Snape's Wrath

Soon, led by Headmaster Dumbledore, everyone arrived outside the Hufflepuff common room. Dumbledore remained expressionless, Professor Sprout looked nervous, while Ilona was filled with curiosity.

As Dumbledore opened the door to the Hufflepuff common room, a massive roar of noise flooded everyone's ears.

"Wentworth, you really are a clever little devil, how did you even think of this?"

"Wentworth, as a fellow first-year in Hufflepuff this year, I declare you the greatest!"

"Wentworth, you said you know how to make many Muggle foods?"

"Yes, senior, if I had known this would be the scene today, I would have made dumplings!"

Hearing Wentworth's voice and the conversation inside, the corners of Ilona's mouth outside the door curled up slightly.

"Dumplings? Are they that delicious? Then tonight, would you like to come to this senior's dormitory..."

"Ahem!"

Hearing this, Dumbledore and Ilona coughed simultaneously. Dumbledore glanced at Ilona, said nothing more, and turned to walk into the Hufflepuff common room.

When the figures of Dumbledore and the other professors appeared in the Hufflepuff common room, the once boisterous room instantly fell into a deathly silence.

Everyone was holding a small bowl, their mouths stuffed with meat, staring blankly toward the entrance. Some had cheeks still bulging, looking exactly like groundhogs.

"You lot, what have you done?!"

The first to break the silence was not the Headmaster of Hogwarts, Dumbledore, but rather the Potions Master, Snape.

Snape rushed into the middle of the students, looking at them gathered around various cauldrons. However, what was boiling inside the cauldrons was not potion, but slices of meat, lettuce, potatoes, and various other ingredients—not a single cauldron was the same.

Snape's gaze swept over the cauldrons, his rage steadily climbing. His already gloomy face was now dark enough to drip water.

"These cauldrons are vital tools for your future Potions classes. To a potioneer, a cauldron is their most important friend! And you are using them to cook food?!"

"Whose idea was this? Speak!"

Snape said furiously. Although every time his gaze swept across a Hufflepuff student's face, that student would immediately lower their head, no one stood up to admit they were the mastermind behind all this.

Wentworth had originally wanted to raise his hand. After all, even though these Hufflepuff students feared Snape like a tiger, Wentworth knew that Snape wasn't actually a dark-hearted person.

However, just as Wentworth's hand was about to go up, it was grabbed by Cedric. Wentworth looked at Cedric, only to see him gently shake his head.

Although the movement was subtle, how could it escape Snape? One must know that Snape's combat prowess was top-tier, even among the Death Eaters.

Snape turned his gaze toward Wentworth, walked over slowly, and said:

"If someone stands up now and admits to their actions, I will only punish them. If no one admits it, then I will have no choice but to punish the entire Hufflepuff house!"

Hearing this, Wentworth couldn't help but offer a wry smile and slowly raised his other hand.

But before it was even halfway up, his other hand was grabbed as well. Wentworth turned his head to see it was the Hufflepuff prefect, Coke.

Coke's action made Snape so angry he actually laughed.

"Mr. Wentworth, I wonder, do you have anything to say?"

This time, Snape called Wentworth out by name and asked.

"I'm sorry, Professor. It was my idea, and I am willing to take full responsibility for it!"

Seeing Wentworth admit it without hesitation, Snape said, word for word:

"Good. Since you have admitted it, then I..."

However, before Snape could finish, Cedric suddenly stood up and said:

"Professor Snape, I believe the responsibility lies with me. This hot pot was made by Wentworth for me to eat!"

Cedric's sudden intervention caught Snape off guard. It was the first time Snape had ever seen a student scramble to take the blame, making his already gloomy face look even worse.

And what shocked him even more was yet to come. The Hufflepuff prefect, Coke, then stood up as well and said:

"I feel the responsibility actually lies with me. As a prefect, not only did I fail to stop them, but I even became addicted to the hot pot myself... but it was just too delicious! Furthermore, this hot pot party was held under my direction, so the responsibility for this matter is mine!"

Following Coke, many Hufflepuff students stood up, crowding around Snape, each claiming they should be held responsible for the incident.

"It's my fault. We originally came to find Coke, but we got hooked on the hot pot and didn't go back to report it, which caused everyone to have a misunderstanding!"

"No, no, it should be my fault. As the female prefect of Hufflepuff, I shouldn't have accused them of hogging the food... slurp... but the smell was just too good!"

Snape looked at the Hufflepuff students surrounding him and couldn't help but feel a wave of dizziness. One must know that usually, all the students would take a detour just to avoid him!

In the back, Professor Sprout watched her students with a face full of gratification, her expression revealing a sense of pride.

Meanwhile, Dumbledore and Ilona kept their eyes fixed on Wentworth, their expressions unreadable.

"Enough!"

At that moment, Professor McGonagall shouted, and the Hufflepuff students surrounding Snape finally quieted down.

Professor McGonagall walked over and said:

"This is truly outrageous. What do you think you are doing? Are you trying to revolt? If you make a mistake, you must be punished; that is a necessity. Do you think that by crowding here, the school will yield?"

It must be said that as the Deputy Headmistress of Hogwarts, Professor McGonagall was indeed very competent and outstanding. With just a few words, she left the Hufflepuff students, who had been gaining momentum, speechless.

At this point, Snape seemed to realize that he had just been besieged by a group of his own students, and he couldn't help but tremble with rage. Just as he was about to speak, Professor McGonagall turned and said:

"But then again, Professor Snape, I think a cauldron is merely a tool, meant for the students to use. How they use it is their right, whether it's for brewing potions or..."

"Of course, it must not affect future teaching! Therefore, I think a minor punishment will suffice; there is no need to make a big scene. What do you think?"