The Heads of three of Hogwarts' four Houses arrived in an instant, with only Professor Sprout, the Head of Hufflepuff House, absent. She had remained in the greenhouses tending to her plants and thus was not in the castle when the commotion began.
"What happened over there? Who's in the Forbidden Forest at this hour?"
The moment the professors gathered, Professor Flitwick was the first to anxiously ask.
Just as Professor McGonagall was about to speak with a grave expression, a heavy panting sound came from behind them.
Turning around, they saw Argus Filch hurrying over, holding his lantern and muttering, "Just a routine patrol of the Forbidden Forest—what on earth is Hagrid up to, making such a racket?"
Hearing this, both Flitwick and Snape let out a breath of relief.
Oh, it's just Hagrid. Nothing to worry about, then!
But then Filch continued, "Unless... those kids got lost?"
At those words, Snape's expression darkened immediately. He grabbed Filch by the collar and demanded, "Who else is inside?"
Startled by Snape's sudden action, Filch stammered, "There's... there's Ron Weasley, Hermione Granger, Draco Malfoy, and Harry Potter!"
With each name Filch uttered, the professors' expressions grew increasingly grim. By the time he said "Harry Potter," Snape shoved Filch aside and sprinted towards the Forbidden Forest.
Professor McGonagall wasted no time in following, while Flitwick, hindered by his short legs, trailed behind, muttering, "For the first time, I believe Hogwarts' ban on Apparition is a mistake."
McGonagall, frowning as she ran, voiced her concern, "Those flashes of light… they don't seem like something first-years could conjure. They shouldn't have the magical power to produce such brilliant beams!"
Just then, Filch shouted from behind, "Oh, and Wentworth is with them!"
At this, Snape and McGonagall both faltered for a moment—then, as if spurred on by the name, they broke into an even faster sprint. McGonagall, in particular, transformed into her Animagus form—a tabby cat—and darted forward at breakneck speed.
Meanwhile, deep within the Forbidden Forest, Hagrid and the students had also spotted the distant pillar of light.
"Blimey, Hagrid, what's that?" Ron asked, wide-eyed. "What kind of creature in the Forbidden Forest could give off such a glow?"
Hagrid, gripping his pink umbrella tightly, said with a worried expression, "There ain't no creature in the Forbidden Forest that can produce light like that—it's Lumos Maxima!"
Hermione looked incredulous. "You're saying that's Lumos Maxima? You must be joking, Hagrid! Who could possibly cast it at that magnitude?"
Without looking back, Hagrid responded, "I reckon Wentworth could."
With that, he marched swiftly towards the glowing light.
Meanwhile, deep within the Forbidden Forest, Wentworth and his companions were still engaged in a tense standoff with the mysterious figure.
As the distance between them closed, the scar on Harry's forehead throbbed painfully. The agony intensified with every step until, at last, he could bear it no longer—his head lolled to the side, and he collapsed unconscious.
Draco, who had been dragging Harry along, was caught off guard and fell to the ground as well.
Hearing the commotion behind him, Wentworth turned to see Draco and Harry sprawled on the forest floor. Draco frantically tried to lift Harry, but it was no use.
The mysterious figure was now dangerously close.
Draco looked to Wentworth, his voice tinged with desperation. "Wentworth, we can't leave Harry here!"
Wentworth shot Draco an unimpressed look. "Obviously!"
Then, he turned to face their approaching foe, raising his wand slightly. He pointed it at the ground and uttered, "Fiendfyre!"
At once, roaring flames erupted before him, forming a blazing wall of fire. As Wentworth moved his wand, the inferno spread, eventually encircling them in a protective ring.
The hooded figure came to a halt, just one step short of the flames.
The raging fire illuminated Wentworth's determined face, casting flickering shadows across his features. Draco, awed, exclaimed, "Brilliant, Wentworth! Who taught you that?"
Wentworth, unfazed, replied, "Headmaster Dumbledore."
Draco: "...Why didn't you use it sooner? We wouldn't have had to run so much!"
Wentworth sighed. "Setting fire to a forest? That's a one-way ticket to Azkaban, you know. Besides, haven't you realized—we're trapped, too?"
Draco paled as he looked around at the burning circle. His voice trembled, "Wentworth... what do we do now?"
Wentworth spread his hands. "Nothing. We just have to see if he breaks through my spell first or if our reinforcements arrive in time. After all, I sent a distress signal ages ago—if we hold out a little longer, we should be—"
Before he could finish, the cloaked figure lifted a single finger. With a casual flick, a portion of the fire abruptly vanished, forming an opening—a door in the flames.
Wentworth swallowed hard, then forced a grin. "Well, this is all just a big misunderstanding. I barely even know these guys. How about you talk to them first, and I just... leave?"
As he spoke, Wentworth clasped his hands behind his back, feigning nonchalance. However, Draco, standing beside him, noticed something—the fingers of Wentworth's hidden hands were moving rapidly in a silent signal.
Wentworth pointed at their opponent, then at the sky. Draco understood immediately.
The cloaked figure hesitated, seemingly surprised by Wentworth's sudden surrender.
But in that instant, Wentworth's expression changed. He abruptly dropped into a crouch and shouted, "Draco, now!"
Without hesitation, Draco raised his wand and bellowed, "Levicorpus!"
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