Victory Belongs to Hufflepuff

Wentworth looked up, feeling somewhat stiff, only to see Snape standing right in front of him with a gloomy expression. Behind Snape, a crowd of Slytherin students glared with fury, and Wentworth even noticed some of them slowly reaching for their wands.

At that moment, Wentworth regretted his actions immensely. He had only whispered those words into Cassandra's ear because he didn't want others watching while he dueled her.

But who could have guessed that Cassandra would faint right at that moment? Now, Wentworth couldn't explain himself even if he tried!

"Professor Snape, I am your student too!"

Wentworth said awkwardly.

Fortunately, there were enough professors present, and with Dumbledore presiding, Wentworth was able to retreat back into the midst of the Hufflepuff students.

On the way back to the common room, with the Hufflepuffs in high spirits, people kept asking:

"Wentworth, what on earth did you say to Cassandra? You actually made her faint from anger?"

Wentworth explained with a helpless expression:

"Enough already! Professor Ilona and Professor Flitwick both said Cassandra fainted because she exhausted her magic! What does that have to do with me?"

"Then how is it such a coincidence that she fainted right after you finished talking to her? You must have said something to provoke her!"

"I think you all want me dead!"

The group chatted and laughed all the way back to the Hufflepuff common room.

For many years thereafter, countless wizards tried to discover what Wentworth, who would later be known as the third Dark Lord, had actually said to Cassandra, but the parties involved never once answered the question.

Yet, there was no doubt that when the name of Grindelwald swept across Europe and America once again, Cassandra stood firmly by his side, so much so that the magical governments of Europe and America dubbed her—the Queen of the Dark Night!

When Wentworth, Cedric, and the others returned to the Hufflepuff common room and pushed open the door, everyone was astonished to find the room completely transformed, with countless snacks and desserts scattered throughout.

"Did we get too excited and take the wrong turn? Did we end up in the Hogwarts kitchens?"

Greene, the prefect, stared at the scene in a daze; after all, in his five years of schooling, this was the first time he had seen such a sight in his own common room.

Just then, the Head of Hufflepuff, Professor Sprout, walked in, clapped her hands, and said:

"Children, what are you standing there for? Such a memorable night certainly calls for a party!"

Hearing Professor Sprout's words, the Hufflepuffs instantly understood and erupted into enthusiastic cheers, swarming forward to hunt for their favorite desserts.

Greene was seen holding a Cockroach Cluster in one hand and a Toffee in the other, his mouth stuffed full as he asked indistinctly:

"Professor, when did you prepare all of this?"

Professor Sprout replied with a beaming smile:

"The moment you stepped onto the dueling platform, Greene, I understood your intentions. I knew then that victory would belong to Hufflepuff, so I quietly instructed the house-elves to start preparing these sweets!"

Hearing Professor Sprout say this, Greene beamed and asked:

"Professor, do I look cool?!"

Professor Sprout replied with an equally radiant smile:

"Of course, you all look cool! Especially our little Wentworth! It's a good thing you came to Hufflepuff instead of Ravenclaw!"

Hearing Professor Sprout's words, Wentworth accepted the compliment with a smile, though he felt there was nothing to be proud of; it just went to show that the people at Hogwarts were still quite simple and honest.

Cedric asked from the side:

"Professor Sprout, suppose—and I mean just suppose—we had lost?"

Professor Sprout replied nonchalantly:

"I imagine you would have needed a dessert party even more!"

Instantly, the Hufflepuff common room was filled with laughter and joy.

Just then, an uninvited guest arrived in the Hufflepuff common room—none other than the Head of Slytherin, Professor Snape.

As soon as Professor Snape entered and saw the scene, he froze for a moment, his expression darkening further, but he still walked over to Professor Sprout with a frown.

"Professor Sprout, as you know, Cassandra has exhausted her magic and needs to rest for several days. I intend to brew some potions to accelerate her recovery, but I've run out of some herbs and wanted to ask if you have any..."

As Professor Snape spoke, he and Professor Sprout walked out of the Hufflepuff common room together. Their voices grew fainter until they were hard to hear, but compared to Snape, the smile on Professor Sprout's face remained strikingly visible even in the dim light.

"Perhaps, compared to us, Professor Sprout, who has served as the Head of Hufflepuff for half her life, is even happier about tonight's victory than we are."

Greene said expressionlessly while eating the Cockroach Cluster in his hand.

When Greene finished the last of his dessert, he placed both hands heavily on Wentworth's shoulders and said earnestly:

"Wentworth, if it's possible, lead us to win the House Cup. It's an honor Hufflepuff hasn't achieved in many years!"

Seeing this, Cedric, fearing his friend might feel too much pressure, quickly interjected:

"Hey, Prefect Greene, isn't that a responsibility you should be shouldering?"

But Greene replied with a helpless look:

"My abilities are limited! Besides, don't call me Prefect; I'm Wentworth's sycophant now."

Wentworth stared intently into Greene's eyes and said slowly:

"Can you take your claws off my shoulder and stop wiping your hands on my clothes?!"

Greene laughed awkwardly and patted his hands off.

"Don't concern yourself with such trifles, Wentworth; you are a wizard destined for great things!"

Wentworth and Cedric rolled their eyes in unison.

And just after the commotion had died down and the rest of the Hufflepuffs had returned to their dormitories to rest, Wentworth quietly slipped out of the room.

Wentworth spent the entire journey on edge, terrified of running into Filch, though he knew that at this hour, Filch was likely still cleaning the Defense Against the Dark Arts classroom at Hogwarts.

After treading carefully the whole way, Wentworth made his way upward, finally arriving at the eighth floor of Hogwarts Castle, where he stopped in front of a tapestry depicting a troll. He scanned his surroundings thoroughly, and once he was certain no one had spotted him, he let out a long sigh of relief.

Then, with a turn, Wentworth faced the wall opposite the tapestry.