3rd Person's POV

Harry made his way down to the end-of-year feast alone that night. He had been held up by Madam Pomfrey's fussing about, insisting on giving him one last checkup, so the Great Hall was already full. It was decked out in the Slytherin colors of green and silver to celebrate Slytherin's winning the house cup for the seventh year in a row. A huge banner showing the Slytherin serpent covered the wall behind the High Table.

When Harry walked in there was a sudden hush, and then everybody started talking loudly at once. He slipped into a seat between Ron and Hermione at the Gryffindor table and tried to ignore the fact that people were standing up to look at him. Fortunately, Dumbledore arrived moments later. The babble died away.

"Another year gone!" Dumbledore said cheerfully.

"And I must trouble you with an old man's wheezing waffle before we sink our teeth into our delicious feast. What a year it has been! Hopefully your heads are all a little fuller than they were... you have the whole summer ahead to get them nice and empty before next year starts.... Now, as I understand it, the house cup here needs awarding, and the points stand thus: In fourth place, Gryffindor, with three hundred and twelve points; in third, Hufflepuff, with three hundred and fifty-two; Ravenclaw has four hundred and twenty-six and Slytherin, four hundred and seventy- eight."

A storm of cheering and stamping broke out from the Slytherin table. Harry could see Draco Malfoy banging his goblet on the table. The rest of his group were clapping and hugging. It was a sickening sight.

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

The room went very still. The Slytherins' smiles faded a little.

"Ahem," said Dumbledore. "I have a few last-minute points to dish out. Let me see. Yes... First-- to Mr. Ronald Weasley..."

Ron went purple in the face; he looked like a radish with a bad sunburn.

"... for the best-played game of chess Hogwarts has seen in many years, I award Gryffindor house fifty points."

Gryffindor cheers nearly raised the bewitched ceiling; the stars overhead seemed to quiver. Percy could be heard telling the other prefects, "My brother, you know! My youngest brother! Got past McGonagall's giant chess set!"

At last there was silence again. "Second-- to Miss Hermione Granger... for the use of cool logic in the face of fire, I award Gryffindor house fifty points."

Hermione buried her face in her arms; Harry strongly suspected she had burst into tears. Gryffindors up and down the table were beside themselves-- they were a hundred points up.

"Third-- to Mr. Harry Potter..." said Dumbledore. The room went deadly quiet for pure nerve and outstanding courage, "I award Gryffindor house sixty points."

The din was deafening. Those who could add up while yelling themselves hoarse knew that Gryffindor now had four hundred and seventy-two points-- exactly the same as Slytherin. They had tied for the house cup-- if only Dumbledore had given Harry just one more point.

Dumbledore raised his hand. The room gradually fell silent.

"There are all kinds of courage," said Dumbledore, smiling. "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."

Someone standing outside the Great Hall might well have thought somesort of explosion had taken place, so loud was the noise that erupted from the Gryffindor table. Harry, Ron, and Hermione stood up to yell and cheer as Neville, white with shock, disappeared under a pile of people hugging him. He had never won so much as a point for Gryffindor before. Harry, still cheering, nudged Ron in the ribs and pointed at Malfoy, who couldn't have looked more stunned and horrified if he'd just had theBody-Bind Curse put on him.

"Which means," Dumbledore called over the storm of applause, for even Ravenclaw and Hufflepuff were celebrating the downfall of Slytherin, "we need a little change of decoration."

He clapped his hands. In an instant, the green hangings became scarlet and the silver became gold; the huge Slytherin serpent vanished and a towering Gryffindor lion took its place.

Snape was shaking Professor McGonagall's hand, with a horrible, forced smile. He caught Harry's eye and Harry knew at once that Snape's feelings toward him hadn't changed one jot.

Throughout the cheers he hears someone yell, "You have got to be flipping kidding me!!"

Looking up he sees Karina limp out the Great Hall on her crutches. Some watch her leave including Dumbledore.

As Karina limps down the hallway she hears a voice that makes her sick at the moment.

"I take it you are not happy with the results of the yearly house cup."

She turns around to see Dumbledore.

"No, of course not. Why would I? Slytherins won fair and square but because of the golden trio saving the day they get a random hundred points. You are everything that I thought you weren't. You're supposed to be fair and honest and you are not!"

Tears flow from Karina's face. Dumbledore wants to reveal things to her at this moment but he knows that this has to happen.

"Karina one day you will understand why I do the things that I do."

"I really doubt it." Karina glares then limps down to the dungeon out of sight.

............................................................................................................................................................................

Harry had almost forgotten that the exam results were still to come, but come they did.

To their great surprise, both he and Ron passed with good marks; Hermione, of course, had the best grades of the first years minus one class- Potions. Even Neville scraped through, his good Herbology mark making up for his abysmal Potions one. They had hoped that Goyle, who was almost as stupid as he was mean, might be thrown out, but he had passed, too.

It was a shame, but as Ron said, you couldn't have everything in life. Not only had Goyle passed but so had Crabbe, Pansy, and Blaise. Draco passed and made top 2 best scores in 4 classes while being 3rd in the rest behind Hermione and Karina of course. Karina was top 3 in many of her classes while also being having the best score and even better than Hermione, to her dismay, in Potions.

And suddenly, their wardrobes were empty, their trunks were packed, Neville's toad was found lurking in a corner of the toilets; notes were handed out to all students, warning them not to use magic over the holidays ("I always hope they'll forget to give us these," said Fred Weasley sadly); Hagrid was there to take them down to the fleet of boats that sailed across the lake; they were boarding the Hogwarts Express.

The trio was given a new name because of the win. From now on they would be known as the Golden Trio.

As the Slytherins sit in their compartment, they quickly get over any sadness they had over house cup and talk about meeting and hanging out over the summer. Pansy talks to Crabbe about some kind of new pumpkin cakes they have on the sweet cart while Blaise aruges with Goyle over villians in a comic book.

Draco looks over at Karina who is staring out the window. He grabs her hand making her turn towards him.

"My mother said that we can take you home if you like?"

"Yeah sure thank you."

Draco nods and turns back to the compartment door. Feeling a kiss on his cheek he looks back over to see Karina smiling at him. As their fingers entangle together, she lays her head on his shoulder thinking about the next thing to come for them.