Soon, under the guidance of Headmaster Dumbledore, everyone arrived outside the Hufflepuff Common Room. Dumbledore wore an impassive expression, Professor Sprout looked tense, and Ilona was brimming with curiosity.
When Dumbledore opened the door to the Hufflepuff Common Room, a tremendous din poured out and filled everyone's ears.
"Wentworth, you're a little genius! How did you come up with this?"
"Wentworth, as a fellow Hufflepuff first-year, I hereby declare you the strongest!"
"Wentworth, you said you know how to make lots of Muggle food?"
"That's right, senior. If I'd known today would turn out like this, I would've made dumplings!"
Hearing Wentworth's voice and the conversation inside, Ilona's lips curled up slightly.
"Dumplings? Are they that good too? Then tonight, why don't you come to your senior's dormitory..."
"Ahem!"
At that, Dumbledore and Ilona both coughed. Dumbledore glanced at Ilona but said nothing, then turned and walked into the Hufflepuff Common Room.
As Dumbledore and the professors appeared in the Hufflepuff Common Room, the once-bustling room instantly fell silent.
Everyone held a small bowl in their hands, their mouths stuffed with meat as they stared blankly toward the entrance. Some had cheeks bulging like groundhogs.
"You lot! What have you done?!"
The first to break the silence wasn't Hogwarts Headmaster Dumbledore, but Professor Snape, Hogwarts' Potions professor.
Snape charged into the middle of the students. They were seated around a number of cauldrons, but what boiled inside them wasn't Potions. It was meat, lettuce, potatoes, and all sorts of other ingredients. Not a single cauldron held the same combination.
Snape's gaze swept over the cauldrons, and his fury continued to rise. His face had always been gloomy, but now it looked as if water might drip from it.
"These cauldrons are essential tools for your future Potions classes. To a Potioneer, a cauldron is one of the most important companions you'll ever have! And you've used them to cook food?!"
"Who came up with this? Speak!"
Snape said furiously. Whenever his gaze passed over a Hufflepuff student, they immediately lowered their heads. Yet no one stepped forward to name the mastermind behind all this.
Wentworth had initially wanted to raise his hand. After all, though these Hufflepuffs feared Snape like a tiger, Wentworth knew that Snape wasn't actually a particularly dark-hearted person.
But just as Wentworth was about to raise his hand, Cedric grabbed it. Wentworth looked at him and saw Cedric gently shake his head.
The movement was discreet, but how could it possibly escape Snape's notice? Snape's combat ability was top-tier even among the Death Eaters.
Snape turned his gaze toward Wentworth and slowly walked over, then said,
"If someone steps forward now and admits what they've done, I'll punish only that person. If no one does, then I'll have no choice but to punish all of Hufflepuff!"
Wentworth couldn't help giving a wry smile. Slowly, he raised his other hand.
But this time, before it had even made it halfway up, someone grabbed that hand too. Wentworth turned and saw that it was Coke, Hufflepuff's Prefect.
Coke's move made Snape laugh with anger.
"Mr. Wentworth, I wonder if you have something to say?"
This time, Snape called Wentworth by name and asked him directly.
"I'm sorry, Professor. It was my idea, and I'm willing to take full responsibility!"
Seeing Wentworth admit it without hesitation, Snape spoke one word at a time:
"Good. Since you've admitted it, then I..."
Before Snape could finish, Cedric suddenly stepped forward and said,
"Professor Snape, I think I'm responsible for this. Wentworth made the hot pot for me to eat!"
Cedric's sudden move startled Snape. It was the first time he'd ever seen students scrambling to admit they were at fault. Snape's already gloomy expression darkened even further.
But what surprised him even more came next. Hufflepuff's Prefect, Coke, also stepped forward and said,
"I think I'm actually responsible for this. As Prefect, I not only failed to stop them, I even got so caught up in the hot pot that I couldn't tear myself away... But it really is delicious! And I was the one who organized this hot pot party, so I'm responsible!"
As Coke stepped forward, many Hufflepuff students followed, gathering around Snape and insisting that they should be held responsible for the incident.
"This was my fault. We came to find Coke, but we got distracted by the hot pot and didn't go back to report what was happening. That's what caused the misunderstanding!"
"No, blame me! As Hufflepuff's female Prefect, I shouldn't have accused them of keeping all the food to themselves. Slurp... But it smells so good!"
Watching the Hufflepuff students crowd around him, Snape felt dizzy. In the past, every student had gone out of their way to avoid him!
Behind them, Professor Sprout watched the students from her House with a look of deep satisfaction, and even a hint of pride.
Dumbledore and Ilona, meanwhile, kept their eyes on Wentworth. Their expressions were inscrutable.
"Enough!"
Professor McGonagall shouted, and the Hufflepuff students gathered around Snape finally quieted down.
Professor McGonagall walked over and said,
"This is utterly outrageous! What do you think you're doing? Trying to start a rebellion? When you break the rules, you must be punished. That's a given. Do you think the school will give in just because you've gathered around here?"
There was no denying that, as Hogwarts' deputy headmistress, Professor McGonagall was more than capable. A few short sentences were enough to leave the Hufflepuff students, who had just been growing bolder, speechless.
At this point, Snape seemed to realize that he'd just been mobbed by a group of his own students. He trembled with anger, and just as he was about to speak, Professor McGonagall turned and said,
"However, Professor Snape, a cauldron is just a tool, and it's meant to be used by students. How they use it is their choice, whether it's for brewing Potions or..."
"Of course, they can't be allowed to interfere with lessons in the future! So I think a small punishment should be enough. There's no need to make a big deal out of it. Don't you agree?"
Before you continue