"But even so, are you really prepared to get involved in this? You were the one who personally issued Sirius's verdict. To overturn his case now, when the evidence isn't exactly ironclad, will bring you a mountain of trouble." Amelia still couldn't fathom Bagnold's reasoning and offered a cautious warning.
"What's the big deal?" Moody maintained his fierce expression, fueled by a hatred for injustice. "If someone has been wronged, they should be released. Should he rot in Azkaban when it's clear Sirius is innocent?"
"But the current evidence isn't enough to convince the Wizengamot!" Amelia, ever the political realist, argued back. "If you want to prove his innocence, you should be gathering more substantial proof—like capturing Peter Pettigrew! You should know that even within the relatively enlightened Order of Merlin, this level of evidence won't convince everyone."
Amelia's understanding of the Wizengamot was far more thorough than Moody's. Moody simply curled his lips in disdain; not being a member of the Order, he preferred to look at the matter from a more direct perspective.
"I know," Minister Bagnold said, nodding firmly to Amelia. "Overturning Sirius's case is a monumental task, but it is the right thing to do. We cannot give up just because it is difficult."
"Why are you so invested in this? I can tell that even if you had refused Alan's request back then, there wouldn't have been any real consequences," Amelia noted, referring to when Alan first approached them.
"Because Alan is worthy," Bagnold said with a laugh. "He has already proven to us that he possesses the strength and wisdom to inherit Merlin's legacy. The most important quality was tested when he faced Sirius; he is not a heartless person. He is someone we can entrust with our ideals!"
"So that's it. Was your agreement to this matter also a test from the Order?" Amelia realized that Minister Bagnold had seemed perhaps a bit too accommodating when dealing with Alan.
Moody, listening to the exchange, looked utterly confused. "What test? I don't follow. Isn't your Order just something you join by getting a badge? You even turned me away when I wanted to join years ago, tsk…"
"This is different," Amelia said, rolling her eyes at Moody. "We are looking for the next generation of successors. Dumbledore is not getting any younger, Nicolas Flamel rarely appears, and the remnants of the Grindelwald faction are fragmented. Grindelwald has enough of his own troubles to clean up."
"They only cause trouble abroad; shouldn't we just mind our own business?" Moody muttered, pursing his lips.
"For the future of the wizarding world, nationality isn't the only criterion. If things get too chaotic elsewhere, it eventually bleeds over to us," Amelia spoke righteously.
"But you're testing him using Sirius's life. What if he finds out and takes offense? I know that kid; don't think he's some mild-tempered young man. He doesn't even blink when he has to kill," Moody warned.
"I will confess the truth to him afterward. I believe Alan has enough magnanimity to understand," Bagnold interjected. "Moreover, with the evidence we have, the only way to save Sirius might be through a deal. There's no other choice."
Amelia and Moody could only nod helplessly.
---
In the period that followed, besides regularly checking with Minister Bagnold on the progress of the Black case, Alan spent most of his time at the Scamander home. He studied magizoology under Newt and researched the "traveling flask" in his possession. Most importantly, he worked to familiarize himself with the faint, almost imperceptible mental connection while caring for the Thunderbird.
However, although the Thunderbird was friendly and close to Alan, the progress of the mental link was slow. Alan visited every two or three days, but after a month, he could only sense the creature's direction from a hundred meters away. On the bright side, his emotional perception flourished; Alan could clearly understand the Thunderbird's joys, anger, and sorrows.
The gains from researching the alchemy equipment were more immediate. From the Dark Arts pouch and the traveling flask, Alan extracted a wealth of knowledge and several new rune structures. He was particularly interested in the "imbuing" rune within the flask, which allowed magic to permeate matter. The water summoned from it carried specific spell effects—Anti-Fiendfyre, Disarming, Freezing, and Expelling—which explained its effectiveness in combat. This discovery helped Alan solve several long-standing problems.
A year passed quickly.
During this time, Minister Bagnold lobbied the Wizengamot to overturn Sirius's case. Even Dumbledore expressed his support, willing to testify that he could find no trace of the Potters' address in Sirius's mind. Yet, the Wizengamot remained unconvinced. Overturning the verdict of such a high-profile criminal put the members under immense pressure, and they chose the path of conservatism.
Alan found the stubbornness of the wizards incredibly annoying, but he knew any overt pressure on individual members would backfire. He turned his thoughts back to the deal Bagnold had mentioned.
His mental connection with the Thunderbird now spanned two or three kilometers. While a significant improvement, it was a drop in the bucket compared to the vastness of Europe. Fortunately, Alan hadn't pinned all his hopes on that connection. He still had a backup plan: Aseria. After a long silence, the Thunderbird had finally contacted his double agent.