As soon as classes resumed after the Christmas holidays, Wentworth and Cedric quickly fell back into their fast-paced routine from before the break.
During the day, they attended their usual lessons, while at night, they would head to the Room of Requirement to practice spells together. On weekends, they made their way to the Shrieking Shack to train under Professor Lupin, making their schedules incredibly full.
Meanwhile, Kirk was entirely consumed by preparations for the upcoming O.W.L.s exams. Apart from attending classes, he spent nearly all his time buried in books within the library.
With the end of the Christmas break also came the realization that the academic year was halfway through. At this time of year, the competition for the House Cup would always reach its most intense stage, with each house scrambling to earn as many points as possible.
In previous years, by this point in the competition, Slytherin had typically built an insurmountable lead over the other three houses.
But this year was different.
Hufflepuff—usually lingering in third or fourth place—was now neck and neck with Slytherin in points.
This sudden change could be attributed to several factors. At the start of the year, Hufflepuff had managed to earn a considerable number of points. Additionally, throughout the past few months, Professor Ilona, the new Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher, had shown an obvious bias toward Hufflepuff—much like how Professor Snape favored Slytherin.
As a result, the points standings between Hufflepuff and Slytherin constantly fluctuated.
Furthermore, Hufflepuff's victory over Slytherin in a house duel at the beginning of the school year had greatly boosted the morale of Hufflepuff students. Kirk, having been recently appointed as Hufflepuff's new Prefect, had also gained the recognition and trust of his fellow housemates.
Under Kirk's leadership, Hufflepuff had set its sights firmly on winning the House Cup this year—something almost unheard of for their house. In Kirk's words:
"As Hufflepuffs, we should take the biggest bowl and eat the softest meal!"
Determined to see his house claim victory, Kirk made sure to remind his friends, Wentworth and Cedric, time and time again:
"You two better remember—this is the best chance Hufflepuff has ever had to win the House Cup. Don't you dare mess this up for me!"
Wentworth, half-asleep, yawned and lazily replied, "So that's why you dragged us out of bed in the middle of the night?"
Though Kirk's speech was passionate, Wentworth—who had long since ceased being a wide-eyed newcomer to the wizarding world—found it difficult to muster any real enthusiasm for the House Cup. After everything he had experienced, it simply didn't feel as important anymore.
Kirk, however, slapped Wentworth's leg and declared, "Wentworth, my leader! You have to show some fighting spirit! Don't forget who you are! You're destined to restore the glory of the Pureblood Party—you can't even win a measly House Cup?!"
Beside him, Cedric shrugged and interjected, "But the House Cup is a team effort. You can't expect just the two of us to win it for Hufflepuff, can you?"
Kirk smacked Cedric's hand away and explained, "Actually, the students who contribute the most to the House Cup are usually those in their first to fourth years. Fifth-years are too busy with their O.W.L.s, and sixth- and seventh-years are focused on preparing for graduation. They barely have any impact on the standings."
"In fact, it's first- and second-years who rack up the most points! Professors tend to encourage younger students, so even answering a simple question correctly can earn them points. Older students, on the other hand, don't get the same treatment—in fact, if they answer incorrectly, they're more likely to have points taken away!"
At this, Kirk pursed his lips, as if recalling some unpleasant memory.
But he quickly shook it off and continued, "You two might not be Prefects like me, but among our peers, you stand head and shoulders above the rest. Your job in the coming weeks is simple—earn as many points as you possibly can! We don't need to completely crush Slytherin, but we must at least keep the gap between us close!"
"As long as we stay within reach of Slytherin, the House Cup will be ours this year!"
Cedric, looking slightly puzzled, asked, "Why's that? What makes you so sure that if our scores stay close, we'll win the House Cup?"
Wentworth, however, spoke up from the side, "It's because of Quidditch, isn't it?"
Kirk snapped his fingers and pointed at Wentworth. "Exactly! This year, we've already defeated Slytherin—the strongest team in the competition. Ravenclaw's bookworms don't really count. As long as we beat Gryffindor, the championship is ours! And winning the Quidditch Cup means earning a huge number of points toward the House Cup! So, go out there and win us some points, lads!"
Hearing Kirk's explanation, Cedric nodded in understanding. But Wentworth raised his hand and said, "Hold on a moment. Cedric, sure—I have no doubts about him. Even if he were in third or fourth year, he'd still be a points-earning machine."
"But don't forget—first-years have Cassandra. And she just so happens to be in Slytherin. Even if we ignore the other subjects, as long as she plays her cards right in Snape's Potions class, she can rake in points faster than it takes to brew a potion. In fact, she doesn't even need to brew one—just answering a few questions correctly will do the trick."
Hearing Wentworth's argument, Kirk scowled at him in disappointment and huffed, "It's just one girl, Wentworth. Have a little confidence—are you telling me you can't handle one girl?"
Straightening up immediately, Wentworth shot back, "Nonsense! Don't forget—she willingly chose to follow me!"
Then, as if realizing something, he shrank back slightly and muttered, "I just never agreed to it…"
Kirk rolled his eyes but eventually clapped a hand on Wentworth's shoulder, grinning mysteriously. "Don't worry about Cassandra, Wentworth—I have a plan."
"A plan? What plan?" Wentworth asked, curiosity piqued.
But Kirk merely shook his head, his smile unwavering. "That's a secret."
Wentworth glanced at Cedric, who simply shrugged, indicating he was just as clueless. With no other choice, Wentworth decided to let it go.
Jokes and teasing aside, however, the determination in Kirk's eyes was evident. He was dead set on winning the House Cup this year.
Seeing his resolve, Wentworth and Cedric made up their minds—they would help him achieve this goal. After all, neither of them wanted to stand by and watch Slytherin claim their sixth consecutive House Cup victory.
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