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Frog, I've got loads...."
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Hagrid wiped his nose on the back of his hand and said, "That reminds
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me. I've got yeh a present."
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"It's not a stoat sandwich, is it?" said Harry anxiously, and at last
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Hagrid gave a weak chuckle. "Nah. Dumbledore gave me the day off
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yesterday ter fix it. 'Course, he shoulda sacked me instead -- anyway,
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got yeh this..."
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It seemed to be a handsome, leather-covered book. Harry opened it
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curiously. It was full of wizard photographs. Smiling and waving at him
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from every page were his mother and father.
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"Sent owls off ter all yer parents' old school friends, askin' fer
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photos... knew yeh didn' have any... d'yeh like it?"
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Harry couldn't speak, but Hagrid understood.
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Harry made his way down to the end-of-year feast alone that night. He
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had been held up by Madam Pomfrey's fussing about, insisting on giving
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him one last checkup, so the Great Hall was already full. It was decked
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out in the Slytherin colors of green and silver to celebrate Slytherin's
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winning the house cup for the seventh year in a row. A huge banner
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showing the Slytherin serpent covered the wall behind the High Table.
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When Harry walked in there was a sudden hush, and then everybody started
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talking loudly at once. He slipped into a seat between Ron and Hermione
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at the Gryffindor table and tried to ignore the fact that people were
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standing up to look at him.
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Fortunately, Dumbledore arrived moments later. The babble died away.
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"Another year gone!" Dumbledore said cheerfully. "And I must trouble you
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with an old man's wheezing waffle before we sink our teeth into our
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delicious feast. What a year it has been! Hopefully your heads are all a
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little fuller than they were... you have the whole summer ahead to get
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them nice and empty before next year starts....
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"Now, as I understand it, the house cup here needs awarding, and the
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points stand thus: In fourth place, Gryffindor, with three hundred and
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twelve points; in third, Hufflepuff, with three hundred and fifty-two;
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Ravenclaw has four hundred and twenty-six and Slytherin, four hundred
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and seventy- two."
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A storm of cheering and stamping broke out from the Slytherin table.
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Harry could see Draco Malfoy banging his goblet on the table. It was a
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sickening sight.
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"Yes, Yes, well done, Slytherin," said Dumbledore. "However, recent
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events must be taken into account."
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The room went very still. The Slytherins' smiles faded a little.
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"Ahem," said Dumbledore. "I have a few last-minute points to dish out.
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Let me see. Yes...
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"First -- to Mr. Ronald Weasley..."
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Ron went purple in the face; he looked like a radish with a bad sunburn.
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"...for the best-played game of chess Hogwarts has seen in many years, I
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award Gryffindor house fifty points."
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Gryffindor cheers nearly raised the bewitched ceiling; the stars
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overhead seemed to quiver. Percy could be heard telling the other
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prefects, "My brother, you know! My youngest brother! Got past
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McGonagall's giant chess set!"
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At last there was silence again.
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"Second -- to Miss Hermione Granger... for the use of cool logic in the
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face of fire, I award Gryffindor house fifty points."
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Hermione buried her face in her arms; Harry strongly suspected she had
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burst into tears. Gryffindors up and down the table were beside
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themselves -- they were a hundred points up. "Third -- to Mr. Harry
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Potter..." said Dumbledore. The room went deadly quiet for pure nerve
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and outstanding courage, I award Gryffindor house sixty points."
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The din was deafening. Those who could add up while yelling themselves
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hoarse knew that Gryffindor now had four hundred and seventy-two points
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-- exactly the same as Slytherin. They had tied for the house cup -- if
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only Dumbledore had given Harry just one more point.
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Dumbledore raised his hand. The room gradually fell silent.
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"There are all kinds of courage," said Dumbledore, smiling. "It takes a
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great deal of bravery to stand up to our enemies, but just as much to
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stand up to our friends. I therefore award ten points to Mr. Neville
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Longbottom."
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Someone standing outside the Great Hall might well have thought some
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sort of explosion had taken place, so loud was the noise that erupted
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from the Gryffindor table. Harry, Ron, and Hermione stood up to yell and
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cheer as Neville, white with shock, disappeared under a pile of people
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hugging him. He had never won so much as a point for Gryffindor before.
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Harry, still cheering, nudged Ron in the ribs and pointed at Malfoy, who
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couldn't have looked more stunned and horrified if he'd just had the
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Body-Bind Curse put on him.
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"Which means, Dumbledore called over the storm of applause, for even
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Ravenclaw and Hufflepuff were celebrating the downfall of Slytherin, "we
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need a little change of decoration."
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He clapped his hands. In an instant, the green hangings became scarlet
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and the silver became gold; the huge Slytherin serpent vanished and a
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towering Gryffindor lion took its place. Snape was shaking Professor
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McGonagall's hand, with a horrible, forced smile. He caught Harry's eye
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and Harry knew at once that Snape's feelings toward him hadn't changed
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one jot. This didn't worry Harry. It seemed as though life would be back
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to normal next year, or as normal as it ever was at Hogwarts.
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It was the best evening of Harry's life, better than winning at
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Quidditch, or Christmas, or knocking out mountain trolls... he would
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never, ever forget tonight.
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Harry had almost forgotten that the exam results were still to come, but
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come they did. To their great surprise, both he and Ron passed with good
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marks; Hermione, of course, had the best grades of the first years. Even
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Neville scraped through, his good Herbology mark making up for his
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abysmal Potions one. They had hoped that Goyle, who was almost as stupid
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as he was mean, might be thrown out, but he had passed, too. It was a
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shame, but as Ron said, you couldn't have everything in life.
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And suddenly, their wardrobes were empty, their trunks were packed,
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Neville's toad was found lurking in a corner of the toilets; notes were
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handed out to all students, warning them not to use magic over the
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holidays ("I always hope they'll forget to give us these," said Fred
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Weasley sadly); Hagrid was there to take them down to the fleet of boats
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