Chapter 43:

Rodrick was currently standing on the Slytherin cheering stand, surrounded by fellow snakes. He watched as Tracey swooped low to let in another goal against Ravenclaw's keeper. The cheers resounded once again as the scores dipped to 270 against 190 in Slytherin's favor. He turned around and saw his friends cheering on loudly; even Daphne seemed to be in on the spirits.

She turned to him before grinning at her friend's goal.

Across to his left, his eyes landed on the peculiar blonde girl cheering on for her house... in her own strange way.

Rodrick shook his head. Turning his attention back to the game his yellow eyes locked onto a small golden ball flying around near one of the Ravenclaw beaters.

"It's the Snitch..." Rodrick murmured earning the attention of his classmates.

He heard several people about ask where, their eyes frantically searched the field. It wasn't long before one of them pointed out the golden ball.

Rodrick watched as some of the players turned their attention following the stands sudden proclamation of the location of the flying trinket. The Ravenclaw Seeker dove down first aiming to catch the snitch and win the game for her team. Rodrick's attention skyrocketed at that point, he didn't care much for the game but more the points involved. Slytherin had such a good run so far after all.

Malfoy caught onto the snitch's location a few moments later before he began his run for it. The Ravenclaw Seeker had a head start but a slower broom. That was quickly made evident as Draco passed the Black haired girl and grasped the 150 points for his house, ending the game at 420 to 190.

The stands went wild with the game's end; even Rodrick was grinning.

Slytherin had won the Quidditch cup.

...

Rodrick looked at his results and felt some pride in himself; he was tied with Granger, that thought alone put his mood up. He knew it wasn't exactly fair considering he'd spent more time studying over the summer, Granger's mood had soured halfway through the year due to the state of their house points. He both felt good and bad; he was responsible for that. He felt bad knowing he could've beaten her if he hadn't gone into a coma.

His head of house had all but concluded him top of the year, once again not acknowledging, in Snape's own words, the insufferable know it all. His relationship with the teacher had improved drastically following the previous year and even then it had been good enough before. Apparently being a Slytherin that caused the Gryffindor's and by extension Harry Potter so much grief made him seem like Salazar's gift to Slytherin.

Rodrick wondered if Snape was related to Malfoy in any way.

He felt someone peer over his shoulder to look at his results slip. Turning his head, he flinched slightly when he saw how close the girl was.

"Well done!" Tracey spoke, a sparkle in her eyes.

Rodrick nodded with a smile at that; the girl took the seat to his right.

"I need your help with Potions over the summer," Tracey spoke, slightly embarrassed.

Rodrick raised an eyebrow at that before he was presented with the girl's result slip.

"You did pretty well..." Rodrick spoke looking down through each result before his eyes landed on Potions and agreed to help.

"Don't be so rude Rodrick, not all of us were born with a potions textbook over our heads," Daphne spoke, she took a seat to his left.

"I wasn't being-" Before he could finish however the girl stole his paper and glanced through the results before pouting.

"Know-it-all..."

Rodrick rolled his eyes before he took her parchment and read through her results.

Snorting was a bad idea.

The slap was well deserved.

Blaise showed up and took the seat opposite Rodrick.

"You look like a trapped owl between them."

"Thank you for telling me I resemble an owl," Rodrick remarked.

"What are friends for right?"

Rodrick rolled his eyes. "Maybe helping me escape this little prison."

The two girls huffed dramatically at the accusation.

Blaise played along and pointed to the seat beside him.

Rodrick made to get up before he felt two hands pin his shoulders down.

"You can stay right there,"

Looking up he saw Nott giving off his creepy smile. The boy quickly swept over to the other side and took the free seat by Blaise.

"Is there some sort of secret plan I don't know about?"

"Wouldn't be considered Slytherin's if we told you that, now would we?" Rodrick heard Malfoy speak up before he took the other free seat beside Blaise and effectively locking him in, his goons taken the seats beside him.

"Wonderful," Rodrick drawled to their amusement.

"There's no secret plot," Tracey spoke, earning some groans out of the boys. They'd been enjoying the game, if it could even be called that. Apparently, irritating Rodrick was a new hobby.

"Is what I asked her to say!" Nott tried, to somewhat continue the game.

"You really are a Hufflepuff aren't you?" Rodrick retorted.

Theodore Notts face paled.

"W-what? How?" The boy started to stammer incoherently.

The group chuckled at the boy's crisis, he'd been trying too hard to avoid acting like a Hufflepuff ever since Rodrick woke up.

"That wasn't very nice Rodrick," A faraway voice entered the conversation.

Luna eyed the table trying to find a free seat before a frown took over.

"What part wasn't nice?" Rodrick asked amused, "The part where I called him a Hufflepuff? I mean I understand that was a bit rude and all..."

He heard several people surrounding him laugh at the insult; it wasn't just his friends. Nott still looked somewhat pale.

"Oh never mind," Luna spoke wistfully, she was about to leave the table having found no free seat, before she heard someone else get up.

"Where are you going?" Daphne asked surprised.

"With Luna, she's unlikely to torment me," Rodrick replied.

Looking towards the blonde girl's face, Rodrick found a beaming smile.

"Crabbe get up," Malfoy ordered, surprising the lot of them.

The boy looked somewhat shocked at the order but listened, as soon as he moved to another seat. Luna thanked Malfoy earning a sneer before she took a seat next to him.

Rodrick tried to hold his laughter at the sight, slowly turning the Malfoy heir red.

"What's so funny Rodrick?" Blaise asked, knowing the answer already. He struggled just as much.

Daphne naturally disapproved as she into a conversation with the confused girl.

"Say Malfoy?" Rodrick started.

"What?" Malfoy asked warily.

"When did you get a sister?"

Nott could no longer help holding it as he broke down. Blaise slowly followed.

Malfoy turned beet red at that.

Luna looked around trying to understand the joke.

"Oh do grow up some time Rodrick," Tracey sighed, amused herself, she got up from her seat and asked to swap with the blonde.

Malfoy looked somewhat mollified at that; he still didn't say anything.

Luna nodded eagerly, preferring to sit closer to her friend then the stranger.

Daphne mouthed the words 'I am sorry,' to the redhead, who simply shook her head, smiling.

Rodrick was about to speak before the headmaster's voice loomed over the hall, marking the beginning of the feast.

Everyone's attention turned to the eccentric wizard.

Dumbledore looked around the hall, identifying the future of the wizarding world. His face took somewhat of a frown when he saw how disgruntled the Gryffindor's were, looking towards the house points his face fell. 'How did Gryffindor lose even more points...' Albus sighed, it was inevitable, he had been planning to award Harry Potter points for finding the chamber but remembered he would need to do the same with Rodrick killing the Basilisk... It would be some what controversial to award more to Harry all things considered. 'Perhaps next year then... The Slytherins certainly earned it.'

With those thoughts in mind, Albus Dumbledore began the end of year speech.

"We've all had quite a unique year, one I am sure we will remember for years to come..." His voice boomed through the hall, he watched as several students eyed the Slytherin table at that. The headmaster spoke about how Gilderoy Lockhart's position in Defense was officially over much to some of his fans displeasure and everyone else's relief. He would need to find a replacement; he had one particular Gryffindor in mind for it. Perhaps that will help them win next year.

Then again the man hadn't exactly been the model student in his time. Oh, he was better than his friends... but that didn't exactly say much.

"Many fascinating things have happened over the years, however perhaps the most things have occurred in this one in particular. The reopening and permanent closure of the Chamber of secrets, for one thing. Thanks to a certain Boy who lived" Albus spoke, a twinkle in his eye.

In hindsight, Dumbledore really ought to have considered his words more carefully when taken the rumors into account. If he was surprised by the sudden tense look's Harry Potter had received he did not show it.

"Hey lay off him, he didn't do it," He heard one of the twins shout out, several other Gryffindor's began picking up the boy's defense before the headmaster's voice silenced the hall.

"Of course perhaps the most interesting part of the year is the two records that were broken."

"I am not exactly sure how the points had wound up in the state they were..." Albus spoke an amused look on his face, eyeing one particular Slytherin. He could see several of them started chuckling. The Gryffindor's were not as amused, perhaps except the trouble making twins.

Rodrick had the decency to look away from the headmaster's gaze.

Albus sighed as he spoke the next words, "In fourth place with quite possibly the lowest points in history, Gryffindor with 50 points."

He heard quite loud laughter coming from the Slytherin table at that.

Minerva McGonagall looked pale at the news, Severus Snape had almost broken out in a smile, almost.

The Gryffindor table looked sunken at that, the twins, however, looked over the moon.

"YEHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAAA!" The distinct laughter of the Poltergeist ran through the hall, he was standing at the doors to the hall before he was promptly shooed away by the Bloody Baron, no doubt waiting for his houses almost certain victory.

"Yes, yes it's quite amusing I suppose," Albus spoke, once again tempted to simply give Harry Potter 1000 points to win. Although in the back of his mind he still thought that it might cause a problem.

"How did we get 50 points?" One Ron Weasley questioned curiously, earning more frowns from his table and feeding the Slytherins laughter even more.

"I was in a coma." Rodrick couldn't help himself when he answered the red haired boy's question.

It didn't help that someone from the lion's table shouted out, "Ah Right." It certainly made the Slytherin's day though.

Albus Dumbledore coughed to get the situation back under control, "In third place, with 290 points, Hufflepuff," led to some applause, most from the house itself. "In second, with 420 points, Ravenclaw," leading to more applause.

Albus' stomach squirmed slightly, having to admit the last one. He could see the Slytherin's waiting eagerly.

"In first, with probably the highest points in history, Slytherin with 890 points."

Salazar would've been proud of whatever Slytherin had managed that miracle.

The cheers from the snake's table exploded, most of them had gotten up as Albus had sadly changed the Great Hall's colors to that of green.

The Transfiguration professor shook her head at the student's antics.

Severus Snape openly smiled at the words; the boy was a bloody miracle worker.

...

It was soon time to leave for the Hogwarts express. Officially ending the second year.