The smile on Dumbledore's face gradually faded. In his deep blue eyes, a profound sense of sympathy welled up, like the warm sun of winter, gently wrapping around a lost soul. Snape's body stiffened slightly, and his hand at his side clenched involuntarily. His gaze, when looking at Edward, lost some of its usual coldness and sharpness, replaced by a trace of subtle complexity, like a lake rippled by the wind.
After a long while, Dumbledore spoke slowly, his voice as gentle as a mother's hand, brushing lightly over Edward's head: "Edward, there are no parents who do not love their children. If they have a spirit in heaven, they must have left a mark that belongs solely to you in a place you cannot see. It may be hidden in your bloodline, hidden deep within your soul, like a dormant seed that needs the watering of time and the awakening of an opportunity to slowly take root, sprout, and bloom into a brilliant flower."
Snape was silent for a moment before he also spoke, his voice slightly softer than usual, like a stream with melting ice: "Before that, you do not need to be impatient. Some answers require a lifetime to find."
Dumbledore nodded and added: "Don't you like studying ancient magic? Perhaps you could read more books about ancient magic and bloodline inheritance. In those dusty pages, the secrets of time are hidden; perhaps you can find the answers you want."
Edward's heart stirred slightly, as if a beam of light had pierced through the fog that had long shrouded him. He looked at Dumbledore's gentle gaze, then at Snape's still gloomy but no longer hostile face, and said softly: "Thank you, Headmaster, thank you, Professor."
After speaking, he turned around, gently pushed open the door to the Headmaster's office, and walked out. The sunlight fell on his back, gilding it with a warm golden edge.
In the following days, Hogwarts gradually returned to its usual calm. The greenery on the branches grew thicker, and the laughter of students rang out again on the lawn of the Quidditch Pitch. Under the careful care of Madam Pomfrey, Harry finally woke up, though there was a touch of unspeakable heaviness between his brows.
Edward continued to keep to himself, shuttling between the corridors of the castle and the library. He did not have much interaction with Harry and his friends; when they met, they simply brushed past each other, like two parallel lines that would never intersect.
Soon, it was the end-of-year House Cup awards ceremony.
The Great Hall was decorated with lights and colors, and the banners of the four houses hung high, flapping in the wind. The long tables were filled with golden roast chicken, crispy fries, and sweet pumpkin juice, with aromas filling the air. The students were discussing excitedly, their eyes shining with anticipation. Everyone knew that thanks to the consecutive victories in the Quidditch matches and their excellent daily performance, Slytherin was far in the lead with a one hundred and sixty point advantage, while Gryffindor was left behind, with almost no chance of a comeback.
Draco sat beside Edward, his legs propped up high, humming the Slytherin house anthem, looking as smug as a peacock displaying its feathers: "This year's House Cup is destined to be in our Slytherin's pocket! Those Gryffindor fellows, no matter how they struggle, will never catch up to our score!"
Edward just glanced at him indifferently and said nothing. His gaze fell on the starry sky on the ceiling of the Great Hall; those artificial stars were as bright as scattered diamonds.
Dumbledore walked onto the stage, holding a long list of parchment in his hand, his silver-white beard shining under the lights. He cleared his throat, and the Great Hall instantly fell silent, leaving only the sound of breathing and heartbeats intertwined.
He first awarded points to several students from Hufflepuff and Ravenclaw, either for excellent exam results or for helpful deeds; the points were not many and had no impact on the overall ranking.
The Slytherin students all showed smiles of certainty; Draco even straightened his back, his eyes full of naked provocation as he looked at the Gryffindor long table.
But immediately after, Dumbledore's words exploded in the Great Hall like a thunderclap.
"Miss Hermione Granger," Dumbledore's voice was gentle and powerful, "she faced the fire and calmly performed logical reasoning. I award Gryffindor fifty points!"
The Gryffindor students instantly erupted into deafening cheers! Hermione covered her mouth in surprise, two blushes appearing on her cheeks, her eyes shining like stars. In the Slytherin camp, a chorus of dissatisfied boos rang out; Draco curled his lips, but still snorted disdainfully - fifty points was nothing, it wouldn't change anything.
"Mr. Ron Weasley," Dumbledore continued, his voice carrying a hint of approval, "he won the most brilliant game of chess Hogwarts has seen in many years. I award Gryffindor fifty points!"
Ron jumped up in excitement, hugging Neville tightly, the smile on his face as bright as the summer sun. Slytherin's advantage was cut in half; Draco's face finally darkened, and his clenched fists creaked.
"And Mr. Neville Longbottom," Dumbledore's gaze turned to the boy who was always timid, his tone full of gravity, "standing up to enemies requires courage, but standing up to one's own friends requires even greater courage. Mr. Neville Longbottom has done this. I award Gryffindor ten points!"
Neville suddenly looked up, his eyes wide and round, his face full of disbelief. The surrounding Gryffindor students patted his shoulder one after another, cheering his name. His cheeks instantly turned bright red, but the corners of his mouth couldn't help but lift high.
Fifty points plus fifty points plus ten points, one hundred and ten points gained! The Slytherin students finally panicked, and whispers rose one after another. Draco stood up abruptly, pointing at the stage and shouting: "That's only one hundred and ten points! We still have a fifty-point advantage! What are you panicking about!"
Before his words had faded, Dumbledore cast his gaze toward Harry, his tone carrying heavy gravity: "Finally, Mr. Harry Potter, he disregarded his personal safety and stood up to confront a powerful enemy. I award Gryffindor sixty points!"
Sixty points! These three words were like a lightning bolt splitting the clouds, instantly igniting all the enthusiasm of Gryffindor! The cheers almost blew the roof off the Great Hall! Harry's eyes were wide, his face full of disbelief; he looked at the cheering classmates beside him, and a smile unconsciously lifted the corners of his mouth.
One hundred and ten points plus sixty points, one hundred and seventy points! The original one hundred and sixty point advantage was gone, and Gryffindor had overtaken them by ten points!
The Great Hall fell into an eerie silence, followed by an eruption of roaring, tsunami-like cheers. The Gryffindor students hugged each other and cheered; even the shyest Neville was waving his fists and shouting. In the Slytherin camp, there was deathly silence; the smugness on Draco's face froze completely, then turned to a deathly pallor. He staggered back a step and roared in disbelief: "This is unfair! Cheating! This is blatant cheating!"
Other Slytherin students also chimed in; the sounds of protest and cursing intertwined with the cheers of Gryffindor, and the Great Hall turned into a chaotic mess.
Edward stood in the Slytherin ranks, watching all this expressionlessly. He silently calculated the score in his heart. The moment Gryffindor overtook them, his fingertips only moved slightly, and then he returned to calm.
Just then, Dumbledore raised his hand to suppress all the noise in the Great Hall. His gaze passed through the seething crowd and landed on Edward, his smile gentle and bright, like moonlight piercing through dark clouds: "Please settle down, everyone. There is one last point award. Mr. Edward Black, in this incident, he was calm and composed; not only did he save himself, but he also rescued other students at a critical moment, demonstrating extraordinary courage and wisdom. I have decided to add sixty points to Slytherin!"
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