Hearing her sister speak, Jabari froze for a moment. Then, with a sudden motion, he drew his wand and stepped protectively in front of her, eyes scanning the room with sharp vigilance.
This was the first time Wentworth had seen Jabari wield his wand, but he made no move. He remained perfectly still, hidden behind the wooden pillar.
Wentworth had full confidence in his Disillusionment Charm. He couldn't believe that the girl, who looked no older than himself, could possibly pierce through such a spell. So, he waited, curious whether she was bluffing, or if perhaps… there was another witch or wizard concealed in the shadows, someone she had sensed instead?
Then the girl's voice rang out again from inside the room.
"Truly not coming in to try some of our cooking? It's nothing fancy, we don't have much in the way of expensive ingredients, but Jabari's not bad in the kitchen. What do you think, sir hiding behind the pillar over there?"
That settled it. Wentworth now knew with certainty: she was speaking to him. She had seen through his Disillusionment Charm.
Reluctantly, and under Jabari's watchful glare, Wentworth canceled the spell and stepped slowly into the room.
The moment Jabari saw him, his eyes widened in astonishment.
"You?! Wentworth?!"
He immediately leveled his wand at Wentworth, his tone wary.
"How did you find this place?"
Wentworth, however, remained composed.
"Even a bird leaves feathers in its flight, how much more a person? Finding you wasn't that difficult."
Ignoring Jabari's still-raised wand, Wentworth turned his gaze to the girl standing behind him, visibly impressed.
"I'm curious, how did you detect me? I dare say, even many skilled adult witches and wizards would struggle to see through my charm."
The girl replied calmly.
"By scent. I've always had a particularly keen nose. Even the slightest shift in smell doesn't escape me. And when a new scent appeared in the room, it was like a torch flaring in the dark, impossible to miss."
Hearing her explanation, Wentworth's surprise gave way to understanding.
There are always those few born with extraordinary gifts, ones beyond the reach of others. He'd met many like that. So to add a girl with an extraordinary sense of smell to the list wasn't something he found difficult to accept.
At the same time, Nala Nwadike spoke softly to her brother.
"Put away your wand. This must be the guest from Hogwarts you told me about, the one who came to Uagadou? Even if I haven't seen him in action… if Albus Dumbledore brought him here, and felt confident enough to leave him on his own, then Jabari, let's be honest, you wouldn't stand a chance."
Reluctantly, Jabari lowered his wand, though his eyes remained wary.
Wentworth didn't mind. Truth be told, had someone snuck into his room under a Disillusionment Charm, he might have greeted them with a Cruciatus Curse, no questions asked.
He stepped forward and offered his hand.
"Wentworth Dumbledore. Hufflepuff House, Hogwarts."
To his surprise, the girl reached out too, but instead of grasping his hand directly, the back of her hand brushed against his once, then twice, before their palms finally met.
"I'm Nala Nwadike. Sixth year, Uagadou. A pleasure to meet you, Wentworth Dumbledore."
Wentworth found himself staring into her eyes.
They were clear, bright even, but somehow distant, unfocused.
And in that moment, realization struck him.
Perhaps sensing his gaze, or maybe anticipating his reaction, Nala gave a small smile and spoke first.
"When I was little, I was playing in a tree just outside the village. Fell. Hit my head hard on the ground and blacked out. When I came to… I couldn't see anymore. It's been years now. I've grown used to it."
Wentworth blinked, her story settling over him like a quiet storm. He frowned slightly.
"Didn't you see a healer?"
Before Nala could answer, Jabari spoke from behind.
"We did. The tribal healer couldn't help. And when the school nurse at Uagadou examined her thoroughly, she told us the blindness was caused by internal bleeding in the brain. The only way to fix it would be to remove the clotted blood."
"But… that kind of magic takes astonishing precision, not just power, but deep understanding of the human brain. She said it would take one of Europe's top wizards to manage it. And that would cost a fortune. An enormous amount of gold."
Now Wentworth understood Jabari's obsession with Galleons.
Looking at Nala again, and remembering that this same blind girl had managed to brew Felix Felicis, one of the most complex potions in existence, he couldn't help but feel a flicker of admiration.
"I have to ask… how did you train yourself to such a level in Potions, all these years?"
But Nala only smiled, her tone light and dismissive.
"It's nothing special. My path was just... less smooth than yours, that's all."
"And I worked a little harder than you did. That's all it takes."
Wentworth stood silent for a beat.
Though he knew she couldn't see it, he lifted his thumb in a quiet gesture of respect.
"There aren't many people our age that I genuinely admire, Nala Nwadike. But you... you're one of them."
At that, Jabari's expression finally softened, and the tension in his face began to ease.
Nala, on the other hand, gave a mischievous chuckle.
"Let's see if you're still saying that after the Wizarding Schools Potions Championship!"
Wentworth blinked, surprised.
"You're entering the Championship too?!"
But then he paused, smiled wryly, and nodded.
"Of course you are. You're a Uagadou student. Honestly, if someone with your level of skill wasn't chosen to represent your school… I'd be terrified of what your Potions department must be like."
Nala beamed at that, not bothering to feign modesty.
"Exactly. I am Uagadou's top Potioneer. And I've been looking forward to meeting you, Hogwarts' best."
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TN: This fanfic has been fully translated and is available on my Patreon —— patreon(.)com/PrimalDemon [remove the parentheses ( )]