When Andre and Moody read through the documents, they couldn't hide their excitement. It felt like striking gold.
"With this information, we'll have a lot more confidence against the other side's Silver Wand," Andre said, rubbing the documents with a grim expression.
The papers contained astonishing details: not only a list of personnel in various civilian organizations but also many wizards who had been recruited by the club, either willingly or unwillingly, including several high-ranking officials.
"And now, our focus has to be on the warehouse base," Alex instructed Moody.
"Moody, you need to speed things up."
Turning back to Andre, he added, "And you have to make arrangements as soon as possible."
People are responsible for responding and gathering information on those individuals listed in the file, but they shouldn't start any surveillance yet to avoid alarming them prematurely.
"Alright, I'll warn those wizards when I get back," Moody said with a sneer.
"I don't believe those two boys can stay so calm when they're facing death."
He had held back during the last battle because he wanted to end things outside, which frustrated him.
Now, he planned to deal with the prisoners once he returned to the warehouse camp.
Andre immediately agreed and shouted fiercely, "Don't worry, I'll make sure none of these people on the list slip away. Collaborating with outsiders to cause trouble in our own country is just unacceptable!"
Andre, who was always jealous, especially despised anyone working with criminal groups.
While the common wizard folk in the breeding park could be easily manipulated, the officials and businessmen were far more complicated.
"No, Andre!" Alex anticipated his thoughts and quickly shook his head.
"I told you to gather information on these people, not to arrest them all right away. We need to keep them under control so we can use them later."
"What? You want to keep these bastards after we clear Pete's faction out of the club?" Andre's eyes widened in disbelief.
"Look at the names in this file, they're famous businessmen, directors or employees of the Ministry of Magic, even members of the Wizengamot. These are big players; holding onto them is too risky!"
Alex replied patiently, "If we try to eliminate all of them at once, it could do more harm than good. Most of the people on this list were recruited by the club through bribes or threats, and many are key figures in the German magical community.
If we go after them all, do you think we can just throw them in jail or kick them out of the Ministry? Remember, once we remove Pete and clear his faction from the Ministry, there will already be a significant shortage of staff.
If we attack these people too, how many workers will be left to keep the Ministry running?"
"Are you really sure you can gather enough people in such a short time?" Andre asked, frowning as he considered the situation.
After hearing the other person's explanation, he realized the point was valid but still felt reluctant.
"So, you want me to just let these guys off easily? They're a bunch of ungrateful scoundrels who can't be trusted at all!"
"I never said to forgive them that easily," he said with a sly grin.
"Sure, these people can't be trusted with important responsibilities, but they hold real power in the Ministry of Magic. If they suddenly disappear, things will fall apart."
"What I'm suggesting is this: use the leverage you have to force them into submission first. Make them fully answer to you, but on the condition that the past is left behind and the Ministry keeps running smoothly. Once the German magical community is stable again and you've brought in enough capable replacements, the power will be in your hands. Then, you can deal with them properly."
"And it's politics, after all, the art of compromise. But it's not about giving up completely."
Alex, usually straightforward but not naive, nodded slowly.
He understood that this approach was probably the best for both himself and the stability of the German magical world.
"Yeah... what you're saying makes sense," he sighed, feeling a bit helpless.
"The damage caused by the silver wand over the last decade is deep-rooted. Half of those people are Pete's followers. I wanted to cut through all the mess quickly, but now I see that won't work. Maybe I'm not the right person to be Minister of Magic."
"You're not the problem, the silver wand is," Moody snapped, anger flashing in his eyes as he heard his old friend's doubts.
"That club has done too much damage. People like you have to step up. Otherwise, how can you expect to hand over the Ministry to anyone else and feel at peace?"
"You're the only one running the Ministry of Magic for the whole country. Your job is to lead, to strengthen the faith of those under you, and to restore confidence in the German magical community."
"If you're really finding it tough, don't hesitate to ask others for help. Honestly, I'm sure Alex and Minister Bagnold will be more than willing to assist you!" Moody said.
After his stern words, Alex seemed to snap out of it, focusing more intently.
Then Andre turned to Alex, who had been working hard to support him, and said, "Alex, if... I mean, if in the future the club's influence is cleared out of Germany, would you be willing to come and help me?"
"You know, I've always believed that without your advice, we wouldn't have achieved so much so quickly. Have you ever thought about joining the German Ministry of Magic?" Andre added carefully, almost as if worried about how Alex might react.
"I know you're also involved with the development of Wilson's Arcane Alchemica, so I wouldn't want to hold you back too much. I just hope you could stay in Germany for a while to help the Ministry through this tough time. You could even take any position you want, like director of the Department of Law Enforcement."
At this, Moody immediately frowned.
"Hey, hey, hey! How can you be talking about recruiting our British people right in front of me? That's not right!"
Andre smiled gently, his tone softening.
"I'm just eager to help, that's all."
He even gave a rare, friendly grin to both Moody and Alex.
Alex smiled back but said, "Director Andre, I don't think it's the right time to think about these things yet. Aren't you looking too far ahead?"
Andre laughed warmly.
"Since I met you, anything you've arranged has gone smoothly. I'm not just confident, I have absolute faith in you!"