The professors already knew about this, so they didn't show much surprise.
But the students were furious.
The Great Hall erupted in noise again, with students exclaiming and discussing amongst themselves.
"Special Contribution to the School Award?! But he's only in second grade!"
"I dare say, in history, you can count the number of students who received the Special Contribution to the School Award in their second year on one hand!"
"That's incredible!"
Special Contribution to the School Award.
An internal award with a very long history, usually used to recognize students who have made extraordinary contributions to the safety and well-being of Hogwarts.
This award is not permanent; it may not be given out even once every few decades.
Dumbledore watched as Silan rose from the Slytherin table and slowly walked toward him, momentarily lost in thought.
He had witnessed the same scene 50 years ago, and the two people were so similar...
Perhaps history is just a Muggle hula hoop, spinning around and around until it comes full circle.
Dumbledore shook his head, putting an end to his agonizing thoughts.
George and Fred approached Colin with smiles and borrowed his camera.
"Thank you, Colin, I'll return it to you right away."
Fred took out his camera and started snapping away at Silan on stage, muttering to himself as he did so.
"Great, that's good, it looks fantastic!"
"Hey George, look how dazzling he is!"
"I bet Mom will love this photo."
Percy Weasley, standing some distance away, loudly proclaimed to the other Prefect, "This is my brother, you know, he's my relative! I never imagined he'd receive Special Contribution to the School Award!"
Ron was shouting just like him, but saying completely opposite things.
"This is my brother! My own brother!"
"George and Fred? Oh, don't even mention it, they're my next-door neighbors!"
The surrounding noise and disturbance did not affect Hermione; the commotion seemed to disappear as it reached her.
She looked up at Silan, feeling both happy for him and inexplicably a little bittersweet.
"Silan is too outstanding," Hermione thought with a touch of inferiority.
But she quickly adjusted her mindset and secretly vowed to herself, "I can't slack off during the summer vacation. I must continue to study hard and strive to catch up with Silan!"
Dumbledore handed the heavy gold medal to Silan.
"Congratulations, Mr. Prewett."
"This is the honor you deserve."
Thank you, sir.
Silan took the large gold medal and saw two lines of smaller text on it.
"Special Contribution to the School Award"
"Silan Prewett, June 1993."
Dumbledore looked down at Silan.
The child stared blankly at the gold medal, seemingly lost in thought.
Fifty years ago, Dumbledore, as the Transfiguration professor, also witnessed a Slytherin student receive Special Contribution to the School Award.
At that moment, he wondered, what was Tom thinking?
But he was on the professor's chair at the time and didn't have the chance to ask.
Now that the scene was repeating itself, even though he had reminded himself several times not to overthink it, he was still somewhat curious.
"Child, can you tell me what you're thinking?"
Looking at the gold medal, Silan asked honestly, "I'm wondering, is this gold medal real gold? How many Galleon is it worth?"
Dumbledore was taken aback, and then found himself both amused and exasperated.
This answer surprised him.
"This is real gold," Dumbledore chuckled. "As for its value... it's hard to measure in money."
"It represents more of an honor and achievement; after all, it has only been awarded twice in 50 years, so it is still very representative."
Silan nodded somewhat helplessly.
This thing will later be placed in the Trophy Room. Apart from being an honorary title, its biggest purpose is probably just to let the freshmen who are put in solitary confinement know his name.
If some unlucky soul were to fall victim to the Slug-Vomiting Charm, they might even spit slugs onto this...
"If only I could melt it down into gold..." the miserly Silan thought to himself.
Snape, sitting on the professor's bench, flashed a bright, sunny smile—a smile that was, to him, radiant with satisfaction—as he looked at Silan.
But as he looked, Snape suddenly frowned, sensing that something was amiss.
It seems like something's missing from Prewett's side.
Snape: "!!!"
Miss Granger is missing!
Snape glanced towards the Gryffindor table, a hint of regret in his eyes. "I should have applied for Miss Granger's Special Contribution to the School Award too, then they could have received it together."
The more he thought about it, the more regretful he became, and his face turned pale.
Professor McGonagall, Snape had been all smiles just moments before, suddenly looked dejected and felt a little puzzled.
What's wrong with him?
After the awards ceremony, the banquet began.
But the students were still talking about what had just happened, eating and drinking heartily while discussing it with great interest.
The Slytherin students looked at Silan as she walked down from the stage with a mixture of respect and resentment.
Those ambitious guys were secretly making vows in their hearts.
Make the most of this summer vacation! Practice your Spells diligently at home, study hard, and strive to surpass Prewett!
Malfoy is a prime example.
He looked at Silan from afar across the crowd.
He truly is my nemesis.
Prewett, I admit you do have some skill. But that's precisely why you're qualified to be my opponent.
Malfoy couldn't wait for summer vacation.
The next day marked the official start of the holiday.
The students flew to Hogsmeade Station like pigeons released from their cages.
The sun rises from the east, casting layers of rosy clouds against the azure sky with a rich orange hue.
The Hogwarts Express sputtered steam as it raced across fields, crossed stone bridges, climbed hills, and passed through tunnels... all the way to King's Cross Station.
The students' laughter echoed the train's whistle, each burst of steam changing into a joyful shape.
The much-anticipated summer vacation has begun.
Malfoy looks forward to carrying out his grand plan during the summer vacation, while George and Fred look forward to refining their inventions with Silan...
Hermione is looking forward to her summer date with Silan.
As for Silan, he looked forward to studying Alchemy at Nicolas Flamel and translating that grimoire of the Soul Domain...
Of course, he was also looking forward to his date with Hermione.