"The only known copy is supposed to be with Nicholas himself. How do you have it? And even if you do, would you really be willing to give such a priceless item to me?"
"It is indeed his Philosopher's Stone, and yes, it's in my possession, for now," Dumbledore admitted.
Noticing Alex's racing heart, he smiled triumphantly.
"But I didn't say I'd give it to you. I don't have the authority to make that call. However, I can ask Nick if he'd be willing to lend it to you for research. Of course, I can't promise he'll agree."
When Alex heard the words "Philosopher's Stone," he immediately fell silent.
The legendary "Phoenix" with the silver wand had once traveled all the way to France in search of the Stone, but after decades, there was still no sign of it.
Now that Alex actually had a chance to uncover the mystery behind the Sorcerer's Stone, it was no wonder he felt truly tempted.
Seeing this, Dumbledore added, "Besides, if you want your magical communication system to gain recognition in the international wizarding community, I can help."
"As the current President of the International Wizarding Association, I will endorse your system."
"I believe it will clear up many doubts held by the Ministry of Magic."
"I will also..."
"Try to find a way for Sirius Black to return to England as soon as possible."
Three years earlier, Alex had successfully eliminated the remnants of the silver wand in Germany, bringing significant benefits to Britain.
Because of this, the Order of Merlin and the Wizengamot quietly agreed to overturn Sirius Black's criminal status and release him.
However, since Peter Pettigrew had not been arrested, the Ministry feared causing panic among ordinary wizards.
From Alex's perspective, the Wizengamot's decision not to make this public was an effort to protect their reputation.
As a result, Black's release was kept secret, and he was required to leave the UK immediately after being freed.
Alex understood this cautious approach; it was already a major achievement to restore Sirius's freedom.
Currently, under Alex's arrangement, Black was living quietly in France, officially working for the French branch of Wilson's Arcane Alchemica.
This was also why Alex felt comfortable letting Azalea leave the French branch to teach "Tactical Training" at Durmstrang.
Besides her sister Anais, Black was now there to look after him in France.
"I have to say, you really are an excellent lobbyist," Alex said with a soft sigh. "Alright, you've convinced me, Principal Dumbledore, I'll take the job teaching 'Tactical Training' at Hogwarts."
"You won't regret this decision," Dumbledore replied with a relieved smile.
He was glad to see Alex finally let go of his hesitation.
However, Alex's expression quickly turned serious again.
"Since I'm personally teaching tactical training, I need to give it my all. That means handling everything properly, from preparing materials to organizing the course schedule. I'll need the school's full support, so I hope you're mentally ready for that."
"No problem!" Dumbledore replied without hesitation. "You can ask for any support you need, even if it means coordinating with other departments."
Hearing this, Alex nodded approvingly.
After a moment's thought, he pulled out a piece of parchment and began writing and sketching.
When he finished, he handed it over.
"This is the list of teaching aids for the next school year, covering grades one through seven. These items will be available at the Wilson's Arcane Alchemica within two weeks. Please include this information when sending out admission notices."
Dumbledore glanced over the list and recognized the items as basic teaching aids, so he quickly gave his approval.
Then Alex added, "Also, my course schedule will differ from the usual. There's no need to split each grade into two classes.
I'll send you the detailed schedule later."
"That's fine," Dumbledore said, understanding Alex's reasoning.
After all, Alex was a busy man and couldn't dedicate all his time to the school.
At Hogwarts, to maintain teaching quality, each compulsory subject from years one to five was divided into two classes.
After students passed their OWLs, subjects in years six and seven usually reduced to a single class.
This meant professors handled at least 12 classes a week, with two or more classes every weekday, typically one in the morning and one or two in the afternoon.
The workload was heavy, keeping professors busy from Monday through Friday.
Since Alex's training had to start in the early years and be compulsory, if he followed the usual split-class system, he'd have little to no free time during the week.
By not dividing the classes for years one through five, Alex would only need to teach seven classes weekly, freeing up one or two days.
Seeing how quickly Dumbledore agreed, Alex nodded with satisfaction.
It was clear the headmaster was sincere in his support.
The school's tactical training schedule was pretty straightforward.
After thinking it over, Alex suggested to Dumbledore, "Since my schedule is going to be pretty packed soon, let's hold the coordinating meeting before the school year starts, but it'll have to be at least a month from now. How about July 7?
Please make sure the deans of the four colleges come, along with the head nurse from the medical wing, and Hagrid. I'll bring the teaching equipment to the school and attend the meeting myself."
Dumbledore looked a bit surprised at this.
"Wait, there's still a meeting?" he asked, a little puzzled.
He'd never worked with Alex before and wasn't quite sure what to expect.
After all, wasn't this just about starting classes? Why the need for a special meeting?
And why call in the other deans, and the head nurse, too?
Questions kept running through Dumbledore's mind, and honestly, a strange feeling of unease crept over him.
"Isn't the teaching planning meeting held every school year?" Dumbledore asked, trying to understand.
Alex was a little taken aback.
"Well, usually if nothing urgent comes up over the summer, we just communicate through owl letters. You could just tell me what needs the colleges' cooperation, and I'd handle the rest," Dumbledore suggested with a smile.
But Alex shook his head firmly.
"No, teaching at school isn't something to take lightly, especially tactical training. It's a serious subject with strict rules about diet, nutrition, medical care, rest, and more. According to the guidelines, this meeting has to happen, and no one can miss it."
Dumbledore sighed but nodded, seeing how determined Alex was.
He could already picture the deans' reactions when he informed them.
"Alright, that covers all the preparations for the new subject for now. I'll be in touch if anything else comes up," Alex said, standing up and personally escorting Dumbledore out of the Wilson's Arcane Alchemica.