House Cup

Before Quirrell could make a move, a dagger shot down from the ceiling. Quirrell hurriedly bent over to dodge it before he could spot his attacker.

A youth holding a Horizontal Saber appeared where the dagger had landed. Bing Huan raised Crimson Trail and slashed at Quirrell's back.

"Aah! Who was that?!" Before he could turn around, Bing Huan vanished from the spot again. This was followed by a new barrage of charms from the three youngsters, several of which struck the wound on his back directly.

As for Bing Huan, he darted back and forth between the marks like a pinball. Whenever he found an opening, he gave Voldemort a taste of Chinese artifact-forging techniques.

Chinese technology, kid.

"Trash! Let me handle this." Quirrell's body suddenly twisted. Bing Huan signaled for the three of them to retreat while he quietly moved to Harry's side.

Today, I see, so what? Go ahead. Once he had stabilized, Voldemort's face appeared on Quirrell's front. That made him even more disgusting!

Bing Huan charged forward again, though he was much slower than before. Voldemort cast a spell on himself and grabbed Bing Huan by the throat. "Looks like you're almost out of stamina, little friend."

Caught by the throat, Bing Huan panted heavily and glared at Voldemort. His two hands "weakly" reached for Voldemort's neck.

Voldemort smiled without stopping him, mockingly saying, "Weren't you hopping around quite happily just now? Why don't you even have the strength to choke me anymore? It's not good for a young man to lack endurance."

"Huff... huff... I think my endurance is pretty good."

"As expected of good friends. One believes in useless friendship, while the other is about to die and still refuses to shut up." The three people nearby had also run out of talismans. Could the young wizards still turn things around?

Voldemort: Impossible. Absolutely impossible!

Bing Huan: Entirely possible!

Voldemort's hand gradually tightened. "I can't touch Harry Potter, but can't I strangle you to death?" It made perfect sense, but Bing Huan, who had been panting just moments ago, suddenly steadied his breathing. He even grabbed Voldemort's wrist, preventing him from squeezing any harder.

"You lured me into close combat on purpose?! No, where did you get another pair of hands?!" Voldemort roared in shock and fury. "Yeah, where did they come from?" Voldemort watched as the hands beneath his neck slowly became visible. Then he saw those damned glasses.

"Harry Potter!"

Harry had been using the Invisibility Charm and the Tortoise Breath-Holding Charm from the very beginning, his entire body pressed against Bing Huan's. Under normal circumstances, that naturally would have been difficult to pull off. But Voldemort was in worse shape than ever now. Bing Huan had merely pretended to be weak and lifted a hand, and Voldemort had stopped paying attention.

He had completely failed to notice that the hands approaching his neck were invisible! Harry suddenly thrust both hands forward and squeezed. Voldemort immediately reacted and tried to break free, but Bing Huan held him down tightly.

"So, Voldemort, are you satisfied with my strength and endurance? Huh? Why aren't you saying anything? An old man really needs to have at least this much stamina!"

Crack!

No one knew whether Voldemort had struggled too violently or Bing Huan had used too much force. The sound of bones breaking came from his body. "Quirrell's so young, and he already has osteoporosis? Voldemort, the person you picked isn't much good either."

Very soon, under Harry's mysterious anti-demon magical power, their Dark Lord decided to run. A cloud of black smoke drilled out of Quirrell's body and flew away with a hiss.

"I will return!"

The group collapsed onto the floor, and Bing Huan made a point of going over to let Hermione lean against him.

"Bloody hell! We actually drove Voldemort back head-on!"

"This young master has to count as earning a first-class merit this time."

"I was terrified just now, Huan."

"Sorry for making you worry."

Ron looked at everyone. "Does this mean we're the kind of nameless heroes who look ordinary on the surface but secretly save the world?"

"I'm afraid you'll be disappointed, Mr. Weasley. At the very least, we happened to arrive in time to witness your heroic moment." Dumbledore and Grindelwald had appeared in the doorway at some point.

The old man looked at the students with satisfaction. "I'm proud of you, children." Grindelwald snapped his fingers, and the four youngsters felt their vision go dark before they all fell asleep.

"Now, let our little heroes get a good night's sleep."

Seeing that he was the only one still awake, Bing Huan glared at Grindelwald unhappily. "What, am I a workhorse? They get to rest, but I don't?"

Grindelwald rolled his eyes. "I'm afraid they won't rest well. That battle wore you out too. Want me to help you?"

"Damn it, facing such a disgusting face up close gave me a full load of psychological trauma!"

(╯°□°)╯︵ ┻━┻

Grindelwald: "...That thing really was disgusting."

The next day, Bing Huan still got up early, made breakfast, and brought some to Hermione. In the hospital wing, aside from Harry, who was still asleep from excessive exhaustion, the other three children had already woken up and were being examined by Madam Pomfrey.

Only after he promised to cook them a proper meal once Harry woke up did Ron and Hermione forgive him for the excessive behavior of remembering only Hermione. The group was chatting while they ate when a burst of hurried footsteps approached. Snape rushed in with his greasy hair.

Only after seeing Harry sleeping safely and soundly did he finally relax. Looking at that face so much like Lily's, the corners of his lips rose unconsciously.

"Always."

Just as he was about to leave without a sound, Snape noticed four pairs of eyes watching him from beside the window.

Bing Huan and the others: ⌓‿⌓

"Ahem... I took a wrong turn."

"Professor Snape, it's not good to act fierce in front of people while caring behind their backs, is it? I don't know much about what happened with the previous generation, but I think you should have a good talk with Harry. The way he's lived these years... ennmm, he really needs an elder."

Snape seemed to want to say something, but in the end, he merely shook his head. "When he wakes up, don't tell him." Professor Snape left. Before departing, he looked at Draco.

"You did well this time, Draco. At least you didn't take after your father."

"What's wrong with my dad?" ( -_・)?

"Stupid!"

"..."

Harry slept for three whole days. When he woke up, Dumbledore came specially to check on him. He also explained why Harry could deal special damage to Voldemort—the Blood Relation Protection Charm. The profound love of his father and mother brought tears to everyone's eyes.

Dumbledore courteously gave them time to collect themselves. Just as Harry was about to ask whether Voldemort would return again, he saw the others with their arms around one another, looking at him from the side. The words that came out of his mouth changed.

"Headmaster, do you need us to defeat Voldemort again?"

Dumbledore stood up with a smile and grabbed a Bertie Bott's Every Flavor Bean.

"Oh, unlucky! Earwax flavor."

Bing Huan looked at Dumbledore. (๑•̌.•̑๑)ˀ̣ˀ̣

"Why do you know what earwax tastes like?"

"...Don't ask."

After Dumbledore left, they looked at one another.

"...Pfft."

"Hahahahahaha!" x5

Still laughing, they were chased out by Madam Pomfrey.

On the day of the end-of-year feast, the Great Hall had already been decorated in the green and silver representing Slytherin. This was their seventh consecutive year winning the House Cup.

A moment later, Dumbledore arrived as well. He said cheerfully, "Another year has passed. Everyone has grown a great deal. Before the feast begins, let me ramble on for a few more words.

"The House Cup points have been tallied. Fourth place, Gryffindor, 312 points; third place, Hufflepuff, 352 points. Ravenclaw, 426 points. Slytherin, 472 points."

Thunderous applause and cheers erupted from the Slytherin table. Hermione, sitting beside Bing Huan, slumped onto the table in disappointment. He rubbed her head and said with a smile, "Don't lose heart so quickly. It isn't over yet."

"The points have all been tallied. How could it not be—"

Before she could finish, Dumbledore began calling for Slytherin to quiet down. "Yes, yes, well done, Slytherin. However, certain recent events must also be taken into account."

Hermione: (ﾟﾍﾟ)?!

Bing Huan said, "Gryffindor, it's about to begin."

Dumbledore cleared his throat. "I still have some final points to award. Let's see...

"First, Mr. Draco Malfoy. Even when standing on different sides, he was able to set aside past grievances and work together for the greater good. Fifty points to Slytherin."

Draco acknowledged his supporters. Could any of the other Slytherins earn points by being personally named by Dumbledore before the entire school?

"Mr. Ron Weasley, he won the most exciting game of chess Hogwarts has seen in many years. Fifty points to Gryffindor."

Cheers erupted from Gryffindor. Percy shouted from the crowd, "That's my brother! My youngest brother! He passed Professor McGonagall's giant chessboard challenge!"

"Miss Hermione Granger, faced with raging flames, she calmly applied logical reasoning. Another fifty points to Gryffindor."

"Mr. Bing Huan, he used himself to shield the others from incoming danger. When the team had fallen into a misunderstanding, he stepped forward in time and became their safest support. Fifty points!"

Hermione looked at Bing Huan: ╲(｡◕‿◕｡)╱

"See? I told you I'd win the House Cup with you."

"Yeah!"

"Harry Potter!" The Great Hall instantly fell silent. This was the treatment reserved for the Savior! "He displayed immense fearlessness and extraordinary courage. Sixty points to Gryffindor!"

The cheers belonging to Gryffindor were deafening. Their score was now equal to Slytherin's!

Dumbledore raised a hand to quiet everyone down. "There are many kinds of courage. It is not only about facing enemies. Standing by one's position when facing friends is also a form of courage. Mr. Neville Longbottom. Ten points."

"It seems the Great Hall needs a change of decorations." Dumbledore clapped his hands. The green banners turned bright red, and the silver became gold. The enormous Slytherin serpent transformed into a majestic Gryffindor lion.

Students from all three Houses cheered. As long as it was not Slytherin, they did not care who won the House Cup. On the platform, Professor Snape watched Harry cheering and secretly curved his lips upward. When Harry turned toward him, he hurriedly lowered them again.

A few days later, the final examination results were announced as well. Everyone passed with excellent grades. Their first school year at Hogwarts came to a perfect close.

Of course, a wizard's life had only just begun.