Harry Potter : Bloodraven-Chapter 106: Twilight of the Parasite (II) (CH - 126)

The next morning, students gathered for breakfast as usual, but there was something different about the atmosphere. The Great Hall felt quieter, with hushed conversations and curious glances. Eyes kept darting toward the enormous hourglasses that displayed the house points, where a shocking change had taken place overnight.

Just last night before, Gryffindor had been comfortably in the lead, with Slytherin hot on their heels. But looking at the scores now, it was clear that someone—or perhaps more than one—had done something big. Gryffindor's house points had taken a sharp nosedive, now sitting at the very bottom of the pile.

And the culprits?

It didn't take long for word to spread. After all, a certain smug Slytherin had been present when McGonagall delivered her merciless verdict, and Draco Malfoy had made sure that every student in Hogwarts knew exactly who was responsible for the disaster.

At the Gryffindor table, three first-years sat hunched over their plates, shoulders slumped, doing their best to ignore the stares burning into them from all sides.

A full one hundred and fifty points. Gone. Because of them.

They had no excuse—nothing to do but endure their current predicament and hope the glares would eventually go away.

And so they did. The rest of the morning passed in a miserable haze, with other students—especially their own housemates—shooting them sharp looks at every turn.

Even Fred and George, usually the ones getting into trouble, eyed them. But unlike the others, they didn't look annoyed. Instead, they looked almost impressed, as if admiring the sheer scale of points lost in a single night.

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Later that day, the trio huddled in the library, whispering over an open book neither of them was actually reading.

"You saw Snape limping?" Ron asked, frowning as he leaned closer.

"Are you sure?" Hermione repeated, her brow furrowing in thought.

"I saw it… I'm sure," Harry said firmly.

Ron glanced around, then leaned in further, dropping his voice to a whisper. "It's obvious, isn't it? He must've tried to get past the three-headed dog and got hurt."

Hermione bit her lip, deep in thought. "But why would Snape want the Stone?"

Ron gaped at her like she'd just asked why the sky was blue. "Why? For gold, obviously! Or to live forever! Can you think of another professor in this school who'd want to steal it?"