As Wentworth stepped off the Hogwarts Express, his gaze immediately fell upon Abernathy, who was waiting not far away.
Without hesitation, Wentworth strode over and embraced Abernathy briefly, but his eyes searched beyond him, a flicker of confusion crossing his face.
"Abernathy, where is Grandma Rosier?"
"Are you looking for me, Wentworth?"
A familiar voice sounded behind him. Wentworth turned quickly and saw Rosier standing there, watching him with a warm and affectionate gaze.
"Welcome home, Wentworth. Come, let's go home."
For a moment, Wentworth was puzzled as to how she had appeared behind him, but the word "home" struck a chord in his heart. A wave of emotion surged within him, and he nodded eagerly.
When he finally reached the entrance of his home, the soft glow from within made Wentworth feel a profound sense of belonging—an indescribable warmth.
This is no foreign land, and I am no stranger here.
As Abernathy pushed open the door for him, a dazzling light flooded out from inside.
"What… What is all this? Did you rob Gringotts in London?"
Wentworth stood frozen, eyes wide with astonishment at the sheer number of rare and valuable magical artifacts filling the room. The sight left him momentarily speechless.
Abernathy, however, remained entirely unfazed.
"These are Christmas gifts sent by our allies from all over the world upon hearing the news. I placed them all here so you can decide which ones to keep. As for the rest, I'll store them in your vault at Gringotts when I have time."
Wentworth gaped at the neatly arranged piles of gifts, carefully categorized by Abernathy. He wandered among them in a daze, feeling slightly overwhelmed.
Just then, Rosier approached, a note of dissatisfaction in her voice.
"Wentworth, stop gawking."
At her words, Wentworth instinctively wiped the corner of his mouth, realizing he had been staring in awe. He forced himself to regain composure.
Rosier continued, "Looking at all these gifts, what comes to mind?"
Standing among nearly a dozen brand-new broomsticks, Wentworth pondered for a moment before answering, "I finally understand why my grandfather needed four vaults at Gringotts!"
Rosier sighed. "Wentworth, when you see all this, you must understand—many are waiting for you to return, to take your place in the wizarding world! For you are the heir of Grindelwald, the rightful leader of the Pureblood Party!"
Before Wentworth could respond, Rosier pressed on.
"Take a good rest for the next two days. On Christmas Day, a great event awaits you—and you are the main attraction."
With that, Rosier left. Abernathy, too, was about to take his leave when Wentworth suddenly called out.
"Grandpa Abernathy, from these gifts, pick out the two best broomsticks for me. I want to give them as presents."
That night, after leaving Wentworth's residence, Abernathy made his way straight to Rosier's house, where many members of the Pureblood Party had already gathered.
Upon his arrival, Rosier frowned slightly. "What took you so long?"
Abernathy explained, "The young master asked me to select two broomsticks and had them sent via owl post—to Cedric and Kirk—as their Christmas gifts."
Rosier considered this for a moment, then smiled knowingly.
"One is Hogwarts' undisputed prodigy, the other a Hufflepuff prefect. The young master is already learning to cultivate alliances among talented wizards at just eleven years old. Even our leader never thought to do that. The young master is doing what a leader should. We must do our part as well."
She then turned to address the gathered wizards.
"Now, let's continue. The Christmas banquet this year does not need to be extravagant. Wizards from outside Britain need not attend. Those invited must be those who participated in the battle against the British Ministry of Magic—this will be their reward. As for the location…"
Meanwhile, Wentworth lay in his long-missed bed, but despite his exhaustion, sleep eluded him.
After tossing and turning for what felt like an eternity, he finally sat up and reached for the Christmas banquet invitation that Cassandra had sent him, stored in his bedside robes.
Although called a "Christmas Banquet," the event was scheduled for the day after Christmas. Clearly, Cassandra understood that most people preferred to spend Christmas Day with their families.
Yet, from the moment he received the invitation, a question had nagged at Wentworth, and now, in the quiet of the night, it surfaced again.
Cassandra's father, the former Head of the British Ministry of Magic's Auror Office—if he had truly been rescued, why had there been no news of it in the papers? Unless… he had not yet returned to the Ministry.
A high-ranking official of the British Ministry of Magic, instead of reporting back to duty upon his rescue, was prioritizing hosting a banquet? Something didn't add up.
With this thought, Wentworth decided to wait and observe for a couple more days. Perhaps the news had simply been delayed in reaching the press.
For the next two days, Wentworth enjoyed a rare period of leisure. He had originally wanted to visit Diagon Alley, but Rosier had firmly refused, citing security concerns.
Finally, Christmas Day arrived.
Early that morning, Wentworth found himself at Rosier's mercy as she fussed over his attire, adjusting every detail until he felt completely drained.
"Grandma Rosier, isn't this enough? I think it's already perfect! Can't we stop? Even for an arranged marriage, this is excessive!"
Rosier, still selecting a brooch for his suit, chuckled.
"What's the rush, Wentworth? Has Abernathy already told you that many of the old families are bringing their granddaughters to today's banquet?"
"Huh? I didn't say anything! I wanted it to be a surprise!" Abernathy, standing nearby, feigned innocence.
Wentworth, however, simply stared at his reflection in the mirror and replied calmly, "Grandma Rosier, you misunderstand. That's not what I meant. I just can't wait to meet all these esteemed elders."
Then, as he adjusted his collar, he added with mock seriousness, "By the way, Grandma Rosier, do you think I should trim my eyebrows a little more? I feel like they could use a bit more… dignity!"
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