Hogwarts: Third Dark Lord

Two days later, as Wentworth, Cedric, and their friends were enjoying breakfast in the Great Hall at Hogwarts, a flurry of owls flew in as usual, delivering letters and packages from home to the young witches and wizards.

Excitedly, many students tore into their letters the moment they arrived. Suddenly, a thunderous shout erupted from the Gryffindor table, reverberating across the entire hall:

"George! What have you and Fred been up to at Hogwarts this time?! Do you know that parents came to our house to complain? Your father had to grovel for three hours, apologizing and promising to replace the family's wand before they finally left! Your sister was terrified!"

"And Fred! If you can't keep your brother under control, the least you can do is stop giving him those idiotic ideas! Mark my words, if I—"

The roaring voice carried on, turning every head in the hall toward the Weasley twins. Many students strained to catch every word, some even chuckling at the drama.

For the first time, the usually fearless Fred and George Weasley turned bright red, looking as if they wanted to bury their faces in their plates.

Curious, Wentworth turned to Kirk, who was seated beside him, munching on a bag of crisps while enjoying the spectacle.

"What's that? A Howler? What did they do this time?" Wentworth asked.

Kirk, chewing thoughtfully, finally turned to respond.

"Word is that last week Fred created a fake rat and hid it under Angelina's desk. During class, the rat suddenly ran out, scaring Angelina so badly that she burst into tears and tried to hex it. Ended up breaking her wand instead."

Wentworth listened, wide-eyed. Serves them right, he thought, shaking his head in disbelief.

Still, the incident didn't seem entirely out of character for the Weasley twins. Teenage boys often pulled dramatic stunts to get attention—especially from girls. If he remembered correctly, George's future wife was named Angelina Johnson, wasn't she?

At this thought, Wentworth couldn't help but wonder if George was playing the long game.

But just as he was musing, his own name suddenly echoed from the Howler directed at the twins.

"You two troublemakers! If you can't behave like your older brothers, at least don't let yourselves be outdone by a younger student! Look at this! A first-year at Hogwarts—Wentworth—is in the papers! The papers call him the most talented wizard Hogwarts has seen in a thousand years! And look at you two!"

The Howler continued with Mrs. Weasley's earnest scolding, but by then, everyone's attention had shifted to Wentworth. Even Fred and George, who had been mortified just moments ago, now looked at him in surprise.

Wentworth, utterly baffled, muttered to himself,

"Since when did I become someone else's 'perfect child'? And what did I even do to deserve this? I have no idea!"

Meanwhile, the Weasley twins, recovering from the Howler's wrath, began to look more intrigued than embarrassed. George picked up the envelope and pulled out a folded newspaper.

"How does Mum even know about Wentworth?" George wondered aloud. "Did you tell her?"

"Of course not!" Fred scoffed, shaking his head. "Why would I get myself into trouble? Mum said it's in the paper, didn't she? That's interesting—we don't even read the Daily Prophet, let alone follow it."

George unfolded the newspaper that had accompanied the Howler and laid it flat on the table.

"Fred, looks like Mum's done the homework for us!"

Curious students from all houses began crowding around the Gryffindor table, eager to see what was in the paper. Fred, exasperated by the growing number of people leaning on him, stood up and shouted,

"Stop shoving! If you're all so desperate to know what it says, I'll read it out loud!"

Standing on a bench, Fred cleared his throat theatrically.

"The article's too long, so I'll just pick the highlights for you lot!"

He began reading:

"'The Daily Prophet's recent article maligning the greatest white wizard of all time, Albus Dumbledore, couldn't be more wrong! In fact, sources reveal that Dumbledore was in the Forbidden Forest late that night for a very specific reason: he was personally training a young Hogwarts student!'"

"'Why, you ask? Because Dumbledore has declared this student the most talented wizard to attend Hogwarts in a thousand years! Introducing: Wentworth!'"

At this point, if Kirk hadn't been holding him back, Wentworth would have fled the Great Hall. The sheer embarrassment was unbearable.

Never in either of his two lives had he experienced such humiliation. Wentworth silently vowed that Lupin would teach him the Muffliato charm by the end of the week. If that wasn't enough, he'd cast it on himself.

As Fred continued, his confidence grew. The earlier humiliation from the Howler was long forgotten, and he now delivered the article with dramatic flair, his voice rising and falling with exaggerated emotion.

"'So, Dumbledore's presence in the forest had nothing to do with any shady dealings. Nor is Dumbledore the oddball wizard some malicious papers and ill-intentioned reporters have tried to portray!'"

"'As Hogwarts' headmaster and the greatest white wizard of all time, Dumbledore is grooming his true successor—a wizard capable of ensuring the magical world's prosperity for generations to come!'"

"'Dumbledore turned down the position of Minister for Magic for this very reason. He had yet to find such a wizard… until this year, when Wentworth arrived at Hogwarts. At last, Dumbledore has found the successor he has long sought!'"

By now, Wentworth had given up resisting the tide of attention. Students from every table stared at him with a mixture of awe, curiosity, and amusement.

Fine, Wentworth thought, slumping in resignation. Let them stare. I'm just that brilliant. The paper says so, after all.

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