Chapter 50: Ravenclaw Wins Again
"That's enough, Mr. Weasley," Dumbledore said, cutting Ron's stammering short. "It is undeniable that you have all broken several school rules tonight."
The four first-years and the model student Percy all looked terrified. Vaisey, on the other hand, just looked bored; he had already calculated the outcome. And Fred and George… well, Fred and George had never known the meaning of the word "fear."
"Minerva, Ryan, Argus," Dumbled-ore said, "what do you think should be done?"
As if our opinions actually matter, Ryan thought. He decided to play the "youngest and least experienced" card, a time-honored tradition from his past life. He would let his more senior colleagues speak first.
Filch was the first to speak. "Headmaster, I believe we must bring back the old punishments! Torture is the only way to deal with these delinquents!" He then began to list off a variety of gruesome implements, all of which he had, apparently, kept in pristine condition.
"Ahem," Ryan coughed, then discreetly pretended to spit to the side, cutting Filch's monologue short. Filch glared at him, his bulbous eyes bulging.
"Sorry, Mr. Filch," Ryan said, showing the bare minimum of respect. "I've had a bit of a tickle in my throat."
A few stifled laughs came from the line of delinquents.
"No, Argus," Professor McGonagall said, shaking her head. "Hogwarts has no need for corporal punishment. I believe," she continued, her voice stern, "that they have all broken the rules by being out after hours, and they should be punished accordingly. Fifty points from each of their houses, for each of them! And a week's detention!"
Ryan thought he heard Hermione let out a small whimper. Unlike in Ravenclaw, where everyone was constantly earning and losing points, Gryffindor had few high-scorers. Hermione alone had earned most of their points so far this term. And tonight, with six Gryffindors caught out of bed, they were about to lose three hundred points. Last year, Ryan thought, Slytherin won the House Cup with only 450 points, and Gryffindor's year-end total was barely 300. He offered a silent prayer for Dumbledore, who would now have to perform some truly miraculous score-fudging to get Gryffindor out of the negatives and into contention for the cup.
"Headmaster, Professor," he said, "I have a small research project that I could use some assistance with. Perhaps they could serve their detention with me?"
"An excellent idea, Ryan," Dumbledore smiled. "Now then, I will announce your punishment."
The students all stood a little straighter. The prospect of serving detention with Ryan was, for most of them, a welcome one.
"Each student involved in tonight's… excursion," Dumbledore began, "will lose fifty points for their house, and will serve one week's detention with Professor Welles. However, Mr. Selwyn has shown great courage in protecting his fellow students, and great wisdom in taming the Cerberus. For this, I award fifty points to Slytherin."
"As for the location of the detention…" Dumbledore trailed off, realizing that Quirrell's office was not yet vacant.
"The Adventurers' Club, on the second floor," Ryan suggested. "It can serve as my acting professor's office. Until Professor Quirrell has recovered, of course."
As the two of them finalized the arrangements, a wave of relief washed over Vaisey and the others. Detention with Ryan, in the Adventurers' Club? It was practically a vacation.
Of course, not everyone was thrilled. For Harry, the Dursleys' house was a place he never wanted to return to, and for Malfoy, the Adventurers' Club, while pleasant, was hardly as luxurious as his family's manor.
Filch, the only person present who held no official teaching position, was seething.
"Mr. Weasley, Mr. Selwyn," Dumbledore said after the punishments had been finalized, "you may now escort the younger students back to their common rooms. I am sure they are all in need of a good night's rest. Argus, you are dismissed as well."
Vaisey led the students out, all of them offering a polite goodnight to the remaining professors. Filch shot Dumbledore a last, hopeful look, but the Headmaster gave no sign of reconsidering.
"Severus may not be very pleased when he finds out that Slytherin has lost fifty points," Dumbledore said to Ryan with a smile after the others had gone. "Especially after your… chat… with him tonight. Perhaps we will see a different Severus tomorrow?"
Please, don't blame me for everything, Ryan thought. It was because of Dumbledore's constant insinuations that the rumor about him being a master manipulator had started in the first place. I've just been a good friend to Vaisey, he thought. And besides, with Vaisey's protagonist-level backstory, he would have been fine without my help.
As Dumbledore continued to muse on the implications of Slytherin's point loss, Ryan glanced at Professor McGonagall, who was standing beside them, her face as black as a thundercloud. He wanted to tell the Headmaster to just stop talking. Gryffindor was now called "Gryffin-score." The last thing she needed was to be reminded of it.
Then, a sudden realization hit him. Slytherin was down fifty points. Gryffindor was in the negatives. Hufflepuff was… well, Hufflepuff was in third place. Ravenclaw was now in the lead. The biggest winner of tonight's chaotic duel was his own house.
Tomorrow, he thought with a grim sense of satisfaction, the halls will be buzzing with a new conspiracy theory: This was all a Ravenclaw plot.
"Oh, Minerva," Dumbledore said, finally noticing his deputy's foul mood, "I am sure the students of Gryffindor are more than capable of earning back the points they have lost tonight."
The comment, intended to be comforting, had the opposite effect. Professor McGonagall shot to her feet. "Albus, Mr. Welles," she said, her voice tight with a barely controlled fury, "I believe it is time we went to investigate why a three-headed dog was able to break free from its restraints."
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