Upon hearing Cassandra's words, Wentworth couldn't shake the feeling that she had misunderstood something. Just as he was about to explain, Cassandra closed her book and looked at both him and Cedric before saying:
"Gentlemen, I need to change. Shouldn't you two step outside?"
With that, Wentworth and Cedric had no choice but to leave the compartment. They took turns returning to change into their Hogwarts robes.
Just as Wentworth finished changing and was about to explain that his earlier story didn't carry any special meaning, the train's whistle sounded. The Hogwarts Express gradually slowed to a stop, and soon, a familiar booming voice rang out:
"Alright, first-years! This way! Don't be shy, follow me!"
At that moment, Harry Potter, Draco Malfoy, and Ron Weasley approached. Harry pointed at Wentworth and said to Ron:
"This is Wentworth, the one I mentioned. Hey, Wentworth, this is Ron!"
Of course, Harry hardly needed to introduce Ron—Wentworth recognized him instantly from his flaming red hair.
Ron, meanwhile, looked at Wentworth with admiration and exclaimed:
"Hello, Wentworth! I heard you're the youngest Seeker at Hogwarts and that you've even played on the Quidditch World Cup stage! I hope I can learn a lot from you!"
Before Wentworth could respond, Hagrid's voice rang out again, urging the first-years to follow him. Ron and Draco hastily bid Wentworth farewell and hurried off the train.
But Harry lingered for a moment. As he passed Wentworth, he lowered his voice and asked:
"Wentworth, where do you think I'll be sorted?"
Wentworth thought to himself: With how much the old bee likes you, you could probably pick any of the four houses! Just stay away from Hufflepuff, alright? I worked too hard earning points—I don't need you losing them left and right! Hogwarts' legendary point-deduction squad isn't famous for nothing!
With a kind smile, Wentworth answered,
"I think Slytherin and Gryffindor would both be good choices. Slytherin could set you on the path to success—after all, the Head of House was practically your mother's biggest admirer. But Gryffindor suits you too, since both your parents were there."
Harry fell silent, lost in thought. Before he could respond, Hagrid called out once more, reminding any remaining first-years to hurry over.
With no other choice, Harry waved goodbye to Wentworth and quickly ran in the direction of Hagrid's voice.
As soon as Harry left, Cassandra and Cedric walked up. Watching Harry disappear into the crowd, Cedric asked curiously:
"Who were those kids just now? They seem to know you pretty well."
Wentworth chuckled helplessly.
"I told you, my summer break was all about raising magical creatures and babysitting kids. You thought I was joking?"
The three of them stepped off the train, chatting as they went. Pointing at Harry, who was trailing behind the group, Wentworth said:
"That boy at the back is the famous Harry Potter. The red-haired one is Ron Weasley from the Weasley family, and the one on Harry's right is Draco Malfoy from the Malfoy family. Just yesterday, Draco and Hagrid were at my place celebrating Harry's birthday."
Cedric merely nodded, unimpressed. After all, spending his days with the leader of the Pureblood Party had made him quite accustomed to mingling with powerful figures. To him, Harry Potter was just a curiosity—nothing more.
But Cassandra's reaction was quite different. As Wentworth introduced them, her eyes grew brighter. She glanced at Wentworth and thought to herself:
Wentworth, you claim you're not trying to build a following at Hogwarts? Just look at the people you've chosen to associate with—either from ancient wizarding families or with incredible potential. Since there are things you can't do yourself, let me help you instead!
At that moment, Kirk approached them from behind and said,
"Come on, Wentworth. This year, you won't be arriving at Hogwarts by boat. Care to guess how we'll be getting there?"
"Thestral-drawn carriages," Wentworth replied without hesitation.
Kirk was stunned. "How did you know? Did Cedric already tell you?"
Cedric shrugged, signaling that he hadn't said a word.
Wentworth simply grinned.
"Come on, have you forgotten? I'm destined to become a Seer!"
Meanwhile, under Hagrid's guidance, the first-years reached the shore of the Black Lake. Hagrid pointed at the small boats bobbing on the water and said:
"Four to a boat! Who's going first?"
The students exchanged uncertain glances. No one stepped forward at first.
Finally, Hermione took the lead, heading toward one of the boats. As she passed Harry, she turned to him and asked:
"Want to join me?"
Harry hesitated for a moment, then nervously nodded and followed her.
As soon as Harry left, only Ron and Draco remained standing there. They locked eyes, then simultaneously muttered:
"Tch, coward."
With that, they too followed Harry onto the boat.
As the small boats glided silently across the dark waters of the Black Lake, an uneasy tension settled over the group. Finally, Draco broke the silence.
"Harry, have you decided yet? Join Slytherin! I'm definitely going to be in Slytherin. We could be together all the time! Don't worry—my father's a school governor. No one would dare mess with us at Hogwarts!"
Draco shot Ron a smug look, his earlier nervousness fading.
Harry hesitated. Draco's offer was tempting, and somewhere deep inside, a voice whispered: Go to Slytherin—you could be great there, the greatest of them all!
But before Harry could reply, Ron's frustration boiled over.
"Harry, I don't care where you go—just don't go to Slytherin!"
Draco smirked, ready to fire back, but before he could, Harry turned to Ron and asked,
"Why not, Ron?"
Ron pointed at Harry's scar and said grimly,
"Because the wizard who gave you that scar came from Slytherin!"
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