"Yeah, me too," admitted Ron. "It's been a really good year for you. I mean, not counting certain things."
"I like having a brother," Harry said coolly.
"I meant Samhain! And um . . . me, that time, you know . . ."
"Oh." Harry felt foolish, then. "Sorry."
Food starting appearing, then. Platters piled high with mounds of roast beef. Enormous bowls of mashed potatoes swimming in butter. Olives hopping over each other as they made their way onto plates.
And in front of Harry, a glass of orange juice with a frosted rim.
"Dobby," said Harry, grinning as he drank it down.
All too soon, the food was gobbled down, desserts included. When Dumbledore stood up, Ron grimaced. "Here we go. Ravenclaw."
"You're as bad as Draco, whingeing on about the House Cup," said Harry.
Ron looked pretty horrified at the comparison. Harry just laughed. Then he thought of something that might cheer up his mate. "Oh, come on. You're the Hero of Hogsmeade, remember? You saved Harry Potter! I'm sure you'll get some recognition for that."
"Happened off school grounds," muttered Ron. Hmm, probably his way of saying he didn't think Dumbledore would award points for something that had never really occurred at all. Good point.
"Well, you got a nice write-up, anyway," said Harry.
"Shhh," said Hermione.
"And so once again we mark the passing of another year," said Dumbledore, stroking his beard as candles floated all around him. "And such a year it's been. Tribulation in equal measure with triumph, successes tempered by sorrow." He lifted his glass. "We here tonight pay final tribute to a life cut short. To Pansy Parkinson."
"To Pansy Parkinson," echoed the students all around. It sort of gave Harry the creeps, knowing as he did what a nasty piece of work Pansy had turned out to be. Decorum, though, had Harry lifting his glass as well, even as he craned his neck to see how Draco was holding up.
Over at the Slytherin table, his brother's expression looked perfectly cool as he toasted the girl he'd loved.
"But we must celebrate our triumphs, too," continued Dumbledore, setting his glass down on the head table. "And that brings us to the House Cup! Ravenclaw leads Slytherin by one hundred twenty points, with Gryffindor eighty points behind that, and Hufflepuff a very respectable five points further behind. But, as often happens, there will be some last minute adjustments to the counters."
Harry was still watching his brother, who appeared to say something like, Here we go again, to his friends in Slytherin.
At the head table, Snape looked equally disgruntled by the headmaster's comments. Harry sighed. He supposed his father would rather see Ravenclaw win than Gryffindor. That was a bit depressing.
"First, to Mr Ernie Macmillan, for his tireless efforts to catalogue the lesser-known ghosts of Hogwarts, fifty points!"
The Hufflepuff table erupted into cheers and shouts as Ernie blushed slightly and looked from side to side.
"Next, to Miss Laura Madley, for her quick thinking when her friend and classmate fell suddenly ill out at the lake, twenty points!"
The Hufflepuffs got even louder, hooting and hollering like they didn't even know that only brought them up to third place.
Harry wasn't the only one keeping track. "Gryffindor's in last place now," said Ron mournfully.
"He's not done, is he?"
"To Mr Euan Abercrombie, for his Marshmallow Madness toffee, truly the most delightful thing to cross my tongue in lo these many years, five points!"
"See, he's a Gryffindor," said Harry bracingly as his house mates began cheering.
All of them except Ron, who was moaning. "Five measly points!"
"I didn't know the lower forms were making toffee," said Neville, looking about for the younger boy. "I wonder if he still has some of that. Sounds good."
"To Miss Hermione Granger--"
Beside Harry, Hermione drew in a quick, excited breath.
"For her keen insight into how the Muggle world can help us address learning difficulties right here at Hogwarts, one hundred points!"
Ron whooped and threw his arms around Hermione as up and down the Gryffindor table, students exploded into screams and cheers. He kissed her, right there, on the lips.
Harry glanced at the head table and saw Snape giving the pair a rather critical glare.
Draco looked like he was rolling his eyes. Probably at such a large award of points, not at the kiss, Harry thought.
"We're second now!" Ron said when he broke it off. "We're ahead of sodding Slytherin!" Then he glanced down at Harry's crest. "Oh. Well, you know."
"Yeah, I know," Harry said wryly.
"And finally," continued the headmaster, "I have one last student to recognise. To Mr Draco Snape--"
Harry's friends gasped. Even Snape looked a bit pole-axed, Harry thought. And Draco looked like couldn't believe his ears. "For having the courage of his convictions and using every shred of his considerable magical strength, cleverness, and cunning to help a friend in need, one hundred fifty points!"
The Slytherin table became absolute pandemonium. Students knocked over benches as they jumped up, howling with glee. "It's a new era!" someone shouted. "Long live Slytherin!"
"No, it's the return of an era. Slytherin again, Slytherin forever!" screamed Millicent Bulstrode. "Way to go, Draco!"
Harry started cheering too. He couldn't help it. He was Slytherin as well, and that was his brother who had taken them over the top.
Not every Slytherin looked completely overjoyed, though. Zabini seemed torn between elation and annoyance. Reaching across the table, through the throng of screaming students, he brusquely shook Draco's hand.
When Dumbledore clapped his palms together, the noise faded about halfway. It died completely when Snape stood up at his place. Decorum, Harry thought. Snape hadn't broken out into cheers and screams, but then, Harry wouldn't have expected him to. It was enough that he looked quietly pleased.
"A change of decoration is in order," said Dumbledore. He lifted his arms high, and the banners overhead became silver and green. "I wish you all a most happy summer! I will see you come September first!" The headmaster nodded at each of the house tables, and then collected Fawkes from the perch behind him. Oh his way out of the Great Hall, he walked alongside the Slytherin table, congratulating them and shaking hands. When he reached Draco he beamed a bright smile and stood talking to him for a moment.
"Harry." Realising that Hermione was shaking his shoulder, Harry turned back to his friends.
Ron snorted. "Oh, look at you. Almost as happy as they are!"
"Well, it's about time my other house won, don't you think? Besides . . ." Harry leaned forward. "Listen. Draco's just the first, all right? He and Snape and I are going to turn more Slytherins toward the Light. And this is a great start. Don't you see? They can't keep feeling like they never get a fair shake from Dumbledore."
"Oh, so that's why he did it--"
"No, that's not why he did it," said Harry in a low voice. "You know what Draco did for me. Are you really going to tell me that Slytherin doesn't deserve those points? Well, are you?"
Ron didn't answer until Hermione poked him. Hard. "Ouch!"
Her own voice was practically a hiss. "Ronald Weasley, you and I have made some pretty bad gaffes this year. But enough is enough. House points are just . . . points! This is bigger than that, and if you don't do right by Harry and his brother--"
Ron threw up his hands. "All right, all right!" His lips a tight line, like he was fighting a tremendous headache, the boy drew in a breath through his teeth. "So fine, Draco does deserve those points. He really was a hero this year."
"And unlike some people, he didn't get to be known for it," added Harry, giving Ron a significant look. When the other boy looked down, Harry softened his voice. "So stop begrudging Slytherin the Cup. It's not like we've never had it, you know."