As Professor McGonagall stormed out of the classroom, the students were left bewildered. Only Wentworth, catching the fleeting yet piercing glance from Professor McGonagall before she left, felt a twinge of foreboding. Without hesitation, he made his way toward Cassandra.
Upon reaching her, Wentworth noticed that Cassandra appeared utterly unbothered by Professor McGonagall's reaction. Instead, she was carefully examining a cufflink in her hand, her face alight with satisfaction.
Curious, Wentworth leaned in to get a better look at the cufflink, only for Cassandra to raise it right in front of his eyes.
At once, Wentworth caught sight of the unmistakable emblem of the Deathly Hallows engraved on it. A rush of emotion surged within him.
"Do you like it? It's yours!"
Cassandra said cheerfully, ignoring the astonished gazes from the surrounding Slytherin students.
Wentworth took the cufflink from Cassandra, forcing a smile that looked more like a grimace, and nodded.
"Thank you, Cassandra. Next time, though, get me a real one. After all, transfigured objects don't last very long."
Meanwhile, outside the classroom, Professor McGonagall walked straight to the Headmaster's office.
"Albus, in class today—"
Before she could finish, Dumbledore waved his hand, sending an aromatic cup of steaming tea floating toward her.
"Minerva, don't get too worked up. Have some tea first—"
But before Dumbledore could finish his sentence, Professor McGonagall flicked her wand, sending the cup right back.
"Listen to me! Today in class—"
With rising urgency, she recounted everything that had transpired, especially Cassandra's creation of the cufflink bearing the Deathly Hallows symbol.
By the time she finished, her tone had grown even more anxious.
"Headmaster Dumbledore, I believe our worst fears have come true. Wentworth is openly building his Pureblood Party right here at Hogwarts! As Deputy Headmistress, I will not stand for this!"
Dumbledore, however, remained calm.
"You knew all along, didn't you, Albus?" McGonagall accused.
Meeting her gaze, Dumbledore responded with an air of composed detachment.
"Professor McGonagall, I believe you should hear a story first."
"Three days after Christmas, at the Rosier estate, a certain banquet took place…"
Over the next several minutes, Dumbledore recounted every detail of the events at the Rosier estate.
When he finally concluded, he said, "Cassandra's involvement in this incident was an unexpected anomaly, a special case. As for Cedric and Kirk, we anticipated this, didn't we? Rest assured, if Wentworth truly intends to establish the Pureblood Party at Hogwarts, I will have a word with him myself."
McGonagall, deep in thought, nodded slowly.
"I see… That explains why Cassandra became an accomplice to those people. Thank Merlin, Thomas is still alive! But, Albus, how do you know all of this? You weren't there, were you?"
Dumbledore playfully winked.
"I merely borrowed an item left in my care by the parents of a soon-to-be Hogwarts student."
Back in the dormitory, Wentworth immediately summoned Cedric and Kirk, recounting everything that had happened in Transfiguration class and issuing them a grave warning.
"Professor McGonagall will undoubtedly report today's events to Headmaster Dumbledore. I have no idea how he will react, but if anything unexpected happens, you both need to make your way to Hogsmeade—Carrow will be there."
Cedric and Kirk exchanged uneasy glances. Finally, Cedric spoke up.
"Wentworth, aren't you being a bit paranoid? I don't think Headmaster Dumbledore would—"
But Wentworth cut him off with a wave of his hand.
"I hope Headmaster Dumbledore understands that this isn't my intention. But we can't place all our hopes in someone else, can we?"
Hearing this, Cedric and Kirk nodded in agreement.
The next few days passed uneventfully, allowing Wentworth to finally relax. He and Cedric threw themselves into an intense competition for house points.
Wentworth, in particular, outperformed Cassandra in several classes, consistently completing the assigned tasks before her and earning points for Hufflepuff.
For a fleeting moment, he even wondered if he was exceptionally gifted, having surpassed Cassandra in just half a year. However, during Professor Snape's Potions class, Cassandra's performance swiftly reminded him that things weren't as simple as he had imagined.
Under Kirk's leadership—and spurred on by Wentworth and Cedric—Hufflepuff students had been aggressively accumulating house points. In just a few days, they had pulled ahead of Slytherin, causing the entire house to feel the pressure.
When Potions class finally arrived, the Slytherins were eager to use it as an opportunity to reclaim lost points.
Not long after class began, Professor Snape produced a segment of a web-like plant and posed a question.
"I do hope none of you will tell me you don't know what this is?"
Although Wentworth knew he had little chance of being chosen, he still raised his hand.
Yet Snape barely spared him a glance before shifting his gaze towards the Slytherin side of the room.
As Snape's eyes scanned over them, the first-years instinctively turned to Cassandra. She had already proven herself as the undisputed leader among them.
But this time, Cassandra remained seated, perfectly composed, offering no indication of answering. An awkward silence settled over the room.
Next to Cassandra, another Slytherin student hesitated. Just as he was debating whether to raise his hand, he suddenly felt a gaze upon him.
Following the direction of the stare, he locked eyes with Cassandra. Her gaze was piercing.
Indeed, the eyes can speak—because from Cassandra's expression alone, he detected an unmistakable warning. Without another thought, he promptly lowered his half-raised hand.
With no volunteers from Slytherin, Snape was left with no choice. Reluctantly, he called on Wentworth.
"It's Devil's Snare, Professor."
Snape gestured for Wentworth to sit down, and for the rest of the lesson, he refrained from asking another single question.
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