Faced with Wentworth's inquiry, Harry and Draco exchanged a glance before nodding in agreement, offering no objections.
It was Ron, however, who stepped forward, looking at Wentworth and protesting,
"This isn't fair! Draco is your protégé, of course, you're going to—"
Before Ron could finish his sentence, Hermione gently tugged at his sleeve from behind and whispered,
"Ron…"
At that moment, Wentworth turned his gaze toward Ron and remarked nonchalantly,
"Mr. Ronald Weasley, to be quite honest, I couldn't care less about who wins or loses in Harry and Draco's duel. To me, it's nothing more than a bit of entertainment."
"But if you believe you can step in and save them should their spells spiral out of control or danger arise, then by all means, take my place."
Hearing this, Ron's face flushed with embarrassment, and he quickly shook his head.
Ignoring Ron and Hermione, Wentworth turned back to Harry and Draco, saying with a smirk,
"Alright, you two may begin. I do hope this won't be too dull."
As Harry and Draco readied themselves for the duel, Severus Snape sat alone in his office, his mind replaying an unsettling memory from earlier that day.
The moment he had burst into Professor Quirrell's office, only to see Quirrell hastily concealing his wand—
That moment lingered in Snape's thoughts.
And then, there were those eyes.
A pair of eyes that had haunted Snape's memories time and time again.
Eyes that, even now, seemed to plead with him, begging him to protect her son.
Glancing at the time, Snape couldn't suppress his unease. He knew Harry and Draco's duel would take place tonight.
And Hogwarts, in the dead of night, provided the perfect opportunity for certain individuals to make their move.
With that thought, Snape made his decision. Rising swiftly, he strode out of his office.
As for where to find Harry, Wentworth came to mind immediately. Since Wentworth was involved in this ordeal, there was only one place Snape could think of for the duel: the Room of Requirement.
However, as Snape ascended the grand staircase toward the higher floors of Hogwarts, he reached the sixth-floor corridor and paused.
Voices.
A quiet conversation echoed through the empty hallway.
Snape furrowed his brows.
Had he miscalculated?
After a brief hesitation, Snape followed the voices until he arrived outside the Prefects' Bathroom.
The voices weren't Harry's. Instead, one of them belonged to a girl.
Snape recognized it instantly—it was Cassandra, a student from his own house.
But the content of the conversation made him rethink his instinct to storm in and reprimand his student.
"Gellert Grindelwald's ideals have nothing to do with me."
Snape halted, his interest piqued, and continued listening at the door.
Two startled male voices followed,
"What?!"
Inside, Cassandra frowned at the two boys before her—Cedric and Kirk.
"Keep your voices down! Do you want to attract unwanted attention?"
Kirk, still wide-eyed, hastily asked,
"Cassandra, you didn't call us here tonight just to lecture us on wizarding history, did you?"
Cedric, equally puzzled, added,
"Cassandra, you told me we were meeting to discuss forming a new secret society at Hogwarts."
Cassandra nodded matter-of-factly.
"That's right. But it has nothing to do with continuing Grindelwald's legacy. I acknowledge his past achievements, but what do they have to do with me? I am striving for a future far greater than his past."
Kirk, deep in thought, responded,
"So, the person you've chosen to follow… is Wentworth Grindelwald?"
Cassandra gave a firm nod.
Then, she elaborated,
"As I said before, I want to establish a new organization at Hogwarts—one dedicated to carrying out Wentworth's vision. The future holds countless possibilities, but I choose to walk Wentworth's path."
Hearing this, Cedric and Kirk fell silent. After a brief pause, Cedric finally spoke,
"Cassandra, this is your choice, and no one can make it for you. But how can you be sure we'll follow the same path? What if we refuse? We're not Slytherins—we don't share their thirst for ambition."
Cassandra let out a cold chuckle before locking eyes with Cedric and saying in a measured tone,
"Cedric, do you really think you still have a choice? As of now, you are already a member of the Pureblood Party. There is no turning back."
Cedric froze, a bitter smile creeping onto his lips.
At that moment, Kirk placed a reassuring hand on Cedric's shoulder and said,
"Cedric, you are a true Hufflepuff. And so am I. And so is Wentworth."
"No matter what the Pureblood Party or Grindelwald once stood for, one thing is undeniable—their methods were too extreme. You wouldn't want Wentworth to become like his grandfather, would you?"
"That's exactly why we need to stay by his side. To remind him—at every moment—of who we are and what we stand for. We act as we will. We are loyal to nature. We have boundless love. We are Hufflepuffs."
Hearing Kirk's words, Cedric finally smiled, nodding resolutely.
Cassandra, meanwhile, regarded Kirk with a peculiar expression before remarking,
"Why do I get the feeling you're even more enthusiastic about this than I am?"
Kirk, beaming, replied excitedly,
"Because this is fascinating, don't you think?"
Cassandra shook her head. Though their fates had intertwined due to Wentworth, she couldn't shake the feeling that she didn't quite fit in with these Hufflepuffs.
Ignoring Kirk, Cassandra turned back to Cedric and declared,
"Now that we're decided, the three of us are the founding members of this organization. But the leader—will always be Wentworth. We will remain forever loyal to his vision and guard our secrecy."
"When new members join, they will know that there is a leader above us, but until the time is right, Wentworth's identity must remain hidden."
"Cedric, if you are willing to stand with us, let us swear an Unbreakable Vow together—starting now."
-----------------------
Want to read ahead of schedule?
Join here for advance chapters: PATREON.COM / PRIMALDEMON