smile warm: "Well deserved, Ravenclaw. Congratulations!" The Hufflepuffs generally held a friendly attitude towards Ravenclaw's victory.
Only at the Slytherin table did the atmosphere reach a freezing point. Malfoy's face was ashen, his lips pressed into a thin line, his eyes fixed menacingly on the hourglass of House Cup points behind the teachers' table at the head table—the blue jewels representing Ravenclaw were piled high at the top, far surpassing those of the other houses. Pansy Parkinson and the other Slytherin students also wore expressions of resentment and discontent, their whispers filled with doubt about the result and denigration of Ravenclaw.
"Hmph, he just got lucky and cheated with that crappy machine—" Malfoy's voice was neither too loud nor too soft, just loud enough for a few nearby tables to hear.
"Exactly, they think they're something just because they won the Quidditch Cup," Crabbe grumbled in agreement.
However, their complaints were drowned out by the cheers of the other three colleges, sounding particularly jarring and powerless.
Professor Flitwick stood on his high stool, his face flushed with excitement, almost fainting. Professor McGonagall's serious face also wore a relieved smile. Professor Snape's face, however, was even more somber than his black robes; his thin lips were tightly pressed together, and his eyes were fixed blankly on the plate in front of him, as if he were oblivious to everything around him.
When he realized that Ravenclaw was about to win the House Cup, he did try to deduct points from Ravenclaw at the end of the term by finding fault with them. However, Ravenclaw students had few points to deduct, and with the huge score advantage brought by the Quidditch Cup, although Ravenclaw only lost one Quidditch match, due to the tactical optimization brought by Cullen's "Quidditch Eye," they often had a very high net score in the matches they won. Moreover, there was no undefeated team this term, so Snape's sporadic point deductions at the end of the term were a drop in the ocean and could not shake the overall situation at all.
Dumbledore stood up, and the Great Hall fell silent instantly. His long, silvery-white beard and crescent-shaped spectacles gleamed in the candlelight, and his blue eyes swept across the room, finally settling on the Ravenclaw table, his smile warm and benevolent.
"Another year has passed!" Dumbledore's voice boomed and resonated. "Before you all indulge in these delicacies, I must trouble you to listen to an old man's cliché. What a wonderful year it has been! Your little minds must be a bit richer than ever before. A whole summer awaits you, giving you time to digest all that before the next term begins, and to clear your heads—"
His humorous opening remarks elicited a chuckle.
"Now, as far as I know, we must first hold the House Cup awards ceremony. The specific scores are as follows: Fourth place, Hufflepuff, 352 points; Third place, Gryffindor, 360 points; Second place, Slytherin, 395 points."
A few scattered, clearly defiant claps rang out from the Slytherin table. Malfoy gave a heavy snort.
Dumbledore paused, then his voice grew even louder, filled with joy: "And first place, Ravenclaw, five hundred and seven points!"
"Yay!!!" A deafening cheer and applause erupted from the Ravenclaw table, and blue flags were raised high and waved.
Gryffindor and Hufflepuff responded with enthusiastic applause.
"A remarkable achievement!" Dumbledore smiled. "Therefore, we must do some decorating of the Great Hall!"
He clapped his hands lightly. Instantly, more blue and bronze curtains slowly descended, making the Ravenclaw banner even more prominent, and the starlight on the dome seemed to transform into a soaring eagle pattern. At the top of the House Cup hourglass behind the main seating area, the huge blue gem representing Ravenclaw shone with dazzling light.
"Congratulations Ravenclaw! This is a victory of wisdom, diligence, and teamwork! May wisdom always guide your way!" Dumbledore announced loudly.
The auditorium was once again filled with applause and cheers. The Ravenclaw students were flushed with excitement.
Karen sat amidst the cheering crowd, basking in the glory that belonged to the academy, a genuine smile playing on his lips. He watched his excited roommates—Wesley pumping his fists, Fabian and Ernesto chatting happily—but involuntarily, he compared everything before him with the "original story" in his memory.
"What a completely different school year," he thought silently. Voldemort's plot was nipped in the bud, Quirrell was dead, the Basilisk was vanquished, and the Philosopher's Stone crisis quietly subsided. Hagrid was exonerated early, and Harry Potter had a relatively peaceful first year. There was no Chamber of Secrets incident, no petrification incident, no chaos caused by Quirrell's trolls, and even Norbert, the Norwegian Ridgeback Dragon that was supposed to appear, had vanished—Quirock didn't even have the chance, or rather, the time to tempt Hagrid into that deal before he died.
Karen picked up his pumpkin juice and took a sip. 'His ability to foresee the plot will probably be completely useless next semester. As for what comes after that, it's hard to say.' A subtle emotion flickered through his mind, not disappointment, but more like a sense of感慨 (gǎnkǎi, a feeling of deep emotion or reflection) at the complete reversal of his destiny. His initial plan was to remain hidden behind the scenes, waiting for Harry and Voldemort to confront each other in the Forbidden Zone before seizing the opportunity to obtain a sample of Voldemort's soul.
However, whether by accident or by choice, he found himself directly caught in the eye of the storm, even becoming a key force in altering its course. While the outcome deviated from his initial plan—he failed to obtain the Horcrux samples discreetly, was forced to expose some of his abilities to Voldemort, and even clashed with Voldemort's main spirit prematurely—overall, it wasn't all bad. The Basilisk's elimination was a huge boon; at least Hogwarts had one less fatal threat. Now, he directly possessed two Horcrux samples, providing an excellent foundation for his research during the summer.
'But, Headmaster Dumbledore,' Cullen's gaze swept over the white-bearded old man in the main seat, who was smiling and conversing with Professor McGonagall. 'Will you notice I took the tiara?' The thought flashed through his mind. He didn't regret bypassing Dumbledore. The research on Horcruxes was urgent; he needed a freer, more unrestrained environment, especially when it came to the forbidden realm of soul magic. Nico and Castor were undoubtedly the ideal choice.
The banquet proceeded in a joyful atmosphere. The Ravenclaw students were the center of attention, with people constantly coming to offer their congratulations. Cullen, too, temporarily set aside her worries, enjoying the joy of victory and the relief of the term's end with her roommates. The sumptuous food, the pleasant conversation, and the blue and silver decorations reflected on every smiling face. This was a Ravenclaw night, a celebration of wisdom and cooperation. Tomorrow, they would bid farewell to Hogwarts and embark on their journey home, while Cullen's journey would lead to the "Quiet Abode" in France, a place filled with unknown alchemical mysteries.