Annie said she would go back to prepare, and this preparation would take another half a month.
More than half a month had passed, yet Anne seemed to have forgotten about the matter entirely and never mentioned it again.
What made Tom uneasy was that even Robert didn't bring it up.
He had no idea what that guy was planning...
To be precise, he had no idea what Grindelwald and Levitra were planning! Even when the time seemed right, they still hadn't taken any action.
As for the other one—after hearing Annie say to wait for further notice, he actually obeyed and waited.
Tom felt his brain wasn't working fast enough to keep up...
Although Hogwarts had been quiet, the Magical Congress of the United States had seen major progress.
After an extensive investigation, Dumbledore finally led Aurors from various Ministries of Magic to a stronghold of the Witch Party. They managed to capture several Wukhovna members and also rescued seven or eight missing hostages.
Luckily, aside from suffering some malnutrition, none of the captives were in life-threatening condition.
With tangible progress finally made, everyone at the Magical Congress of the United States breathed a sigh of relief.
The captured Witch Party members were locked up, subjected to all kinds of interrogation methods, including Veritaserum.
This led the Aurors to uncover several more strongholds.
However, despite successfully rescuing more hostages from these locations, they failed to capture any new members of the Witch Party.
At the last stronghold they raided, Chairman Picquery surveyed the devastation and didn't look pleased.
"Chairman Picquery, we've rescued most of the hostages. Why do you still look so troubled?" Tolliver asked, confused.
"Tolliver... Are you certain we truly rescued them?" Picquery asked with a serious expression.
"Of course! These Witch Party members were even trained to resist the effects of Veritaserum! We had a hard time prying the information out of them before finding these strongholds," Tolliver explained.
"Yes... Information obtained through great difficulty... must have some truth to it..." Picquery muttered to herself.
"Chairman Picquery, I think you should be relieved. With Professor Dumbledore's help, we'll soon see the light at the end of the tunnel! Besides, with these people returning, the Magical Congress will be able to function normally again—"
"No!" Picquery interrupted. "They... need to rest. After interrogating them as usual, let them go home for a while."
"But... Many departments in the Magical Congress have been paralyzed for too long. Now that they've returned, shouldn't they—"
"This is my decision, Tolliver. Just relay the message."
"Yes... Chairman Picquery..."
"Remember, once the interrogation is over, send me the transcripts."
"Understood."
"Where is Professor Dumbledore?" Picquery asked.
"He is tracking down the escaped Witch Party members. I believe we'll have news soon—"
Before Tolliver could finish, Picquery noticed Dumbledore Apparating nearby.
She motioned for Tolliver to get back to work before approaching Dumbledore herself.
"Albus, what's the situation?" Picquery asked.
"Seraphina... The situation isn't optimistic." Dumbledore frowned. "I believe they were prepared to escape before we even arrived."
"Could it be that they received word when we captured the first stronghold?"
Dumbledore shook his head. "If you were in their place and knew your location had been compromised, what would be the first thing you'd do?"
"Naturally, I'd relocate my people immediately," Picquery replied.
"Yes... But they didn't. They only prepared... for escape. Then they waited for us to arrive. After a token resistance, they abandoned the hostages and evacuated."
"I also feel something is off..." Picquery admitted. "However, even you failed to capture the ones who escaped. That shows just how prepared they were..."
Dumbledore glanced at the hostages reuniting with their families. "How do you plan to handle them?"
"I told them to go home for a break... because I simply can't trust them, Albus!" Picquery whispered.
"I'm relieved they're all safe... But because of that, and because Grindelwald deliberately left them in our hands, I can't determine whether they've already turned against us—or if they were originally part of the Witch Party!"
"...I can't interrogate them with Veritaserum, not after they've just been rescued. If I do that, how will the public see me? How much despair would that cause for the truly innocent ones?"
"Besides... These people are too resilient. Even Veritaserum doesn't work on them 100%. I don't know what to do..."
Dumbledore nodded. "Let me talk to them. One by one."
"You can tell the difference?" Picquery asked, surprised.
"Though it might sound arrogant, I don't need Veritaserum to know if someone is lying," Dumbledore said with a small smile.
"But..."
"Don't worry. I'll keep it discreet... However, it might take some time."
That Morning at Hogwarts – The Great Hall
At the breakfast table, Tom put down The Daily Prophet and looked at Robert with a mix of surprise and suspicion.
He whispered, "Things are unfolding just like you said... Last night, Dumbledore really did help the Magical Congress rescue a bunch of hostages—so easily that the only explanation is that Grindelwald let them go on purpose."
Robert smirked. "And Dumbledore is planning to question them himself, right?"
Tom glanced at the newspaper again. "Yeah... According to this, Dumbledore wants to interrogate them personally to find more clues and capture Grindelwald. Based on your theory, he's trying to weed out the Witch Party members hiding among them?"
"Exactly," Robert said. "Tom, are you ready? If I'm not mistaken, tonight is when Grindelwald will make his move at Hogwarts."
"How do you know that?" Tom asked in surprise.
"Because this type of questioning has to be swift and discreet. If it drags on, people will start suspecting it's actually an interrogation—which the Magical Congress desperately wants to avoid. That means Dumbledore will be busy and completely focused for the next two days, leaving Hogwarts unguarded."
Just as Robert finished speaking, Annie hurried over and whispered, "Meet in the common room at nine tonight!"
Tom looked at Robert in shock. Annie's message confirmed that Grindelwald was indeed planning to act tonight.
Robert had guessed correctly again!
Annie left in a hurry, unaware of Tom's expression.
"Tom... Are you ready?" Robert asked.
"I've prepared everything as you said!" Tom replied.
"Good..."
"Does that mean that with all these preparations, Grindelwald won't be able to kill us?" Tom asked hopefully.
"No... If he really wants to kill us, we can't stop him."
Tom, who had just felt relieved, suddenly paled. "Then what's the point of all this preparation?"
"It's useful... It allows us to die with dignity."
"You... You... I want out!"
"It's too late to back out now, Tom."
"It's not! I just won't go tonight!"
"You have to go, Tom."
"Why?!"
"Because if I'm going to die, I can't let you live."
"I... What grudge do you have against me?!"
"This is for the future of the world..."
"Am I some kind of cursed menace?!"
"Tom, don't you have any self-awareness?"
…
8:40 PM – The Common Room
Robert and Tom sat by the window, waiting quietly.
Tom's face was pale—he was completely resigned to his fate.
"Here, drink this," Robert handed him a small bottle.
Tom's eyes lit up. "Felix Felicis?"
"Yes... What better time to use it?"
Robert took out another bottle, poured two drops into his mouth.
Tom followed suit.
Maybe these two drops would save his life tonight!
Robert laughed at Tom's sudden confidence.
"Tom... The enemy is about to attack. Let's make some tea first."
Robert wiped his hand over the table, and a teapot and two cups appeared.
"I don't want any!" Tom snapped.
"Well... I'm drinking. Might be my last cup."
"Damn you, Robert!" Tom grabbed his cup, gulped it down, and immediately rolled his eyes—it was too hot.
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