Born to Rule: The Story of the Slytherin Princess (paused)

Chapter 12

"Winning is not everything
but wanting to win is."

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Clarissa approached her final exam with ease, her mind calm and collected. The subject was the history of magic, which delved into the lives of old wizards who had created the self-stirring cauldron. As she had expected, her results were mostly O's, a testament to her hard work and dedication in subjects such as Defence Against the Dark Arts, Potions, Herbology, Charms, and Transfiguration. Her only weakness was flying class, yet even in that, she had managed to secure an O grade despite the struggles she faced.

As the end of the year drew near, the Hogwarts castle was decorated in various shades of green and silver to celebrate the upcoming announcement of the house cup. Usually, Slytherin House would be the reigning champion, but Clarissa could sense that things were different this time around. She doubted that they would take home the victory, despite the extravagant decorations in their honor.

The students gathered in the Great Hall, waiting for the ceremony to begin. Professor McGonagall signaled for silence, and Dumbledore took to the stage with his usual joviality.

"Another year gone!" Dumbledore announced cheerfully. "And now, as I understand it, the house cup needs rewarding. The points stand thus: In fourth place, Gryffindor, with 312 points; in third, Hufflepuff, with 352 points; Ravenclaw has 426 points and Slytherin, 472 points."

The announcement elicited raucous cheers and laughter from the Slytherin table. Draco, in particular, banged his goblet in delight, the sound echoing throughout the hall. However, Clarissa sensed that something was amiss, and Dumbledore's next words confirmed her suspicions.

"Yes, well done Slytherin," Dumbledore said, "However, recent events must be taken into account."

The smiles on the Slytherins' faces faded at the sound of those words. Clarissa knew what was coming next: Dumbledore was going to ensure that Gryffindor won the house cup.

"First to Ronald Weasley, for the best played game of chess. Which Hogwarts has seen for many years, I award Gryffindor 50 house points," Dumbledore announced.

The Slytherin table sneered in disbelief at the reward given for a mere game of chess. "My brother, you know! My youngest brother! Got past McGonagall's giant chess set!" shouted Percy, the prefect of Gryffindor.

Dumbledore continued, "Second to Miss Hermione Granger, for the use of cool logic in the face of fire. I award Gryffindor another 50 points. Third to Mr Harry Potter, for pure nerve and outstanding courage. I award Gryffindor house 60 points."

With those awards, Gryffindor was now tied with Slytherin. But Clarissa knew that Dumbledore was not done yet. He was not going to let them tie.

"There are all kinds of courage," Dumbledore said, his smile warm and wise. "It takes a great deal of bravery to stand up to our enemies, but just as much to stand up to our friends. I, therefore, award ten points to Mr. Neville Longbottom."

Every house except Slytherin erupted in cheers and applause. Harry and his friends turned to Draco and Clarissa, teasing and provoking them. Draco banged his face onto the table in frustration, while Clarissa glared at the trio, refusing to give them the satisfaction of a reaction.

Clarissa suspected that this entire spectacle was a setup. Dumbledore had orchestrated it all, letting Slytherin have their moment before secretly rewarding Gryffindor with the points. Instead of simply announcing the victor, he had chosen to humiliate Slytherin

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The students boarded the boats and settled in for the journey to the Hogwarts Express. The train chugged into Platform 9¾, and the Hogwarts students filed into the carriages, chatting and laughing, excited for the summer break.

But Draco's mood was sour. "It's not fair, what Dumbledore did to us," he whined. "It's so unfair that they humiliated us like this."

Clarissa put a comforting hand on his shoulder. "Draco, in our second year, you'll definitely be the seeker for the Slytherin team."

"I better be," Draco smirked. "Or who knows what will happen to those bloody Gryffindors."

When the train finally pulled into the station, the two friends said their goodbyes to their classmates before their parents arrived to pick them up. Clarissa and Draco filled their parents in on Dumbledore's actions.

"What a monstrous thing Dumbledore has done," Lucius seethed. "If you had listened to me and sent Draco to Durmstrang, he would never have faced this humiliation."

"Excuse me, Lucius," Narcissa interjected. "I just want our son to be safe. Sending him across the country doesn't sound reasonable to me."

"Let's not argue in front of the children," Isabella chimed in. "Once Draco returns to Hogwarts, he'll definitely be the seeker."

Draco and Clarissa knew that their time at Hogwarts would be long and full of chaos. They would face many more challenges and humiliations, but they were determined to make the most of it and rise above it all.