Eisenberg gave a slow, sly grin. "Exactly. And not just compensation, I want to flip this into a real opportunity. I'm planning to formally offer him the post of Minister of Magic for East Germany."
Matthias's eyes widened in disbelief. "Wait, so the minister post we dangled in front of Andre... that was just bait?
Culler's the one you actually want to bring in? But didn't we have that huge fallout with him before? Wouldn't he refuse outright?"
Eisenberg cut her off with a smirk. "He's not a child, Matthias. When I called him naive earlier, I wasn't being literal. The man's got a temper, sure, but he's been in politics long enough to know when to seize a chance."
Eisenberg gave her a pointed look. "You really think he'd turn down the offer if we came to some quiet agreement?
That he'd keep holding onto old grudges, throw away everything he's worked for just to spite us? Come on."
He leaned back, his expression thoughtful. "Culler may have a sharp tongue, but he's still a realist.
And compared to some people I know, he's actually reasonable. People like Alex? That boy's young, but he's already got a heart as dirty as the rest of us."
Matthias shifted uncomfortably, looking away for a moment. Then he turned back, a troubled frown on his face.
"Still... what about Andre? That guy's a pain to deal with. If he loses patience, we might be looking at a real fight."
Then a reckless thought crossed his mind. "Maybe we should stop waiting and just act first…"
His hand moved toward his neck as if mimicking a clean strike, but before he could say more, he slapped herself across the face, hard. "Ugh, what am I even thinking?"
Eisenberg stared at him, deadpan. "Are you serious right now? Do you have any idea how much of a disaster it would be to assassinate a Ministry department head?
Do you really think we could take out a senior Auror and keep it quiet? One slip, and everything blows up in our faces."
Matthias sighed. "I know it's crazy. I just, ugh. That Thunderbird who did my promotion review the other day... he's insanely powerful. If he actually stepped in..."
"If it were up to him," Eisenberg cut in sharply, "Andre would be dead in seconds. But Thunderbird would probably turn half of Berlin into a crater in the process.
Is that what you want? Open war between Aurors? We'd never recover from the fallout."
"Is that guy really that over the top? If so, why do you still let him handle British affairs?" Matthias asked, clearly baffled after hearing Eisenberg's description.
Eisenberg smirked and leaned back. "Have you ever dealt with him personally? If you end up liking him after he beats you half to death, I can arrange for you to work with him."
Matthias instantly shivered at the thought and shook his head quickly. "No thanks," he muttered, clearly disturbed by the idea.
"As for why he's still in charge of British affairs, it's simple, he's the best man for the job. Sure, his personality is... intense, but the guy's a battlefield veteran with real experience.
His military ability is top notch, and he's been handling delicate matters for years," Eisenberg said, his tone serious now. "He's one of the club's founding fighters. More than half of our bases in Europe and America were secured by the Thunderbirds under his lead.
When we need to set up a new branch, he's always the first name on the list. Honestly, I don't think the British branch collapsed because he got lazy or anything."
It was clear Eisenberg had a lot of respect for his old comrade, Thunderbird, and wasn't going to let anyone casually question the man's contributions.
After a bit more small talk with Matthias, Eisenberg returned to the stack of documents on his desk, and the conversation drifted back to business.
Meanwhile, Alex had already made his way through the halls of the German Ministry of Magic and arrived at the Department of Legal Enforcement. He was here to meet its director, someone known for being at odds with Eisenberg.
Alex figured it was time to get a good read on the man. Maybe, if things went well, this guy could even become an ally.
"You're Alex Wilson? Head of the Wilson's Arcane Alchemica Company?" a gravelly voice said as he entered the office.
The speaker was a broad-shouldered, middle-aged wizard with a messy formal suit and a tough look about him. His salt-and-pepper hair and fleshy face made him seem stern, like someone who didn't suffer fools gladly. This was Director Andre.
"Take a seat," Andre said bluntly, giving Alex a hard stare.
Alex showed no hint of nervousness. Compared to Mad-Eye Moody, Andre's intimidating face almost looked friendly. He took off his top hat and sat down gracefully. "Thank you, Director Andre. It's an honor to meet you."
"Oh, really?" Andre let out a dry laugh. "Funny how you came straight to the Minister when you got here."
"I didn't really have a choice," Alex replied smoothly. "Minister Eisenberg sent me an invitation first. If yours had arrived sooner, I would've visited you first, no doubt."
It was a quick excuse, but a convincing one. Andre raised an eyebrow, clearly not buying it entirely.
"You're pretty slippery for someone so young," he muttered, his voice taking on a colder edge. Then he leaned forward, dropping the formality.
"No need to beat around the bush. I know exactly why you came to Germany."
Alex didn't flinch. "Do you?" he asked calmly. "As far as I know, my purpose here is well known, I'm just expanding the company's reach."
Andre gave him a blank look, not amused by the deflection. "You're not the type to play dumb like Amelia Bones. You're young, but you don't act like it."
He jabbed a finger in Alex's direction. "So let me be clear, I called in the
Sir Merlin Bloc to help investigate the Silver Wand Club.
But I didn't expect them to send someone like you. You're younger than I imagined, and frankly, I wasn't sure if I could trust you.
That's why I didn't meet you right away. I used Eisenberg's invitation as a way to see you for myself."
Alex blinked, a bit surprised. So Andre had been working with the Sir Merlin Bloc all along. That meant he was on Alex's side.
It made sense now, before leaving, Scamander had told him someone in Germany would help out, but hadn't said who. Apparently, that mystery contact was Andre.