Claremont raised an eyebrow and replied, "You mean groups like the 'Berlin United Front'? Honestly, I think they're just wizards messing around.
They barely have ten members, and most of them are East-West couples. It doesn't seem like anything serious."
But Silver Wand shook his head. "That's not the case. According to our reports, these groups are more organized than they look."
Claremont's expression turned curious. "Oh? You mean they've got someone backing them from behind the scenes?"
Silver Wand nodded grimly. "That's what it looks like. At first, they were just fooling around, but they've grown fast.
The 'Berlin United Front' already has over fifty members. And now they're spending money, real money, to promote themselves.
I've seen their ads in major wizarding newspapers and magazines. Just two days ago, someone handed out flyers and gave speeches at two different wizarding communities at the same time.
That's not something amateurs pull off. This is coordinated."
Claremont's brows furrowed. "You think our recent moves might've stirred up too much noise? Someone's noticed and decided to push back?"
"That's what I'm starting to believe," Silver Wand replied, his voice low and cold.
Claremont rubbed his chin. "Could it be Andre? He's always been against dividing Germany. Maybe this is his doing."
Silver Wand let out a humorless chuckle. "Him? No. Andre's too blunt for this kind of thing. He doesn't have the brains, or the patience, for a slow play."
Claremont nodded slowly, thinking it over. "Then whoever's behind this came prepared. And they're moving fast."
"Exactly. And we need to put a stop to it before it gets out of hand," Silver Wand said, his tone turning sharp with purpose.
Claremont could already guess what was coming. "What do you want me to do, Master?"
"Next time they organize a public event, I'll give you the details in advance," Silver Wand said. "Have The West Reich Initiative Society go in and disrupt it.
Stir up some trouble, yell, argue, throw in a few spells if you need to, but keep it contained. And no killing.
We don't need a body count. Just enough chaos to rattle them."
Claremont nodded, already thinking through the logistics. He knew this wouldn't be the last time he'd be asked to play the role of a disruptive force in someone else's plan.
"In short, scare the new members enough that they back off. We want to weaken those groups and, ideally, drive them entirely to one side, either East or West Germany," Silver Wand said, his voice turning cold and sharp.
Claremont nodded, fully grasping the strategy. "Understood. It's not all that different from what we did before, except back then we used others to do the fighting. This time, we're going straight for the source."
"Exactly. The situation's similar, but this time we need tighter control. Keep things moving at a manageable pace.
If possible, flush out the people pulling strings behind the scenes. You should be the one running the operation from start to finish, we can't afford for things to spiral," Silver Wand warned, even though Claremont had handled plenty of similar tasks before.
"Yes, Master," Claremont replied with a respectful nod.
Then, after a brief hesitation, he added with a hint of awkwardness, "By the way, sir, the funds for The West Reich Initiative Society are almost dried up. You know how people are, nothing gets done without a few Galleons crossing palms."
Silver Wand's expression darkened, and he lowered his voice. "I get it. I'll make sure the funds are topped up next time."
The truth was, despite all the progress the club had made over the past couple of years, their reliance on black market revenue had seriously drained their coffers. The situation was starting to wear on him.
"Thank you, Master," Claremont replied, visibly relieved. The funds were strictly accounted for, and there was never any overlap between allocations, every Knut had to go exactly where it was meant to.
"Also," Silver Wand added, folding his hands behind his back as he turned to pace slightly, "starting now, we'll need to regularly transport magical creatures out of Breding zone No. 7 every month. Go over the records, and mark down which ones are unpaired or too old to breed."
Claremont raised an eyebrow, surprised. "Oh? I thought we agreed none of the park's creatures would end up in the black market. Has someone made a large offer?"
Silver Wand stopped pacing and gave him a sharp look. "Don't ask too many questions. They're not going to the black market.
Special personnel will come collect them. The first pickup's in about two weeks. Just follow instructions."
Claremont bowed slightly, recognizing the warning in his tone. "Yes, Master. I overstepped."
Silver Wand let the comment pass. "Anything else you need? If not, I'll be on my way."
Claremont tilted his head slightly, as if trying to remember something, then suddenly snapped his fingers. "Ah, yes. When I was dealing with that young man, Alex, he asked me to pass along a greeting. He said he wanted to meet you in person."
Silver Wand raised an eyebrow behind the mask, genuinely caught off guard. "Meet me? Did he say why? Is something wrong?"
Claremont shrugged. "No, nothing urgent. It was just a polite greeting.
But he did mention wanting to open a branch of Wilson Alchemica Commercial Bank here in Germany. Lucky thing you hadn't met with him yet, otherwise, I might not have been able to close the deal smoothly."
"I see," Silver Wand muttered, his tone unreadable. "This young British businessman really doesn't lack ambition."
A faint scoff followed. "I'm aware of his plans. You can tell him I'll arrange a meeting soon."
"Understood, Master," Claremont said with a final bow. "I'll make sure nothing here distracts you further."
"Good. And don't forget what I told you," the man said with a small nod before turning back toward the black mirror. With a flick of his sleeve, his figure began to shrink, just as it had when he first appeared, growing smaller and smaller until it vanished completely from view.
As soon as Silver Wand disappeared, Claremont let out a long, quiet sigh of relief. "It's not much, but at least the 3,000 Galleon shortfall is covered," he muttered to himself.
"As for the remaining 2,000… we might be able to handle it if we plan carefully." He paused, frowning.
"Still, it's a bit of a shame that the deal you landed didn't come with more perks." His voice held a hint of frustration, though it was clear he didn't blame anyone in particular, just the circumstances.