Professor McGonagall’s intervention finally took some of the edge off Snape’s anger.
He stood in the middle of the Hufflepuff common room for several seconds, his dark eyes sweeping over the students, the scattered bowls, and the rows of steaming cauldrons before he made his decision.
“Hufflepuff, for holding an unauthorized gathering in the common room and causing enough confusion to alarm the rest of the school, twenty points will be deducted.” A collective groan moved through the room, though it was far quieter than one might have expected after losing that many points on the first weekend of term.
Snape ignored the reaction and slowly turned his attention toward Alistair.
Everyone present knew who had introduced the entire idea in the first place.
Professor Sprout immediately stepped forward when she noticed where Snape was looking.
“Professor Snape, I think Alistair—” Before she could finish, Snape smoothly interrupted her.
“Mr.
Vance,” he said, studying Alistair with a look that made the first-year instinctively suspicious, “you appear to have developed a remarkable enthusiasm for cauldrons.” Alistair wisely said nothing.
Snape’s mouth curved into something that was definitely not a smile.
“Excellent.
Such enthusiasm should be encouraged.” Snape folded his arms behind his back.
“For the next month, from Monday through Friday, you will report to me after dinner.
I will personally instruct you in several basic potion-making techniques and ensure that you develop a proper understanding of how a cauldron is meant to be used.” Alistair’s expression immediately stiffened.
Before Professor Sprout could object, Snape added in a perfectly calm voice, “This is not a punishment.
Consider it a reward for displaying such remarkable interest in one of the essential tools of my subject.” Without waiting for anyone to respond, Snape turned sharply and swept out of the common room, his black robes trailing behind him.
Professor Sprout opened her mouth, then reluctantly closed it again.
Snape had framed the entire arrangement as extra instruction from the Potions professor himself, making it difficult for her to argue that Alistair shouldn’t receive it.
Nearly every Hufflepuff except Alistair visibly relaxed the moment Snape disappeared.
As for the twenty lost House points, most of them seemed far less concerned than they should have been.
Hufflepuff hadn’t exactly spent recent years dominating the House Cup, so the students treated the deduction with surprising calm.
To many of them, the House Cup was little more than an oversized decoration they rarely expected to hold anyway.
Alistair, however, was still staring toward the doorway where Snape had disappeared.
No wonder he managed to survive inside Voldemort’s circle while secretly working against him, Alistair thought.
The man can turn a punishment into a reward so smoothly that even Professor Sprout can’t argue with it.
The other professors had begun preparing to leave when Dumbledore stepped farther into the common room instead.
Unlike Snape, the Headmaster was greeted with immediate warmth, and nearly every Hufflepuff instinctively straightened.
Dumbledore looked around at the cauldrons still steaming on the tables, then gestured toward the nearest one with obvious curiosity.
“So this is the meal responsible for all of today’s excitement?” he asked pleasantly.
“I must admit, it smells rather good.” One of the older Hufflepuff students immediately found a clean bowl and hurried to fill it with meat, vegetables, broth, and some of the dipping sauce Alistair had prepared.
“Would you like to try some, Professor Dumbledore?” Dumbledore accepted without ceremony.
“It would be terribly unfair to investigate the cause of a disturbance without examining the evidence properly.” Several students laughed, and Dumbledore took a bite.
His eyebrows rose slightly.
“Very good,” he said after swallowing.
“I wouldn’t have expected such a simple cooking method to produce something this flavorful.” A student standing nearby immediately pointed toward Alistair.
“Headmaster, it’s mostly because of Alistair’s broth and sauces.
He showed everyone how to make them.” Dumbledore nodded thoughtfully and continued eating until the bowl was empty.
When the student enthusiastically offered to refill it, however, he raised one hand with a laugh.
“No, thank you.
Age has finally begun doing something unfortunate to my appetite.” His expression then became slightly more serious as he looked across the common room.
“That said, Hufflepuff has surprised me today for reasons that have very little to do with lunch.” The students quieted immediately.
“When several of your Housemates failed to return to the Great Hall, you believed they might have encountered some unknown danger.
Instead of ignoring the situation or leaving them to handle it alone, you chose to go together and face whatever might be waiting.” Dumbledore’s eyes moved across the students who had marched downstairs earlier with their wands drawn.
“That required courage,” he continued.
“Perhaps the situation turned out to be considerably less dangerous than you imagined, but your decision was made before you knew that.” A faint smile appeared beneath his beard.
“Hufflepuff, ten points.” For one stunned moment, the common room remained completely silent.
Then cheers erupted so loudly that Professor Sprout herself began applauding with visible pride.
Dumbledore waited patiently until the excitement subsided.
“There’s something else.” The room quieted again.
“When Professor Snape demanded that the responsible student step forward, none of you tried to shift the blame onto someone else.
Quite the opposite—far too many of you seemed determined to accept responsibility yourselves.” A few Hufflepuffs looked sheepish as Dumbledore’s smile widened.
“Being willing to admit your mistakes and stand beside your friends is a quality many adult witches and wizards never properly learn,” Dumbledore said.
“So for showing loyalty and accepting responsibility rather than abandoning one another, another ten points to Hufflepuff.” The second celebration was even louder than the first.
This time Professor Sprout wasn’t the only member of staff applauding; several of the other professors joined in as well, while even McGonagall’s stern expression softened slightly.
The students quickly noticed that Dumbledore still hadn’t moved toward the exit, and the cheering gradually died away again.
He walked toward Alistair, who immediately became aware that the Headmaster was approaching him personally.
This was the first time Alistair had ever stood face-to-face with the man he’d spent years knowing only through stories and movies.
Albus Dumbledore was widely regarded as the most formidable wizard of the age, and despite everything the Alliance had said about him, Alistair couldn’t suppress a trace of excitement.
At the same time, weeks of training with Abernathy had taught him not to become careless.
Alistair quietly reinforced his Occlumency defenses and kept his surface thoughts controlled as Dumbledore met his eyes.
Neither spoke for a brief moment.
Alistair couldn’t tell whether the Headmaster was actually attempting Legilimency or simply observing him, but he had no intention of leaving the question to chance.
Eventually, Dumbledore’s eyes crinkled with amusement.
“Mr.
Vance, thank you for providing an old man with an unexpectedly enjoyable lunch.” Alistair blinked.
“And,” Dumbledore continued, “for making a rather memorable contribution to the culinary diversity of Hogwarts.” His eyes briefly shifted toward the cauldrons surrounding them.
“For that, I believe five points to Hufflepuff would be appropriate.” The common room exploded.
Students shouted, clapped, hugged one another, and nearly knocked over several chairs in their excitement.
Even Alistair needed a moment to understand why everyone was reacting so strongly.
Snape had deducted twenty points, but Dumbledore had just awarded twenty-five, leaving Hufflepuff five points ahead overall.
Since classes hadn’t even begun and none of the Houses had yet had much opportunity to earn points, that tiny lead was enough to place Hufflepuff at the top.
Grimm looked as though he were about to cry.
“Five years,” the prefect said emotionally.
“I’ve been at Hogwarts for five years, and I don’t remember Hufflepuff starting the year ahead of everybody like this.” His voice grew more dramatic as nearby students listened.
“Even if it only lasts until Monday, I don’t care.
Right now, Hufflepuff is leading Gryffindor, Ravenclaw, and Slytherin.” Several students immediately started cheering again.
Alistair looked at Grimm with renewed respect.
Between the way he’d taken control of the tabletop-boil party, maneuvered everyone into accepting responsibility, and now turned a five-point lead into a historic House achievement, the older boy seemed to possess a natural instinct for public enthusiasm.
Future Ministry material, Alistair decided.
Grimm happened to notice him staring and turned in his direction.
His emotional expression immediately became a grin.
Before Alistair understood what was happening, Grimm crossed the room and wrapped him in a crushing hug.
“Alistair, you’re Hufflepuff’s lucky star!” he declared loudly.
Cedric immediately understood the invitation in Grimm’s expression and stepped closer.
The two of them suddenly grabbed Alistair and lifted him off the floor.
“Wait—what are you doing?” They tossed him into the air.
Alistair barely had time to gasp before dozens of Hufflepuffs joined in, catching him and throwing him upward again amid cheers and laughter.
“Put me down!” he protested, though nobody appeared interested in listening.
His blond hair became increasingly disheveled as he rose and fell above the crowd, while Cedric laughed harder every time Alistair tried unsuccessfully to threaten him.
The common room had transformed into complete celebration.
Standing near the entrance, Ilona finally allowed a proud smile to appear.
Beneath that borrowed face, Vinda Rosier was watching the scene with growing satisfaction.
This is the future leader of the Alliance, she thought.
Alistair had been inside Hogwarts for less than a day, yet an entire House was already cheering his name and throwing him into the air.
How long had it taken him to win over Hufflepuff?
Apparently, no longer than the time required to share one meal.
Then another thought occurred to Vinda.
Perhaps Alistair’s placement in Hufflepuff hadn’t been accidental at all.
Slytherin possessed powerful families and valuable connections, while Ravenclaw collected many of Hogwarts’s brightest students.
Gryffindor produced bold and ambitious personalities who frequently placed themselves at the center of events.
Hufflepuff, however, had something the others often underestimated: numbers, unity, and ordinary witches and wizards who would eventually spread throughout every level of magical society.
They would become Ministry employees, shopkeepers, healers, craftsmen, researchers, parents, and workers across Britain.
They might not dominate the most prestigious positions, but they would form part of the foundation supporting the entire Wizarding World.
If someone truly wanted influence that reached everywhere rather than merely influence among the elite, Hufflepuff was hardly a useless place to begin.
The more Vinda thought about it, the more impressed she became.
Her eyes returned to Alistair, who was still being tossed helplessly through the air by cheering Hufflepuffs.
So that’s what you’re planning.
Naturally, Alistair had no idea that Vinda had once again invented an elaborate strategy on his behalf.
At that particular moment, he had only one concern.
“CEDRIC!
GET ME DOWN!” End of Chapter 24 [Support Goal: [Support Goal: 10 Reviews → +1 Chapter] Your review helps the story grow.