Hogwarts: Third Dark Lord

Wentworth's heart surged with joy when he realized that the boy standing before him would soon become Hogwarts' true academic prodigy for the coming years!

After all, Cedric was the one genuinely chosen by the Goblet of Fire as Hogwarts' champion. Harry Potter? Just a boy blessed by the narrative spotlight!

Having experienced the rigorous education system of his past life in the Celestial Empire, Wentworth understood the immense value of having a top-tier scholar as a friend. And what made it even better? Cedric was in Hufflepuff.

Next year, Harry and his friends would arrive at Hogwarts. Wentworth had already decided to steer clear of the Gryffindor Trio, the ultimate point-deducting squad. Gryffindor and Slytherin were already off his list of preferred houses.

While the wizarding world fascinated him, Wentworth had no desire for trouble or danger. Gryffindor and Slytherin, with their knack for chaos, were houses he planned to avoid at all costs.

With deliberate flattery, Wentworth managed to leave Amos Diggory convinced that he was an exceptionally ambitious student. Before departing, Amos repeatedly urged Cedric to look after Wentworth.

Flatter my son, and you're a good kid in my books!

Though Cedric felt a bit embarrassed by Wentworth's compliments, at the end of the day, he was just a twelve-year-old. Against Wentworth's much more mature mental age, Cedric was no match.

Soon, Cedric began treating Wentworth as a close confidant. Following his father's instructions, Cedric led Wentworth onto the Hogwarts Express. Ignoring numerous invitations, Cedric found an empty compartment and sat with his new friend.

By the time the Hogwarts Express began its journey, Cedric and Wentworth had become inseparable. Most of their conversations revolved around Cedric enthusiastically sharing stories about Hogwarts.

Suddenly, the compartment door slid open. Wentworth looked up and saw a pair of slender hands push the door aside. A girl in a Gothic dress stepped in, her striking dark green eyes immediately catching everyone's attention.

"It's you?"

"It's you!"

Both exclaimed in unison.

"You two know each other?" Cedric asked, curiosity piqued by their reactions.

"We met briefly in Diagon Alley before term started. Her name's Cassandra, and like me, she's a first-year at Hogwarts."

Turning to Cedric, Wentworth quickly added, "This is Cedric. He's a year ahead of us."

"Hello, I'm Cedric, second-year Hufflepuff," Cedric said, extending a hand with a polite smile.

Cassandra, however, made no move to shake his hand. She simply nodded slightly before sitting down next to Wentworth.

Though Cedric felt a twinge of awkwardness, he merely shrugged, saying nothing more. The atmosphere in the compartment grew tense.

After a moment, Cassandra broke the silence.

"The rest of the train is full. My father informed Hogwarts to reserve a compartment for me, but for some reason, they failed to follow through. This won't go unaddressed!"

Her tone carried a hint of malice. Cedric and Wentworth exchanged amused glances but remained silent. Cedric's kind nature kept him from responding, while Wentworth's older mental age found the situation amusing.

Noticing their lack of reaction, Cassandra pouted. "Do you two even know who my father is? He's the head of the Auror Office at the British Ministry of Magic! Every Auror in Britain reports to him!"

"Is that so? That makes him a colleague of my father!" Cedric replied, smiling.

"Your father's an Auror?" Cassandra's demeanor softened slightly.

"No, my father works in the Department for the Regulation and Control of Magical Creatures."

"Oh…" Cassandra returned to her aloof attitude.

Just then, the compartment door slid open again. A woman with a long ponytail, a fedora, and a trench coat stepped inside.

"Sorry to bother you, but there are no other seats. Do you mind if I join you?" she asked, but without waiting for an answer, she took a seat.

The three students stared in surprise at the unexpected sight of an adult among a sea of children.

Noticing their expressions, the woman smiled and introduced herself. "I'm Ilona. If nothing changes, I'll be your new Defense Against the Dark Arts professor this term."

The trio exchanged stunned glances, rendered momentarily speechless.

The compartment fell into an uneasy silence, each of them sitting upright in their seats. Even Cassandra, who had been haughty moments earlier, suddenly became obedient and reserved.

Wentworth eyed the new professor, feeling a strange sense of familiarity. Yet he couldn't place her. The original books never mentioned this Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher, so he decided to dismiss the thought.

After a while, seemingly eager to make a good impression, Cassandra broke the silence.

"Professor Ilona, your hem seems a bit dusty. Let me clean it for you."

"Scourgify!"

With a flick of her wand, Cassandra made Ilona's robes pristine.

"Thank you very much," Ilona said with a gentle nod, sipping gracefully from her water cup.

Cassandra beamed with pride at the praise, while Cedric, not wanting to be outdone, took out his wand.

"Professor Ilona, may I refill your cup for you?"

Receiving her approval, Cedric pointed his wand at the glass.

"Aguamenti!"

Ilona thanked him with the same polite smile.

All eyes then turned to Wentworth, their gazes expectant.

The sudden attention made Wentworth freeze. What are you all looking at me for? Do you expect me to perform Occlumency? You two amateurs don't even know Legilimency!

Just as Wentworth was contemplating how to escape the spotlight, the door opened once more.

"Would anyone like some snacks?" the trolley witch asked kindly.

Relieved, Wentworth let out a breath and declared, "In that case, I'll show you a spell too!"

"Multiplicatio Galeon!"

Pulling out a handful of Galleons, he gestured grandly at the trolley.

"I'll take everything!"

[TL/N: LOL, hahaha. Anyway, Celestial Empire is the same as China. I just wrote one of the old names of China to distance this novel from it, even just a little.]

-----------------

Join my patreon to access advance chapters: patreon.com / primaldemon