Within the walls of the Vole Manor, Christine stood in the shadows of a window, her sharp gaze fixed on the entrance outside.
Suddenly, two figures appeared in the open space beyond the estate's gate. One was, of course, Wentworth, while the other was Auston Greengrass.
As Auston Greengrass Apparated with Wentworth to the entrance of the Vole estate, he cast a subtle glance towards the manor before turning to Wentworth, concern evident in his voice.
"Master, are you certain you wish to enter alone? Wouldn't that be too dangerous?"
Wentworth merely shook his head dismissively before motioning for Auston Greengrass to leave without delay.
Left with no choice, Auston sighed, bowed respectfully to Wentworth, and then Disapparated from the spot.
Meanwhile, Wentworth stood outside the Vole Manor, calmly surveying the estate before him.
Though Thomas Vole had once been a high-ranking official in the British Ministry of Magic, compared to an ancient wizarding family like the Greengrasses, the Vole estate was notably smaller.
As Wentworth was still taking in the view before him, Christine grew increasingly anxious. She watched him carefully but saw no indication that he intended to step forward.
Doubt crept into her mind—had something gone wrong? Had Wentworth noticed something amiss? She even began considering whether to abandon the original plan and simply charge out to capture him directly.
Just then, with a sudden screech of brakes, a large bus came to an abrupt halt at the gates of the Vole estate.
Almost immediately, as the doors swung open, two young men stumbled out in a frantic rush.
"Urgh!"
"Urgh!"
The new arrivals were none other than Cedric and Kirk. As Wentworth stepped forward to greet them, both of them, as if synchronized, ran to the side of the road and began dry heaving.
"Merlin's beard! I swear I'll never ride the Knight Bus again! Urgh!" Kirk lamented between retches, his eyes filled with unshed tears.
Cedric, clearly no better off, managed to groan, "My father offered to bring us here! But no—you had to insist on trying out the Knight Bus! We nearly met our end because of it!"
Wentworth quickly stepped forward and patted both their backs, waiting patiently as they recovered from their dizzying ordeal.
"Are you two alright?" Wentworth asked after a moment.
Kirk, still pale, weakly waved a hand and responded in a weary tone, "I'll live. Barely."
Cedric, too, shook his head slowly, indicating that he wasn't in serious trouble.
Seeing this, Wentworth took one of them in each arm for support as they picked up their luggage and began making their way toward the Vole estate.
Not long after stepping inside, a house-elf suddenly appeared in front of them out of thin air, bowing deeply before speaking in a respectful tone.
"Honored guests, welcome. I am the house-elf of the Vole family. It is my greatest pleasure to escort you."
Under the house-elf's guidance, the three of them proceeded deeper into the estate.
Meanwhile, at the entrance of the Vole estate, Christine had already sought out Cassandra. "Miss Cassandra," she said, "our guests have arrived. You should go welcome them."
At Christine's words, Cassandra rose to her feet, her face devoid of emotion, and followed Christine towards the entrance. But as Christine turned away from her, Cassandra's gaze flickered—three parts doubt, three parts astonishment, three parts sentiment, and one part despair.
Soon, under the house-elf's lead, Wentworth and his companions arrived at the entrance of the banquet hall, where Christine and Cassandra were already waiting.
The moment they met, Christine stepped forward with a radiant smile, extending a warm welcome. "Welcome to Vole Manor. I am—"
However, before she could finish her introduction, Kirk took a step forward, his face full of apology as he interjected, "I'm terribly sorry, dear lady, I don't mean to interrupt you, but… urgh… could you tell me where the washroom is? Urgh…"
Kirk's continued dry heaving sent both Christine and Cassandra stepping back in alarm.
Cassandra hastily pointed to her right and said quickly, "It's that way—just past the staircase, around the corner."
Without wasting a second, Kirk grabbed his suitcase and sprinted in the direction she had indicated.
Just then, Cedric, still holding a hand to his mouth, stepped forward as well, about to speak—only for Cassandra to beat him to it, pointing to her left. "There's another washroom in that direction."
Cedric nodded in gratitude before dashing off, suitcase in tow.
Watching this unfold, Cassandra curiously asked, "What exactly happened to them?"
Wentworth could only sigh and spread his hands helplessly before answering in a low voice, "The Knight Bus."
Realization dawned on Cassandra's face as she nodded in understanding.
Christine then turned to Wentworth, standing before him with a charming smile. She gestured towards the hall and said, "Shall we proceed inside, handsome wizard?"
With a polite nod, Wentworth followed Christine's lead into the banquet hall.
As they walked, Cassandra, trailing behind, cast Wentworth a suspicious glance. He, however, merely smiled and subtly moved his lips.
From his mouth, Cassandra read the words:
"I've come to the banquet."
Under Christine's guidance, they soon arrived at a banquet hall—not ostentatious, but still elegant in its own right.
Looking around at the array of food, drinks, and wine already set on the tables, Wentworth curiously asked, "Cassandra, did you not invite any other classmates? Are we the only ones?"
"I…" Cassandra hesitated at first, before schooling her expression into indifference. After a brief pause, she answered, "I don't have many friends at Hogwarts. But it doesn't matter. After all, herds of sheep may flock together, but a tiger walks alone, does it not?"
Wentworth merely nodded in response.
At that moment, Kirk and Cedric returned from the washroom, appearing fully recovered.
Yet, in the atmosphere of the evening, even the usually meticulous Christine failed to notice that the suitcases Kirk and Cedric had carried in earlier were now missing.
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