Chapter 83: Acclaimed

Chapter 83: Acclaimed

"Before indulging in the feast, you shall endure the ramblings of an old man," Dumbledore cleared his throat.

"First and foremost, it warms my heart to see you all sprightly return to the school and joyously share your experiences with your companions. Yet, I must mention that in the previous term, we weathered through some difficult months..."

The young wizards fixed their gazes upon Dumbledore's face, eager to hear what he had to say.

"...We faced two attacks, and one young wizard remains confined to a sickbed in the infirmary." Dumbledore paused, then suddenly raised his tone, "But thanks to a few individuals, through their diligence, they uncovered the truth and, most bravely, vanquished the beast within the Chamber of Secrets."

"Aye, we must not forget their names—Harry Potter! Ron Weasley! Hermione Granger!"

All eyes blazed upon the Gryffindor table, where they incredulously beheld the trio.

"You're joking!" one of the twins exclaimed, his voice reverberating through the hall, enlivening the solemn atmosphere.

Dumbledore was tickled, and he chuckled, saying with a cheerful demeanor, "Of course not, Weasley. But speaking of jests, it reminds me of a rather amusing troll and dwarf joke—"

"Cough, cough!" Professor McGonagall beside him erupted into a fit of coughing.The inaugural upload of this chapter took place via N0v3l-B1n.

"Ahem, well, let us return to the matter at hand. Their valor has earned unanimous praise from several professors. For this, I shall reward each of them with two hundred points!" Dumbledore declared.

Snape couldn't help but emit a derisive snort.

The Gryffindor table erupted into jubilation, their applause thunderous. The Weasley twins dashed over to Harry and Ron, enveloping them in a hug. Percy, from a corner, loudly exclaimed, "That's my brother! My brother! They'll also share the trophy for Special Services to the School!"

Hermione gazed at the awestruck Katie Bell and merrily remarked, "See? I told you there wouldn't be any danger!"

The hall resounded with chatter for several minutes before gradually subsiding.

However, the majority of attention still fixated on the trio of Harry. On the Slytherin table, Draco Malfoy aggressively stabbed his plate with a silver fork, emitting a grating sound.

Potter! It's always Potter, everything's Potter!

I've put in effort too... he glowered at Harry indignantly.

"Headmaster Dumbledore," a seventh-year Gryffindor student stood up, "can you elaborate? Did Salazar Slytherin truly release a monster in the Chamber to rid the school of those he deemed unworthy of magic?"

The accusation in this question was overt, and the Slytherin wizards directed their glares at him, almost wishing to curse him on the spot. However, the expressions of the other three houses' students turned silent and complex as they looked toward the Slytherin table.

"And what about the Malfoy family?"

"Lucius... regrettably, he's currently facing quite a bit of trouble. The other governors are not pleased with his past threatening actions and are inclined to remove him from the Board. I've heard that he's turned to Fudge."

"The Minister of Magic?"

"Yes, if all goes as expected, you'll meet him tomorrow," Dumbledore foresaw with keen insight.

Felix nodded knowingly.

The evening banquet concluded swiftly. The Gryffindor young wizards surrounded the trio of Harry, eager to inquire about the specifics.

Ron was on a roll in that department. He began to vividly recount the events.

From Harry's perspective, aside from the parts that required secrecy—like the professors' involvement or the Gryffindor sword—Ron embellished nearly every other aspect to the maximum degree.

Hermione quietly slipped away back to their dormitory and secretly devoured the two pies, returning with a satisfied look.

"...So, that's why I was given detention earlier. I didn't expect Lockhart to fall so easily when I pushed him." Ron, spewing saliva, regretfully lamented.

Hermione, hidden amidst the crowd, happened to overhear a young wizard asking Ron, "So you don't have detention anymore?"

Ron's mouth gaped open, resembling a deflated balloon. Suddenly, he wore a crestfallen expression.

Indeed, he had won honor for the house, but he couldn't escape the punishment for attacking innocent professors.

In truth, Professor McGonagall had already informed him of the content and duration of his detention. After a circuitous route, he unfortunately ended up in Lockhart's hands.

He had heard from Harry about the detention's content—writing replies to Lockhart's fans, which seemed light, but four hours of repetitive labor made one question the meaning of life.

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