Occlumency

By the time Wentworth returned to his lodgings, he was still fondly turning the wand over in his hands, unable to bear putting it down. Every so often, he gave it a few experimental swishes, looking just like a child who had received a beloved new toy.

But when he opened the door, he found that the several old folks who had been with Rosier earlier were already waiting for him inside.

Just as Wentworth was wondering what was going on, Rosier closed the door behind him and gestured for him to sit down.

"Wentworth, since you've decided to go to Hogwarts, we won't try to stop you anymore. However, after discussing it last night, we all agreed that we should give you some training before you leave for Hogwarts."

Once everyone was seated, Rosier got straight to the point.

Wentworth had never imagined that even after coming to Britain—or, indeed, to Britain in another world—he still wouldn't be able to escape extra lessons.

But then Wentworth grew eager to get started. After all, these were magic lessons!

As Wentworth wondered whether he should first learn the Gemino Curse so he could copy his homework, an old man sitting beside Rosier spoke up.

"You must understand, Wentworth's safety at Hogwarts is what matters most to us. I believe we should first make sure he has enough power to protect himself. I suggest we teach him the Killing Curse first!"

Wentworth stared at the man, wide-eyed. Since when did the Killing Curse become a defensive spell? Do the Unforgivable Curses really have so little prestige?

"No, are you joking?"

Before Wentworth could say a word, someone had already objected. Wentworth secretly breathed a sigh of relief. At least there's someone normal here.

"Wentworth is the future leader of our Acolytes. Does he really need to act personally? That would be an insult to the Acolytes! So I suggest we teach him the Imperius Curse first. Whatever needs doing, Wentworth can simply control puppets to do it!"

Wentworth was at a loss for words. He still had no idea what these people meant when they talked about the Acolytes, and he didn't dare ask. But there was no doubt that they were even more reckless than the Death Eaters.

In fact, Wentworth was beginning to wonder whether these people knew any ordinary magic at all, apart from the Unforgivable Curses and Dark Magic.

At that moment, Rosier, seated beside Wentworth, interrupted their argument and asked,

"Wentworth, tell us what you think. Is there any magic you're particularly eager to learn? Your term is coming up soon, and we may not have time to teach you much. So what do you want to learn most?"

At Rosier's question, Wentworth replied as if he'd been prepared for it all along.

"Grandma Rosier, what I want most to learn right now is Occlumency!"

Wentworth had made up his mind the previous night. After all, he was going to Hogwarts, whose headmaster was Dumbledore, an undisputed master of Legilimency.

There was no such thing as a right to privacy in the Wizarding World. Wentworth didn't want to let anyone discover his secret—that he was a transmigrator.

At his request, the others exchanged whispers, apparently wondering why Wentworth wanted to learn a spell that did little to improve his strength.

"Clap, clap, clap!"

But their discussion was cut short by Rosier's applause.

Rosier smiled, looking pleased. "Wentworth, I'm so relieved. Truly, I am. I was worried that you'd inherited only the Grindelwald Family's potential and ambition, but hearing this request has convinced me that, like Master, you see us as your family. Thank you!"

Wentworth: "??? ...You're welcome, Grandma Rosier. It's the least I can do!"

"What, you still don't understand? You've had too many peaceful days. You've nearly forgotten who you are and what kind of enemies you face!"

Rosier spoke with some displeasure when she saw that the others still looked confused.

"Just think about it. Once Wentworth goes to Hogwarts, what will that man Dumbledore do if he learns where we are by using Legilimency on Wentworth's mind?"

"Wentworth is willing to give up the chance to improve his own strength just to make sure we're safe!"

Only after hearing Rosier's explanation did the others finally understand. They all looked at Wentworth with gratitude.

Wentworth could only sit stiffly in his chair and force an awkward smile.

"That's not all, is it? I thought I heard you had a plan in mind! I'm sorry, Wentworth. I accidentally caught a glimpse of your thoughts just now. I wasn't deliberately using Legilimency, I swear. As soon as I realized what I'd done, I stopped. Please forgive my rudeness."

An old man seated on the other side spoke up. Rosier introduced him to Wentworth.

"This is Abernathy. He used to work for the Magical Congress of the United States of America."

Abernathy smiled and nodded to Wentworth.

"Yes, I do have something of a plan, but that's—"

Wentworth saw that their assumptions were growing more and more outlandish and was about to explain, but Rosier, Abernathy, and the others all stopped him.

"No, no, you don't need to explain anything, Wentworth! You're the future leader of the Acolytes. You don't need to explain anything to anyone! There's only one thing you need to do: carry out your plan and give the orders. That goes for us, too!"

"As for your having a plan that you don't want Dumbledore to know about, I'm not surprised at all. Even your wand can sense your ambition. We'll always be waiting for you to summon us!"

After stopping Wentworth from explaining, Rosier spoke to him with sudden earnestness.

At that, Wentworth silently swallowed the words that had been on the tip of his tongue. Fine, whatever. Think what you like. I just want to take it easy at Hogwarts. Why are you making it sound like I'm going to overthrow the world?

"Then let's make the most of our time and begin. Occlumency is no simple spell. It could even be called a magical art. Learning it requires not only talent but also long practice. Abernathy, I'll leave it to you."

At Rosier's instruction, Abernathy stood up, took out his wand, and walked over to Wentworth. Seeing Wentworth's fearful expression, Abernathy slowly pointed his wand at him.