"So this is what you call action. Sitting here doing nothing?" Cruz sat on the sofa with an impatient look, watching Tver leisurely enjoy a television program from this era.
"Do you know how to deal with muggle businessmen? Or how to obtain surveillance footage and go through it piece by piece?"
Tver did not even look at him. He kept his full attention on the television.
This was the mansion Ian had bought to make doing business in America easier. It was not as spacious or comfortable as Williams's estate, but the important thing was that it did not have nearly as many bodyguards or servants.
As for the surveillance footage, that was naturally left to Ian and his sharp, capable muggle employees.
Cruz awkwardly pinched his thigh and took quite a while to calm himself down.
"But if doing this means cooperating with No-Majs, I would rather take my Aurors and learn everything from scratch."
"And I reserve the right to report your unusually close relationship with No-Majs to the Wizards' Union..."
"What makes you so sure the Wizards' Union does not already know about it?" Tver looked at Cruz with amused eyes as the man tried to threaten him.
"How could the Union possibly..."
"People change. Otherwise, why did America repeal Rappaport's Law?"
"But right now you are blatantly violating the Statute of Secrecy!"
"The Statute of Secrecy is maintained by the Wizards' Union, and I am a representative of the Union. Do you understand?"
The moment Cruz thought through the implications, he sucked in a deep breath.
"You mean the Wizards' Union is preparing to abandon the Statute of Secrecy?!"
"...Not quite."
Even Tver was startled by Cruz's bold leap in logic.
"The Union is only exploring better ways to uphold the Statute of Secrecy. After all, you have seen it for yourself. Muggles have more and more ways of noticing magic, which makes dealing with it more and more troublesome. The Union has to keep up with the times, does it not?"
Cruz found himself nodding before he realized it.
Unlike many other countries, postwar America had entered a period of unprecedented prosperity. At the same time, the concentration of talent on this land had produced more and more technological innovation.
And yet the Department of Magical Law Enforcement, which was supposed to deal with major problems in wizarding society, kept having its energy drained by a flood of secrecy breaches caused by wizards.
That was exactly why he had been so irritable about this incident.
He truly had no desire to keep dealing with these repetitive, tedious, and especially troublesome cases.
"That is wonderful. I apologize for my earlier rudeness." Cruz immediately put on a flattering smile. "I truly did not expect the Union to be so farsighted. I thought you were just a bunch of rotten old men..."
"No, please forget that last sentence. I got confused again."
Tver was amused by his sudden change in attitude, but also moved by what he had said.
"Cruz, there really are many rotten old marks left inside the Wizards' Union. That is exactly why we need younger, more energetic ways of thinking..."
Cruz froze. "Sorry, I did not catch that. What were you saying?"
Just then, the screech of tires braking sharply came from outside the window. A moment later, Ian hurried in with a document envelope in his hand.
"Professor, we checked. Five people entered all three stores, but only one of them deliberately hid her movements."
He strode up to Tver and took several photographs from the envelope.
They showed a frail old woman draped in a shabby shawl, but the surveillance cameras had still managed to capture her face from a sharp angle.
"Modesty Barebone. According to our investigation, she used to be the head of an orphanage, but after that orphanage was demolished, she remained at a local church and founded an organization called Third Salem, where she regularly holds religious gatherings."
"Barebone?" Tver took the photos with a puzzled look, studying the woman's face, worn down by time.
He felt as though he had heard that surname from his teacher before.
And Salem. That was synonymous with one of the most infamous witch hunts in American, and even world, history.
For Tver, who wanted wizards and muggles to live peacefully together, anti wizard groups and ideas like this could not be allowed to spread.
It seemed this sudden whim of his had really brought an unexpected reward...
Tver immediately stood up.
"Let us go and meet Madam Barebone."
About an hour and a half later, Ian smoothly parked the car in front of a small church on the edge of New York.
Cruz, who had been sitting in the back seat, could not wait to get out.
"This is such an urgent matter, and we still had to ride in a No-Maj car..." he muttered in dissatisfaction.
But Ian, still inside the car, suddenly said to Tver in a low voice, "As you instructed, old Madam Peter has been sent to one of the top nursing homes in America, with a first class care team. Naturally, no magic."
Tver looked at Ian helplessly, as if he were some kind of secret agent.
"Thank you. I did tell you to keep it as confidential as possible, but it did not have to go this far..."
Ian immediately shrank back awkwardly, then followed him out of the car.
"I thought this was some kind of classified mission. I kept it bottled up in the car the whole way for nothing..."
"Come on." Tver patted him on the shoulder. "The real classified mission starts now."
There was no activity at the church on a weekday. Then again, there usually was not much activity here anyway.
This was not a grand cathedral that could host weddings or anything of the sort. It was just a place where some religious groups occasionally held gatherings.
But Tver still sharply sensed movement inside.
Cruz, who had long since lost patience, discreetly tapped the front door with his wand. With a creak, the tightly locked door swung open.
But inside there was only a group of children playing.
Some were white, some were Black. Their clothes were old, much like Madam Barebone's, but at least they had been washed clean.
And together with the smiles on their faces, they looked even more heartening than the children Tver had seen in wealthy neighborhoods.
Hearing the sound, the tallest Black girl walked over. She was a little scared, but still lifted her head and looked up at Cruz firmly.
"Sir, what are you here for? There will not be any activities here until the weekend..."
Cruz's aggressive manner suddenly faltered. Looking into the children's clear eyes, he found himself at a loss.
"Who are you?!"
A flustered figure suddenly shoved Ian aside and moved in front of the children. But as she turned to shield them, her aged face was exposed before the three of them.
Tver's deep gaze met hers for a moment. Then he suddenly smiled.
"My teacher asked me to send you his regards, Madam Barebone."