"I disagree," said the middle-aged wizard with a goatee, speaking up at the high-level meeting.
On the other side, a balding, somewhat aged wizard with a nonchalant expression said, "Me too."
"Are you serious?" Minister of Magic Jason Vogel, seated at the head of the table, frowned.
From his surname, it was evident he had some connection to Anton Vogel, the former Minister of Magic for Germany.
The integration process of the German Ministry of Magic was actually a bit similar to the integration process of the two Germanys in the Muggle world.
In the Muggle national integration, the powerful West Germany annexed the weaker East Germany, and the same was true for the German Ministry of Magic.
However, the West German Ministry of Magic was stronger, not because of any Muggle policies.
It was purely because at the end of World War II, East Germany was reduced to rubble, and wizards who didn't want to be involved in the Muggle war basically retreated to the relatively intact West Germany.
After Germany was reunified, only a smaller portion of wizards returned to East Germany, and the development between the two sides was naturally unbalanced.
After Germany was reunified, the Minister of Magic of West Germany remained the Minister of Magic, while the Minister of Magic of East Germany went to a legislative body similar to the Wizengamot. Some of the directors of the former East German Ministry of Magic were reassigned, and others were demoted.
"What, do you have some secret you don't want people to know, Minister?" The balding old wizard sneered.
Everyone now wanted to push for legislation to ban the use of the Time Phantom Shuttle spell, but he had a different opinion.
He and the other wizard with the goatee were both from East Germany, serving as directors of the Department of Magical Disasters and the Department of Magical Sports, respectively.
One was a high-risk position that was easy to take the blame for, and the other was a manager of civilian sports with no military or judicial authority.
The wizard population was not large, and unless sports involved gambling, there wasn't much profit to be made... The government couldn't lead the charge in gambling, could it?
After the merger of the two ministries, the ruling clique from West Germany occupied all the important positions, while those given to East Germany were basically high-ranking but low-power, unprofitable, and particularly tedious and exhausting positions.
From the outside, it looked fine, but in reality, they were just being handed the departments that no one wanted to touch.
As the saying goes, it's easy to go from frugality to luxury, but hard to go from luxury to frugality. Many of the former high-ranking officials in the East German Ministry of Magic were unwilling to endure this indignity.
Therefore, just like the two Germanys in the Muggle world, the now reunified German Ministry of Magic was in turmoil.
"Don't let emotions get the better of you at a time like this," said the middle-aged witch with shoulder-length hair opposite the balding wizard, a hint of annoyance flashing in her eyes. She was the director of the Department of International Magical Cooperation and Charlotte's direct superior.
In her opinion, these two were just seizing the opportunity to make trouble and oppose for the sake of opposing.
The Ministry of Magic had seven departments under its jurisdiction. The East German wizards held two. Although the number was small and the power was low, in the preliminary stages of major decisions, if the two insisted on causing trouble, they could definitely slow down the progress considerably.
"Anyway, there's no blood under my seat, so I don't feel uncomfortable at all," said the director of the German Department of Magical Sports with a goatee.
"You're jumping in so eagerly, is it perhaps..." he said with a half-smile.
When East and West Germany split, most of those who came to East Germany were unconventional wizards from West Germany. Normally, who would want to come to a difficult place like East Germany if they had a bright future?
And the mainstream group in the Ministry of Magic at that time had some connection to Grindelwald.
At most, he had a few accusations of using his position for financial gain. If those were exposed along with others, the director of the Sports Department felt he wouldn't be at a disadvantage.
If there was a real reshuffle, his faction might be able to seize more key positions and expand their power.
"You!" After being subtly attacked with veiled insinuations, the director of the Department of International Magical Cooperation's annoyance turned into rage.
"Alright, alright, let me say a few words of fairness." As always, when the conflict between the two sides escalated, a peacemaker would step in. Life always had to go on.
"I know some things, and everyone is unhappy," said the director of the Department of Law Enforcement, standing up and looking around.
"But in the end, we are all Germans, and we must consider the overall interests of German wizards."
"The Time Phantom Shuttle spell should not become the point of contention between us. This spell not only unearths some old grudges, but if we ignore it, then the German wizarding world will have no secrets left. Are you sure you want to see that happen? Wizards from other countries are not to be trifled with."
In the wizarding world, there were also conflicts between countries. Historical blood debts, geopolitical situations, ideological differences, and conflicting interests.
The German Ministry of Magic was already criticized for its past incorrect stance. Grindelwald's killings also had a part played by the German Ministry of Magic.
Many of the survivors of those events were still alive, and this debt was not so easily forgotten.
And this was not just a matter of "we can't investigate everything."
Even from the perspective of international trade competition, this would be a disaster.
From any angle, it was not a good thing if one's own intelligence was completely exposed to everyone's view.
"Whatever conflicts we have, we can discuss them behind closed doors. Let's not let outsiders laugh at us and benefit from it, what do you say?"
In the end, they were all from the same country and nation, with the same blood flowing through them. In the eyes of the director of the Department of Law Enforcement, they could all fight, but they had to fight without breaking apart.
They couldn't go to any extremes and let political struggles affect the overall interests of all wizards in the country.
And just as the high-ranking officials of the German Ministry of Magic were about to reach a consensus after further discussion.
Knock, knock, knock...
A slightly hurried knocking sound echoed.
Only a few things could disturb the normal proceedings of the meeting at this time.
"...They actually came this fast."
After Charlotte had a conversation with Roger early in the morning, she relayed Roger's words to her superior.
Therefore, it was expected that Roger would come to the German Ministry of Magic.
However, they hadn't expected that the message would be delivered in the morning and the person would arrive in the afternoon.
"I'll handle this matter," the short-haired, middle-aged witch, head of the Department of International Magical Cooperation, stood up.
Matters concerning foreign wizards fell under her jurisdiction, and Roger's previous handover had always been handled by her, so she naturally rose to her feet.
But as soon as she stood up, the Minister of Magic, Jason Vogel, who was beside her, pressed her back down.
"You all continue the meeting, I'll go personally." After the Head of the Department of Law acted as a mediator, the conflict was temporarily shelved, and the remaining part was the exchange of benefits. Jason Vogel believed that his subordinates could handle such matters well.
"But..." The Head of the Department of International Cooperation was a little confused.
In fact, in the eyes of the German Ministry of Magic, the real danger was the consequences that could arise from the proliferation of the Time Phantom Shuttle spell.
As for Roger, once the higher-ups here had agreed not to pursue past grievances, he was no longer a threat.
What good is knowing a lot?
We have plenty of ways to suppress public opinion.
A first-year Hogwarts student who is no longer a threat doesn't require the Minister of Magic to personally show up, does he?
Isn't this a bit of an overreaction? Seeing what she wanted to say, Jason Vogel explained, "Don't forget, he is a Seer, and he also has deep ties with the British pure-blood faction, and his connection with Dumbledore is also very close. This is not a simple individual, so we must be cautious."
Roger was not an ordinary person. He was a foreign official seconded to the British Ministry of Magic, and his position as director was, as many knew, the result of the joint efforts of several pure-blood families on the Hogwarts Board of Governors.
And Roger was saved by Dumbledore during his trial at the Wizengamot. Later, someone also saw Dumbledore taking Roger to see Minister Fudge.
Thinking of the achievements Roger had made, Jason Vogel recalled what he was doing at the age of 11.
...Was it watching his maternal grandfather, the Minister of Magic, being politically purged after Grindelwald's downfall, living in constant fear? "Don't overlook Roger's inherent danger because of the Time Phantom Shuttle spell. The international situation is turbulent now, with upheavals in Eastern Europe, the Gulf War, the disintegration of the Soviet Union. There hasn't been a single peaceful day in recent years. Who knows what will happen next?"
"He might be here for tourism in name, but who knows if he's carrying a 'mission' from the British wizarding world? Judging by his travel itinerary, the things he's been looking at are not the kind of things children like." Jason Vogel chuckled.
From the perspective of the people, he was observing the price markets of East and West Germany, the living standards of the populace, and the changes after the implementation of various policies.
Interviewing the people of East and West Germany about their opinions on each other and political changes, reviewing history, watching battlefields, and wanting to see what Grindelwald looked like in his youth... Are these things that two eleven or twelve-year-old children would be interested in?! Moreover, the fact that they could come to Germany itself is not simple. In a sense, it is clear to any discerning person that Roger Virgil and Harry Potter will be the leaders of the next generation in the British wizarding world.
For the future new generation, Dumbledore should be protecting them, not letting them come abroad at the risk of potential accidents?
In any case, he felt that the purpose of these two children coming to Germany was definitely not simple.
Therefore, he wanted to meet them personally to see if he could find any clues to put his mind at ease.
...
As the Minister of Magic for Germany, Jason Vogel was considered well-traveled. He knew some wizards who were skilled in divination. He had expected this to be a meeting where both sides played word games.
But the reality was the opposite.
In the reception room, Charlotte, disguised as a server, brought Roger, Harry, and her own Minister of Magic cups of black tea, filling the room with a pleasant aroma.
After doing this, she sensibly left the room and waited outside... How could an ordinary staff member be qualified to eavesdrop on the discussions of the big shots?
After Roger and Vogel had briefly introduced themselves and exchanged pleasantries.
Before Jason Vogel could even start the conversation, Roger got straight to the point: "I heard that your side seems to have some objections to my itinerary, and I understand what you are worried about."
"But I have no intention of interfering in your internal affairs. We are here purely for academic research and tourism, just like Muggle scientists do when they go to Antarctica."
"We have no intention of causing trouble, and we ask that you please be accommodating and not interfere with our affairs."
"If you have any opinions on this, there's no need to beat around the bush. Let's clarify everything here and now."
Jason Vogel met Roger's calm gaze, and he saw sincerity in it. This little Seer seemed genuinely willing to be open with him.
After thinking about it, since the other party was like this, he was happy to go along with it, as it would save him a lot of words.
"Although you say you don't want to interfere in our country's internal affairs, the fact that you have learned some secret intelligence or will take away other information of significant importance is itself a form of harm to us," Jason Vogel said with a serious expression.
As a politician, he still left some room for maneuver in his words, not directly saying, 'I suspect you are a spy sent by the British wizarding world.'
"I understand what you mean," Roger nodded.
This was like how Muggle countries would not allow spies to freely survey detailed maps of their countries or take photos outside military zones.
It was a normal behavior due to security concerns.
However...
"In fact, you don't need to worry at all that I will use this intelligence to harm Germany and the German wizarding world."
"How so?" Jason Vogel looked forward to the answer this little Seer would give him.
"Because, if I wanted to harm you, I wouldn't need any of this," Roger said with a smile.
Jason Vogel was slightly stunned.
The next moment, he understood the meaning behind Roger's words.
"You!"
Just as his eyes began to turn fierce and he opened his mouth to say something.
Suddenly!
He felt as if the world before his eyes had instantly changed! "Minister Vogel, do you think now, if I wanted to do something, I would need to resort to flashy tricks?"
Roger's voice came, but Jason Vogel was already unable to respond.
In that instant, he felt as if he had seen a god!
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