Getting Out of the Car

Cedric and Cassandra stared, dumbfounded, at the handful of Gold Galleons in Wentworth's hands, never having expected him to pull such a stunt.

Coming to his senses, Cedric hurriedly tried to smooth things over from the side:

"Underage wizards are forbidden from using magic freely outside of school, so the vast majority of first-years don't know any magic."

Cedric was afraid that Ilona, the new teacher at Hogwarts, might look down on his newly made friend, so he rushed to explain on Wentworth's behalf.

Wentworth naturally understood Cedric's intention; as he picked up various snacks from the trolley, he cast a grateful look toward Cedric.

On the other side, Ilona smiled indifferently and spoke up:

"Sometimes, wealth is more powerful than magic! Very impressive magic; you are all very gifted students. The future of the wizarding world lies at the tips of your wands."

Receiving praise from a teacher made Cedric and Cassandra visibly happy, while Wentworth busied himself distributing snacks to everyone. Had Wentworth looked up at Ilona at that moment, he would surely have found her gaze strangely familiar.

The Ilona on the train was, naturally, Rosier, who had consumed Polyjuice Potion. She had long since submitted her resume to Hogwarts and received a reply.

Dumbledore had invited her to accompany the Hogwarts Express to the school for a detailed discussion. If all went well, Ilona would become the new Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher at Hogwarts this semester.

What Rosier had just said was not entirely empty flattery. In fact, for two young wizards of only eleven or twelve to be able to cast spells so skillfully, they were indeed gifted.

As Rosier looked at the three in the compartment, she sighed inwardly. Wentworth was truly worthy of the Grindelwald bloodline; just like Gellert in his youth, he always gathered excellent wizards around him.

They might have gathered by his side for different reasons at first, but in the end, they would all be conquered by his personal charisma and hail him as king!

"Professor Ilona, would you like a Chocolate Frog?"

Wentworth's voice interrupted Rosier's memories. Looking at the Wentworth before her, Rosier—now Ilona—smiled gently.

"Of course, why not? I must say, that spell called Galleon-Plenty is quite practical, isn't it?"

Ilona said jokingly as she took the Chocolate Frog from Wentworth's hand, causing Cedric, who was eating Bertie Bott's Every Flavour Beans, to laugh.

But as Cedric laughed, he suddenly burst into tears.

"How annoying, it's mustard flavored!"

On the other side, Cassandra was eating a Chocolate Cauldron Cake in small, delicate bites; compared to Cedric, her movements were clearly much more elegant.

Wentworth also curiously picked up a Bertie Bott's Every Flavour Bean to taste. Hmm, not bad; although he couldn't identify the specific flavor, it was clearly not earwax.

Wentworth leaned back in his chair, admiring the scenery flying past the window while sampling the various snacks unique to the wizarding world, feeling that this kind of life was truly comfortable.

By the time the Hogwarts Express arrived at Hogsmeade Station, the sky had turned completely dark.

Before even getting off the train, Wentworth saw a figure as large as a giant through the narrow window by the train corridor, standing outside holding a torch. The giant had a thick beard and messy hair.

Without a doubt, the person waiting for everyone below was Hagrid, the Keeper of the Forbidden Forest and Keeper of Keys at Hogwarts.

This was another figure worth noting and keeping a distance from, Wentworth thought to himself as he followed the crowd off the Hogwarts Express.

However, when Wentworth and the others stepped off the train, the first person to speak was not Hagrid; a witch wearing glasses emerged from behind him.

"Excuse me, is Ms. Ilona here?"

Rosier, disguised as Ilona, slowly stepped off the train, walked up to the witch, and said with a smile:

"I am here. Hello, I am Ilona."

The witch also revealed a smile and said:

"Hello, Ms. Ilona. I am Professor McGonagall, the Deputy Headmistress of Hogwarts. I am here to welcome you on behalf of Headmaster Dumbledore. I apologize that the Headmaster could not come in person, but as you know, today is the first day of school, and there are many things waiting for his attention."

Ilona waved her hand dismissively and said:

"It doesn't matter, Professor McGonagall. The reason Hogwarts has been considered the best magic school in the world for so many years is inseparable from the efforts of Headmaster Dumbledore and all the professors. As Headmaster, Dumbledore should naturally be busy, shouldn't he?"

Upon hearing Ilona's words, McGonagall had just started to smile, but her expression quickly tightened.

"Fred and George! Put down what you have in your hands! What do you two think you're doing?!"

McGonagall marched aggressively toward the back, arriving in front of two identical twins, and said indignantly.

"Hi, Professor, don't be nervous, it's just some fireworks!"

"Yes, Professor, we prepared them for the first-year students! You know, the road for them is just too dark! I was afraid they wouldn't be able to see the way."

The twins said with smiles.

McGonagall said mercilessly:

"Put your things away! You should be glad that the new term hasn't officially started yet, otherwise, I would have already deducted points from you!"

After speaking, McGonagall turned back to Ilona and said apologetically:

"Let's head this way, Ms. Ilona. I'm sorry to have kept you waiting. You know how these children are..."

But for some reason, Wentworth felt that when Professor McGonagall left with Ilona, she seemed to cast one last glance at him from afar.

As McGonagall and Ilona walked further away, the surrounding students gradually became noisy again.

"First-years! All first-year students, come over here!"

Hagrid shouted loudly while shaking a bell in his hand.

"Wentworth, I think we have to part ways for now. Remember what I told you? The way first-years enter the school is different from ours. But it doesn't matter, I'll be waiting for you inside the Hogwarts castle."

Cedric's voice sounded from behind Wentworth, sounding somewhat apologetic.

Wentworth hurriedly said:

"Alright, Cedric. I really hate to be apart from you for even a minute, but since this is a Hogwarts tradition, there's nothing to be done. I'll come find you at Hogwarts as soon as I can!"

Cedric seemed touched by Wentworth's words and even gave him a hug before leaving.

Wentworth watched Cedric leave, then turned his head to see Cassandra looking at him with a strange expression.