Hogwarts: Third Dark Lord

For a time, Wentworth's life became much more peaceful and routine. He attended classes punctually every day, trained with the Hufflepuff Quidditch team, and snuck into the Room of Requirement at night for practice.

It's worth mentioning that after finishing his final night of special training in Snape's office, Wentworth offered to stay on as Snape's assistant, helping him prepare the ingredients for the next day's lessons.

To Wentworth, Snape was undoubtedly an excellent wizard and a Potions Master. The only unfortunate part was… his mouth.

In truth, if one could ignore Snape's default passive-aggressive sarcasm, there was much to be learned from him.

Snape seemed somewhat taken aback by Wentworth's volunteering—it was, after all, the first time in years that a student seemed reluctant to leave his office.

Snape's response, however, was characteristically blunt:

"Get out."

Soon, Halloween arrived, and from early morning, Hogwarts was abuzz with decorations.

Hagrid, the Keeper of Keys and Grounds, was spotted carrying a large pile of pumpkins to Hogwarts early in the day.

"This is hardly magical at all!"

Wentworth grumbled to Cedric while the two of them worked on carving the pumpkins.

Kirk, standing nearby, offered an explanation:

"This is a Hufflepuff tradition. Unlike the other houses, which rely on house-elves to handle their jack-o'-lanterns, we Hufflepuffs always make our own."

"And the point of that is…?"

Wentworth still didn't quite understand.

Cedric thought for a moment before replying uncertainly, "Maybe it's because every jack-o'-lantern we make is one-of-a-kind?"

Truth be told, Wentworth was somewhat looking forward to this year's Halloween. After all, from next year onward, several consecutive Halloweens at Hogwarts would be overshadowed by fear.

But as it turned out, while the wizarding world was undeniably magical, its Halloween festivities were rather lackluster—at least from the perspective of Hogwarts students. Perhaps the only difference from an ordinary day was that the curfew was extended.

After enjoying a lavish Halloween feast in the Great Hall, Wentworth, Cedric, and the others returned to the Hufflepuff common room.

"So, what thrilling activity are we up to tonight?"

Kirk asked eagerly the moment they stepped inside.

"Do you even need to ask?" Wentworth retorted, pointing at the deck of cards in Kirk's hands.

Since Wentworth had introduced playing cards to the Hufflepuff common room, they had quickly become the most popular pastime among the students, even surpassing wizard chess.

After all, wizard chess required strategy, while card games often relied on luck—and luck could sometimes be enough.

Initially, it was just Wentworth, Cedric, and Kirk playing a game reminiscent of the Muggle "landlord game" from Wentworth's past life. Over time, as more students joined in, Wentworth introduced even more variations.

The current favorite in Hufflepuff was a version of Texas Hold'em.

Of course, being Hogwarts students, they couldn't gamble with money. Instead, they bet with an assortment of snacks—mostly chocolate frogs and the like.

Before long, under Kirk's enthusiastic leadership, seven or eight students were seated around a round table, with many more crowding around them to watch.

When Wentworth glanced back, he was startled by the sight. It felt almost like he had been transported back to his previous life, watching elderly men play cards in a park.

Unfortunately, Wentworth's luck was abysmal that night. After only a few rounds, he was the first to be eliminated.

Though unwilling to accept defeat, Wentworth stood up and ceded his seat to another player.

"Thanks, boss! You're the best!"

Kirk, delighted, scooped up Wentworth's staked chocolate frogs, wearing a smug expression that made Wentworth's teeth itch.

Determined, Wentworth resolved to introduce mahjong next. Surely, in this quintessential game of strategy, he wouldn't lose!

Squeezing out from the crowded room, Wentworth flopped onto an empty sofa in the common room. Watching Kirk and the others laughing in the distance, a pang of homesickness suddenly struck him.

As he pondered, his eyelids grew heavier until he slowly drifted off to sleep.

"Hey, wake up! Dreaming, are you? Go back to your dorm if you're going to sleep!"

It was Cedric's voice that roused Wentworth from his slumber. Groggily, he looked around to find that while Kirk and the others were still playing cards, the crowd had thinned considerably, with many students having already retired for the night.

Yawning, Wentworth wished Cedric a good night, waved at Kirk, and headed for his dormitory.

The moment he entered, Wentworth noticed something unusual. Perhaps in honor of Halloween, a jack-o'-lantern—likely the one he had made earlier—was sitting on his bed.

As he approached, he saw two flickering candle flames inside the pumpkin. However, instead of feeling warmth, Wentworth was struck by a chilling eeriness that made his skin crawl.

"Now this feels magical," Wentworth muttered, shivering slightly. He suspected the house-elves had enchanted it for effect.

"The atmosphere's spot on, but it's going to keep me from sleeping," he grumbled, reaching out to move the jack-o'-lantern.

"Makes you miss the good old boring Halloweens, doesn't it?"

Just as his hands touched the pumpkin, an irresistible force pulled at his navel, and he was yanked into the air.

"A Portkey?!"

The realization hit Wentworth immediately, but it was too late. Clearly, the Portkey had already taken him away from Hogwarts.

As soon as he landed, he ignored his nausea and instinctively reached for his wand.

But someone else was quicker.

"Imperio!"

"Imperius Curse?!"

Wentworth's face fell in despair as he watched the spell shoot toward him.

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