Chapter 96: Reversal After Reversal
Ethan and Dumbledore used the Headmaster's authority at Hogwarts to travel directly from the room housing the Mirror of Erised to the third-floor corridor entrance.
Dumbledore gently lowered Harry to the ground. "Watch him for a moment. I'll bring Ron and Hermione up."
"Mm." Ethan didn't see the point in watching over an unconscious Harry, but he nodded anyway.
Soon, Dumbledore emerged from the trapdoor with Ron and Hermione. Ron clutched his head in discomfort, while Hermione looked anxious.
"Is Harry okay?" Hermione looked from Harry, who was lying on the ground, to Ethan standing nearby. She had no idea what had happened.
"Ask the Headmaster. I don't know either." Ethan really had no idea what had happened to Harry.
"Don't worry, Miss Granger. He's just exhausted. He'll recover after resting in the Hospital Wing for a while." Dumbledore picked Harry up again and escorted the three to the Hospital Wing.
Five people had gone in; only two came out.
Ron had been knocked unconscious and had only just woken up, his head throbbing. Hermione was frightened and shaken, so Madam Pomfrey kept all three of them in the Hospital Wing, including Harry.
Since the Hospital Wing had admitted three patients at once, Ethan was the first to be sent away.
After a while, Dumbledore emerged as well, having exchanged a few words with Madam Pomfrey.
Ethan suddenly remembered that he'd planned to do something with the Philosopher's Stone, but in the confusion, he'd forgotten what it was.
Now that the Stone was no longer in his possession, he asked somewhat sheepishly, "Headmaster, may I use the Philosopher's Stone to transmute some gold? I'd like to analyze the differences between alchemical gold and natural gold."
"Also, if it's convenient, could you help me prepare a dose of the Elixir of Life? As you know, I'm studying with Professor Snape now, so I'm very interested in this legendary potion."
"Regarding the gold, I can grant your request. Nicolas is ready to move on anyway and doesn't plan to keep the Philosopher's Stone."
"But the Elixir of Life... I'm sorry, only Nicolas can prepare that. I can't help you there." Dumbledore nodded at the first request, then shook his head at the second.
"What a pity," Ethan said, not surprised by the destruction of the Philosopher's Stone. After all, if the Stone remained, Voldemort might return by possessing someone who could sneak back into Hogwarts.
He simply regretted that the Elixir of Life, which had left such a mark on the history of potions, was about to be lost forever.
Ethan pulled a few ten-pence pieces from his pocket and watched as Dumbledore used the Philosopher's Stone to turn them into gold.
"Thank you, Headmaster," Ethan said happily, carefully pocketing the special coins.
The next day, Hermione, now discharged from the Hospital Wing, took Ron to find Ethan and apologize to him.
They had also heard the tale of the great adventure, which spread through the school in a single day, and learned that the final villain was the unassuming Professor Quirrell.
"Sorry, you were right. The one trying to steal the Philosopher's Stone definitely wasn't Snape." Ron was red-faced, and Hermione bit her lip.
"It doesn't matter. People believe what they see, but sometimes eyes can be deceiving."
Ron lowered his head, looking unconvinced.
"How is Harry? Hasn't he woken up yet?"
"Madam Pomfrey said he's physically fine, just mentally exhausted. It'll be a few more days before he wakes up."
"That's good."
Ethan looked at Hermione, intending to ask whether the gold coin he'd gotten last night differed from real gold.
He pulled out a coin. "Hermione, look at this. Can you tell if there's any difference between this and real gold?"
"Is this transformed by the Philosopher's Stone?" Hermione exclaimed, looking at the ten-pence coin, which looked nothing like she expected.
"Yes." Ethan nodded with a smile.
Hermione took the coin and rolled it between her fingers. She was desperate to solve the puzzle but couldn't, and it pained her to admit it. "Sorry, I can't do it yet. The alchemy I've studied doesn't cover how to identify the components."
"That's a shame. We'll have to wait until the holidays. I'll find a metallurgical lab to analyze it." Ethan took the coin back from Hermione, regretting that he couldn't get the results right away.
While they waited for their grades, the final Quidditch match between Ravenclaw and Gryffindor took place. With their Seeker in a coma, Gryffindor played a player down and suffered a crushing defeat.
Their dream of making up for the lost house points and claiming the House Cup this year was shattered.
The conclusion of the match, watched by both Gryffindor and Slytherin, meant Slytherin would keep the House Cup.
After the match, the Slytherins rejoiced, happier even than the victorious Ravenclaws.
They celebrated that Slytherin would retain the title for another year.
Three days after Quirrell stole the Philosopher's Stone, the End-of-Term Feast began.
The Great Hall had been decorated in green and silver, the colors of Slytherin, to celebrate their seventh consecutive House Cup victory.
On such a joyous day, Ethan sat at the Slytherin table, swept up in the festive atmosphere, smiling to himself as he wondered if Dumbledore would use his authority to force a different outcome.
When almost everyone had arrived, Harry Potter, the subject of recent rumors, showed up late.
Everyone who had heard the rumors fell silent and stared at him. The Great Hall went quiet.
But soon, apart from the few who kept staring, the rest started talking loudly, eager to break the silence.
A few minutes later, Dumbledore entered from the Entrance Hall, dressed in purple robes and a hat decorated with golden stars and moons, and walked between the four long tables to his seat at the center.
He stood there, and the hall fell silent, waiting for him to speak.
"Another year has passed!" Dumbledore began. "Before you enjoy yourselves, I must subject you to the platitudes of an old man like me."
"What a wonderful year. Let us first congratulate the seventh-years on graduating and becoming the newest members of the wizarding world!"
The moment Dumbledore finished speaking, thunderous applause erupted. Seventh-years from every house stood to accept the congratulations.
Dumbledore raised his hands, signaling for quiet, then continued, "First through sixth years, I trust your little heads have been filled with plenty of knowledge this year.
"You will have ample time to digest it over the summer and clear your minds in preparation for next year."
Another round of applause followed.
"Finally, we come to the House Cup ceremony. The scores for each house are as follows."
Dumbledore waved his wand, and the house crests appeared above their tables, each displaying their scores at varying heights.
"Gryffindor, three hundred and twelve points; Hufflepuff, three hundred and fifty-two points; Ravenclaw, four hundred and twenty-six points; Slytherin, four hundred and seventy-two points."
The Slytherins rose, cheering and applauding wildly. Draco, standing beside Ethan, jumped up with great enthusiasm, clearly believing he had made a lasting contribution.
However, Dumbledore's voice cut through the cheerful atmosphere once more.
The Great Hall fell silent. The Slytherins had a sinking feeling.
Dumbledore cleared his throat. "First, Mr. Ron Weasley. He won the most exciting game of chess Hogwarts has seen in years. I award Gryffindor fifty points."
The Gryffindors sensed the tide turning. The cheers nearly raised the roof. They looked at Dumbledore eagerly, waiting for what came next.
"Second, Miss Hermione Granger. In the face of fire, she kept her cool. I award Gryffindor another fifty points."
The score on the Gryffindor table shifted, surpassing Hufflepuff and moving into third place.
"Next, Harry Potter. He showed extraordinary courage and nerve. For this, I award sixty points to Gryffindor."
The Gryffindor lion rose to match the Slytherin serpent.
Everyone held their breath, wondering if Dumbledore had more to say.
"Finally, I would like to award Mr. Longbottom ten points for standing up to his friends. Facing enemies takes courage, but standing up to our friends takes just as much courage."
The Gryffindors stared at the score, filled with indescribable joy. They roared with excitement.
A mocking smile played at the corner of Ethan's mouth as he regarded Dumbledore with obvious dissatisfaction. He had known this result was possible.
To their surprise, Dumbledore cut through the Gryffindor celebration.
"But we must also recognize those who responded to this situation with integrity. Mr. Jones demonstrated composure and unique insight. Therefore, I award ten points to Slytherin."
The silver-green snake flicked its tongue, rising to the same height as the giant lion, which roared triumphantly.
Gryffindor and Slytherin seemed to freeze, staring at Dumbledore.
"Now that the scores have been announced, let's change the decorations in the Great Hall. On this happy occasion, let's toast together!" Dumbledore smiled at Ethan.
Then he changed half the decorations on the Gryffindor side to gold and red.
The Hufflepuffs and Ravenclaws who had witnessed the spectacle exclaimed, "What a balancing act! Only the Headmaster could pull that off!"
After a brief silence, both sides cheered, though reluctantly, celebrating the shared honor between the two houses.
"Tch!"
Ethan didn't know what game the old man was playing, but he smiled anyway, accepting the enthusiastic applause of his fellow Slytherins.