After settling in, Alex, having had a day to rest and regain his focus, sat down and looked around before asking, "Where's Moody? Has he arrived yet?"
Andre replied, "He's still watching from the 'prison'. It's easy for him to get here since the fireplace there connects directly to this place. He said to let him know when you arrived, and he'd come right away."
Andre then pulled out his communicator and sent a quick message to Moody. Sure enough, not long after, Moody appeared, still dressed in his Silver Wand uniform and limping slightly. To hide his limp, Moody had avoided showing it in front of the captives, usually just appearing briefly to give orders before disappearing again.
As he entered the room, Moody joked to Andre, "Hey, isn't this Lord Flobberworm? Not wearing a mask all of a sudden, it's honestly a bit unsettling."
It was a favorite joke between them lately, lightening the mood as they settled in to discuss their next moves.
After hearing Moody's words, Andre rolled his eyes in frustration. "I think you're acting like a rusty old spear with a broken brain, Your Excellency Tepo Warthog!" he snapped.
Moody just chuckled softly at Andre's sarcasm, a calm smile playing on his lips. "Don't mention it. It's actually kind of fun pretending to be a Silver Wand gun. I've been a bit hooked on it lately," he replied lightly.
"Enough nonsense, settle down, you two idiots. Just feed me the information honestly and stop arguing!" Moody said firmly, then went on to demonstrate his point vividly right there.
Seeing Moody's confused expression, Alex looked at Andre with a mix of amusement and disbelief. "Honestly, I think we should get rid of this guy before he ends up joining the club and selling us out," he muttered.
Andre shrugged. "Let him have his fun for a couple more days. I think Moody will come to his senses."
Alex shook his head but then focused back, looking at Moody seriously. "So, what's the situation at the stronghold? Are the wizards behaving themselves?"
Moody's playful mood faded as Alex brought up the matter. He removed his mask and answered seriously, "The people there are stable for the most part, but because of that initial incident, they've split into two factions inside.
"One group is made up mostly of former club collaborators, basically the patrol team members in the place. Compared to the others, they're more trustworthy and are even leaning towards us now. I think they want to prove their loyalty so we'll let them off.
"The other faction consists of the remaining civilian wizards and Muggles. They complain a lot and sometimes clash with the first group, but we've been able to stop any serious trouble before it got out of hand."
"Hmph, those Silver Wand collaborators still can't escape their fate. I bet they're still wondering why they were all arrested together," Andre sneered with a grin. "Make sure you record everyone who comes down; I'll take care of cleaning them up later."
"No need to worry about that," Moody chuckled. "I've already noted all of them in my little book, and once I finish the records, I'll hand it over to you."
"What about Claremont? Is he holding up in prison? You need to keep an eye on him, he's an important witness, and we can't afford any mistakes," Alex asked immediately after getting the general update.
"Don't worry, I know how crucial Claremont is. I've assigned someone to watch him closely. But honestly, the old man isn't doing well mentally. He just sits in the corner muttering to himself all day.
The commoner wizards around him have grown pretty disgusted and sometimes even say nasty things, though we've kept things under control so no fights have broken out," Moody recalled.
"Not in a good state of mind?" Alex lowered his head, rubbing his chin thoughtfully. "Has he done anything like a hunger strike?"
"No," Moody shook his head firmly. "He eats and rests when he's supposed to, but he never talks to anyone. It's like he's become an autistic old man."
Alex smiled teasingly at that. "I get it. This old fox is playing a game with you.
Since he's eating and resting normally, it means he still wants to live. But he's putting on this act to show he's harmless, probably hoping we'll just let him go."
"Huh? So this old guy's acting like us?" Moody laughed. "Then I guess I'll have to teach him a lesson, show him how good I am."
"No need," Alex shook his head. "Let him keep up the act if he wants. It's all for show anyway. At least it proves Claremont still has the will to survive."
"Alright, then I'll watch his little show to pass the time," Moody said with a grin.
Moody shrugged casually but then suddenly remembered something. "By the way, I found something interesting in the stronghold over the past couple of days. There are two wizards plotting to use the underground fireplace to escape, and every night, one of them hides under the covers trying to practice casting spells without a wand."
Andre frowned and said nonchalantly, "If you already know all this, why don't you just expose them?" He didn't quite see the point of Moody bringing it up.
Moody gave him a blank look before turning to Alex beside him. "What do you think?"
Alex's eyes lit up with curiosity. "What are their names? Who were they before in the place? Do they have a clear plan?"
Moody seemed ready for the questions and quickly shared what he'd learned over the past two days. "One's named Bob; he used to work on the maintenance team at the East German place. The other is Nathan, also on a maintenance team at place .
Bob has a strong sense of justice, Nathan's very responsible, and together, they're a good match. Their wandless spellcasting has even improved a bit after just a few days of practice."
Alex nodded thoughtfully, then asked, "So, if we let them go quietly, do you think that would be difficult?"
Moody looked surprised. "Wait, let them go?"
Alex glanced at Andre, who wore a look of disbelief. "If we just let these guys go, wouldn't there be a risk of wizards being kidnapped or information leaking out?"
Andre raised an eyebrow. "You mean if they escape, the news could get out?"
Alex chuckled. "Yeah, I was trying to figure out how to get the Department of Legal Enforcement involved in a logical way, but now it looks like there's an easier way to deliver the problem right to their doorstep."
Andre wasn't slow to catch on. Hearing Alex's plan, he asked, "Are you saying you want to use them to…?"