Just before the official buyback price for Wizard Cards was announced, the Black Swan Wizard Card House in Germany, which was about to be renovated, was suddenly vandalized.
The leader was a short, stout male wizard whose face was obscured by a black cloak.
He hired a group of local wizards who would do things for a fee, and they disappeared without a trace before the Auror arrived.
Minister for Magic Thaddeus Belg was furious and immediately issued a bounty of 500 Galleon.
However, three days passed and not a single hair was found.
Magic can repair a damaged storefront, but it cannot mend a shaken heart.
Lestrange stopped in front of Potsdamer Platz in Berlin.
The German Ministry of Magic is located in the Quadrilateral Building across the street.
He was reminiscing about the past, about something that happened more than 50 years ago.
Here, Grindelwald was acquitted by the then Minister for Magic and nominated as the third candidate for Supreme Mugwump.
Passing through the building's brick walls, Lestrange stood in a hall enveloped by a giant glass dome.
Even though it was Big White, not much light was coming through the glass windows.
He walked straight to the counter on the inside.
"Hello, I am Lestrange Greengrass. I had arranged to meet with Minister Belge today."
The female staff member in charge of reception was very polite. "Please wait a moment, Mr. Greengrass."
Her wand swept across a large stack of neatly arranged parchments, and one of the bottom parchments flew out automatically.
"The appointed time was 10 a. m., sir, you arrived very punctually."
"Of course, madam."
Her wand tapped the parchment again. "Sir, I wish you and Minister Belge a pleasant morning."
The words on the paper came to life like lines, and then the whole sheet of paper slowly folded into a circular badge.
The two letters "M" on the front are overlapping, and below them is the German word "Minister's Office".
Lestrange thanked her politely, then reached out his hand to the badge.
His feet left the ground as if he were being sucked in, and he appeared in front of a spacious corridor.
Short-range Portkey greatly reduce discomfort when using them, and also offer high levels of privacy and security.
He walked down the dimly lit corridor to the door at the end, knocked lightly, and pulled the handle.
The room was neither too big nor too small, and the dark red patterned wallpaper was covered with portraits of past ministers.
It's a bit eerie, but not scary.
A middle-aged man wearing glasses stood up from his desk.
"Mr. Greengrass, I'm glad you arrived on time."
His voice was somewhat cold, with almost no emotional change.
Lestrange grasped the right hand that was offered to him.
"Mr. Belg, I have been looking forward to meeting you. How could I possibly allow something as rude as being late to happen?"
Thaddeus gave a smile that didn't quite look like a smile.
"If that's really what you think, then our conversation will definitely be very pleasant."
He led Lestrange to sit on the sofa next to him.
A teapot, a coffee pot, and a set of pure white cups suddenly appeared on the coffee table..."Coffee? Or tea?"
"Tea."
The teapot automatically hovered in mid-air, pouring steaming hot black tea into the cup in front of Lestrange.
Thaddeus took a sip of coffee. "I prefer the richness of coffee to the aroma of black tea."
After savoring the aroma of the tea, Lestrange put down his cup and looked at him.
"Mr. Belg, I am just a wizard doing business in your country."
"I don't believe it." Thaddeus raised his cup and took another sip of coffee.
"Mr. Greengrass, don't tell me you don't know the details of Wellesley's group."
They are from the Wizards' Purity Party, and among the most senior members.
The most important reason why the Wizards' Purity Party was not completely destroyed is that it still retains a moral bottom line.
Many wizards died at their hands, but they also saved quite a few.
Lestrange remained calm. "Minister Belge, this doesn't prove anything."
Everyone must pay the price for their mistakes, and their mistakes are inherited from their parents.
He scanned the portraits of the past ministers one by one, stopping at the eighth one from the bottom.
"Mr. Minister, do you think Mr. Anton Vogel was wrong in acquitting Gellert Grindelwald Grindelwald?"
"Thud—" The cup of coffee, still half full, was slammed onto the coffee table.
Thaddeus suddenly laughed.
"Mr. Greengrass, don't you think arguing about right and wrong is particularly childish?"
"Mr. Minister— " Lestrange straightened up.
Someone once said this to me:
Those who cling to the past cannot move towards the future.
I think he's absolutely right, so our Greengrass Family has abandoned so-called Pure-blood Supremacy.
The person who can change this deeply ingrained idea must be someone of considerable influence.
From another perspective, the descendants of Wizards' Purity Party are like a plague, making people afraid to approach them.
But will this prevent a second Grindelwald from appearing?
"Mr. Greengrass— " Thaddeus took off his glasses,
"The Black Swan Wizard Card House incident, you sent people to do it, didn't you?"
"Yes." Lestrange looked directly into his sharp, piercing eyes.
"Mr. Belg, the Wizard Cards are actually just a hoax..."
Thaddeus's expression remained unchanged, making it difficult to discern his thoughts.
"Whether you believe it or not, we will take further action."
Lestrange was very sincere and even revealed his upcoming plans.
Bringing up another matter implies tacit approval of his cooperation with the Wizards' Purity Party.
Germany certainly had its Pure-blood Supremacy movement, and on a much larger scale than Britain.
Durmstrang never admits Muggle-born wizards, although the students may not necessarily reject them.
Therefore, it is quite clear who influenced the Greengrass Family.
Thaddeus's gaze was no longer aggressive.
"I've heard that your family suffers from a terrible, randomly inherited curse. Could it be that Mr. Greengrass has already found a solution?"
"Found it." Lestrange nodded with a smile. "It's a new spell developed by Professor Dumbledore."
It wasn't him?
But if it were Dumbledore, all of this would make sense.
Whether it's Grindelwald or Voldemort, their reason for standing on the opposite side is to protect Muggle.
It's not surprising that they favor Muggle-born individuals, nor is it surprising that they oppose Pure-blood Supremacy.
What's strange is that, given all the opportunities we had, why did we wait until now?
Because of his/her background
Because of ability,
Because the wizard who met both conditions finally appeared.
"Mr. Greengrass, no one can guarantee that after driving away evil, we won't be greeted by an even more evil."
"Mr. Belg, you hold a sword in your hand that can cut down evil, and you can swing it down with all your might at any time."
Thaddeus picked up his coffee cup again. "Anytime?"
"Anytime".
He took a small sip of coffee. "It's cooled down a bit, but the flavor is still rich."
Lestrange drank the last sip of black tea with satisfaction. "The aroma of the tea is still there. I should be able to get used to this taste."
.