As Snape's wand pointed at the clasped hands of the two individuals, a thin, dazzling tongue of fire shot out from the tip—like a strand of red-hot metal—winding itself around their interlocked fingers.
Cassandra then spoke:
"You, Cedric, shall always follow where Wentworth's wand points, cutting through thorns and brambles for him, pressing forward without hesitation!"
Cedric nodded and responded:
"Yes, I shall always follow where Wentworth's wand points, cutting through thorns and brambles for him, pressing forward without hesitation!"
Cassandra continued:
"You shall place Wentworth's life above your own, dedicating all your strength to upholding his pride and honor!"
"Yes, I shall place Wentworth's life above my own, dedicating all my strength to upholding his pride and honor!"
…
As the vows were completed, a mark briefly appeared on the skin of both individuals before slowly fading away.
After concluding her vow with Cedric, Cassandra proceeded to take an Unbreakable Vow with Kirk as well.
However, when Kirk turned to Cassandra with his own set of vows, the atmosphere took an abrupt turn.
"Cassandra, you shall stand behind Wentworth, ensuring he has no burdens or worries!"
Cassandra: "...Yes, I shall…"
Kirk pressed on:
"Cassandra, you shall dedicate your utmost effort to guaranteeing the continuation of Grindelwald's glory, the proud legacy, and the unbroken purity of the bloodline!"
Cassandra: "??? Yes, I shall…!"
Even Snape, standing to the side, gave Kirk a strange look, while Cassandra gritted her teeth and forced herself to complete the ritual.
The moment the Unbreakable Vow was fully established, Cassandra instinctively reached for her wand, but Kirk immediately darted behind Cedric for cover.
Pointing at Kirk, who was hiding behind Cedric, Cassandra seethed:
"If I knew what would happen if the ritual were interrupted, I swear I would have… would have…! Get out here! Who let you change my vow?!"
Unfazed, Kirk retorted:
"Your vow wasn't as thorough as I wanted. Look, I even accounted for everything Wentworth might need behind the scenes! By the way, I think we should add another clause in the future: No member of the organization shall ever harm another!"
At that moment, Snape, who had been quietly observing, spoke up after a brief pause:
"I have fulfilled my end of the agreement. You would do well to remember what you promised me."
Hearing this, Cassandra immediately asked:
"Professor Snape, I thought you would make us take an Unbreakable Vow as well?"
Snape remained silent for a moment before replying:
"That won't be necessary. By the way, what is your organization called?"
Cassandra, Kirk, and Cedric: "!!!"
Seeing the three of them frozen in place, Snape's expression darkened as he muttered:
"I must be out of my mind…"
Without waiting for them to respond, he swept his robes and strode away.
Left behind, the trio exchanged glances. Kirk let out a long sigh and said:
"Looks like we have quite a lot to discuss tonight."
As Snape exited the sixth-floor Prefects' Bathroom in Hogwarts Castle, he quickly made his way toward the Room of Requirement. Meanwhile, Harry and Draco's duel had already begun.
From the very start, there was no small talk or hesitation. As soon as Wentworth announced the duel's commencement, both opponents opened with the standard Disarming Charm.
"Alright! Go, Harry!"
From behind, Ron cheered excitedly, while Hermione watched with nervous anticipation.
Perhaps influenced by Ron's enthusiasm, Wentworth also leaned forward, watching with excitement, though his wand was at the ready in case things got out of hand.
The two spells met in midair, producing a small spark before vanishing instantly.
Wentworth barely resisted the urge to stand up and walk away but couldn't help rolling his eyes.
Meanwhile, Ron and Hermione remained tense, their expressions serious. Wentworth shook his head in amusement, thinking to himself, They really haven't seen much, have they?
What Wentworth failed to consider, however, was the caliber of wizards he was accustomed to being around.
On the dueling platform, Harry and Draco, seeing that their Disarming Charms had canceled each other out, adjusted their casting angles in an attempt to land a hit while simultaneously dodging incoming spells.
However, since both had only just learned the Disarming Charm that very day, their lack of precision quickly became apparent.
What started as a proper duel soon devolved into a chaotic exchange of flying spells.
When a stray spell—whose origin was unclear—came hurtling toward him, Wentworth nonchalantly flicked his wand to dispel it before hastily gesturing for Ron and Hermione to take cover behind him.
The two hurried toward him, dodging errant spells along the way. As they ran, Wentworth even dispelled another spell that would have landed in their path.
Once they were safely behind him, Hermione quickly said:
"Thank you, Wentworth!"
Wentworth waved her off, replying casually:
"Think nothing of it. Honestly, with your talent and dedication, I'd have thought your Disarming Charm would be much better than this."
Hermione immediately lifted her chin, a hint of pride in her voice:
"Of course, I can do better than those two up there."
She cast a glance at Ron as she spoke, prompting him to huff in mild indignation.
Wentworth chuckled, shaking his head as he stood up, keeping Ron and Hermione behind him. With a note of impatience, he called out to the duelists:
"You two—either pick up the pace or show me something new. Otherwise, let's call it a night. I don't want to waste my rare evening off watching two amateurs peck at each other like a pair of fledglings."
Hearing this, Harry and Draco exchanged a glance. Draco smirked and said:
"Harry, you'd better watch out. The spell I'm about to use was personally taught to me by Wentworth—it's something you won't learn at Hogwarts!"
Not to be outdone, Harry responded:
"You should be careful too, Draco. The next spell I'm about to cast was personally taught to me by Professor Quirrell!"
Hearing this, Wentworth raised an intrigued eyebrow.
"Now this should be interesting," he murmured.
-----------------------
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