The Last Slytherin - Chapter 26

When Neal activated his Basilisk wand using Parseltongue as it’s required to do so, the audience got confused for a second what strange language he spoke. Harry, on the other hand, surprised, and thought, “awake my wand? Is this a drama or something? Wait a second. Did I just understand those words? But why does it sound like as if a snake is speaking? Weird indeed”.

As Ron hopelessly walked on to the Duelling Platform, everyone began to feel bad for Ron while Slytherins were enjoying and cheering Neal’s name.

Neal looked into Ron’s eyes which already lost courage. Even though he wants to take it easy on this guy, the events in the past year made him angrier as Ron kept on slandering him whether Neal was doing his job or interfering in someone’s business. Even just a day ago, Neal was laughed and booed by Ron when he was playing his first Quidditch match and did a few mistakes.

Gryffindor is rooting for Ron and also at the same time pitying him as they already knew the result. Ron picked up his wand and gathered some courage after Harry and Hermoine cheered him up. The sixth-year Prefect counted, “3,2,1”. But Neal stood there without firing any spell. He gestured, “go on”.

Ron raised his wand his hand is shaking. He cursed himself, “What spell should I use? There’s a spell which can petrify him and there’s this other spell which weakens them. Damn. Why can’t I remember the spells? It’s ricta..something…damn it”.

As a couple of minutes have been passed with Ron trying to remember the spell name and Neal waiting for him to start. Neal sighed and fired, “Expelliarmus” and lightly disarmed him while his wand flew away. While he came back to earth and staring at his wand flying away, Neal said, “you aren’t even worth to duel against me. I really wasted my time. Now walk down and off my sight, now”.

As he discouragingly steps down while Hermoine picked up his wand and return it to him, Harry took out his wand while looking at Neal with anger and hate. But Hermoine stopped him, “don’t. It is unwise”.

As he takes her hands off him and walk a step forward, Neal spoke, “sometimes, foolish bravery will cost you your life, Harry. Think wise and step back when it’s necessary”. Then he looked at the Prefect and said, “I’m stepping down and taking a break”.

As he has 26 wins, according to the rules, he can step down once and fight the final winner of the rest. While Slytherins feeling depressed as he steeped down since each winning gives 5 points, Theodore Nott from Slytherins stepped on the Platform to participate. An hour later, the matches all the participants’ Duels are over. One three haven’t finished. One is Neal with 26 wins, another is Cedric with 16 wins and the lastly Nettie Cross from Ravenclaw, the current final winner with 9 wins.

Cedric challenged her and defeated her and at last, Neal challenged him and took the winner spot winning 50 House points for winning and 135 personal points for 27 wins.

At the end of the Annual festival, Slytherin once again is leading in the House championship with 1255 points followed by Ravenclaw with 970, then Hufflepuff with 945 and Gryffindor sitting at last position with 890 not counting the personal points but still looking at the result, it’s almost been confirmed that Slytherin will win for the seventh time unless a miracle happens. They cursed the Gryffindor trio for losing 300 points in the year which put them at last.

Everyone’s attention is on Ravenclaw and Gryffindor who have finals in the third week of May which have 150 points as a prize for winning the Summer cup and hoping for a miracle to gain large personal points to defeat Slytherin.

In the finals, Harry Potter once again caught the snitch and Gryffindor won the Quidditch summer cup.

After that, since everyone thought it is impossible to defeat Slytherins now and decided to focus their studies as the exams are coming near.

On the other hand, Harry was worried about the stone, Fluffy is guarding and thinking of a possibility that Snape might have given Hagrid, a dragon egg and exchanged information on Fluffy for his accomplice.

Moreover, ever since he heard that Voldemort might be the one who is drinking Unicorn blood from Firenze, to keep himself alive, Harry thought that possible accomplice might be Voldemort who was looking for a stone to come back again.

Soon, the examinations came in the second week of June. While the Theoretical exam is in the morning, Practical exams are conducted in the afternoon. For the Charms, Professor Flitwick called them one by one into his class to see if they could make a pineapple tap-dance across a desk. Neal and Hermoine as expected overachieved the result with extra steps different dance styles along with tap dance.

For Transfiguration, Professor McGonagall asked everyone to turn a mice into snuff boxes which Neal overachieved once again by adding diamonds, rubies, and emeralds together to a Platinum box. At first, McGonagall worried that they are real but upon untransfiguring it, she sighed with relief as he passed with flying colors.

For Potions, Snape made them all nervous, breathing down their necks while they tried to remember how to make a Forgetfulness Potion which Neal excelled once again obviously.

As for Herbology, Astronomy, and History of Magic, only theoretical exams were conducted. Upon completing the last exam, everyone was excited to return to their homes for vacations while the seventh years were feeling sad to leave their second home, the next day.

On the last day of the exam, Dumbledore has gone to the Ministry by coincidence. Hearing about it, Harry said to Ron and Hermoine, “Dumbledore isn’t in the castle. This is the best time for Snape to steal the stone. I’m going to stop him”.

Hermoine scolded, “don’t be a fool. You don’t even know many spells and you lost to a second year in the last Annual festival. How are you going to stop a Professor like Snape?”. Harry replied, “I’m going to get the stone first before him. We can later present it to Dumbledore”.

Hermoine then said, “what if Prof. McGonagall catches us again? it won’t be points deduction. You will be expelled”. Harry sternly replied, “so, what? If Voldemort comes back, then the first thing he does is killing me, anyway. It doesn’t matter whether I’m at school or Privet Drive”.

As the night falls on Hogwarts, The Gryffindor trio under invisible cloak walk towards the forbidden corridor of the 3rd floor. Meanwhile, Neal was stealthily following while Isle is crawling in the front and guiding him somewhere in the dark.

After a while, He safely arrived at a bathroom which looks very gloomy and depressing. He mumbled, “but this is Moaning Myrtle’s bathroom, right. Why have you come here instead?”. As Isle hissed to trust and follow her, He stepped inside the bathroom. He saw under a large, cracked, and spotted mirror were a row of chipped sinks.

The floor was damp and reflected the dull light given off by the stubs of a few candles, burning low in their holders; the wooden doors to the stalls were flaking and scratched and one of them was dangling off its hinges.

He saw a girl-ghost with round spectacles and wearing an old Ravenclaw school uniform sitting near the window at the top and keep sobbing.