As the banquet commenced, the new leader of the Pureblood Party, Wentworth, engaged in cordial conversations with the attending wizards, accompanied by Rosier and Abernathy.
In truth, it was Abernathy and Rosier who introduced Wentworth to these Pureblood Party members. After all, as a leader, he couldn't possibly remain unfamiliar with his own followers.
One had to admit that the Greengrass family, as one of the Sacred Twenty-Eight in Britain, still upheld a certain level of prestige—though the Weasley family was an exception.
The banquet's lavish spread was no less sumptuous than the Hogwarts Start-of-Term Feast.
After finally meeting all the attending wizards, Wentworth was feeling rather famished.
Just as he was devouring his food with great enthusiasm, a blonde-haired girl approached him.
At first, Wentworth assumed she was the child of one of the Pureblood Party members. He had encountered many such children that evening. However, to his surprise, the girl walked up to him and suddenly introduced herself:
"Hello, Wentworth Grindelwald. My name is Luna Lovegood."
Hearing her introduce herself, Wentworth nearly spat out his food.
Luna? What was Luna doing here? But then again, if even Cedric could join the Pureblood Party, perhaps Luna's presence wasn't so far-fetched after all.
As Wentworth struggled to swallow his mouthful, Luna suddenly remarked,
"You adapt quickly."
"What?" Wentworth was puzzled, unsure of what Luna meant.
Luna pointed to where Wentworth had been standing moments ago and continued,
"At first, you were very nervous. But by the end, you seemed completely at ease—and you even seemed to enjoy it."
Hearing Luna's words, Wentworth paused for a moment before the corners of his mouth curled into a slight smile. He replied,
"You're right. I'm starting to like this feeling—like a fine wine, it becomes more intoxicating with time."
Luna tilted her head and studied Wentworth for a moment before speaking again,
"My father says that everyone here is a Dark wizard, and that you are their leader, so I should stay away from you."
At Luna's blunt remark, Wentworth couldn't help but chuckle bitterly. He cast a glance at Xenophilius Lovegood, who was anxiously searching for his daughter, and then replied softly,
"Sometimes, how we are perceived is dictated by others. But it's important to remember who we truly are inside. That matters."
Luna seemed puzzled by Wentworth's words. She thought for a long moment before asking,
"Then who are you, really?"
Wentworth looked into the distance, where many long-separated wizards were happily reconnecting. Without turning his head, he said to Luna,
"I thought I was just a traveler on a journey with no destination. But somewhere along the way, I unexpectedly found a home."
Luna seemed like she wanted to say something more, but at that moment, Xenophilius finally arrived, nervously eyeing Wentworth as he took Luna's hand and led her away.
After Luna left, Rosier slowly approached, watching her retreating figure as she mused,
"I've heard about her family from Abernathy. That little girl is quite intriguing. When she arrives at Hogwarts, perhaps she'll be another Cassandra?"
Hearing Rosier's comment, Wentworth seemed to suddenly remember something. He hurriedly put down the small cake in his hand and asked Rozier,
"Has there been any movement from the British Ministry of Magic?"
Rosier, hearing the question, gave Wentworth an approving look and responded,
"Wentworth, it's impressive that you're thinking about that."
Wentworth: "??? What?"
Unaware of Wentworth's confusion beneath his calm expression, Rosier continued,
"Rest assured, Wentworth. We have people keeping a close watch on the British Ministry of Magic. If they make a move, we'll know immediately. There's no chance they could ambush our gathering here."
"Besides, unless they're complete fools, they wouldn't dare attack this place right now. Every elite wizard of the British Pureblood Party is gathered here. The Aurors alone wouldn't stand a chance—they'd never make it out alive!"
Wentworth knew that Rozier had misunderstood his concern, but he chose not to correct him. Instead, he pressed further,
"Has there been any news about Thomas Vole, the former Head of the Auror Office?"
Rosier pondered for a moment before shaking her head and replying,
"No. At least, our people haven't seen him at the Ministry of Magic. Why? Is something wrong?"
Wentworth slowly took out an invitation given to him by Cassandra and explained,
"Cassandra said her father has safely returned home. To celebrate, she's hosting a banquet at their estate in two days."
Hearing this, Rosier's expression grew serious. She took the invitation from Wentworth's hand and examined it carefully, but found nothing unusual.
Still, Rosier said,
"Wentworth, I have a feeling there's something off about this."
Wentworth nodded in agreement, replying,
"Exactly. If Cassandra's father hasn't reported back to the Ministry of Magic, then something strange is going on. The real question is—what role is Cassandra playing in all this?"
"Has Thomas Vole really returned? And if so, is it truly him?"
As Wentworth sank into deep thought, Rosier patted him on the shoulder and said with a smirk,
"Wentworth, your mindset still hasn't fully adjusted."
Seeing Wentworth's confused expression, Rosier continued with a chuckle,
"Wentworth, remember—you're not alone. You have the entire Pureblood Party behind you, ready to serve you! If you want to know whether Thomas Vole has really returned, it's simple—just send someone to check."
Without waiting for Wentworth's response, Rosier waved over Abernathy and relayed their conversation to him.
After listening, Abernathy turned to Wentworth and said,
"In that case, I'll go personally and find out whether Thomas Vole has truly returned—and if he has, whether it's really him."
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