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Just a few minutes earlier, Wentworth had watched the owl carrying his letter circle the skies above Hogwarts once before screeching and flying off.
"That owl's flying in the wrong direction, isn't it? Don't tell me it got lost? I swear, relying on owls to deliver letters just seems... sketchy."
Even though he said that, Wentworth didn't have any better way to contact Rosier and Abernathy. All he could do was hope that this Hogwarts owl would manage to get the letter into their hands.
Of course, what Wentworth didn't know was that Rosier and Abernathy were actually in Hogsmeade—just a short distance from him.
The two looked at the owl that had dropped from the sky, exchanging a surprised glance. Rosier reached out to take the letter and opened it. Sure enough, it was from Wentworth. The moment they read it, their eyes lit up with excitement.
"Looks like Wentworth's already figured out what we were thinking," Abernathy said with a wide grin. "He had the owl bring us the answer we needed, first thing in the morning!"
Rosier, however, looked completely unsurprised. He nodded and said:
"Of course. Don't forget, he's the future leader of the Pureblood Party. And I nearly lost my composure—how could I forget that Wentworth inherited our Master's gift of prophecy? He must've seen this coming and planned ahead."
Without wasting any more time, Rosier and Abernathy carefully read through Wentworth's letter. When they got to the part where Wentworth explained that the ambush near the Portkey site the previous night had been carried out by a group of wizard hunters from America, both men's expressions darkened instantly.
Rosier snarled, "Those damn rats again! We came into contact with them years ago, and they had the nerve to say they preferred 'freedom' and refused to join us in fighting for a greater cause. If we hadn't had more important things to handle back then, I swear, those so-called 'wizard hunters' wouldn't even exist today!"
"And now they dare to attack the leader of the Pureblood Party? I think it's time someone reminded them—rats should act like rats!"
As they continued reading, they saw that Wentworth had mentioned how British Aurors arrived at the scene later, looking for clues and likely already hunting down those wizard hunters. Abernathy frowned and said worriedly:
"Damn it. What if the British Aurors actually find them first? Those wizard hunters need to die by our hands! I don't want to hand them over to the Dementors in Azkaban like it's some kind of gift!"
But Rosier just gave a scornful laugh and replied:
"Relax. If those wizard hunters were that easy to catch, they wouldn't have survived this long."
"Cats have their tricks, rats have theirs—and black wizards have their own ways too! Abernathy, once you're back, organize a team right away. We need to find those damn wizard hunters before the Ministry does."
"If the Aurors can't find them, we will. If the Aurors can't kill them, we will. We don't bother with burying—just kill and leave the bodies. Let the world know what the Pureblood Party stands for!"
Abernathy nodded firmly.
"Wait, there's another letter?"
Just when they thought they were done reading, Rosier noticed another piece of parchment tucked behind the first one. It was clearly something Wentworth had added after writing the original letter.
He opened it up—it was about the front-page article in today's Daily Prophet, written by none other than reporter Rita Skeeter.
When Rosier and Abernathy read the part where Wentworth revealed that Rita Skeeter was actually an unregistered Animagus who could transform into a beetle, they looked at each other in surprise.
Wentworth had written that they should use this secret to threaten Rita Skeeter and force her to write a new article in The Daily Prophet, one that would undo the damage of today's piece.
Given that it was true Dumbledore and Wentworth had been seen together late at night in that forest—and there were even photos to prove it—there was no way to deny it. Wentworth specifically noted that if necessary, they could throw him under the bus. Just say it was all his idea, that he insisted on going there.
Abernathy frowned in confusion.
"Rosier, what does Wentworth mean by this? It kind of feels like he's trying to take the heat off Dumbledore. Wouldn't it be better for us if Dumbledore's reputation got dragged through the mud?"
Rosier also furrowed his brows, falling into thought.
Suddenly, Rosier clapped his hands together with a loud smack, startling Abernathy.
"Rosier! What the hell? What's going on?"
Rosier's face was a mix of excitement and frustration as he said:
"I get it now! Wentworth is building up his reputation!"
"Building up... his reputation?" Abernathy echoed, still a little confused.
"Yes! Think about what he wrote. He wants the article rewritten, but he specifically says to put himself front and center. That he was the one who insisted on going to the forest."
"He's making it look like he's the one calling the shots—not Dumbledore. A first-year who can influence Dumbledore's actions? Or better yet, a first-year worthy of Dumbledore's personal protection? That's going to make people see him as a once-in-a-generation genius at Hogwarts!"
"Wentworth is already shaping his public image as a powerful figure. If these kinds of stories keep appearing, by the time he leaves Hogwarts, his name will be famous all over Europe!"
Abernathy's eyes lit up as he finally understood.
At that moment, Rosier said a little regretfully:
"Back in the day, we let the enemy smear us in the newspapers and didn't fight back. We believed that strength alone could solve everything. But we didn't realize that public opinion... is a kind of strength too."
"It's a shame I've only come to understand this now. If we had valued the power of the press back then, maybe our fight wouldn't have been so hard. Maybe we would've found more allies who shared our vision."
Abernathy was silent for a moment, then clapped Rosier on the shoulder.
"Well, it's different now. We've got Wentworth."
"Yes," Rosier agreed. "Now that we have Wentworth, the Pureblood Party is going to rise stronger than ever."
"....."