Hogwarts: Third Dark Lord

When Dumbledore arrived at the Hufflepuff common room with Wentworth and Kirk, he was greeted with cheers from the Hufflepuff students. Smiling, Dumbledore handed out sweets to everyone.

Fortunately, Professor Snape had also come along to the Hufflepuff common room; otherwise, Wentworth doubted that Dumbledore could have freed himself from their enthusiastic crowd.

In Wentworth's dormitory, Cedric was still keeping watch. Upon seeing Dumbledore, he quickly greeted him respectfully.

Dumbledore approached Wentworth's bed and studied the pumpkin on it with a deep, contemplative gaze.

Snape stepped closer, scrutinizing the pumpkin carefully before turning to Dumbledore with a hesitant question.

"Headmaster Dumbledore, is this really a Portkey?"

Dumbledore, as calm as ever, replied, "I have no idea."

Snape: "…"

At that moment, Professor Sprout, having heard of Dumbledore's arrival, rushed in as well. She was followed by Ilona, the Defense Against the Dark Arts professor.

After exchanging greetings, Dumbledore asked Wentworth to recount his dream and the subsequent events once again.

When Wentworth finished, Professor Sprout stared at the pumpkin on Wentworth's bed in astonishment. After examining it closely, she declared, "This pumpkin has definitely been tampered with!"

Her words surprised everyone present. Ilona, however, gazed at the pumpkin with a look of faint menace in her eyes.

"Every pumpkin lantern on the students' beds was set up by me personally," Professor Sprout explained. "I used the ones they carved themselves. I even remember commenting to the house-elf who helped me that Wentworth's carving skills were, well… not his strong suit."

Wentworth: "…"

Ignoring Wentworth's embarrassment, Professor Sprout continued, "I clearly remember that Wentworth's pumpkin lantern didn't look this… polished."

Hearing her explanation, Dumbledore nodded thoughtfully and said, "There's something I need to clarify with all of you. Wentworth is one of the few students gifted with the ability of Divination. You may have heard Professor Trelawney's remarks about him; I want to confirm that they are true. Wentworth possesses the rare talent of dream-based Divination."

The professors nodded in acknowledgment. Among them, this was not a secret.

Cedric and Kirk, however, exchanged surprised glances. They hadn't expected Wentworth's Divination abilities to be officially recognized by Dumbledore himself.

Dumbledore continued, "Based on Wentworth's subconscious dream Divination and Professor Sprout's observations, we can preliminarily conclude that this pumpkin lantern has indeed been tampered with. It is highly likely that it has been replaced with a Portkey."

"And according to Wentworth's dream, the destination linked to this Portkey might already be occupied by Dark wizards, lying in wait."

At this, Dumbledore turned his gaze toward Wentworth.

"Wentworth, how would you like to handle this pumpkin?"

Before Wentworth could respond, Professor Sprout interjected, "That's obvious! Destroy it!"

No sooner had she spoken than Professor Ilona objected, "That won't do. If we destroy it, we'll never know who's targeting Wentworth. Headmaster, why not entrust it to me? I'll investigate and see who dares challenge Hogwarts!"

To everyone's surprise, Snape voiced his agreement. "This time, I support Professor Ilona's suggestion."

Professor Sprout, however, hesitated. "That may be, but you all heard Wentworth's account. The other side launched Unforgivable Curses right away—they're clearly skilled Dark wizards. Who can guarantee that no one will get hurt?"

As the professors began to argue, Dumbledore cleared his throat lightly, cutting through their debate. His gaze returned to Wentworth.

"This matter," Dumbledore said gently, "should be decided by Wentworth himself."

At Dumbledore's words, everyone fell silent and looked at Wentworth.

After a long pause, Wentworth finally spoke. "Headmaster Dumbledore, I do want to find out who's behind this, but… I'm also worried about the professors getting hurt. That would make me very uneasy."

Dumbledore smiled kindly. "Wentworth, you are a good child. That is why you must follow instructions carefully."

"Of course, Headmaster! I'll follow—wait, follow instructions? Are you saying… I'm going too?"

Wentworth stared at Dumbledore in disbelief. He wasn't the only one surprised—none of the professors had expected Dumbledore to suggest taking a first-year student into such a dangerous situation.

Dumbledore, however, replied matter-of-factly, "Naturally. Since you wish to uncover who is targeting you, it is only right that you seek the answer yourself."

Wentworth's expression grew serious. "Headmaster, I think… it's better not to waste the professors' time. Let's just destroy this thing."

Dumbledore chuckled softly. "Don't worry, it won't be a waste of their time—because this time, I'll accompany you personally."

As he spoke, Dumbledore grasped Wentworth's hand in one of his own and reached for the pumpkin lantern with the other.

But just then, a figure stepped between them.

"Professor Ilona," Dumbledore said, looking at her without surprise. "Do you have something to say?"

Ilona's expression darkened slightly. "Headmaster, I still believe it's far too dangerous. Wentworth is only a first-year. He should remain at Hogwarts. Let me accompany you instead."

She held her ground, her gaze locked with Dumbledore's. After a moment of silence, Dumbledore said lightly, "I recall, during your interview, you told me you advocated for hands-on experience."

"I did—but I meant between evenly matched wizards!" Ilona hastily clarified.

"But not every opponent we face will be evenly matched—or weaker than us, will they?"

Dumbledore's words left Ilona speechless.

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