Chapter 214 "The Grindelwald Skull Hookah"

After their return to Hogwarts, Wentworth and Cassandra went back to their respective bedrooms. However, shortly after Wentworth returned to the dormitory, he emerged holding a gift box.

He made his way to the Hogwarts Forbidden Forest and entered the secret passage under the Whomping Willow, leading him to Hogsmeade Village.

Approaching an old thatched cottage, Wentworth knocked on the door. After a brief moment, the door opened, revealing a familiar face.

"Merry Christmas, Mr. Lupin," Wentworth said with a warm smile on his face.

Indeed, it was Lupin's residence in Hogsmeade. Following the start of the semester, Lupin had returned to Hogsmeade Village.

Every weekend, rain or shine, unless there were pressing matters, Wentworth and Cedric joined Lupin to delve into spell-learning sessions.

Seeing Wentworth, Lupin displayed a knowing smile and greeted, "Christmas isn't here yet, Wentworth." He then ushered Wentworth inside.

Wentworth explained, "Mr. Lupin, I'll be attending the Christmas dinner at Hogwarts on Christmas Day, so I might not be able to spend Christmas with you. That's why I came here to celebrate Christmas with you a bit early today!"

After expressing his intentions, Wentworth placed the gift box he held onto the table in front of Lupin.

Lupin's eyes showed a flicker of emotion as he opened the box to find a finely crafted trench coat inside.

Wentworth chimed in, "Mr. Lupin, at times like these, you mustn't reject the goodwill of your students. You know, it truly means nothing to me!"

Hearing Wentworth's insistence, Lupin, who was initially inclined to refuse, shook his head with a wry smile.

Yielding to Wentworth's prompting, Lupin replaced his long-worn robe with the new trench coat.

Observing Lupin in the stylish trench coat, Wentworth couldn't help but brighten his eyes and sincerely commented, "Looking sharp, Mr. Lupin! It's high time you found yourself a wife!"

Lupin playfully patted Wentworth's head, eliciting a yelp from him. However, Lupin turned serious as he expressed his gratitude, "Thank you for your concern, Wentworth."

In response, Wentworth waved his hands in dismissal and quipped, "Mr. Lupin, I haven't had dinner yet. You wouldn't let me return to Hogwarts hungry, would you?"

Lupin chuckled and remarked, "I've been prepared for quite some time!" As Wentworth had informed Lupin about his visit this evening, Lupin made sure to be ready for the occasion.

Shortly after, Lupin presented a dinner that, while not extravagant, exuded a comforting warmth. To Wentworth's surprise, Lupin even produced a bottle of wine.

Lupin placed two cups on the table, one in front of himself and the other in front of Wentworth, saying, "This is the unique red currant rum from the Three Broomsticks, purchased with a bit of reluctance!"

As Wentworth watched Lupin pour the red currant rum, excitement filled him, but he couldn't help but mention, "Mr. Lupin, Hogwarts' school rules explicitly forbid students from consuming alcohol!"

Lupin responded with a disapproving tone, "Hogwarts' school rules also prohibit you from sneaking into Hogsmeade Village!"

Left momentarily speechless, Wentworth listened as Lupin continued, "The primary purpose of school rules is to remind you of the things you haven't done yet, isn't it?" Lupin concluded with a smile, winking playfully at Wentworth.

"Oh my, Mr. Lupin. What a bad influence you are!" Upon hearing Lupin's words, Wentworth was deeply surprised, finally grasping why Professor Snape, typically strict and reserved, exhibited such animosity towards Lupin and his companions during their time at Hogwarts.

Before Wentworth could fully process this revelation, Lupin lifted his glass, prompting Wentworth to follow suit quickly. They lightly clinked glasses in a gesture of camaraderie.

Late into the night, Wentworth stealthily returned to Hogwarts, content and ready for a restful night's sleep.

Christmas arrived swiftly, bringing a deluge of gifts to Wentworth.

The Hufflepuff common room was soon filled with boxes, creating an impressive display that garnered admiration and envy from fellow students who had chosen to stay at Hogwarts for the holidays.

As Wentworth surveyed the multitude of Christmas gifts before him, a nagging concern crossed his mind — when would he find the time to unwrap them all?

As Wentworth delved into unwrapping the multitude of gift boxes before him, he discovered a prevalent trend.

The majority of the gifts were sent by members of the Alliance, with Rosier, Abernathy, Carrow, and others contributing to the pile.

Beyond the Alliance gifts, Hogwarts friends also sent presents to Wentworth.

Notably, Green and Cedric expressed their festive wishes through thoughtful gifts, and surprisingly, even Cassandra had something for Wentworth.

Upon opening Cassandra's gift, Wentworth was met with a scarf. While the craftsmanship didn't earn high praise, his attention swiftly shifted to another intriguing item.

Carefully examining the mysterious object in his hands, Wentworth found himself holding a piece featuring the back of a skull and an unfamiliar material hose.

Despite the presence of the skull, the item resembled a hookah.

Atop the skull, a German inscription caught Wentworth's attention:

"For the Greater Good - 1898."

Clearly, this was a magical item, and as Wentworth examined it, a storm of emotions surged within him.

The reason became apparent; he had a hunch about the object in his hands—it was the prophecy skeleton of the Grindelwald family that his own grandfather owned, none other than Gellert Grindelwald, a concept he had encountered since the very beginning of his crossing over.

Clutching the skull, Wentworth's hand trembled slightly, and he hastily searched through the gift box that contained the mysterious item. To his disappointment, the sender was not indicated; it was sent anonymously.

Perhaps the moments spent with Dumbledore visiting Nurmengard to have a conversation about whether Wentworth would be worthy enough to hold Gellert's keepsake and finally continue his work using the same method.

With the skull provided for Wentworth, he can only keep guessing what the meaning of all this is...

Yet, despite the uncertainty, Wentworth gradually regained his composure. The anonymous prophecy likely came from his headmaster, Albus Dumbledore. It was a safe bet, as no one else would have such a motive.

Another question left would be, "If Professor Dumbledore is the one that sent me this as a gift, how in Merlin's name did he get his hands on this thing?" Wentworth inquired as he inspected the skull in his hands.

Wentworth could hardly contain his urgency; he decided to approach Dumbledore for clarification after opening the rest of his gifts.

However, his plans take an unexpected turn when he uncovers a letter from the pile of gifts.

A letter that will change his plans for the course of the Christmas Holiday…

Would it bring a change for the greater good, or would it bring another trial for Wentworth to prove himself worthy of the Grindelwald's bloodline?