Hogwarts: Third Dark Lord

Wentworth watched in stunned silence as the Imperius Curse struck him, his mind racing with countless questions. Why was there a Portkey on his bed? Who was behind this? Were they connected to the group he encountered when he first crossed over?

What worried Wentworth more was the intent behind using the Imperius Curse instead of the Killing Curse. It was clear they wanted to achieve something through him or extract some kind of information. He feared they might manipulate him into doing something he would deeply regret.

But no matter how much Wentworth worried, the curse landed squarely on him. In an instant, his vision turned blindingly white.

"Wentworth? Wake up, Wentworth! Are you dreaming? Go back to your dorm to sleep!"

Wentworth's eyes snapped open. He rolled to his feet in one fluid motion, his wand already in hand.

"Whoa, Wentworth! What's that for? Trick or treat? Too bad—I lost all my candy to Kirk earlier!"

Wentworth stared blankly at Cedric, who was standing before him with his hands raised and an exaggerated expression on his face. It took him a moment to process what was happening.

Shaking his head vigorously to clear his thoughts, Wentworth glanced around. The warm glow of pumpkin lanterns illuminated the familiar setting of the Hufflepuff common room.

Only then did he realize—it had all been a dream. But the dream had felt so vivid that even now, he could recall every detail and scene with unsettling clarity.

"Hey, Wentworth, are you okay? Not feeling well?"

Cedric stepped closer, concern etched on his face, as he placed a hand on Wentworth's forehead.

"You're not running a fever, but you're sweating buckets! What happened?" Cedric asked, puzzled.

Finally reassured that it was just a dream, Wentworth let out a long sigh and sank onto a couch in the Hufflepuff common room.

At that moment, Kirk put down his cards and walked over. He pulled out a Chocolate Frog and handed it to Wentworth.

"Nightmare, huh? Here, have some chocolate—it'll help. But seriously, what kind of nightmare scared you this much? Don't tell me it was about growing up and not finding a wife! Haha!"

Kirk's laughter echoed through the room as Cedric and Wentworth both rolled their eyes.

"I dreamt about Merlin," Wentworth said mysteriously.

"No way! Merlin? What did he look like? What did he say?" Kirk leaned in eagerly, and even Cedric perked up with curiosity.

"Merlin granted me a wish. I said I wanted a dragon as a pet. Merlin told me dragons were too hard to tame and asked me to pick another wish. So, I said I wished Kirk would stop being an idiot. After a moment of silence, Merlin smiled kindly and asked, 'What color dragon would you like?'"

The room fell silent for a moment before Cedric burst out laughing. Kirk, his face darkening, tackled Wentworth onto the common room floor.

"Just joking! It was just a joke! Cedric, help me!" Wentworth pleaded while laughing, but Cedric was too busy clutching his sides with laughter to intervene.

After a bout of playful wrestling, the three finally let each other go. The scuffle seemed to clear Wentworth's mind and lift his spirits.

But as he said goodbye to Cedric and Kirk and headed to his dorm, a chill ran down his spine the moment he opened the door. His gaze fell on his bed—and the back of a carved pumpkin head sitting there, just as it had in his dream.

A wave of cold dread swept over him. Every inch of his skin seemed to tremble as he stared at the pumpkin.

It took him a long moment to muster the courage to step into the room. His throat dry, he swallowed twice and drew his wand, pointing it cautiously at the pumpkin as he edged closer to face it head-on.

When he finally saw it, the hollow eyes of the pumpkin head flickered with cold candlelight, just like in his dream. Wentworth's grip on his wand faltered, his hand trembling violently.

But there was one key difference from the dream—this pumpkin wasn't the one he had made earlier that day. Though similar in design, Wentworth was sure his handiwork wasn't this finely crafted.

He scanned the room quickly. His dormmates hadn't returned yet, but identical pumpkin lanterns were placed on their beds as well.

Despite the eerie scene, Wentworth didn't dare approach his own pumpkin lantern. After everything he had experienced in his dream, he knew better than to touch something so suspicious.

Instead, he rushed to Cedric and Green's dorm to summon them.

"Hey, do you guys know what these are?"

Looking confused, Cedric and Kirk followed Wentworth back to his dorm. Wentworth pointed at the pumpkin on his bed.

"Oh, that? It's a Hufflepuff tradition," Green explained casually. "That's why we carved pumpkins earlier today. Professor Sprout puts candies under the lanterns for each student."

As Kirk spoke, he reached out to pick up the pumpkin on Wentworth's bed.

"Stop!"

Wentworth lunged forward and grabbed Kirk's wrist just in time.

"What's the matter with you? It's just candy—it's not like it's anything sinister!" Kirk protested, rubbing his wrist in annoyance.

Still, Wentworth pulled him back a few steps before letting him go.

"Are you all right, Wentworth? You look terrified of that pumpkin," Cedric said, frowning with concern.

Wentworth's eyes remained fixed on the pumpkin. The haunting memory of his dream replayed in his mind, especially the sense of helpless despair as he watched the Unforgivable Curse strike him.

"I think..." Wentworth whispered, his voice trembling, "someone wants to kill me."

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