In the Room of Requirement, under Wentworth's expectant gaze and amidst Hermione and Ron's tense expressions, Harry and Draco held their breath, fully prepared to strike with everything they had.
But just as their spells were about to be unleashed, the door to the Room of Requirement swung open from the outside.
"Levicorpus!"
"Stupefy!"
At the exact moment their spells were cast, Ron and Hermione gasped in shock:
"Professor Snape?!"
Hearing their exclamation, both Harry and Draco instinctively turned toward the doorway in alarm, momentarily forgetting about their duel.
A pair of startled cries echoed through the room as their spells hit their unintended marks—separating Harry and Draco in midair.
A sudden force surged through Harry, flipping him upside down and suspending him midair, while Draco crashed to the ground with a dull thud.
Wentworth merely glanced at the two dueling students before sighing and shaking his head. Then, turning to Professor Snape, he put on a sycophantic smile.
"Professor Snape, what a coincidence!"
Snape, however, ignored the pleasantries. His gaze went straight to Harry, still dangling in the air, his expression tightening as he hissed through clenched teeth:
"Wentworth, let me guess—you're the one who taught Draco that spell?"
Wentworth chuckled and strolled up to Snape's side, lowering his voice.
"Professor Snape, you're mistaken. In fact, it was a wizard who calls himself the Half-Blood Prince who taught Harry this spell!"
Snape's eyes flickered with surprise, but before he could respond, Wentworth leaned in and whispered, his voice now only audible to the two of them:
"Last night, I had a dream. In it, a wizard calling himself the Half-Blood Prince told me I had taken his notes—and that I owed him something in return. His price? That the son of the man who once dangled him from a tree should experience the same humiliation. That boy… was Harry."
Wentworth's lips curled into a knowing smile.
"Funny thing, Professor Snape. That wizard looked an awful lot like you."
Snape fell silent, his gaze boring into Wentworth. After a long pause, he murmured:
"Then he must have hated that boy."
But Wentworth shook his head.
"No, Professor Snape, you're mistaken. He loved that boy. After all, the child has the eyes of the person he loved most. Slytherin paper planes only fly toward those one holds dear, don't they?"
At these words, Snape seemed lost in thought, his mind retreating into some distant memory. From a distance, Hermione and Ron watched in stunned silence.
"Blimey," Ron muttered under his breath. "Who exactly is Wentworth? Even Snape…"
He trailed off, noticing Hermione gazing at Wentworth in admiration. Ron scowled and swallowed the rest of his words.
But Snape quickly snapped out of his reverie. Striding into the Room of Requirement, he rapped Hermione and Ron each on the head before flicking his wand toward Harry and the unconscious Draco.
"Liberacorpus!"
"Rennervate!"
Draco stirred groggily, and Harry, with Ron's help, steadied himself on his feet.
Snape wasted no time.
"Thirty points from each of you!"
Ron's shriek of protest was immediate.
"Thirty points?! That's way too much!"
Snape shot him a withering look.
"Breaking curfew, engaging in an unauthorized wizard's duel—you should be grateful that detentions are no longer part of Hogwarts' disciplinary measures!"
Hermione attempted a defense.
"Professor Snape, but only Harry and Draco were dueling, we didn't—"
Her voice faltered under Snape's icy glare, and she promptly shut her mouth. Snape waved his hand dismissively.
"If you don't get back to your wretched dormitories this instant, I'll make it fifty points each!"
Not a single protest followed. Heads hanging low, they trudged out of the Room of Requirement.
As they disappeared down the corridor, Snape's voice rang out again.
"Wentworth, stay behind."
Harry and Draco exchanged uneasy glances, but Wentworth simply smiled, motioning for them not to worry. Soon, the others had left, though Wentworth could still hear Hermione's indignant voice echoing from the corridor.
"Ninety points gone in one night! Professor McGonagall is going to go mad!"
"Bang!"
The door to the Room of Requirement slammed shut with a flick of Snape's wand, abruptly cutting off the noise from outside.
Wentworth turned back to face Snape, who was now watching him intently.
Unfazed, Wentworth smirked.
"Professor Snape, you're not planning to put me in detention, are you?"
Snape scrutinized him before speaking.
"How much do you know?"
Wentworth chuckled.
"Far more than you think. Don't forget, Professor Trelawney calls me a Seer."
Snape scoffed.
"A talent of the Grindelwald bloodline, then?"
Wentworth's smile deepened.
"Ah, so you do know who I am, Professor Snape."
Snape's expression darkened.
"I know far more than you think."
Wentworth: …
After a long silence, Snape spoke again.
"What is Harry's future?"
Wentworth spread his hands.
"Professor Snape, you overestimate me. No one can fully see the distant future—not even me."
Of course, he wasn't about to tell Snape that Harry's future involved a happy family… one that Snape would never live to see.
Sensing Snape's disappointment, Wentworth added:
"But in the near future, Harry will face a serious crisis."
Snape's expression remained unreadable, but there was a subtle shift in his demeanor. Though his face betrayed no emotion, he asked without hesitation:
"You brought Harry to Hogwarts yourself. You wouldn't stand by and let him come to harm, would you?"
Wentworth shook his head.
"No, Professor Snape. You're mistaken. I brought Harry here because of a deal I made with Professor Dumbledore. I've barely even spoken to Harry—I wouldn't call us friends."
Snape, seemingly tired of the verbal sparring, dropped all pretense.
"Fine. What will it take for you to ensure Harry's safety? What do you want, Wentworth Grindelwald?"
Wentworth's grin widened.
"I want to make a deal with you, Professor Snape—just like the one you made."
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