Chapter 132 "Diffindo"

Cassandra, seized within the room, was forcefully slammed to the ground by her captor.

Her hand instinctively reached for the wand concealed within her robes, but another wand was already pointed at her forehead before she could retrieve it.

As Cassandra regained her composure, she had a moment to take in her surroundings.

Compared to her last visit, there were notably more wizards present in the room this time.

"Cassandra, are you okay?" a concerned voice sounded from behind Cassandra, though it appeared rather feeble.

Quickly turning around, Cassandra was greeted with the sight of her father still bound to a chair, looking disheveled.

"Father!" Cassandra cried out and attempted to rush towards him.

However, before she could stand up, the wand pressing against her forehead prevented her from moving any further.

At that moment, Christine's voice emerged from the side, her words carrying a hint of disdain.

"Cassandra, did you not take our warnings seriously? It seems we've been too lenient with you. Or perhaps you don't care about your father."

Following her words, Christine nodded to a nearby wizard who approached Thomas, raised his wand, and menacingly chanted a spell.

"Diffido!"

Thomas let out a pained scream, trembling uncontrollably.

"No! Please, no!" Cassandra begged desperately.

Cassandra, filled with tears, attempted to lunge at the wizard to halt his spell, but another wizard held her back, rendering her unable to intervene.

Tears streamed down Cassandra's face as she could only watch in anguish as her father suffered.

After what felt like an eternity, the wizard finally ceased, leaving Thomas with his head lowered and his body drenched in sweat.

Christine approached Cassandra, lifted her chin with a cold smile, and spoke icily, "Cassandra, this is the result of your defiance."

With tears still in her eyes, Cassandra shook her head and choked, "I didn't defy you. I truly didn't. I genuinely couldn't find an opportunity."

With a sneer, Christine stared into Cassandra's eyes and retorted, "If it were only a day or two, I might have believed you when you claimed not to have found an opportunity. However, after weeks, if you still assert that you couldn't find an opportunity, are you taking us for fools?"

Cassandra hastily explained, "No, truly, I tried my best. But Wentworth, he's incredibly elusive. Over these past weeks, I scoured every inch of Hogwarts, yet I never once encountered him."

Christine looked at Cassandra silently for a while. Eventually, Christine sneered and declared, "You've deceived us, but we'll uncover the truth for ourselves. If you indeed lied, then this will be your final reunion with your father."

Subsequently, Christine signaled to the wizard who had been keeping his wand pointed at Cassandra. The wizard then approached Cassandra and intently stared into her eyes.

"Legilimency!"

After a while, the wizard withdrew from Cassandra's mind, his expression strange.

He then turned to Christine and appeared perplexed.

Christine inquired, puzzled, "What's wrong? What happened?"

The wizard shook his head, let out a sigh, and admitted, "What this girl said is actually true."

He proceeded to inform Christine that during the Legilimency probe, Cassandra's every visit to Wentworth had coincided with his absence.

Cassandra had indeed combed through Hogwarts, but Wentworth had remained elusive throughout.

Christine's face filled with doubt, and she muttered incredulously, "Impossible. If Wentworth isn't at Hogwarts, where else could he be?"

Then, as if recalling something, Christine murmured in disbelief, "Could it be that our earlier actions alerted Dumbledore's suspicions, and Dumbledore intentionally shielded Wentworth?"

The wizard beside her concurred thoughtfully, "I believe it's highly plausible."

With tear-filled eyes, Cassandra interjected, "I told the truth. I genuinely didn't deceive you. I couldn't find any trace of Wentworth!"

Upon hearing Cassandra's explanation, Christine awkwardly smiled, extended a comforting hand, and assured, "I apologize, Cassandra. We were too quick to blame you. If Dumbledore has taken measures to protect Wentworth, it would indeed be challenging for you to locate him. This isn't your fault."

With tears still glistening in her eyes, Cassandra watched as the wizards took her father away.

At this moment, Christine spoke once more.

"Cassandra, if Wentworth is as heavily guarded by Dumbledore as we suspect, you may not have an opportunity to strike again within Hogwarts."

Cassandra's heart skipped a beat and implored, "Please, give me another chance! If I can't act within Hogwarts, then during class..."

However, Cassandra's words were cut short as Christine waved her hand dismissively, asserting, "No, that would be far too conspicuous, and you wouldn't be able to deceive Dumbledore."

Cassandra looked at Christine in despair and queried, "Then... what about my father?"

With a reassuring smile, Christine patted Cassandra's hand and replied, "Don't worry. Although we can send him back to your manor in London, London is currently in chaos due to the commotion caused by the Alliance. If we were to appear there hastily, the British Ministry of Magic might mistake us for Alliance members. We'd rather not take that risk, so we'd like to stay at your manor for a few days."

Cassandra agreed readily, "Of course, no problem."

Christine continued, "It's nearly Christmas! Would you like to host a Christmas ball during the holidays and invite your classmates, perhaps even Wentworth Grindelwald, as your guest?"

Cassandra's eyes brightened, and she responded enthusiastically, "Yes, that's a wonderful idea! A Christmas ball sounds perfect!"