Few British wizards would ever consider sharing a home or a job with someone without magic. But in countries like Germany and France, attitudes were much more open.
They had long moved past those narrow views. Half-bloods were commonplace, and even many pure-blood families had grown used to Muggles in their communities. As a result, the magical population in those countries had grown steadily, while Britain's remained stagnant.
What stood out even more was the ideological divide. In Britain, those who opposed the International Statute of Secrecy were often pure-blood extremists like the Death Eaters, whose goal was to dominate Muggles and reinstate an old world order.
But in Germany and France, opposition to the secrecy laws came from an entirely different place. Many wizards there simply wanted to live freely, without hiding who they were.
They weren't looking to conquer Muggles, they wanted to coexist with them openly, without fear or restriction. To them, the Statute was a cage, and they longed to break free of it, to step into the light and build a shared future with the non-magical world.
Oddly enough, both sides, those seeking control and those seeking freedom, found common ground in opposing the secrecy laws. And that shared goal gave any movement against the Statute a powerful, if uneasy, momentum. It was a strange alliance built on conflicting visions for the future, but it gave those movements strength and wide appeal.
From Shalltear's point of view, the fact that Golden Snidget had managed to build such a stable and functional base in this complicated environment was impressive. It took a great deal of skill to keep something like this running smoothly without drawing attention. But that was also what made her uncomfortable.
In her experience, it wasn't the openly violent or cruel people who posed the greatest threat, those kinds of enemies were easy to identify and rally against. The truly dangerous ones were those who wrapped their intentions in civility, legality, and charm.
They built systems so slowly and quietly that by the time people realized what was happening, it was already too late. It was like being a frog in slowly boiling water.
These people didn't look like villains. They followed rules, used proper channels, and even appeared kinder and more reasonable than official authorities. Over time, they gained the public's trust, winning hearts and minds until no one questioned their motives. And when someone did try to call them out, they were often the ones shunned or labeled as troublemakers.
That's what frightened Shalltear the most. If the Golden Snidget succeeded in dividing Germany, these breeding bases could eventually become fully sanctioned by the state.
They might start supplying silver wand guns and blood-transfusion systems on a national scale, all in the name of progress or health. The idea of an entire country supporting secret experiments aimed at achieving immortality through stolen blood made her shiver. It wasn't brute strength that made the Golden Snidget dangerous, it was how he manipulated public opinion and bent the system to serve his plans without anyone realizing the cost.
And now, more than ever, Shalltear was worried about Alex. She could feel it deep down, something darker was coming. Something far worse than anything they'd faced so far.
Shalltear wasn't too worried about her lord's safety. She knew Alex well enough to trust his instincts, he was careful, calculated, and never acted unless he was confident the plan would succeed. What truly unsettled her was the sheer number of people in the base.
If things ever escalated to the point where the entire place had to be taken down, what would happen to everyone inside? How could they possibly handle the aftermath? There were more than two hundred people here, and Alex and the others weren't heartless.
Most of those people were Muggles or Squibs, and it was likely that many of them had no clue about the base's deeper purpose. Killing them was out of the question, but letting them walk away freely would risk exposing everything.
Keeping them locked up wasn't an option either. There were simply too many.
A group that size couldn't just vanish without attracting attention. Almost all of them had families, records, and legal identities in the outside world.
If they suddenly disappeared, it would trigger a wave of investigations. And with the Golden Snidget's influence, he could easily turn the tables, using official channels to pursue them, paint Alex's team as the villains, and spin the story however he liked.
From the perspective of the people living and working here, Alex and the others might seem like the intruders, strangers coming in to ruin what looked like a legitimate, peaceful community. That was the real problem. No one had been forced to work at the base.
They were well-paid, treated respectfully, and from what Shalltear had seen, the magical creatures weren't mistreated either. On the surface, everything appeared aboveboard.
There were no signs of illegal experiments or obvious abuse, nothing that would justify a raid in the eyes of the wider magical world. Charging in under these circumstances could backfire terribly. Instead of being hailed as heroes, they could be branded as terrorists.
And while the word "legitimacy" might sound like a political buzzword, Shalltear knew better, legitimacy shaped public opinion. It decided who people trusted, who they supported, and who they condemned. Without it, even a just cause could crumble.
Golden Snidget had clearly thought this through. The base wasn't just a facility, it was a shield.
Filling it with legally documented wizards and Muggles gave it the appearance of a functioning, legitimate settlement. It was a clever strategy.
A small base with a handful of shady individuals could be written off as a rogue operation, something the Ministry would be expected to shut down.
But this? This was something else.
It had structure, workers, rules. Attacking it would look like destroying a legal wizarding community, and in that case, they would be the ones accused of wrongdoing.
Shalltear felt the shift clearly. What had first seemed like a tempting target had now turned into a trap. The whole place felt like a time bomb, ready to blow the moment anyone made the wrong move.
The thought sent a chill down her spine. She bit her lip and asked herself, 'Does Master even see how dangerous this is? I really don't want to end up as a wanted criminal in Germany.'
But then, a different fear crept in. 'What if Alex decides not to destroy the place after all? Would that mean I will keep staying here?'
The idea of being stuck in this base for weeks, or months, made her chest tighten. Her thoughts twisted in circles. Part of her wanted Alex to act and end this quickly, but another part dreaded the consequences if he did. She didn't want him to be dragged into a political nightmare, but she also didn't want to be left behind.