Chapter 98: "End of First Year"

Months flew by, and before Harry knew it, his first year at Hogwarts was almost over. He had managed to achieve the goals he had set for himself at the start of the year.

Harry had advanced his studies to the point where he felt confident enough to tackle the final NEWT exams while securing high grades, a feat not typical for a first-year.

One clear indication of Harry's advanced magical abilities was his mastery of the highly complex Fiendfyre Curse. Though this spell wasn't part of the Hogwarts curriculum, Harry had taken a particular liking to it. He enjoyed shaping the magical fire into various forms, playfully manipulating the dangerous flames. If any of the adults or even Sirius knew how casually he was handling Fiendfyre, they would be deeply concerned, if not outright frightened. For Harry, however, it had become a fascinating toy.

In terms of Knight training, Harry had been diligently practicing the Knight Breathing Technique, a regimen that had begun to show tangible benefits. Over the past three months, he had observed an 8% increase in his strength and other physical capabilities.

While this might not seem like a significant improvement, it was a positive change that Harry welcomed. However, before he decided to continue this rigorous training, he planned to have a thorough physical check-up with Cordelia and Emma. He wanted to ensure that his intense physical exercises hadn't caused any unseen damage to his body.

As the school year at Hogwarts drew to a close, several memorable events marked the occasion. One of the most exciting was the final Quidditch match of the season, where Gryffindor faced off against Hufflepuff. Gryffindor emerged victorious with a resounding score of 400-60, securing the Quidditch Cup. This triumph brought immense pride and joy to both the Gryffindor team and their enthusiastic supporters, filling the Gryffindor common room with celebrations.

The end-of-term exams soon followed, with Harry excelling in both the theoretical and practical components. While Harry sailed through the exams with ease, his classmates found them challenging but manageable, maintaining hopes of passing successfully.

The professors, particularly those who had closely monitored Harry's progress, were astonished by his flawless theoretical papers and his adeptness in the practical tests. Even Professor Snape, who was often reluctant to award high marks to Harry, found himself unable to justify any deductions when faced with Harry's near-perfect potion concoctions.

With exams out of the way, a sense of relief and celebration permeated the castle. The fear and tension that had gripped Hogwarts due to the mysterious attacks earlier in the year had dissipated, and students began to reclaim the joy and fun of their Hogwarts experience.

The castle, once shadowed by anxiety, slowly buzzed back to life with laughter and lighthearted activities, allowing everyone to enjoy their newfound freedom and the pleasant weather that graced the end of the school year.

When the exam results were announced, it came as no surprise that Harry topped his year. Cedric finished in second place, and Elvinia took third. The rest of Harry's study group also performed exceptionally well, appearing at the top of the list before any other students were mentioned. Thanks to Harry's last-minute tutoring, especially in practical spells, his group's performance in the practical exams outshone their peers, leading them to dominate the rankings.

The group took some time to celebrate their impressive academic achievements, but not everyone in the school was happy.

For instance, Warrington, the group's old friend, watched them from a distance filled with jealousy and frustration. It had been a particularly tough year for him. He was frequently the target of pranks, which caused him to miss classes and lose points, making him somewhat of an outcast within Slytherin House. He was dreading the thought of going home and narrating everything to his father. His father, Lord Warrington had expected him to excel and increase the family's influence at Hogwarts. Instead, he had done the opposite and was now worried about his father's reaction, given that he was the family's sole heir.

Warrington's attempts to disrupt the lives of the two Slytherin girls in Harry's group had consistently backfired. Whenever he confronted them, or even when he enlisted the help of a few older students who still associated with him, their schemes always mysteriously ended embarrassingly, turning them into the laughing stock of the school.

Eventually, Warrington had no choice but to give up. He resolved to learn some protective spells over the holidays to guard against pranks before making another attempt to assert himself. He was determined to become the leader of Slytherin House in his year by the next term.

Meanwhile, Harry and his group were oblivious to Warrington's troubles and thoughts. They were focused on enjoying the end-of-term feast in the Great Hall. Everyone was excited about the prospect of going home after a particularly eventful and sometimes frightening second half of the school year. Despite the challenges, they were relieved that their caution and limited outings had kept them safe from any attacks.

At the Great Hall, Harry's group reluctantly dispersed to join their respective house tables. Today, the hall was adorned in the vibrant yellow and black colors of Hufflepuff to celebrate their first house cup victory in many years. A large banner featuring the Hufflepuff badger was prominently displayed behind the High Table, adding to the festive atmosphere.

Hufflepuff's unexpected win was largely influenced by Harry's behind-the-scenes actions. His relentless pranking of the bullies often led them to cause disturbances, be late, or retaliate mistakenly in front of professors, resulting in significant point deductions for their houses. Since the majority of these bullies were from Slytherin and Ravenclaw, these houses saw the most point losses. Gryffindor, known for being troublemakers, regularly lost points as well. Consequently, these circumstances paved the way for Hufflepuff to clinch the house cup.

Harry was indifferent to which house won the cup. To him, the pursuit of house glory seemed trivial and detached from real-world concerns. Therefore, he continued his efforts to discipline the bullies, regardless of the potential point losses to his own house, Ravenclaw. He was actually pleased to see the often-overlooked Hufflepuff house win.

This year, the Hufflepuff table was a scene of jubilation, whereas the Slytherin table was marked by gloom. The Slytherins were dealing with the disappointment of breaking their five-year winning streak, compounded by their loss of the Quidditch Cup to their arch-rival, Gryffindor. Even Snape, the head of Slytherin House, was visibly upset with his students.

Meanwhile, the students at the Gryffindor and Ravenclaw tables seemed less concerned with the house cup standings. The Gryffindors, in particular, were eagerly anticipating the start of the feast.

Dumbledore soon made his entrance, adding to the anticipation.

"Another year gone!" exclaimed Dumbledore with his usual cheerfulness. "And now, I must burden you with an old man's ramblings before we can enjoy our wonderful feast... What a year it has been!"

He continued, "Now, it's time to award the house cup, and the points are as follows: In fourth place, Gryffindor with two hundred and ten points; in third, Slytherin with two hundred and forty-two; Ravenclaw is in second with two hundred and forty-six; and Hufflepuff leads with two hundred and seventy-two points. Congratulations to Hufflepuff for winning this year's house cup and for bringing a new look to our decorations!"

A loud cheer erupted from the Hufflepuff table, filling the Great Hall with noise and excitement as the students from three Hogwarts houses celebrated the unexpected loss of the Slytherin house.

After enjoying a delightful feast, all the students returned to their dormitories, where the air was filled with the sounds of wardrobes being emptied and trunks being packed. The first-year students received a stern reminder from their professors: no magic was to be used outside the castle's walls.

The next day, everyone boarded the Hogwarts Express for a long, enjoyable journey filled with laughter and shared memories of the year. As the train pulled into King's Cross Station, the atmosphere was bittersweet. Students said their goodbyes, making promises to keep in touch through letters sent by owl.

Harry found Sirius waiting for him among the crowd, a reassuring sight. After exchanging final farewells with his friends, Harry joined Sirius, and together they left the bustling station, heading towards the comfort and solitude of the Black castle.