[52] The Last Feast

Hall left the tower. The sun was about to set. All the students stood in various corners of Hogwarts, for they would be leaving the next day.

Carrying his belongings, Hall strolled toward the Chamber of Secrets. The familiar door again.

He tossed a small glass bottle up and down. With a pop, the cork came off. Inside was a single drop of bright red blood — from Percy.

Hall smeared the blood along the patterns on the door. The massive door didn't open immediately, unlike when he and Ron had smeared blood. Hall frowned. This was unexpected.

Four or five minutes passed. Hall was about to give up and use a Cutting Charm to open the door. Then, with a loud bang, the door opened slowly, almost imperceptibly.

"Too little blood delayed it?" Hall wondered, scratching his head.

Through the enchanted door was Hall's dormitory. He changed into his school uniform and headed to the common room. It was already late.

The common room was full of first-year students.

"Hall?" Draco, sitting on a sofa, looked up. "When did you get back? I thought you went straight to the Great Hall. Someone came to see you from over there."

He gestured toward Gryffindor. It was Ron.

Hall greeted his classmates casually. They waited a while longer.

"The first-years are all here. Let's go," Draco said, counting and rising. He led all the Slytherin first-years to the Great Hall.

Hogwarts had four hourglasses of different colours, each recording a house's score. The Gryffindor hourglass held rubies, Ravenclaw sapphires, Slytherin emeralds, and Hufflepuff diamonds. The emerald count was far ahead.

The Great Hall was bustling. High above the dome hung the green flag of Slytherin. A joyful atmosphere permeated the air. Even the usually pretentious Slytherins had reverted to the boisterousness of their age.

Today wasn't just Hogwarts' year-end party — it was the day the House Cup was awarded.

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Even Hall, who only felt like a Slytherin when making money, felt a surge of pride.

Draco nudged him. "Looks good, right?" He grinned at the green flag above.

Hall nodded. Green was attractive. Except when Draco teased him for looking like a watermelon.

The professors on the platform were beaming, even Professor McGonagall. Not to mention Severus Snape, Head of Slytherin. Although he was still dressed entirely in black, Hall felt that Professor Snape looked different today — though he wasn't particularly sensitive to such things and couldn't say why.

"Look at that big black bat! He actually washed his hair today!" George's familiar voice whispered in Hall's ear. He'd squeezed himself between Hall and Draco. Fred squeezed to Hall's other side.

"What do you two want?" Hall asked, covering his face.

Fred looked around and noticed Draco's ear practically pressed against his. Draco, caught eavesdropping, coughed and went to chat with Blaise.

"Hall, we've found a place during the holidays where we can safely work on our gadgets," Fred whispered.

"And?" Hall raised an eyebrow. Were they here for sponsorship?

"How about some support?" George grinned.

Hall picked up a glass of pumpkin juice and took a sip. "Fine —"

"Yay!" George and Fred jumped up, ignoring everyone's stares.

"But I have conditions. I need to go out and take care of some things. You two need to cover for me."

Hall wrote something on their palms with his wand. They exchanged glances — Hall was clearly wary of someone. They nodded.

After agreeing, Hall waved them away. A bit of red mixed in with a sea of green was conspicuous.

Hall thought of the bloodline mystery. Dad said he would investigate when they got home, but Hall knew he probably wouldn't find anything extraordinary. Inherited from his mother. All Hall knew about Mum's mother was that her brothers were original members of the Order of the Phoenix, killed by five Death Eaters during the war. Anything else would trigger unpleasant memories. That was something Hall would have to find out himself.

On the platform, Dumbledore announced the winner of this year's House Cup.

"Slytherin!"

The cheers startled Hall.

"Hall! We won the House Cup!" Draco grabbed him but couldn't budge him. He screamed in Hall's ear, the sound somehow fitting amidst the cheers.

The cheering lasted almost until midnight. The next day, as they boarded the train, everyone was still excited but all had dark circles under their eyes.

Draco, in his excitement, had forgotten to fix his hair. A few strands of platinum-blonde hair stood up, swaying joyfully.

"Happy holidays, Hall! I can finally escape your clutches! I can enjoy my allowance to my heart's content! See you in two months!"

The next day, Malfoy Manor.

"Hi, Draco."

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