When Professor McGonagall finished speaking, Rosier met her gaze unflinchingly. Her voice rang out, sharp and unyielding:
"What about Wentworth? What about the leader of the Alliance? If you can't give me a satisfactory answer today, then not only will you be leaving this manor empty-handed, but the Alliance will go straight to Hogwarts, and demand answers from Dumbledore himself!"
Standing beside her, Abernathy wordlessly backed her up. With deliberate slowness, he drew his wand and pointed it at Professor McGonagall, who remained seated.
McGonagall simply gave the wand a cursory glance, then responded in her usual calm, measured tone:
"You needn't worry. Wentworth is safe. What Albus did, he did to protect him."
But before McGonagall could finish her explanation, Rosier scoffed. With a derisive snort, she snapped:
"Protect him? By Hogwarts? Give me Wentworth's location. Our leader has no need of Hogwarts' protection."
McGonagall fell silent for a moment before answering with a single word, each syllable deliberate and clear:
"China."
The name clearly caught Rosier off guard. She blinked, visibly taken aback.
Rosier exchanged a glance with Abernathy, both of them momentarily stunned. Then, frowning, Rosier asked:
"Why would Wentworth go to China?"
Instead of answering directly, McGonagall reached into her robes and withdrew a letter, handing it to Rosier.
"Everything you want to know is in here," she said quietly.
Rosier took the letter with a furrowed brow and began reading it closely.
...
In the days that followed, word of Wentworth's disappearance spread through all of Hogwarts. It was no accident, Albus Dumbledore had intended it. After all, if he hoped to deceive the International Confederation of Wizards' inquiry, he first had to deceive those closest to him.
And as the magical community across Britain grew increasingly unsettled by Wentworth's sudden absence, a mysterious visitor arrived outside Malfoy Manor, just beyond the outskirts of London.
A rat with one missing toe crept silently toward the estate, then, with a twitch, transformed into a shifty-looking wizard with narrow eyes and thinning, greasy hair. He was balding, nervous, and thoroughly unpleasant.
It was Peter Pettigrew, Wormtail, the Animagus who had hidden for years in the Weasley household.
His cover had been blown earlier that year, after Sirius Black escaped from Azkaban and exposed him. He was later confronted and defeated by Sirius and Professor Lupin, Hogwarts' current Defence Against the Dark Arts teacher.
Though captured, Pettigrew managed to escape amid the chaos caused by Lupin's transformation into a werewolf.
On the run, with nowhere else to turn, Pettigrew returned to his rat form and made a desperate decision, to seek out his former master: Lord Voldemort.
Perhaps fate had already decided. In his rat form, Pettigrew traveled to Albania. Along the way, he heard whispers from rats and other creatures, rumors of a dark, shapeless presence hidden deep within the Albanian forest.
His instincts told him it could only be one being: the once-mighty Dark Lord, Tom Riddle—Voldemort.
And, incredibly, he was right.
In the shadowy woods of Albania, Pettigrew found his master and fashioned for him a feeble, rudimentary body. Together, they fled and took refuge in Little Hangleton.
Tonight, Pettigrew had come to Malfoy Manor on Voldemort's orders.
Inside the manor, Lucius Malfoy and his wife, Narcissa, were reading a letter from their son Draco, sent from Hogwarts.
The letter detailed one urgent piece of news: Wentworth had gone missing. Draco pleaded with his father to use the Malfoy family's network to uncover Wentworth's whereabouts.
Both Lucius and Narcissa read the letter with increasing concern.
Recently, Lucius had been riding a wave of good fortune. As a shareholder in the Central Bank of the Wizarding World, founded by the Alliance, he had seen the Malfoy family's wealth and influence multiply.
With money came power, and though not a Ministry official himself, Lucius now wielded more influence than most within the British Ministry of Magic.
To the Malfoys, and especially to Narcissa, it was all thanks to their precious son.
Lucius had come to view Draco as Wentworth Grindelwald's most trusted confidant, and perhaps the future leader of the Alliance.
But now, reading that Wentworth had vanished, a chill ran through Lucius's heart.
As the couple discussed which channels to pursue in their search, a servant entered, leading in Peter Pettigrew.
The sight of Pettigrew startled both Lucius and Narcissa. As former Death Eaters, they recognized him instantly, but among Death Eaters, there was no such thing as camaraderie.
Their first instinct was to throw him out, perhaps even kill him on the spot.
But before either could act, Pettigrew raised his sleeve, revealing the Dark Mark.
Lucius and Narcissa froze.
Then, with a sly, oily smile, Pettigrew rasped:
"Congratulations, Lucius. The Dark Lord has chosen you... to help welcome his return."
Lucius's face drained of color.
"No... That's impossible. The Dark Lord is—"
But before he could finish, a voice, cold and unmistakable, spoke from Pettigrew's body.
"Lucius. Do you so desperately wish me dead?"
Lucius knew that voice. He had heard it in dreams, in nightmares, and during the height of the First Wizarding War.
It was Voldemort.
At the same moment, Lucius felt his Dark Mark sear with heat.
He dropped to his knees before Pettigrew, bowing deeply, his voice quivering:
"No! My great Lord! I knew you would return! Your faithful servant has awaited you!"
Face to the floor, Lucius dared not lift his head. A bitter taste filled his mouth.
Just when he thought he had escaped the old master and pledged himself to a new one, Wentworth, the old master had returned.
And then, Voldemort's voice came again:
"Lucius... Tell me. Who do you serve now?"