At Rosier's sharp questioning, the defiant expression on Carrow's face vanished instantly. Just then, Carrow caught sight of Wentworth standing behind Rosier.
Without hesitation, Carrow took a few steps forward, bowed deeply, and said,
"Welcome home, young master!"
At the same time, the other wizards of the Alliance in the room also noticed Wentworth. The once boisterous hall fell into sudden silence.
A moment later, greetings rang out from all directions. Unmoved, Wentworth walked through the crowd with an impassive expression and entered the hall.
Rosier, however, had no intention of explaining the situation to Wentworth in front of so many wizards. With a quick motion, Rosier guided Wentworth through the gathering of Alliance wizards and led him slowly up the staircase to the second floor.
As Rosier passed Carrow, she gave him a subtle beckon. Carrow, who had been standing dejectedly, instantly brightened—only to be silenced by a sharp glare from Rosier, which made him shrink back in compliance.
Upon reaching the second floor, Auston Greengrass stepped forward swiftly, hurrying ahead of Wentworth to open a door for him. Bowing slightly, he said,
"Master, this used to be my father's study. I hope you won't find it too humble."
Despite Greengrass's modest tone, the room's lavish decor suggested otherwise. However, Wentworth had no time to admire it.
Without hesitation, Wentworth strode toward the grand desk at the center of the study, seated himself silently, and fixed his gaze on Rosier.
Rosier let out a deep sigh, yet still stepped forward and said,
"Wentworth, we never intended to keep this from you. It's just that the incident occurred so suddenly that we hadn't had time to report it to you. I need you to be prepared."
Hearing this, Wentworth closed his eyes. He already knew—something had happened to Abernathy.
In his mind, countless memories of Abernathy surfaced. This man, who had been by his side ever since he woke up in this world, had long since become family to him.
After a brief silence, Wentworth slowly opened his eyes. A glint of sharp determination flashed through them as he spoke in a steady voice:
"Tell me, Grandma Rosier—I want to know exactly what happened to Abernathy."
Rosier sighed once more and glanced at Carrow. The normally arrogant Carrow, upon receiving Rosier's look, quickly averted his gaze. Rosier curled her lips in displeasure before finally speaking:
"Wentworth, Abernathy… has gone missing."
Wentworth was momentarily stunned.
Rosier's grave demeanor along the way had been so heavy, and the atmosphere in the Greengrass manor had been so tense, that he had subconsciously prepared himself for the worst—that Abernathy was dead.
So when he heard Rosier say Abernathy was merely missing, he involuntarily exhaled a breath of relief.
Of course, he couldn't show it. Keeping his expression serious, Wentworth furrowed his brow, gestured toward the chairs in front of him, and said,
"Sit down first. Then, tell me everything in detail."
Seeing Wentworth's composed reaction, Rosier felt a rare sense of relief.
Though Wentworth had long demonstrated his maturity, witnessing his calm in the face of such a crisis reassured Rosier greatly.
As Rosier and Carrow took their seats, Auston Greengrass remained standing, preparing drinks and refreshments for the three of them.
Rosier then continued,
"Wentworth, when we received your letter along with the Floo-Puff Company's shipment invoice, Abernathy and I both suspected something was amiss with Gringotts. After careful deliberation, Abernathy decided to infiltrate the bank under the guise of a job applicant."
"Using his exceptional skills in spellwork, Abernathy quickly secured a position as a Curse-Breaker. Every day, he documented his findings and experiences and sent them to me through a secret channel. Everything was proceeding smoothly."
"But about ten days after he entered Gringotts, his reports suddenly stopped. At first, I thought something had merely delayed him. But after three days without a single word, I realized—something had gone terribly wrong."
For all her usual strength, Rosier's voice wavered. Her eyes turned red as she spoke, struggling to maintain composure in the face of her longtime comrade's disappearance.
With reddened eyes, she murmured,
"It was my fault. I shouldn't have let Abernathy disguise himself and sneak into Gringotts. We were too impatient."
She took a deep breath and accepted the goblet of pumpkin juice Auston handed her. After a sip, she slowly regained her composure.
Opposite her, Wentworth had remained silent throughout, listening intently.
Only after ensuring Rosier had steadied herself did Wentworth finally turn his gaze toward the window behind him. He pointed at the scene outside and asked,
"Then what's with all the Alliance wizards out there? I even heard someone calling for another Battle of the Ministry of Magic."
He then glanced at Carrow. Originally, he had only meant to give him a light reprimand, but to his surprise, at just one look, Carrow instantly sprang to his feet and dropped to his knees, pressing his forehead against the floor in fear.
"Young master, it was all my fault! Please punish me!"
As he spoke, Carrow raised his wand high above his head, still bowing low to the ground.
Wentworth was taken aback by the intensity of Carrow's reaction. He looked toward Rosier, only to find no hint of surprise on her face.
At that moment, Wentworth realized he had glimpsed another side of the Alliance.
The fluidity of Carrow's submission, Rosier's unperturbed demeanor—everything pointed to one simple truth: this had happened countless times before.
In essence, it was an unspoken rule: Admit your mistakes, and take your punishment with dignity.
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