"Time really flies; it's been another year since we last met. Molly often brings you up, and so do the children, especially Percy. He really looks up to you and hopes to become a famous hero at the Ministry of Magic someday." Inside the living room at the Burrow, Arthur surreptitiously hid the bottle of whiskey Alan had given him, then poured tea while maintaining a casual front.
"Yes, it's been a while, and I've missed you all too." Alan knew Arthur was putting on a performance after doing something he felt slightly guilty about, so he played along with a few polite remarks.
Alan took a sip of the vanilla tea; the taste was excellent. Then he looked up and asked, "By the way, Arthur, what ever happened with the matter I asked you about last time? Moody is always so busy that I rarely receive his replies."
"You're asking about Fenrir, the werewolf wizard, aren't you? That fellow is an old acquaintance in the Department of Magical Law Enforcement. In his early years, he frequently infiltrated wizarding communities, specifically targeting children, intending to bite and infect them to forcibly increase the werewolf population."
Arthur shuddered uncomfortably at the thought of the terrorist. He was fiercely protective of children, and the mere existence of such a person made him feel ill.
"I heard about what happened in the Forbidden Forest as well. Professor Kettleburn mentioned he was the one who discovered the werewolf, and then he took you and Hagrid to drive him away?" Arthur asked, looking at Alan with a curious expression.
"Something like that," Alan shrugged, answering vaguely.
"Haha, Moody said he wouldn't believe that even if he died. He said you must have dealt with those werewolves yourself and then, finding the paperwork troublesome, pushed the old Professor out to take the credit." Arthur chuckled, stroking his stomach.
*It seems Moody understands me well.* Alan knew the elite Hit Wizard was incredibly perceptive. His handling of the situation had been a bit blunt, so it wasn't surprising that he had been seen through.
"However, Moody also said your handling was actually for the best. That Fenrir is no simple character; the werewolf community he established has caused a lot of trouble throughout the European wizarding world. It's better to keep a low profile to prevent him from retaliating in the shadows."
"As for his current whereabouts, the Department of Magical Law Enforcement recently received intelligence that a week after he escaped the Forbidden Forest, the French Ministry of Magic sent information indicating his activity was detected within France."
"This proves he likely fled abroad as soon as his position was exposed. This is old news; you should already know this part," Arthur recalled as he recounted the timeline.
Alan nodded. He had been tracking the werewolf wizard's movements, but it was inconvenient to investigate personally while at Hogwarts, so he communicated periodically with friends at the Ministry, including Moody, Vanessa, and Arthur. Recently, he had been so engrossed in his research that he hadn't checked for updates.
"Since he was discovered in France, he quickly vanished again. That fellow has a sharp sense of vigilance; as soon as he leaves a trace, he moves. Three months later, he was spotted in Romania and was linked to several dragon smuggling cases. Clearly, he hasn't abandoned his illegal trade."
"Because you've been asking so frequently, I specifically went to the Department for the Regulation and Control of Magical Creatures recently to inquire. It seems he's been active in the Nordic region lately. Last month, a black-market informant reported his traces were found in Norway."
"However, no one knows where he is now. His range of activity is simply too wide; his footprints are spread across the entire continent." Arthur shook his head, looking helplessly at Alan.
"There's nothing to be done. It seems he is even more dangerous than imagined. It's a pity I didn't finish him off last time. However, there's no need to worry about Fenrir retaliating in the short term."
Alan wanted to nip the threat in the bud, but the man's movements were erratic and he was fast, making a quick pursuit unrealistic. He could only keep the target in the back of his mind.
He sighed softly, then thought of something else and looked up at Arthur. "By the way, do you have any clues about that 'Silver Spear' group I asked about?"
"You mean the organization with the same name as the old Silver Spear Dueling Club?" Arthur took a gulp of tea to moisten his throat. "This organization is completely different from that famous club in history."
"According to intelligence provided by Ministries across Europe, the current 'Silver Spear' is an underground organization active on the continent."
"Their only connection to the historical club, it is said, is that their core leadership consists of survivors of the original group. Currently, this organization primarily conducts various smuggling activities within Europe—alchemy and potion ingredients, magical creatures—and it is even rumored to be involved in the slave trade of sentient beings." Arthur leaned closer to Alan and whispered, as if sharing a grave secret.
"Has this organization been active for long? How come I've never heard of them in Britain?" Alan asked.
"They seem to have emerged only in the last decade or so. Their operations are much tighter than you'd imagine. No one knows who the boss is, and they never personally engage in the collection, hunting, or transport of smuggled goods."
"Their business model is unique. Silver Spear helps various smugglers connect with buyers and then acts as a middleman and guarantor for transactions."
"The French Ministry once raided an underground smuggling market that was reportedly a black market set up by Silver Spear. But even the owner who was arrested didn't have any information on the upper levels of the organization."
"According to the files, although that black market was nominally affiliated with Silver Spear, the parent organization would only provide the market with supply and buyer info. The actual transactions were handled locally. A portion of the profits had to be handed back to Silver Spear, but the organization maintained only a one-way connection. The local smugglers had no idea who their superiors were. Markets like theirs are spread across the entire continent."
"It is said that if you open a black market and it reaches a certain scale, you can contact Silver Spear to obtain authorization to use their network for transactions. That's why so many exchanges operate under their name."
"However, they haven't been seen much in the British wizarding world. Perhaps they haven't expanded here yet," Arthur explained. Although it was a lot of information, most of it wasn't particularly actionable.