As the man approached with brisk steps, Dumbledore greeted him with a warm smile and stepped forward.
"Oh, Babajide! So, Uagadou went through the trouble of summoning you back, did they?"
At the mention of his name, the wizard called Babajide gave a wry smile and replied,
"Well, I had little choice. I graduated from Uagadou after all. Now that the school's facing these accusations, I can't very well just stand by. But honestly, Albus, it's just some children's mischief, isn't it? Did it really warrant such a fuss?"
Dumbledore chuckled softly, but his reply carried a deeper meaning.
"Babajide, you must understand, this kind of complaint is no small matter. No one wants a repeat of what happened with the Magical Congress of the United States, do they? Besides, if this were really a grand investigation, it wouldn't be just me and my student arriving."
At that, Babajide sighed and finally turned his attention to the young man standing behind Dumbledore—Wentworth.
Seeing him, Babajide's expression brightened instantly as he said,
"Albus, is this the student representing Hogwarts in this year's Wizarding Schools Potions Championship? He looks rather young! You don't often see competitors this age anymore, Potions is a discipline where experience counts for so much!"
Dumbledore gave Wentworth a gentle nudge on the shoulder and replied with a smile,
"Let me introduce you. This is Wentworth Dumbledore, my brother's grandson, and this year's Hogwarts champion for the Potions Championship."
He then gestured toward the other wizard and said,
"And this is Babajide Akingbade, a strong candidate to succeed me as Supreme Mugwump of the International Confederation of Wizards. Should anything happen to me, Babajide would likely take up the role."
Babajide gave a dry laugh and responded,
"Albus, you know how long I've waited for that position! But it seems I'll be waiting a good while yet, won't I? Hah!"
The two old friends exchanged a look and burst into hearty laughter.
Watching the exchange, Wentworth quickly realized that their relationship ran deep—far beyond formal diplomacy.
But just then, Babajide shifted the subject.
"Still, Albus, I'd heard rumors… about your brother's son—"
Before he could finish, Dumbledore raised a hand to cut him off, his expression turning suddenly neutral.
"That matter is in the past."
Babajide fell silent at once. With a twinkle returning to his eyes, he turned to Wentworth and teased,
"Albus, you're not just using this as an excuse to give your grandson a grand tour of the world, are you?"
Dumbledore's smile didn't fade.
"This was Severus's choice. According to him, when he was Wentworth's age, his own skill in Potions wasn't any better."
At this, Babajide raised his eyebrows in surprise and gave Wentworth another appraising look.
"Severus Snape? Then our Uagadou champion has quite the rival this year!"
Wentworth could only offer a sheepish grin from the sidelines.
Babajide then produced an old, battered fountain pen from his robes and said,
"My apologies, Albus. Like Hogwarts, Uagadou forbids Apparition onto the grounds. But we do have a school-authorized Portkey."
As soon as Wentworth heard the word "Portkey," his stomach gave a violent lurch. Seeing Dumbledore already reaching for the pen in Babajide's hand, he blurted out,
"Wait! Headmaster, Mr. Akingbade—"
Babajide turned toward him, curious.
"Yes, Wentworth? Something wrong?"
Pointing to the looming Mount Moon in the distance, Wentworth quickly replied,
"It's just, this is my first time in Africa, and my first time seeing Mountains of the Moon and Uagadou. The landscape is breathtaking. I'd really like to take it in a bit longer. Would it be alright if I walked up myself?"
Babajide blinked, then broke into a grin.
"You're absolutely right, Wentworth. Mountains of the Moon's scenery is something else. I've revisited it in my dreams more times than I can count."
"If you'd prefer to hike up, that's perfectly fine. There's no real danger, but I must warn you, it's quite a trek!"
Patting his chest confidently, Wentworth responded,
"Don't worry, Mr. Akingbade. I can handle it!"
Babajide glanced toward Dumbledore. After a brief moment of thought, the headmaster gave a small nod and said,
"Very well. The stamina of the young is quite different from us old men. And the more of the world he sees, the better."
"Thank you, Headmaster!" Wentworth said with a bright smile.
Babajide, clearly satisfied, gave a final nod, but before departing, he added with gentle gravity,
"Wentworth, there's one rule on Mountains of the Moon—unless absolutely necessary, do not use magic on the animals."
Though he didn't fully understand the reason, Wentworth nodded. It must be some local custom or tradition, he reasoned.
At the same time, Dumbledore turned to him and added,
"Wentworth, change into your robes. From this moment on, you represent Hogwarts."
After Babajide and Dumbledore vanished through the Portkey, Wentworth, now dressed in his Hogwarts uniform, stood gazing across the vast African savannah. A feeling of soaring freedom swelled in his chest, as if the sky itself had opened just for him.
He took a deep breath, then began his ascent toward Mountains of the Moon.
But just as he reached the foot of the mountain, he suddenly felt the prickling sensation of being watched.
Feigning calm, Wentworth continued admiring the view. Then, in a swift movement, he whipped out his wand and pointed it toward the source of the gaze.
But almost immediately, he realized his mistake, it was only two parrots perched in a tree.
Feeling sheepish, he glanced around to make sure no one had seen, then tucked his wand away and muttered to himself,
"Must be all those months living with that beast Nibelungen. It's made me jumpy."
With that, he turned and continued up the path.
-----------------------
TN: This fanfic has been fully translated and is available on my Patreon —— patreon(.)com/PrimalDemon [remove the parentheses ( )]