A question mark slowly floated above Harry's head.
No, helpful to Miss Grindelwald?
Oh right, if Mr. Bagman wants to contact Vivi, then he would have to go through the official channels of the Great German Ministry of Magic... which might even make him wait for a few working days before getting a reply.
But if he used the girlfriend route, it would quickly relay any useful information to her.
"Disappeared?!"
Harry frowned. He could hardly believe what Mr. Bagman was saying.
"Isn't Mr. Crouch a department head? How could he suddenly disappear?"
"Well... to be honest, we don't really know what happened," Bagman sighed. "He... he suddenly stopped coming to work, and it's been two weeks. His assistant—Percy Weasley from the Weasley family—said he's sick. It seems like he's constantly sending owls with instructions... But you must keep this a secret, only tell Miss Grindelwald, okay, Harry? Because Rita Skeeter is prying everywhere, I bet she'd embellish Batty's illness, turning it into a disaster story, claiming he disappeared just like Bertha Jorkins."
"I understand." Harry nodded and then asked, "So is there any news about Bertha Jorkins? I remember Percy mentioning it during the summer, saying the Ministry of Magic was really troubled by it, especially Mr. Crouch, who was extremely focused on the matter."
"No," Bagman said, looking tense again. "Of course, I've already sent people to search for her... It's very strange. She definitely made it to Albania because she met her second cousin there. Then she left her cousin's house to visit an aunt in the south... and vanished without a trace."
At this point, Mr. Bagman clicked his tongue, picked up a tissue from the table, and spat into it. "Damn it, I just can't figure out where she went... She doesn't seem like the type to elope or run away... but who knows... Why are we even discussing Bertha Perkins here? I think Miss Grindelwald needs to be informed about Mr. Crouch's situation; she would definitely be interested."
"Hold on a moment." Harry nodded and said to him, "I'll send a message to Vivi now."
After saying that, he pulled out a crystal ball from his pocket and dialed Vivi's number.
Vivi seemed quite busy, wearing a pair of gold-rimmed glasses and dressed in a very formal suit, seemingly reviewing some documents.
After the call connected, Vivi looked up and asked, "What's going on, Harry?"
"Here's the situation." Harry cleared his throat and, under Mr. Bagman's astonished gaze, relayed everything Mr. Bagman had told him to Vivi in detail.
Vivi frowned in thought, and after processing the information, she looked up and asked, "Is this matter known only to people within the Ministry of Magic?"
"Yes, Mi... Miss Grindelwald." Mr. Bagman had a slip of the tongue, almost saying "Mrs. Potter."
In English custom, the title is said before the surname.
Indeed, hearing Mr. Bagman's slip, Vivi flashed an imperceptible smile.
"I see," she said. "I'll discuss this matter with Dumbledore."
"And the Ministry of Magic..." Mr. Bagman hesitated.
"Mr. Bagman," Vivi asked with a smile, "do you think Fudge would tolerate outsiders like the Great German Ministry of Magic interfering with the internal affairs of the British Ministry of Magic? Of course... It's not just Fudge; any mature politician wouldn't likely allow such a thing to happen, especially since Mr. Crouch's disappearance wouldn't threaten Fudge's political life... Of course, if outsiders got involved, it might pose a threat to his political career."
"Alright," Mr. Bagman nodded and said, "I understand. Thank you for your explanation, Miss Grindelwald."
Harry turned his head, and Cassandra mimicked a sarcastic expression, silently repeating 'Thank you, Miss Grindelwald.'
"Alright, if there's nothing else, I'll hang up now," Vivi said again. "I have some urgent matters to handle..."
"Are you busy? Lately?" Harry asked concernedly.
"Oh, not too bad." Vivi put down the document in her hand, crossed her hands, and placed them on her lap. "Recently, the Czechoslovakian Ministry of Magic approached us, wanting to merge with the Great German Ministry of Magic. We're handling related affairs."
She emphasized the word 'approached' with extra weight.
The implication was clear: it was their decision, unrelated to Orange Kitty.
In fact, Czechoslovakia was originally a unified country, but since the Eastern European transformation, the Czech Republic and Slovakia began to part ways in 1992.
Yet in the Magic World, things obviously didn't progress as quickly as in the Muggle World, and until now, the two countries' Ministries of Magic have yet to be divided.
"Do you think it was really voluntary by the Czech Republic and Slovakia?" Cassandra rolled her eyes and whispered to Harry.
"Probably not," Harry replied in a low voice.
"I heard you two; you might as well speak louder." Vivi said lazily, "Alright, I don't have time to play games with you, Kathy—so, see you another day, Harry."
With that, Vivi hung up the call.