Hufflepuff's Lucky Star

Hearing Professor McGonagall's words, the anger within Snape subsided slightly. He turned his head to survey the surroundings and spoke:

"Hufflepuff, for holding a party in the common room without permission and causing a misunderstanding among other houses, Hufflepuff, twenty points from you!"

After saying this, Snape fixed his gaze on Wentworth. After all, anyone could see that Wentworth was the instigator of this entire incident.

Seeing Snape focus on Wentworth, Professor Sprout, the Head of Hufflepuff House, stepped forward from behind:

"Professor Snape, I think Wentworth he..."

But before Professor Sprout could finish her sentence, she was interrupted by Snape.

"Mr. Wentworth, you seem quite adept at using a cauldron. That is excellent; it shows you have talent! I have decided that for the next month, from Monday to Friday, after dinner, you will come to see me. I shall personally instruct you in brewing some potions using a cauldron!"

"This is not a punishment; this is a reward!"

Without waiting for anyone else to react, Snape turned and strode out of the Hufflepuff common room.

As for Professor Sprout, the Head of Hufflepuff, after hearing Snape's words, the plea she had intended to make for Wentworth ultimately remained unspoken.

Seeing Snape leave, all the Hufflepuff students except Wentworth let out a long sigh of relief. As for the point deduction? It didn't matter! Hufflepuff hadn't won the House Cup in a long time anyway; to the students of Hufflepuff, the so-called House Cup was nothing more than a slightly larger bowl!

Only Wentworth sighed inwardly, thinking that Snape was truly worthy of having been an undercover agent beside the Second Generation Dark Lord—he certainly had the ability to turn black into white! He had framed a clear punishment as a reward so effectively that even Professor Sprout couldn't find a way to intercede.

Just then, as Snape departed and the other professors were preparing to leave as well, Dumbledore walked in.

Unlike their reaction to Snape, all the Hufflepuff students were filled with respect for Dumbledore.

"This thing, is it called a hot pot? It certainly smells delicious!"

Dumbledore pointed at the cauldron in front of the students and said with a smile.

Hearing Dumbledore's words, the Hufflepuff students immediately beamed. One Hufflepuff prefect even pulled out a clean small bowl, filled it with meat and seasoning, and handed it to Dumbledore.

Dumbledore did not stand on ceremony and immediately began to taste it.

"Truly excellent. I never imagined such a simple cooking method could produce such delicious food."

The student beside Dumbledore replied:

"Headmaster, it's mostly because of the seasoning Wentworth made!"

Dumbledore nodded slowly. After finishing the entire bowl, he declined the students' offer for more, waving his hand as he said:

"I'm getting old, and my appetite has shrunk, haha! However, Hufflepuff has truly surprised me today!"

"I have fully understood the sequence of events. When faced with a potential unknown danger, you did not flee; instead, you faced it together, entering what you believed to be a dangerous common room. That requires immense courage. Ten points to Hufflepuff!"

Dumbledore's words left the Hufflepuff common room silent for a moment, followed by a burst of enthusiastic cheers. Even Professor Sprout, the Head of Hufflepuff, couldn't help but applaud them.

Once the cheering began to die down, Dumbledore continued:

"When faced with potential punishment, you did not try to shirk responsibility; instead, you stepped forward, vying to take the blame. This is a rare quality that many adult wizards lack. Another ten points to Hufflepuff!"

As Dumbledore finished, an even louder cheer erupted. This time, not only Professor Sprout but the other professors couldn't help but clap as well.

Seeing that Dumbledore didn't seem finished, the cheering quickly subsided, and the Hufflepuff students looked at Dumbledore with faces full of surprise.

Dumbledore walked over to Wentworth and fixed his gaze on him, staring directly into his eyes.

This was the first time Wentworth had faced Dumbledore, the strongest wizard in the current magical world. Wentworth suppressed his excitement, looking at Dumbledore with an expression of admiration... while simultaneously activating Occlumency.

After a moment, Dumbledore said with a smile:

"Wentworth, thank you for letting an old man enjoy such a delicious meal and for making an outstanding contribution to the diversity of the Hogwarts menu. Therefore, another five points to Hufflepuff!"

Dumbledore's words brought the atmosphere in the Hufflepuff common room to its peak, and many Hufflepuff students were so excited they hugged one another.

There was a reason everyone was so thrilled. Today was the first day of the term, and since it was a weekend, no classes had been held, meaning no points had been awarded to any of the four houses yet.

Snape had just deducted twenty points from Hufflepuff, putting them in last place, but with Dumbledore's addition of twenty-five points, Hufflepuff had suddenly become the leader among the four houses!

Coke said with tears in his eyes: "Five years, five whole years! Since I became a prefect, Hufflepuff has finally taken the lead over the other three houses! Even if it's only for a day, I feel so proud!"

Coke's words made Wentworth look at him with newfound respect. In Wentworth's mind, Coke had already become a strong candidate for the future Minister for Magic of the British Ministry of Magic!

Perhaps sensing Wentworth's gaze, Coke turned to look at him as well, then grabbed Wentworth in a hug and said:

"Wentworth, you are truly the lucky star of our Hufflepuff!"

As he spoke, Coke winked at Cedric. The two of them lifted Wentworth up and tossed him into the air. Soon, more and more Hufflepuff students joined in, and Wentworth's shouts of surprise echoed throughout the Hufflepuff common room.

Seeing this, Ilona finally couldn't help but reveal a proud smile.

This was the future leader of our Acolytes. How long does it take to conquer a house at Hogwarts? Wentworth's answer: the time it takes to eat a meal!

Suddenly, Ilona thought that perhaps joining Hufflepuff was also part of Wentworth's plan.

Although Hufflepuff students didn't have the illustrious family backgrounds of Slytherin or the academic excellence of Ravenclaw, Hufflepuff was the house with the largest number of students at Hogwarts.

The wizards who emerged from Hufflepuff would infiltrate every corner of the magical world; they were the bedrock of the future.

Thinking of this, the look Ilona gave Wentworth was now filled with admiration.