After returning to Hogwarts, Wentworth and Cassandra each went back to their dormitories.
However, not long after arriving in his room, Wentworth re-emerged, carrying a gift box. He made his way toward the Forbidden Forest, slipping through the passage beneath the Whomping Willow and once again arriving at Hogsmeade.
He stopped in front of a small, old cottage with a thatched roof and knocked on the door. After a moment, the door opened to reveal a familiar face.
"Merry Christmas, Professor Lupin."
Indeed, this was the residence of Remus Lupin in Hogsmeade.
Since the beginning of the term, Lupin had returned to Hogsmeade. Every weekend, unless there was something unavoidable, Wentworth and Cedric continued to follow Lupin, undeterred by wind or rain, to learn spells from him.
Seeing Wentworth, Lupin smiled knowingly and said, "Christmas isn't here just yet, Wentworth."
He stepped aside to let Wentworth in.
Wentworth responded with a grin, "Professor Lupin, I'll be attending the Christmas Feast at Hogwarts on Christmas Day, so I won't be able to celebrate with you. That's why I came early—to celebrate with you today!"
With that, Wentworth placed the gift box on Lupin's table.
Hearing this, Lupin's eyes flashed with emotion. As he opened the gift, he found a finely crafted overcoat inside.
Wentworth, standing beside him, quickly added, "Professor Lupin, this is just a small gesture, so please don't refuse. You know, for me, this really is nothing!"
Lupin, who had originally intended to decline, let out a helpless chuckle and shook his head. Under Wentworth's persistent urging, he finally changed out of the long robe he had worn for what seemed like forever.
As Wentworth took in Lupin's new look, his eyes lit up, and he exclaimed sincerely, "Looking sharp, Professor Lupin! I think it's about time you find yourself a Mrs. Lupin!"
Lupin laughed and playfully ruffled Wentworth's hair. As Wentworth winced from the playful hit, Lupin looked at him seriously and said, "Thank you, Wentworth."
Wentworth waved his hands dismissively. "Professor Lupin, I haven't even had dinner yet. You wouldn't send me back to Hogwarts on an empty stomach, would you?"
Lupin chuckled. "I've already prepared everything!"
Since Wentworth had told Lupin in advance that he would visit, Lupin had made the necessary preparations.
Soon, although not extravagant, a warm and comforting dinner was set on the table. What Wentworth didn't expect was that Lupin even brought out a bottle of wine.
Lupin placed two cups on the table—one in front of himself and one in front of Wentworth. "This is red currant rum, a specialty of the Three Broomsticks. I had to grit my teeth to buy it!"
Watching as Lupin poured the rich, red liquid into his cup, Wentworth's face lit up with excitement, but he still said hesitantly, "Professor Lupin, Hogwarts' school rules strictly forbid students from drinking alcohol."
Lupin waved it off with a smirk. "And Hogwarts' school rules also forbid sneaking into Hogsmeade!"
Wentworth was left speechless.
Lupin continued, "Rules exist mostly to remind you of all the things you haven't done yet, don't they?"
He winked playfully at Wentworth.
Hearing this, Wentworth was momentarily taken aback. In that moment, he finally understood why the stern, rule-abiding Professor Snape had always been at odds with Lupin and his friends back in their school days.
Before Wentworth could ponder further, Lupin raised his cup. Wentworth quickly followed suit, clinking his glass gently against Lupin's.
That night, Wentworth sneaked back into Hogwarts under the cover of darkness and had a restful sleep.
Christmas arrived soon enough. As expected, Wentworth received a mountain of gifts, nearly filling half of Hufflepuff's common room.
Several Hufflepuff students who had also stayed at Hogwarts for the holidays gazed at the pile of presents with wide eyes, their faces full of admiration and envy.
Wentworth, however, found himself slightly overwhelmed as he stared at the mountain of Christmas gifts, wondering just how long it would take to unwrap them all.
As he opened one present after another, he noticed that most were from members of the Alliance—many of whom he had only met briefly. Of course, among them were gifts from Rosier, Abernathy, and others.
Besides the presents from the Alliance, there were also many from his friends at Hogwarts. Gifts from Kirk, Cedric, and even Cassandra were among them.
Curiously, Cassandra had sent him a scarf. However, the craftsmanship… left much to be desired.
Just as Wentworth was chuckling over Cassandra's gift, another present caught his full attention.
He quietly examined the object in his hands—a skull, with a mysterious, flexible tube attached to the back. If not for the skull, it could easily be mistaken for a hookah pipe.
Etched above the skull were the words, written in German:
"For the Greater Good—1898."
It was undoubtedly a magical artifact. And as Wentworth gazed at it, waves of realization crashed over him.
Because he now knew exactly what he was holding.
It was the very object he had heard whispered about ever since arriving in this world—the Grindelwald family's Prophetic Skull!
His hands trembled slightly as he clutched the skull. He quickly rummaged through the packaging, searching for any accompanying note or explanation, but found nothing. It had been sent anonymously.
Yet, seeing this, Wentworth felt oddly calm.
Though it was anonymous, he had already deduced the sender.
There could be no one else. It had to be his headmaster—Albus Dumbledore.
Because today—perhaps even at this very moment—someone else was also receiving a mysterious gift from Dumbledore.
That person was Harry Potter, and the gift he received was the Invisibility Cloak, one of the Deathly Hallows.
Dumbledore was, without a doubt, a repeat offender when it came to this kind of thing.
With that thought, Wentworth decided there was no need to rush. He would finish unwrapping the rest of his presents first—then he would go find Dumbledore and demand some answers.
But before he could do that, another envelope emerged from the pile of gifts.
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