Chapter 154: Leonardo's Cram School Triumph, Summer Begins
"Well then, I think the decorations could use a little adjustment."
Dumbledore drew his wand and tapped it lightly.
The green and silver draped around the Hall rippled and shifted, turning to Ravenclaw blue and bronze.
The coiled Slytherin serpent faded. In its place, a great Ravenclaw eagle burst into being.
The enormous bird's spectral body soared overhead. Every feather was picked out in sharp detail, so lifelike it seemed it might stir the air as it passed.
It swept over their heads and then climbed toward the enchanted ceiling, vanishing into the stars.
Dumbledore finished his little display, gave Leonardo a conspiratorial wink, and went back to his seat at the centre of the staff table.
Only then did Ravenclaw finally erupt into cheers.
They were certainly quieter than Gryffindor had been.
Ravenclaw's numbers were smaller to begin with, and many of them were girls. They simply could not shout the roof down the same way.
The warmth and praise, however, were just as real.
They might not go out of their way to chase the House Cup, but no one in their right mind would turn down an honour when it fell into their lap.
"Merlin, we actually won the House Cup this year!"
"It is all thanks to Leonardo! Even without that hundred points, just his day‑to‑day score‑earning is impressive!"
"He has worked so hard. All year. He must be exhausted. Let me give him a hug."
"Oi, what do you think you are doing?"
"Hey, let go of my roommate!"
Leonardo exchanged a few polite words with his housemates, then slipped free of the crowd with practiced ease.
"Congratulations, superstar."
Cho, who had stayed on the edge instead of pushing in, lifted her goblet and teased him with a smile.
Leonardo picked up his own cup and clinked it lightly against hers. They chatted a bit about summer plans.
From the Gryffindor and Slytherin tables, glances strayed in their direction.
Hermione and Daphne both pretended to focus on their food while stealing looks over at Ravenclaw.
They were thinking the same thing.
Leonardo seemed… rather "at risk" in Ravenclaw.
The other three Houses all joined in the celebration and offered congratulations and praise.
Hufflepuff, of course, had barely had anything to do with this year's Cup. They were far more interested in what was on the feast tables.
The kitchens had rolled out a slew of new dishes lately, not only delicious but varied. Supposedly they were from the Far East.
The Hufflepuffs who cared about such things had asked around and discovered that Leonardo had taught the house‑elves how to make them.
In other words, he had personally improved the badgers' quality of life.
Many Hufflepuffs also shared classes with Ravenclaw and had benefited from Leonardo's help more than once. A classmate who excelled academically and also brought better food was easy to like.
A few joked that if Leonardo had been Sorted into Hufflepuff instead, their menu might have become legendary.
Slytherin, oddly enough, felt relieved that Ravenclaw had taken the Cup in the end.
If they had only lost by a few points, they would still be grumbling. A gap of a full hundred, though? What was there to compare?
So long as it was not Gryffindor, it was fine.
Gryffindor, the House with the best excuse to sulk, was still perfectly happy. They had not got the Cup, but they had beaten Slytherin.
Quite a few lions raised their goblets toward the Slytherin table.
"Worthy opponents," someone said. "Shame we were just that little bit better."
The snakes looked as if they had all taken Nosebleed Nougat at once. Some snorted, some went silent, but none of them deigned to answer.
Gryffindor took that as entirely in character and drank with even more gusto.
…
On the last day, the students had long since packed. Wardrobes stood empty, their contents crammed into trunks.
Exam results were posted as well.
Leonardo, unsurprisingly, took the top spot in his year.
Second place went to the ever‑diligent know‑it‑all, Hermione. She stared at the rankings with a sigh.
"Just a little bit. I was so close," she muttered. "If I had not added that extra gram of Leaping Toadstool…"
Ron paid her no mind. He was too busy shaking Harry's shoulder in excitement.
"Look, look, I am in the top ten!"
"Mum cannot yell at me now. Brilliant. I always dreaded the day she would go at me the way she did Fred and George over their marks…"
Harry, growing dizzy, pried his hand loose. "I see, I see. We all did well. And…"
He jerked his chin toward the Slytherin cluster.
"Malfoy and Greengrass are up there too," he said.
Ron opened his mouth to comment, but two voices spoke in perfect unison behind him.
"Ronnie, we heard that."
Fred and George hoisted him by the arms and dragged him off.
Leonardo looked over the year's "war record" and felt deeply satisfied.
Not bad at all. They had all worked hard, and the results showed it.
Helping more people discover the joy of learning, the pleasure of drinking in knowledge—that felt good.
Harry had already committed to holiday study. Leonardo wondered what the others would think. Perhaps they should all be put on the same plan…
…
Once more, they boarded the Hogwarts Express.
Last time, he had been a brand‑new first‑year, full of curiosity and dreams about magic.
Time had flown. A year was gone.
"Honestly. Not being allowed to use magic in the holidays," Hermione sighed, watching the green countryside slide past the window. "I wanted to keep practising."
Before they left, every student had received a notice from the school, warning them that they absolutely must not use magic during the holidays. Their wands, it said, carried an implanted Trace. An invisible charm laid by the Ministry could detect magical activity in the area.
Ron waved a hand and swallowed his Bertie Bott's Every Flavour Bean.
"Percy told me it is easy to get around," he said. "As long as there is an adult witch or wizard nearby. If the Ministry shows up, you just say it was them."
Leonardo's thoughts went once more to how much harder things were for Muggle‑borns. Pure‑bloods and half‑bloods had magical parents to hide behind. They could practise freely at home. Muggle‑born children just had to endure.
They could go to somewhere like Diagon Alley to shelter in magical crowds, but very few could stay there all summer.
The cost alone was one thing. Muggle parents would never allow it.
The gap would only widen over each holiday.
"You can all come to my place," Ron said eagerly. "Use as much magic as you like!"
They exchanged addresses and ways to contact one another, so owls and visits would be easy to arrange.
The train gradually slowed and finally rolled to a stop at Platform Nine and Three‑Quarters.
Leonardo lifted his trunk and stepped down from the Hogwarts Express.
The long‑awaited summer had begun.