Alex chuckled. "You noticed it too?" He smirked. "Honestly, her psychological endurance is pretty weak. I'm shocked Silver Wand even recruited someone like her. Is it because she can move through the Ministry without suspicion? Or is there another reason?"
Fang huffed. "So what's your plan? Just keep watching her?" The creature knew Alex well enough to tell that he wasn't going to let this go. "You could just deal with her now," Fang continued, narrowing his eyes. "She stole from you, and she's tied to an enemy organization. Just capture her, use Legilimency or Veritaserum, and extract what you need."
Alex tapped his fingers idly on the counter. "Tempting," he admitted. "But too soon." Fang flicked his tail, waiting for a better explanation. Alex leaned forward slightly, resting his chin on his hand. "There's no point interrogating her," he mused. "She's not a decision-maker. She's a foot soldier, maybe a little more than that, but not by much. If I take her out now, all I get is surface-level information. And worse, I alert Silver Wand that I'm onto them." His gaze darkened slightly. "We don't know how many of them there are. Until we do, it's better to stay hidden and gather information. Escalating this too soon could make things unpredictable."
Fang nodded in understanding but still raised another concern. "But what if they move without her? She doesn't seem that bright. Maybe she's just a small player in all this."
Alex hummed in agreement. "That's a possibility. I didn't get much from watching her before, but now that they've stolen those jammers, things are different." His lips curled into a smirk. "This wasn't just curiosity, they needed those devices for something. And the moment they use them, I'll be there to catch them."
"I see." Fang scratched his neck with his hind paw, then tilted his head thoughtfully. "But I noticed something else, she looked like she wanted to say something to you back there. Did you notice that?"
Alex raised an eyebrow. "You caught that too?" Even he had found Azalea's behavior a bit odd. "That's what I don't quite understand," Alex admitted. "Logically, she should be prioritizing her organization's interests. But I felt… something else from her. It wasn't just nerves. Maybe her connection to Silver Wand is more complicated than we realize." He exhaled slowly. "That's another reason why I didn't move against her right away. If there's more to her than just loyalty to them, she might be a way in, a weak link in their chain."
Fang's expression darkened. "And once we do uncover them? Are we going to wipe them out?" His voice carried an edge of uncharacteristic seriousness. "Smugglers like them are never up to anything good… and if they're connected to that werewolf, then they need to be dealt with."
At the mention of him, Alex's expression turned cold. "Of course, we'll clean them up," he said flatly. "I won't have people with ulterior motives scheming under my nose." His eyes flickered with something sharp. "But no matter what, I always go for the best possible outcome. And ideally, I'd rather let the Ministry deal with them while I stay in the shadows. If I can orchestrate their downfall without revealing myself, all the better." He glanced at Fang meaningfully. "As for the one you look for..." Alex's fingers curled slightly. "He's too good at running. I still don't know where he's hiding. But if Silver Wand can lead me to him, then all the better."
Fang's ears flattened slightly, his usual laid-back demeanor vanishing. "Understood, master." His sharp teeth gleamed as he bared them. "I'll alternate surveillance shifts with Wimzy. I will have my revenge."
Alex nodded, satisfied. At that moment, another customer walked in, and the shift in atmosphere was instantaneous. Alex's expression transformed into that of a friendly shopkeeper, and Fang instantly resumed his usual playful, dog-like demeanor. True professionals at work.
Over the following days, Alex continued to balance his time between Hogwarts and his shop. Once or twice a week, he returned to the castle to ensure the school was running smoothly. But for the most part, he remained in Diagon Alley, either handling business, monitoring Azalea, or researching new products. With Christmas fast approaching, the shop was decked out in festive decorations. Several new products had been launched, each catering to the holiday rush. And business was booming. His alchemy-crafted goods had quickly become a favorite among wizarding shoppers, to the point that his store was now the go-to place for Christmas gifts.
The store's sudden popularity even caught the attention of The Daily Prophet, Quibbler, and the Wizarding Wireless Network. Though Alex declined interviews, he used the opportunity to buy advertisements, triggering an even greater shopping frenzy.
The best-selling items? Decorative lamps and phonographs.
Many customers were stunned by the affordability of the products, believing them to be ridiculously cheap given their quality. Of course, that was no accident. Alex had designed it that way. By utilizing the anchor effect, he had set up a pricing illusion.
Like a Muggle café that lists one absurdly expensive drink just to make the rest look reasonable, he displayed outrageously priced luxury items in the store window, exquisite jewelry, humanoid targets for training, and other premium goods. The moment customers stepped inside and saw the real products, they subconsciously felt they were getting an amazing deal.
An enchanted phonograph for only a few Galleons?
A self-adjusting enchanted lamp at an unbelievable price?
What a steal!
That mentality drove sales through the roof. Every day, the shop was making hundreds of Galleons. And Alex? He was more than happy to let it continue. After all, every phonograph or lamp sold was another way to keep customers coming back. They would need new records. They would need to replenish the energy storage in their enchanted lamps.
And where would they go to do that?
Right back to him. A self-sustaining cycle of business.
However, while the shop flourished, Alex never let his surveillance on Azalea slip. Alex frowned. This wasn't what he had expected. The jammers were still in Azalea's home.For over ten days, their positions hadn't changed. Not even once. That in itself was strange. Azalea had stolen them, yes, but she hadn't passed them off to anyone else. Alex had assumed that, given her role within the Ministry, she was merely a middleman. During the last smuggling operation, the operatives had never even made contact with her directly.
Logically, the stolen equipment should have been transferred to field agents by now. And yet… nothing. No movement. No signs of a handoff. Azalea herself had maintained a completely regular schedule, as if she had nothing to do with any of this. Alex was starting to wonder, was she acting alone? 'Unlikely.' She wasn't smart enough to orchestrate this herself. That much was obvious. But then something else unexpected happened. It wasn't the jammers that moved first, it was a pair of Magical leather boots.