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Ding ~ Task Triggered:[We Are the Champions (Red)]
Ravenclaw hasn't won the House Cup since before Snape took over! Can you sit idly by? Absolutely not!
Goal: Help Ravenclaw win the House Cup.
Reward: 1300 experience, +1 Intelligence, Random Card.
Ravenclaw's last House Cup victory… feels like ancient history.
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"What the—?! Are you kidding me?!" Ted was dumbfounded.
With Dumbledore constantly favoring Gryffindor, was there even a chance for another house to win?
Hermione frowned. "Huh? What's wrong?"
"Oh, nothing. Just... happy for Harley and Ron?" Ted said quickly.
"Happy?! Happy after losing 50 points?!" Hermione's eyebrows shot up. To her, house points were sacred.
Ted patted her shoulder. "Think about it this way—Gryffindor just lost a ton of points. That means Ravenclaw actually has a chance at the House Cup!"
Hermione hesitated. "Well... that's not exactly fair, is it?" But despite her words, the corners of her lips twitched upward.
"Oh, please! Who even cares about that dumb cup?" Harley groaned, slamming her hand on the table.
"Yeah!" Ron agreed wholeheartedly.
Jerry, meanwhile, remained neutral. "I'm just here to have a good time."
Neville, on the other hand, clearly wanted to say something, but he lacked the courage. Deep down, he still cared about the House Cup.
Hermione tried to hold back her laughter—but in the end, she couldn't help it. Soon, the whole table was filled with cheerful energy.
…
Malfoy, humiliated after getting KO'd by a girl in public, was fuming. But what could he do? Challenging Harley to a duel would be disgraceful. Worse—he knew he'd lose.
So, he did what all cowards do: he picked easier targets.
That night, Malfoy cornered Neville and Ron when the corridors were nearly empty. "Longbottom. Weasley. If you're real men, stop hiding behind girls. Meet me at 11:30 tonight on the third-floor corridor for a proper wizard duel. I'll bring an assistant, you bring yours—let's settle this like real wizards!"
Neville turned bright red, struggling to find his words. Before he could speak, Ron had already puffed out his chest. "Ha! 2v2? Whoever doesn't show up is a coward!"
Jerry, standing nearby: "Uh… hello? What about me? Don't ignore me, guys!"
Of course, they couldn't keep this from Harley. Ron may have wanted to handle this on his own, but Harley could see right through him.
After relentless questioning, Neville stayed quiet, but Jerry cracked faster than a weak lock spell. With the truth out in the open, Ron huffed in annoyance but didn't back down.
Harley smirked. "Alright, listen up. I have a plan."
The Gryffindor foursome... was ready to turn the tables on Malfoy.
At the start of the year, Sirius had gifted Harley her family's heirloom—the Invisibility Cloak. But sneaking four people under it was no easy task.
Thankfully, Jerry had an uncanny ability to blend into the shadows. The way he crept along the walls, completely silent—it was almost unnatural.
Harley and the others moved ahead under the cloak, while Jerry followed close behind.
And the result?
They got played.
Malfoy never showed up. The little snake had set them up. The four of them waited in the corridor for half an hour, nearly got caught by Filch, and had to run for their lives.
The first night of sneaking around? A complete disaster. An absolutely terrible start to their mischief-making career.
The next morning, none of them showed up for breakfast. Ted and Hermione, worried sick, went looking for them.
When they finally met at lunch, the Gryffindors spilled the embarrassing story.
Harley was furious. If looks could kill, Malfoy would've been hit with a non-verbal Cruciatus Curse.
But after the fight in the first flying lesson, they knew another public brawl was out of the question.
Ted, ever the strategist, leaned in. "You want revenge? Then let's play smart."
"What do you have in mind?" Harley asked, narrowing her eyes.
"We spread the truth. Or rather, let the rumors do the work for us."
"What kind of rumors?" Ron perked up.
Ted grinned. "Simple. We tell everyone Malfoy chickened out. That he didn't show because he's a coward who tarnished Slytherin's honor. That he admitted to being a—"
"Coward?" Jerry finished, grinning mischievously.
For Slytherins, betrayal was practically a badge of honor. But being labeled a coward? That was something they couldn't tolerate.
And just like that, the whispers began to spread.
Harley's influence was vast, and her reputation for combat was legendary. The rumor caught fire instantly.
Within two days, Malfoy became the laughingstock of Slytherin.
People would smirk when they saw him, whispering about how he had been shaking under his covers, writing to his father about dropping out.
The worst part? Even among his own housemates, Malfoy started getting strange looks.
Slytherins cared about power and prestige. And right now, Malfoy had neither.
Humiliated beyond belief, he sat down to write an actual letter home.
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"Dear Father,
I hope this letter finds you well. Things at Hogwarts have been… difficult. The other students are treating me unfairly, and I require immediate guidance. I believe my honor has been wrongfully damaged..."
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And just like that, Ted's plan worked like a charm.
...
The second Saturday of the school year arrived quickly.
The first weekend had been relatively uneventful—most students were too busy tackling their mountain of homework to do much else. But by the second weekend, they had grown more accustomed to the routine and were eager to enjoy themselves.
During their free time, students gathered in the Great Hall to play wizard chess, chat, or simply lounge around. Many took the opportunity to sleep in, except for Ted, who stuck to his daily habit of waking up early to go for a run. Hermione had tried joining him at first, but by the third day, she was dozing off in class. She had to admit defeat and give up on the idea.
Speaking of homework, Harley, Ron, and the others had already found a reliable strategy: consulting Hermione and Ted's work. If that didn't work, they resorted to padding their essays with as many words as possible, even if they weren't particularly meaningful. It was a skill that would undoubtedly serve them well if they ever decided to work for the Ministry of Magic in the future.
This weekend felt different, though. Students had explored more of the castle by now, and the excitement of discovering its secrets was beginning to bubble up.
Early that morning, as soon as Anzu, the mischievous raven, flew past the Great Hall, Harley caught sight of him and called out, "Anzu, where are you off to?"
Anzu landed on a nearby chandelier and ruffled his feathers. "Quack! Off to the kitchen for some fries!"
In just two weeks, Anzu had managed to locate the Hogwarts kitchens and charm the house-elves into sneaking him extra snacks. He was truly a master of socializing—even among magical creatures.
"Hold off on the fries," Harley said. "Go get Ted and Hermione. Something fun's happening!"
Anzu let out a resigned squawk and flapped away to deliver the message.
When Ted and Hermione arrived, they found a group of excited students gathered on the third floor of the left tower. Harley waved them over. "You have to see this!"
Ted quickly spotted Ron among the crowd, standing next to his twin brothers, Fred and George. "What's going on?" Ted asked.
Ron gestured toward the staircase. "This staircase is different!"
Hermione folded her arms, unimpressed. "Half the staircases in this castle change. What's so special about this one?"
George grinned. "Oh, this one's got a trick you've never seen before. Just watch."
With that, he climbed the steps. The moment he reached the thirteenth step, the stairs suddenly flattened with a loud "click," turning into a smooth slide. George let out a triumphant whoop as he slid back down, landing on his feet with practiced ease. The gathered students erupted into cheers.
"My turn!" one of the younger students exclaimed, scrambling up the stairs for his own go at the ride.
Ted and Hermione exchanged looks, then glanced at Harley, Neville, and Ron, who were all grinning from ear to ear.
"Is this really that exciting?" Ted muttered to Hermione. "I mean, haven't they ever seen a slide before?"
The next morning, after his usual run, Ted stumbled upon a rather unusual sight—a suit of armor standing in the hallway, humming loudly. The problem wasn't just that it was off-key; the noise was so grating that even the suits of armor beside it seemed to be suffering. They stood stiffly for a moment, as if trying to endure it, but after a few seconds, they finally snapped.
With a loud clatter, the two armors lunged forward and tackled the singing suit, knocking it apart into a pile of metal plates.
Ted barely managed to duck out of sight before Filch arrived. The last thing he needed was the caretaker blaming him for this mess. That old man had a way of sniffing out trouble, and Ted wasn't about to take the fall for a musical suit of armor.
But the bizarre incident piqued Ted's curiosity. He'd read all about Hogwarts' moving portraits, but the enchanted armor in the castle remained a mystery. What were their rules? How did they function?
After some careful observation, he categorized them into three types. Some were purely decorative, remnants of historical battles or gifts from foreign lands—like the house elf-sized armor, commissioned by a wizard who once tried to send his house-elf into combat. (That plan failed spectacularly when the elf, treating the armor as clothing, simply Apparated away.)
Others followed set routines, shifting position at specific intervals, almost like guards on a fixed patrol. Their movements were predictable and followed a strict schedule.
Then there were the wildcards—the armors with minds of their own, like the humming knight and the infamous "punch-happy" armor. They acted more like the castle's portraits, with a level of autonomy that was both fascinating and slightly terrifying.
And Hogwarts, as always, never ran out of surprises.
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Word count: 1676
Please, give this fanfic a review, guys! Just say good translation or something and I'll be content! 10 review = Bonus chap.
BTW, I posted a new translation. "Vector Control in Marvel". It's a Marvel fanfic. Read it for those interested.