The moment everyone saw that it was a Hogwarts professor who had shattered the Headmaster's cup, the expressions on the faces around the room turned… complex.
Yet Albus Dumbledore, whose cup had been broken by Professor Snape, did not react with anger. Instead, he immediately lowered his head, carefully inspecting the spilled tea on the floor.
Then, Dumbledore slowly raised his head to look at the young man standing before him, dressed in the uniform of Mahoutokoro. Professor Snape had stepped forward, wand fixed squarely on the youth, and spoke sharply:
"Finite Incantatem!"
The young man did not flinch under the spell. Ever since his arrival, he had kept his head bowed, but now, he slowly lifted it, revealing an entirely different appearance.
Gasps rippled through the hall as the crowd recognized him.
"Juma? Juma Kalembo! What are you doing here?!"
The one who exclaimed was none other than Adisa, Headmistress of Uagadou.
At that moment, Minamoto, seated to the side, went pale, his face turning grim.
Dumbledore, hearing Adisa's voice, became pensive. A shadow of thought passed behind his deep blue eyes.
Juma turned toward Adisa, the corners of his mouth lifting in a faint smile. His voice was calm and measured:
"Headmistress Adisa, it's been a long time. I'm surprised you still remember me."
Snape had by now closed the distance between them. He stared coldly at Juma and asked quietly:
"It was you who tampered with the tea?"
Juma nodded without hesitation.
"Yes. It was me."
Snape turned to look at Dumbledore, but the Hogwarts Headmaster had already shifted his gaze, now studying Minamoto. In a composed tone, he said:
"Headmaster Minamoto, I believe some explanation is in order."
Minamoto's expression tightened. He stammered:
"This… this matter, I… we had no knowledge of it! He must have snuck in on his own! I—"
But before he could finish, Juma cut across him, raising his voice.
"Headmaster Dumbledore, before you demand an explanation from others, shouldn't you offer one of your own?"
"Why is it that the Hogwarts representative in this championship is competing under a false name?"
The room erupted in murmurs. The gathered witches and wizards turned toward Dumbledore in a wave of hushed speculation.
And Juma wasn't finished.
"And why," he continued, "as the Supreme Mugwump of the International Confederation of Wizards, are you accompanying the heir to the Alliance, a group the entire wizarding world recognizes as a dark organization, to a Potions Championship?"
Now the room was in uproar. Disbelief ran through the crowd like a current, though a handful of knowing individuals remained silent.
Dumbledore, ever composed, said nothing for a moment.
Sensing the situation spiraling, Adisa stood abruptly, pointing an accusatory finger at Juma.
"What nonsense are you spouting?! Albus Dumbledore would never do such a thing! And you, as a former student of Uagadou, you dare betray our school like this?! I ought to—"
But Juma simply spread his hands in a mock shrug and interrupted:
"What? Arrest me? Kill me? Do as you please. Or… are you afraid?"
His words struck a nerve. Adisa froze for an instant, then flared up in fury.
"Afraid? Who said I'm afraid?! I—"
She was interrupted again, this time by Dumbledore himself.
His voice was steady and unhurried.
"You said the Hogwarts competitor used a false name?"
Juma sneered.
"Isn't it obvious? Everyone, allow me to tell you the truth—
"The Hogwarts champion's real name is not Wentworth Dumbledore. His real name is Wentworth Grindelwald, the heir to the Grindelwald family and the new leader of the Alliance!"
Adisa turned to Dumbledore, visibly distressed, urgently motioning for him to stop Juma from speaking further, but Dumbledore remained still, unmoved.
Juma finished speaking and turned back to Dumbledore.
"Headmaster Dumbledore, tell me, was I wrong?"
Dumbledore shook his head slowly.
"No," he replied. "You are wrong."
Juma blinked, caught off guard.
"Albus Dumbledore! You're the Supreme Mugwump of the Confederation, the Headmaster of Hogwarts! Do you not even have the courage to admit the truth?"
But Dumbledore was calm, even serene.
"Wentworth did once bear the name Wentworth Grindelwald," he said. "But later, he changed it."
The hall fell into stunned silence.
Even Juma was momentarily speechless.
"Pfft—apologies, I couldn't help myself. Do carry on!"
The tension was broken by the high, clear voice of Shcherbakova, the baby-faced Headmistress of Koldovstoretz, who giggled into the quiet. She then quickly added:
"This matter doesn't concern Koldovstoretz. Please, continue."
It was clear she had no interest in being drawn into the drama.
Juma, red-faced, pointed furiously at Dumbledore, but before he could speak again, Snape cut in coldly:
"Lower your filthy hand."
"Who gave you the right to speak so insolently to the greatest wizard in history? I'd very much like to know, who gave you that kind of courage?"
His voice was deadly quiet, but the weight of it sent a chill through the hall. When Snape's dark eyes swept the crowd, wizards instinctively averted their gaze, not daring to meet his.
And Dumbledore?
Still as composed as ever, he said mildly:
"Though I am Headmaster of Hogwarts, it was Wentworth's decision to take the name Dumbledore, to honor me. How could I possibly stop him?"
Juma trembled with rage, his chest heaving. It took him several moments to gather himself.
Then, with a deep breath, he spoke again, voice low and cold:
"And yet, one of your students, your student, is the leader of the Alliance. As Supreme Mugwump of the Confederation, how can you stand idly by?"
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TN: This fanfic has been fully translated and is available on my Patreon —— patreon(.)com/PrimalDemon [remove the parentheses ( )]