When the Roses Bloom Again by TheBlack'sResurgence

Chapter 79

Closing the Corridor

Having spent as many evenings as she had in the den of debauchery that was the bar in Berlin, Eleanor had learned much of how the wizarding underworld worked, though it certainly helped the perpetrators that Grindelwald seemingly had no care for what happened within these walls.

She had almost become desensitised to what occurred on a nightly basis; the violent deaths, the smell of evacuated bowels, and the pained screams that the crowd seemed to love.

Eleanor would never become one of them, but she had adapted, all in the pursuit of finally uncovering the truth of who Weber was.

On that front, she had been mostly unsuccessful.

The man was little more than a shadow that loomed over his empire, careful not to out himself to his patrons or even those that worked for him, but the one that benefitted from the suffering and misery here, and undoubtedly other establishments Eleanor knew nothing of.

What she had learned was that Weber was as cunning as he was elusive, never allowing himself to be directly connected to anything that transpired under his direction.

She had hoped that the bald man that oversaw this particular venture would be able to lead her to him, but that hope had been dashed quite quickly. Much like the illegal duelling, those that oversaw never met Weber directly, only corresponding through letters.

At the end of each night, the gold would be taken to a nearby branch of Gringotts where it would be deposited into an account held under a fake name, and though Eleanor had tried to carry out a robbery using her typical means, it wasn't to be.

Evidently, the goblins had learned from their mistakes, and Gringotts had secured themselves against such a thing.

As much as she had learned about how the operation worked, Eleanor had little to show for her efforts and had already considered what options she now had.

She had thought at first that she would attempt to begin following Gaulitier, who had frequented the bar on a number of occasions, but given the man's reputation, she thought better of it.

Evans had urged caution where The Beast of Berlin was concerned, and Eleanor did not wish to push her luck.

She could simply continue as she was, but to her, it would only prove to be more time wasted.

There was little else she could glean from her observations, and it was unlikely that she would learn anything else of value.

No, she needed to present her findings to Evans and allow the man to make a decision on what he would do.

She would continue to help him in any way she could, but in her current position, she had done all that could be expected of her.

Short of attempting to ingratiate herself with the men here, there was nothing else for it.

Once this final evening had come to an end, she would send him a message, and was hopeful that he would know what to do next.

(Break)

Charlus watched as Harry's eyes trailed across the map and waited for the man to make a decision. He would need to be certain of their next move before committing, and Harry wouldn't do so until he had meticulously planned each option.