Arthur’s expression darkened slightly. “You mean the werewolf Fenrir?” He leaned back in his chair, his usual joviality giving way to a more serious demeanor. “That one’s an old menace to the Department of Magical Law Enforcement. For years, he’s been sneaking into wizarding communities, targeting children to turn them into werewolves. It’s how he’s built his little pack.”
Arthur shuddered at the thought. As a father who adored his children, the idea of someone preying on the young hit him deeply. “Terrifying, really. Makes me sick just thinking about it.”
“I heard what happened in the Forbidden Forest,” Arthur continued, glancing at Alex curiously. “Professor Kettleburn mentioned that you and Hagrid helped drive Fenrir away?”
“Something like that,” Alex said with a casual shrug. “It wasn’t exactly a grand adventure, but we managed.”
Arthur chuckled, rubbing his round belly. “Moody said he wouldn’t believe it for a second. He’s convinced that after dealing with those werewolves, you shoved all the trouble onto poor Kettleburn.”
Alex smirked, knowing Moody’s sharp instincts were spot on. His handling of the situation had been less than meticulous, so it was no surprise that Moody had seen through it. “Still,” Arthur continued, “Moody said your approach might have been for the best. That Fenrir is no ordinary menace. His werewolf pack has caused havoc across Europe. They’re notorious for taking revenge quietly and brutally.”
Arthur’s tone grew more serious as he leaned back in his chair. “The latest news from the Department of Magical Law Enforcement places Fenrir in France shortly after his escape from the Forbidden Forest. That intel is a bit dated now—you probably heard about it already.”
Alex nodded. He had been keeping tabs on Fenrir’s movements through contacts in the Ministry, including Moody, Vanessa, and Arthur. But his recent focus on research had left him out of the loop.
Arthur rubbed his chin thoughtfully. “He’s been hard to pin down. A few months after France, he popped up in Romania, linked to some fire dragon smuggling cases. The guy hasn’t abandoned his old smuggling ways, it seems.”
“Recently, I poked around in the Department for the Regulation and Control of Magical Creatures,” Arthur added. “A black market informant reported seeing him in Norway about a month ago. That’s the last confirmed sighting we’ve got.” Arthur sighed, shaking his head. “The problem is his range of activity. He’s all over Europe—too unpredictable. No one knows where he’ll show up next.”
Alex exhaled deeply. “It’s clear Fenrir is more dangerous than I initially thought. I should’ve finished the job in the Forbidden Forest, but tracking him down now seems impossible. At least he won’t be coming for revenge anytime soon.”
Arthur gave him a reassuring smile. “You’ve done more than most would, Alex. Fenrir’s a slippery one, but he’s bound to slip up eventually.”
After a moment of silence, Alex changed the topics. “By the way, Arthur, any leads on the Silver Wand? You mentioned looking into it before.”
Arthur set down his teacup, his expression turning grim. “Ah, yes. The Silver Wand. Quite the shadowy organization.” He adjusted his posture, leaning forward slightly. “This Silver Wand isn’t the same as the old Silver Wand Dueling Club from history. The only connection seems to be their leadership—rumored to be survivors or descendants of the original club. They’re an underground group operating across the European continent,” Arthur explained. “Their primary business is smuggling—alchemy ingredients, potion materials, magical creatures, even the slave trade involving intelligent beings.”
Alex’s brow furrowed at the mention of slave trading. “How long have they been active?”
“About a decade,” Arthur said. “Their operations are meticulously organized. No one knows who’s in charge, and they don’t personally handle the smuggling. Instead, they act as brokers, connecting smugglers with buyers and guaranteeing transactions.”
Arthur’s voice dropped as he continued, “The French Ministry of Magic once raided a black market allegedly tied to the Silver Wand. They captured the market boss, but even he didn’t know much. He said the Silver Wand supplied the market with leads on suppliers and buyers, but beyond that? Nothing.”
“They operate through a network of black markets,” Arthur added. “Any black market that reaches a certain scale can contact the Silver Wand for trading authorization. Once approved, they can use the Silver Wand’s network to facilitate deals. In return, they pay a cut of their profits.”
“And no one knows who runs it?” Alex asked, intrigued.
Arthur shook his head. “Not a clue. The organization ensures there’s no direct contact with their leadership. Everything is handled through intermediaries, and the smuggling markets operate independently.”
Alex frowned. “Why haven’t we seen them here in England?”
“They’ve focused mainly on the European mainland,” Arthur explained. “The British wizarding world has been relatively untouched so far. Maybe they’re avoiding the Ministry here—or waiting for the right time to expand.”
As Arthur explained the structure and operations of the Silver Wand, Alex’s interest grew. The werewolf wizard Fenrir’s detailed list of smuggled goods now made more sense. It was clear Fenrir had at least a cooperative relationship with the organization, if not something deeper. “They’ve structured themselves like a magical version of an e-commerce platform,” Alex mused. “They handle the channels but not the products, which keeps them insulated. No wonder they’ve avoided getting caught for so long.”
Arthur nodded. “They’ve essentially built a brand, much like those beer advertisements in Muggle pubs. Any smuggler with enough reach can slap the Silver Wand name on their operation, but there’s no direct link to the central leadership. It’s clever—build recognition while maintaining anonymity.”
Curious, Alex asked, “Hasn’t the European Ministry of Magic tried to crack down on them? With all the spells and tools available, surely they’ve managed to gather some clues.”
Arthur sighed, leaning back in his chair. “You’d think so, but the truth is, the Ministries abroad aren’t as stable or organized as ours. Some are downright chaotic.”
“How so?” Alex asked, intrigued.
“Well, take the German Ministry of Magic as an example,” Arthur began, leaning in slightly. “Do you know much about them?”
Alex frowned. “Not really.”
Arthur gestured animatedly, mimicking the act of dividing something in two. “The German Ministry’s problems stem from the Muggle world. You see, for decades, their country was divided—split down the middle by a wall. Imagine a single nation functioning as two separate countries.”
Alex immediately connected the dots. ‘The Berlin Wall. The division of Germany into East and West. Could something so profoundly Muggle affect the wizarding world too?’
Arthur nodded as if reading Alex’s thoughts. “Even in the magical community, many wizards are either Muggle-born or have Muggle relatives. In Germany, that division trickled down to their Ministry of Magic, creating internal conflicts and making their structure far looser than in other countries.”
“And that affects how they manage the wizarding community?”