manynovel Chapter 607 The Banquet
Chapter 607 The Banquet
Chapter 607 The Banquet
At the end-of-term banquet, the students' biggest concern wasn't which house won the College Cup, but whether Dumbledore, who had been missing for a long time, would reappear.
After all, this banquet was one of the few important events at Hogwarts. In the past, Dumbledore would personally present the House Cup to the winning house at this time.
People firmly believe that he will definitely come back.
And just as most people hoped, Dumbledore returned, entering the Great Hall with Professor McGonagall through a side door thirty minutes before the dinner began.
He looked the same as before, smiling and chatting happily with Professor McGonagall next to him, as if they were discussing whether to eat eggnog pie or fried pork chop first.
Dumbledore only stood up from his seat when most of the students had arrived.
He didn't speak, but the once noisy auditorium instantly fell silent.
"Another year has come to an end," Dumbledore's voice rang out. "As is customary, I should now present the House Cup to the best house of the year."
The Ravenclaw students unconsciously sat up straight—yes, they were the best house.
"But I think that's not what you really want to hear," Dumbledore said, changing the subject. "We must admit that something many of us once thought was gone forever, that it would never return—"
They have returned in a terrible way.
The surroundings were quiet, and several younger students couldn't help but shiver because of the atmosphere.
"His name—" Dumbledore said clearly and calmly, "is Voldemort."
The terrified screams were suppressed in her throat, and the entire auditorium seemed to be transported back to Christmas, the coldest time of that winter.
Most wizarding families wouldn't readily reveal his name, and anyone who did would soon be confronted by Death Eaters. What awaited them was only an empty Darkrai mark on the roof.
But Dumbledore knew very well that fear often comes from the unknown and the unspoken, and that facing Voldemort directly was the first step to defeating him.
Dumbledore looked around, his bright blue eyes and tall, imposing figure seemingly giving many people renewed courage at that moment.
"At this moment, many of you must be filled with questions and fears," he said softly, his eyes full of understanding.
"But that's okay, that's normal, and it's wise. Because someone has set a bad example for us with their actions, showing us that denying the existence of danger is truly foolish."
Dumbledore didn't say who this person was, but everyone knew it was Cornelius Fudge, the Minister of Magic.
And it won't be long before this title becomes "former Minister of Magic".
According to the Daily Prophet this morning, people have had enough of Fudge, this fool who only knows how to whitewash the truth, and some of his previous sloppy decisions have been dug up again.
In addition, his recent obstinate opposition to Dumbledore, his firm denial that Voldemort had been resurrected, and his disregard for Azkaban's increasingly lax supervision have led to a large number of Dementors defecting.
All of these actions caused him to completely lose people's trust.
It's fair to say that Fudge is only still in the Ministry of Magic because Voldemort has just appeared and everyone is too busy. Once the members of Wizengamot and all the directors of the Ministry of Magic have a meeting, they can easily oust him from his position as minister.
"We don't need to discuss who this person is, because that's not the most important thing," Dumbledore said. "What's important is what you've all learned."
"You have learned knowledge, not only of spells and transfiguration, but also of unity and the courage to challenge tradition. You have learned courage, not the absence of fear, but the ability to choose to do the right thing even when afraid." Dumbledore paused before continuing, "Here, I must commend Cedric Diggory and Hermione Granger."
All eyes turned toward Hufflepuff and Gryffindor.
"After discovering the professor's dereliction of duty, they did not choose to remain silent, but instead demonstrated admirable responsibility and courage. They risked being dismissed to take on the responsibilities that should have belonged to the professor."
"I've decided to give Hufflepuff and Gryffindor each 100 points."
Thunderous applause erupted in the auditorium, especially from those who had participated in S.D.A. events, who clapped their hands vigorously.
Hermione buried her head in her arms, but her exposed ears had turned bright red.
Some observant people noticed that after adding this 100%, Hufflepuff's score had surpassed Ravenclaw's, but the Great Hall's decorations remained unchanged, still in blue and bronze.
This seems to suggest that things are not over yet.
"Furthermore—" Dumbledore continued after the applause subsided slightly, "Besides knowledge and courage, you have also learned friendship in your daily interactions with your friends. This is a bond stronger than any other force, and it can unleash a power greater than any magic."
"Here, I would also like to award Mr. Siren Ollivander."
The entire auditorium fell silent again, except for Fred and George, both of whom wore expressions that said, "I knew it."
"Shillon Ollivander truly embodied the wisdom and courage expected of a Gryffindor. Faced with an invincible enemy, he neither acted rashly nor retreated, but instead made the most correct decision after calm reflection—"
Return to Hogwarts as quickly as possible to seek the professor's help.
"This decision not only saved more than three lives, but also thwarted Voldemort's plot, forcing him to expose himself to everyone prematurely."
A buzz of discussion immediately filled the auditorium.
Without Fudge's suppression, the Daily Prophet has been printing like crazy these past few days, and students have also learned a lot about what happened in the Department of Mysteries from the numerous articles in the newspaper.
However, members of the Order of the Phoenix were not very willing to be interviewed, so the articles were not particularly detailed. All that was known was that almost all the professors from Hogwarts went there at the time.
They just didn't expect that the professors were actually summoned by Xilun.
What's even more shocking is that Sirens also exposed Voldemort's plot. According to Dumbledore, without Sirens, the Ministry of Magic probably wouldn't have admitted that Voldemort had been resurrected.
Well, that's not entirely wrong.
Sirius brought in the professors, who successfully resolved Harry's crisis, allowing Dumbledore to confidently hold off Voldemort until the Ministry of Magic arrived.
"I've decided to add 500 points to Gryffindor's score and award Sirren Ollivander the Hogwarts Special Contribution Award!"