Early the next morning, just as Harry and his friends were about to enter the Great Hall for breakfast, they happened to run into Wentworth, who was also on his way to eat.
After exchanging greetings, Wentworth casually said:
"I've done what you asked me to. You can rest easy now."
Harry and the others were instantly taken aback. Harry quickly stepped forward, his voice full of urgency:
"You mean… the Basilisk. You've taken care of it? Is it… dead?"
Wentworth slowly shook his head. As Harry and the others looked puzzled, he explained:
"The Basilisk is still alive. But the one who released it has been dealt with."
Before anyone could ask further, a voice suddenly rang out from not far away, bright with excitement:
"Harry! Harry, over here!"
Hearing that voice, Harry's expression immediately shifted—and so did Hermione's and the others'. They looked resigned, even weary.
Wentworth glanced in the direction of the voice and saw Colin Creevey hurtling toward them at full speed, clutching his camera.
Hermione sighed, exasperated. "Why is he here again?!"
The next second, Colin skidded to a halt right in front of Harry, snapped a photo without even asking, and immediately launched into a stream of chatter.
Hermione shook her head and walked into the Great Hall, while Draco stepped forward to try and pry Colin away from Harry.
No one noticed Ron standing off to the side, unusually quiet, watching the scene unfold with a strange stillness.
But if anyone had seen his eyes in that moment, they would have been shocked. Ron was glaring at Colin Creevey, who was clinging to Harry, with such intensity it was as though he might pull out his wand at any second.
Of course, none of this had anything to do with Wentworth. He gave the scene a glance, lost interest, and continued striding into the Great Hall, with Cedric and Kirk close behind.
The moment they were away from Harry and the others, Cedric leaned in eagerly and asked:
"Wentworth, what did they ask you to help with?"
Wentworth sat down at his usual spot and replied offhandedly:
"Nothing major—just that old legend about the Chamber of Secrets. The one about the Basilisk Salazar Slytherin supposedly left behind. The chamber requires a key to open. I got hold of the key yesterday… and hid it."
Cedric and Kirk exchanged looks, now understanding. Still, neither of them seemed to take the matter particularly seriously.
But the calm didn't last long.
The very next day, as Wentworth and Cedric were in the library studying ancient runes, Harry, Hermione, and the others came bursting in, pale and frantic, running straight toward Wentworth.
Their sudden arrival shattered his focus. He looked up, clearly annoyed, frowning at the sweaty, breathless group.
"You'd better have a good reason this time."
Harry, panting and wide-eyed, asked in a panicked voice:
"Wentworth… you said the Chamber issue was resolved, didn't you?"
Wentworth blinked in surprise, then nodded, somewhat uncertain.
"That's right. It was dealt with. Why? What's happened now?"
Harry, still catching his breath, answered in a shaken voice:
"Just now… Colin Creevey was petrified!"
Cedric turned sharply toward Wentworth, stunned. Wentworth stood up so fast he knocked over his chair, his face pale with disbelief.
"That's impossible!"
But one look at the expressions on Harry and Hermione's faces told him all he needed to know. They wouldn't dare lie about something like this.
Wentworth's expression darkened.
"Take me to him."
As Harry and the others led Wentworth toward the scene of the attack, they passed a stretcher being carried in the opposite direction—Colin Creevey, rigid and frozen, was being rushed to the Hospital Wing.
Dumbledore, Snape, and several other professors were walking solemnly behind.
Seeing this, Wentworth's face turned even grimmer, his mood now a stormcloud.
Not long after, Cassandra and Kirk arrived as well. But seeing the look on Wentworth's face, none of them dared to speak first.
After a moment's silence, Wentworth turned to Harry and the others and said:
"You should all head back. Be careful, and watch each other's backs. I'll find out what happened."
With that, he turned and walked away. Cedric, Cassandra, and Kirk quickly followed, leaving Harry and the rest staring after them, unsure what to say.
Wentworth led the others straight to the Room of Requirement—and sure enough, the diary he had hidden there was gone.
He clenched his teeth.
"I can't believe he actually got away with it…"
Cassandra and the others exchanged glances. They could already guess what had happened. Cedric stepped forward, about to say something comforting—but then Wentworth spoke, his voice suddenly bright with a dangerous sort of excitement.
"Good. Now things are getting interesting."
"I only agreed to help them because I didn't want them pestering me. But now…"
"You've embarrassed me in front of everyone. From this moment on—this is personal."
Hearing the fierce resolve in Wentworth's tone, Cedric suddenly felt foolish for even considering sympathy.
Beside him, Cassandra murmured:
"If he can't handle even this, then he's not worthy of being the Alliance's new leader."
Wentworth turned to her.
"Cassandra, I need you to get close to Ginny Weasley. Find out if she still has the diary. I suspect Tom Riddle left something behind—some sort of failsafe. Even if he's been separated from Ginny, he may still have a way to influence her thoughts and actions."
"I want you to find out if she came back here after I left… and took the diary."
Cassandra nodded without hesitation. Though proud and headstrong, when Wentworth gave orders in that tone, her only answer was a single word:
"Understood."
Wentworth turned to Kirk and Cedric.
"Our task is to watch every student at Hogwarts. Especially those who've started acting differently than before."
"Tom Riddle is hiding among them. I'm sure of it."
-------
Want to read ahead of schedule? Head over to my Patreon ——— patreon(.)com/PrimalDemon [remove the parentheses ( )]