"So that's how it was," Andre said, putting the pieces together. "You had Shalltear take the potion early this morning, turn into Matthew, and blend in with those wizards?"
He realized why Matthew had suddenly acted so rashly and switched sides so quickly during the battle.
With a proud grin, Shalltear said, "It's not just because of my acting. Without me working undercover in their camp, none of this would've gone so smoothly."
Andre shook his head, clearly impressed.
Their plan had been clever.
Shalltear's presence not only disrupted the hearing but also made it easier for Andre to persuade the other wizards.
Still, Andre looked at Alex curiously.
"What about the real Matthew?"
Alex answered simply, "I've already hidden him somewhere safe. I'll hand him over to you shortly."
Then, turning to Shalltear, he whispered, "Go back and find Him. Have him keep an eye on Golden Snidget's movements and watch the situation at Silver Wand headquarters.
Let me know immediately if there's any sign that Golden Snidget might still be alive."
"Golden Snidget still alive? Isn't that Pete?"
Shalltear raised her eyebrows in surprise when she heard the words, but she trusted that Alex wouldn't act recklessly.
She nodded and left immediately.
For the rest of the day, Alex stayed at the Ministry of Magic, accompanying Andre to handle various minor matters.
Thanks to the cooperation of Andre
Edmund and everyone involved at the accident scene agreed to keep the details confidential.
They all understood how serious the situation was and didn't want to cause chaos.
During the negotiations, most of the Wizengamot members admired Andre's sense of responsibility.
Under Edmund's leadership, many reviewers even suggested that Andre should be the next Minister of Magic.
After all, this was an extraordinary time.
The former Minister, Pete, had openly rebelled, and many at the Ministry were still unaware of the full situation.
Someone needed to step up and lead the Ministry to maintain order.
Otherwise, when the staff found out their director had been arrested, confusion and paralysis could easily spread throughout the departments.
Andre took this seriously and immediately sent several trusted Wizengamot reviewers to visit various departments, meeting with middle management to carefully pass down the news from top to bottom.
Among the Ministry's departments, the Law Enforcement Department was rock solid and guaranteed stability.
The director of the Magic Sports Department was also loyal to Andre, ensuring no chaos there.
Keller, who headed the Department of International Magical Cooperation, proved to be just as Alex suspected, an old fox with sharp political instincts.
The real challenge lay with the Department of Magical Accidents and Disasters, the Department of Regulation and Control of Magical Beasts, and the Department of Magical Transportation.
These departments had long operated under the banner of a "split faction," with many employees loyal to Pete's side or at least sympathetic to it.
In the files Alex had obtained from Phoenix, numerous names belonged to people connected to Pete's faction.
Handling these departments required extra caution to avoid stirring up trouble.
Andre first took Alex's advice and met with Bayer, the former director of the Department of Magical Transportation.
Bayer had been closely involved in tracking Pete, and although it was impossible to simply forget the past, Andre recognized Bayer's significant role in exposing Pete's true identity.
Given Bayer's later cooperation, Andre decided to bring him on board temporarily to help calm the staff within the department, offering a commutation of sentence as an incentive.
This move was also meant to set an example across other departments by revealing the truth about Pete and his gang, though carefully presented.
If Bayer proved effective in his new role, Andre was open to granting him a peaceful retirement, much like he had done for Claremont.
Next, Andre turned his attention to the Departments of Magical Accidents and Disasters and Management and Control of Fantastic Beasts.
He planned to step in personally and appoint new directors for both.
The Department of Magical Accidents and Disasters was particularly sensitive; it was Pete's original base and the second largest enforcement body within the Ministry of Magic, so Andre knew he had to be cautious.
He decided to promote a high-ranking member of the Schmidt family to lead it.
Since Edmund Schmidt, the family patriarch and a member of the Wizengamot, was barred from holding major Ministry posts, Andre chose Edmund's younger brother, Allen, for the directorship, a move that also served as a gesture of goodwill toward the Schmidt family.
As for the Department of Management and Control of Fantastic Beasts, Alex was initially expected to take temporary charge.
However, Alex was preoccupied with matters related to the silver wand headquarters and declined, leaving Andre to seek out another respected wizard from the German magical community to step in temporarily.
With the directors lined up, Andre then focused on middle management.
Almost all supervisory positions in these three departments were held by Pete's loyalists.
Their removal had left the departments nearly paralyzed, so Andre knew rebuilding these teams would be critical to restoring normal operations.
Andre began by selecting individuals who were only lightly involved in the case, based on files obtained from Phoenix, to be interviewed one by one.
He gave them a chance to prove their loyalty by performing both crimes and meritorious deeds, allowing them to temporarily return to their posts to keep the various departments running smoothly.
Naturally, these individuals were eager to cooperate; they had expected prison sentences but now saw an opportunity for reinstatement, so they dared not object.
For the remaining positions, Andre had no choice but to appoint trusted officers from the Legal Enforcement Department.
Only now did Alex realize how wise his original suggestion had been; if everyone involved in the case had been dismissed or imprisoned, the Ministry of Magic might have ground to a halt.
In addition to these measures, Andre extended a special invitation to Nathan and Bob to join the Ministry.
On one hand, these two were heroes who had indirectly saved hundreds of people, though, of course, they were unaware that the entire rescue was a plan secretly orchestrated by Andre and his team.
Their presence would boost the Ministry's reputation.
On the other hand, Nathan and Bob had proven themselves reliable and talented, especially given their quick mastery of wandless spellcasting during critical moments, which showcased their potential.
Naturally, Nathan and Bob were very grateful for the opportunity.
With their recommendation, Andre also recruited several trustworthy wizards from the park and placed them into the three main divisions.
This helped dilute the influence of existing personnel, many of whom deeply resented the silver wand and saw Andre as their savior.
These new recruits also positively influenced office morale.
More importantly, this was a strategic move for the future.