Alex had no time to think. Pouring every ounce of his magic into his wand, he met the infernal blaze head-on. His grip tightened, magic bursting from the tip as he roared the incantation. "Finite Incantatem Omnia!" A violent shockwave exploded from his wand, rippling outward like a tidal wave of force. The impact shattered every window, splintered furniture, and sent enchanted artifacts flying across the shop. The raw force of his spell smothered the flames, compressing the wild, untamed magic of the Fiendfyre. It writhed, resisted, then, as if doused by an ocean of ice, it collapsed in on itself and extinguished.
Silence followed.
The aftermath left the shop in ruins. The air was thick with the acrid scent of burned magic and splintered wood. Wimzy, Fang, and Medea had been thrown to the ground, the sheer force of the blast knocking them off their feet. As they groaned and pushed themselves upright, they found Alex standing in the center of the destruction, his face dark with barely restrained fury.
Rage burned in his eyes. So, they had dared to come after him first. A slow exhale left him, but his hands curled into fists. He had been planning to find them, to uncover their secrets, but they had struck first. That only meant one thing. They wanted him dead.
A dangerous glint sharpened in Alex's gaze.' Fine. If war was what they wanted, war was what they would get.' He turned sharply, his expression cold and controlled despite the fury beneath. His voice was clipped, businesslike. "Wimzy," he commanded, "restore the shop and take inventory of the damage."
Wimzy, still shaken, nodded quickly, not daring to argue. Then Alex turned to Medea, who was still rubbing her head from the impact. "Medea, inform the Ministry of Magic about what happened here. Tell them exactly what spell was used and how close it came to wiping this place out. I have things to take care of. I'll check in later."
Without waiting for a response, Alex turned on his heel and vanished with a sharp crack of Apparition.
Wimzy stiffened, exchanging a look with Fang. There was something terrifying about the way Alex had looked just now. He was angry, really angry. And when Alex got that angry, something big was about to happen.
Medea had come to the same conclusion. Someone had just attacked Alex's business, openly, without fear of the consequences. And judging by the strength of that Fiendfyre, the attacker hadn't just wanted to send a message. They had meant to destroy everything. Heart pounding, she didn't waste a second longer. Rushing to the fireplace, she grabbed a handful of Floo Powder and stepped inside. "Ministry of Magic!" With a flash of green flame, she disappeared, leaving the wreckage of the shop behind.
***
When Medea returned to Wilson's Arcane Alchemica with Moody and a dozen Aurors, the shop appeared to be in perfect order, thanks to Wimzy's restoration work. However, while the structural damage had been repaired, many of the civilian products had been removed, clearly lost due to the lingering effects of the attack.
As the Aurors moved cautiously inside, the tension in the air was palpable. It wasn't long before Alex emerged from the back room, his expression dark and unreadable, a white mask clutched tightly in his hand. "Alex, I came as soon as I got the report. How are you holding up? Are you hurt?" Moody asked as he approached, leaning on his cane, his one good eye filled with concern.
"I'm fine," Alex said, shaking his head dismissively. "But more importantly, my research on the masks has paid off. Now, I can take you straight to the bastard who tried to burn my shop down."
Moody hesitated. "Alex, listen to me, you need to stay calm. I know you're furious, and you have every right to be, but these people are dangerous. Let us handle this."
Alex scoffed. "Isn't it just the Silver Wands?" His cold gaze locked onto Moody's. "They came after me. Do you think I'm someone to mess with?"
Moody stiffened. "How did you, ?" He stopped short, his expression shifting to one of shock. "How do you know it was them?" He hadn't expected Alex to identify the group so quickly.
Alex didn't answer immediately. Instead, he gestured toward the back room. "Come inside."
Moody understood the implication, whatever Alex was about to say wasn't meant for prying ears. With a curt nod, he motioned for the Aurors to remain where they were before following Alex inside. Once they were alone, Moody wasted no time. "Talk. How do you know about the Silver Wands? And what makes you so sure they were behind this attack?"
Alex leaned against the desk, folding his arms. "Have you already forgotten?" he asked, arching a brow. "I've been looking into them for a long time. Two years ago, I asked both you and Arthur about them."
Moody frowned, recalling those conversations. Back then, he hadn't thought much of Alex's curiosity, just another wizard interested in gathering information. But now… "As for why I know they were behind this?" Alex continued, his voice edged with frustration. "I saw the attacker's wand. Aspen wood. And I don't need to tell you what that means."
Moody's eye narrowed. "Thunderbird."
"Exactly," Alex said grimly. "The one who showed up today was him."
Moody exhaled sharply. "Bloody hell. You even know their code names?"
Alex gave a humorless smile. "You sound surprised."
Moody's gaze sharpened. He knew Alex well enough to tell when he was holding something back. "Alright, out with it. What else are you keeping from me? If we're going to be dealing with this, I need to know everything."
Alex didn't respond right away. He considered his next words carefully. Then, finally, he exhaled. "You've already figured it out, haven't you?" he said, studying Moody's expression.
Moody said nothing, waiting.
Alex met his gaze. "Fine. Yes, I was the one who helped the Scamander family that night. And yes, I was the one who took down those two Silver Wands"
Moody's eyes widened slightly, though he recovered quickly. "It was you?" His voice was low, measured.
"Who else?" Alex said dryly. "I've had my reasons for keeping quiet about it, mostly to protect myself. But since they've now decided to openly attack me, what's the point in pretending anymore?" His fingers curled slightly around the mask. "They started this. And I'm going to finish it."
Moody stared at him, taking in the revelation. At first, he had assumed the person who had wiped out the Silver Wands that night was just another bounty hunter skilled in alchemy. But now, knowing it was Alex all along, someone who had been investigating them for years, everything suddenly made a lot more sense. "Merlin's beard," Moody muttered, rubbing his face. "You've had this planned for a long time, haven't you?"
"Planned? Not exactly," Alex admitted. "I learned from one of the surviving Silver Wands that a man with the codename 'Thunderbird' was operating in the UK. I wanted to break the mask's encryption so I could track him down, but, " His expression darkened. ", turns out, I didn't need to. He came to me. Right through my front door."