章 18: Chapter 18 "After Feast"

After the opening dinner, all the freshmen were led by their respective house prefects to their lounges.

Meanwhile, Dumbledore and Professor McGonagall returned to the headmaster's room.

"Dumbledore, I need to borrow your Pensieve," Professor McGonagall said eagerly as soon as they entered the room.

Dumbledore obliged, and Professor McGonagall used her wand to extract a silver thread from her temple, placing it into the Pensieve.

"Take a look for yourself, Dumbledore," she urged.

Dumbledore gazed into the Pensieve and watched the scene of Wentworth's introduction to the four houses at the Hogwarts auditorium.

"Interesting introduction, Professor McGonagall. I understand your concerns, but Wentworth's speech was not as inflammatory and aggressive as Gellert's," Dumbledore commented.

Professor McGonagall, however, remained insistent, "Dumbledore, I don't believe you haven't heard anything from his words! The Grindelwalds' children know us too well."

"How could they accurately describe the four houses without having some sort of knowledge about Hogwarts? They must have been observing the school and you for many years!"

"A child who has never been to Hogwarts but knows so much about it... it's concerning," she added worriedly.

Dumbledore calmly responded, "The Sorting Hat occasionally makes such jokes, Professor McGonagall."

But the Sorting Hat interjected, "Dumbledore, I think Azkaban might be a fitting place for that kid. After all, the road from Hogwarts to Azkaban is not that far."

Professor McGonagall defended the students, "They went astray after graduation. When they were in school, most of them were good students!"

Dumbledore asked her about the Potter child who would be attending Hogwarts the following year.

When Professor McGonagall confirmed it was Harry Potter, Dumbledore ominously spoke of the prophecy that the one who must not be named would return soon.

Realization struck Professor McGonagall, and she exclaimed, "You mean... Voldemort!"

But Professor Dumbledore said, "Wentworth and Harry Potter will become good friends. I firmly believe that."

"We are old, Professor McGonagall, and we need younger powers. I hope they can grow up under our guidance." Professor Dumbledore calmly persuades her.

While this conversation unfolded, Wentworth, oblivious to the discussions in the headmaster's room, followed the Hufflepuff prefect to their common room.

Hufflepuff's common room impressed him with its cozy and warm atmosphere.

A male prefect took two steps forward and said, "This is the common room of our Hufflepuffs, the dormitories for freshmen. The names have already been written. You can find them yourself."

"You are lucky. Tomorrow happens to be the weekend. There are no classes. You can familiarize yourself with the environment of the next campus, but remember, there are some places you must not go to! For example, the Forbidden Forest!"

"If there were any classmates who didn't have enough to eat just now, turn left when you go out, it's our Hogwarts kitchen, and the House-elves will serve you enthusiastically!"

"Okay, boys, follow me here, girls over there; I hope you have a good dream!"

The prefect instructed them, mentioning places they should avoid, like the Forbidden Forest, and directing them to the Hogwarts kitchen if they needed a meal.

Wentworth followed the prefect's footsteps, waved goodbye to Cedric, and agreed to have breakfast together tomorrow.

After settling into his dormitory and distributing snacks, Wentworth was met with friendly gestures from his Hufflepuff roommates, who quickly regarded him as their boss.

As his roommates enjoyed the snacks, Wentworth ventured to the basement of Hogwarts, finding a familiar fruit bowl picture hanging on the wall nearby, reminding him of his hidden stash.

He smiled at the thought of it.