Xenophilius replied, "Just as Hanna said earlier, those Dark Wizards may have already set their plan in motion and begun lobbying those senior Muggle officials."
"That puts us at a disadvantage. If we find those senior Muggle officials and they directly ask you about Vizet's exact situation, how should you answer?"
"It's quite a tricky situation." Professor Lupin shook his head with a wry smile. "I've actually considered this question before, but I don't have an answer for it yet."
"After all, we trust Vizet because we've spent a long time with him. But those Muggles... or most people besides us, would have much simpler reasons for believing."
Xenophilius cleared his throat. "In that case, why don't we look at it from another angle..."
"The fact that they ask this question is itself an opportunity we can use. As long as someone asks it during our actions, we should simply affirm what they're saying."
"Affirm what they're saying?" Sirius Black folded his arms, his tone full of confusion. "Mr. Lovegood, do you mean... we should admit something happened to Vizet? Wouldn't that be rather inappropriate?"
"No, no, no!" Xenophilius waved his hands repeatedly. "We can't use our own way of thinking to understand those senior Muggle officials—or rather... senior Muggle officials like Cornelius Fudge."
"We need to make a simple distinction between the senior Muggle officials we might come into contact with next. The first type would be senior Muggle officials like Cornelius Fudge."
"These senior Muggle officials may be able to muddle through their daily work, but when it comes to important matters, they can easily ruin things. Their views are also easily swayed."
"Then there's the second type: senior Muggle officials who have minds of their own. Based on their own judgment, they'll decide whether to side with