It had taken Harry less than an hour, even considering how late in the day it was, to get Ron, Angelina and George to his apartment. Once they were there, Harry had quickly related to them the story of his finding Ginny's message, meeting her in Godric's Hollow and then the events that followed. For a solid five minutes after Harry finished telling the tale, no one spoke.
Finally, it was George who spoke up.
"How did she look?" he asked simply.
"Good." Harry chuckled. "Strong. She'd been taking care of herself."
"Good." George uttered simply.
"You said that their leader mentioned that she had tried to bring them down from the inside." Hermione said, finally getting ready to ask the first question of the evening. "How would she have done that?"
"Weren't you her handler?" Ron asked, his voice only barely suppressing the rage he was failing to hide. "Shouldn't you know?"
"I was but I never told her how to accomplish any of her tasks." Hermione explained again. "I told her a job. She did it. The question of "how" was intentionally avoided."
"From the way he worded it, it sounded like she tried to join them."
"Then they caught wind of who she was." Angelina continued.
"Or they knew who she was from the beginning." George countered. "Remember, to the rest of the world, Ginny is a criminal."
Unfortunately, that fact was true. Anywhere outside of the few rooms where the news of Ginny's true fate was known, the rest of the world believed her to be an anarchist, someone who would relish in nothing more than taking down the rest of the world. Part of that was due to Ginny's actions against Draco Malfoy.
However, some of that was simply the vast imagination of some reporters like Rita Skeeter. Unfortunately, they held no sway over her any longer. After the war, she had paid a rather large fine and registered as an Animagus. Now, she was able to write whatever she wanted without fear of retribution from Hermione.
Once Ginny's trial had started, Rita had painted Ginny as a freedom fighter, someone who wished for all government to fail. It was a complete falsehood but it was a better story that a girl who was broken by the death of her brother and took advantage of the one moment where she thought she could feel powerful. The truth was that the public saw her now as somewhere in the middle: mentally unbalanced and someone who desired to see the powerful returned to the dirt.
It was going to make the job of restoring her image (if that was required) exceedingly challenging.
"We'll cross that bridge when we get there." Harry replied before turning to Hermione. "Where was Ginny the last you had heard from her?"
"You mean before we knew she was in Britain?"
"Yes."
"I had sent her to follow The Masters of Death. Wherever that took her."
"Do you know where it took her?"
"I suspect either Germany or Switzerland." Hermione replied. "The splinter group that she had been following was rumored to be based out of the Swiss Alps. However, we know that Germany is the home to most of the base camps for the Masters of Death. They work elsewhere and return home for instruction."
"The Swiss Alps?" George asked, turning to Harry knowingly. "That's awfully close-"
"To Nurmengard." Harry said, finishing George's thought before turning back to Hermione. "It keeps coming back to Grindelwald himself, Hermione."
"We'll talk about that later." Hermione said, tabling that discussion. "What we need to know is whether Ginny left of her own accord or whether she is being held captive."
"It was clear that she was bait. Ginny's not stupid. If she had escaped, then she would have come directly to me or made sure that no one could follow her. The fact that so many Masters were there leads me to believe that she is a prisoner."
"Makes sense." George agreed. "So, we think that they're operating out of the Swiss Alps. Is it possible that Nurmengard has been overrun by these people and that the Germans are simply embarrassed to admit it?"
"It's unlikely." Hermione answered. "I visited the grounds once with Amos when discussing reforms to Azkaban. There are hundreds of guards on hand at all times."
"Seems a little much for a hundred year old wizard." Ron suggested.
"For us, yes. But for them, he was their Voldemort. Imagine if we had Voldemort locked up in Azkaban right now. We would have moved every Auror in the country to that island."
"Can't disagree with that." Angelina said with a nod. "However, I have to agree with George that the proximity of their location seems convenient. Maybe a mole within the guards?"
"Wait just a moment." Harry said, ordering the conversation to a halt as he stood. "Anytime I've suggested talking to Grindelwald previously, it was simply for information, a clue as to how to go about stopping the Masters. You all seem to think that he's still behind them."
Looking around the room, Harry saw that Ron, George and Angelina agreed with that sentiment entirely. Even Hermione seemed uncertain as the facts about the Masters of Death continued to pile up.
"That's insane." Harry muttered. "He's one hundred and twenty years old! Why would they still follow him?"
"We followed Dumbledore." Hermione offered.
"Because Dumbledore was the most powerful wizard not named Voldemort!" Harry argued. "Grindelwald has been locked in a single cell since his last escape attempt in 1948. They don't even have a door to the cell anymore. They just Apparate food and water in the room."
"But we've never lived to be that old, Harry." Angelina said firmly. "Maybe physically he's weaker but we have no idea about his magic."
"Neither would they."
"Ultimately that wouldn't matter." Hermione replied. "They believe in him. His quest to rule over the Muggles was the first in centuries. For those wizards that feel subjugated, trapped beneath the publicly Muggle world: he is their one true leader. Everything that he spoke of, everything he taught them, it gave him a special place where he was also their voice. Until he dies, Gellert Grindelwald will be the person they follow."
"If he dies." Ron added. "For all we know, he's got a Horcrux out there that no one has discovered."
That thought was sobering. If it was true, then Grindelwald was simply waiting for the world to forget about him until he could return and strike back against all who held him captive for sixty years.
"We worry about Grindelwald himself later. Our first priority is to figure out where Ginny is and get her back here." Harry replied. "For now, everyone needs to go home and get some rest. I'm going to do some more research on the Masters of Death and then call a full meeting."
"Really?" Angelina asked. "You think this is that bad?"
"If there is a one percent chance that Gellert Grindelwald is about to resurface, then yes, I believe that the Order, Dumbledore's Army, whatever the hell you want to call us, we are most definitely needed again."
The rest of the weekend had moved much too fast and by Monday morning, Harry found himself back in his office. In the past, if something like the appearance of the Masters of Death had shown up, he could have ignored his schoolwork, had Hermione assist him before everything was due and focus the entirety of his attention on whatever crisis called for his attention. But now, Harry had work to do and there was no one that could cover for him.
So, despite wanting to go search for Ginny with every fiber of his being, Harry sat at his desk and began his day. After a week, Harry had already settled into a fairly regular routine. By seven, regardless of whether he went home or stayed in his chambers at the school, he was in the Great Hall eating breakfast with the students and staff. At around eight, he returned to his office and began to work. A variety of tasks fell under the role of Headmaster. Regular observations of his staff and reporting on their progress were required under Ministry guidelines. Harry also regularly took meetings and mail from parents, typically those who had first years, so they could express their concerns. Finally, as the Headmaster of Hogwarts, he was a regular advisor to a variety of Ministry officials, meaning frequent trips to the offices of Ministry of Magic.
All in all, it meant a day that typically started before sunrise and ended after sunset.
This particular morning, Harry was reviewing a letter from an advisor at the Department of Magical Education on the impact of new Potions standards on the future curriculum of the subject when there was a knock on his door. Looking at the clock, Harry had a strong guess as to who was behind the door and waved his wand, the door opening swiftly. Sure enough, standing on the other side of the door was Amos Diggory's observer, Gabrielle Delacour.
Smiling, Harry stood and motioned for Gabrielle to sit before retaking his seat behind his desk. Harry finished the few sentences that he had been working on for his reply to the Ministry advisor before putting the paper and quill aside and looking up at Gabrielle.
"How are you?" Harry asked pleasantly. "Adjusting to life inside the castle?"
"This is not the first time I've lived here, Headmaster." Gabrielle replied, her English nearly perfect.
"Please, call me Harry."
"The Minister would not appreciate-"
"Despite the fact that he may or may not be your boss, Gabrielle, I think it's fair to say that the Minister and I do not necessarily see eye-to-eye on things. You are here at my school in my office so I think we can abide by my rules and here, we are much more relaxed about titles and things of that nature." Harry replied before adding. "At least among friends anyway."
"You don't know me that well, Harry."
"This is true." Harry admitted. "However, I am still relatively close to your sister."
"When was the last time you saw Fleur?"
"Late July I believe? She was at the party that Ron and Angelina threw on the night of the election."
"Must be nice." Gabrielle grumbled.
"I'm sorry. Did I hit a sensitive subject?"
"Fleur and I are fine. She just disagrees with my line of work."
"Working for the Department of Magical Education?"
"Working for Minister Diggory." Gabrielle replied.
"You don't work for the Minister."
"I'm a senior advisor for the Head of Department who was directly appointed by the Minister himself."
"So? Doesn't Fleur work at the Ministry as well?"
"Yes but she has been working as the Security Coordinator for the Ministry since Kingsley was in charge. Meanwhile, I was hired by someone who was appointed by Minister Diggory."
Having no true family to speak of and only worked at the Ministry for a few months, Harry had managed to go almost the entirety of his life avoiding these kind of disagreements. For the most part, Harry and Hermione had supported each other. When Hermione had originally been named the Head of the Department of Magical Law Enforcement, no one had any idea what kind of Minister of Magic Amos Diggory was going to be. However, Harry would have still supported her had she taken the Senior Undersecretary (or Junior Undersecretary as it turned out) position.
"I'm going to ask you something, Gabrielle, and I'm going to ask this to be the only conversation that we ever have in this office that you tell absolutely no one about."
"I'm not sure I can agree to that." Gabrielle objected politely.
"Well, then I will ask you a question. You can choose to answer or not. If you do, then do so knowing that it is understood between the two of us that neither of us will speak of it outside this room."
"Alright." Gabrielle said with a stern nod.
"What is your professional opinion on the Minister of Magic?"
Harry could tell from Gabrielle's immediate reaction that she was not prepared to answer that question. However, Harry also saw her mind instantly go to work, trying to formulate some sort of response. So, rather than press forward and pretend that he hadn't ask, Harry simply waited.
For about a minute, the room was silent. Finally, with her eyes still focused on a shelf across the room, Gabrielle started her response. As she spoke, her words came out broken, as if she was being overly cautious with her answer. It told Harry as much about her opinion of him as any words that would come out of her mouth.
"The Minister of Magic is….a….complicated man. I have little doubt that he...desires the best for everyone…"
"And yet?"
"His leadership leaves….something to be desired. He also lacks the ability to….see the error of his ways. It is something that will get him into trouble one day….if he's not careful."
Harry had heard countless hours of talk on the subject of Amos Diggory from Hermione. However, considering her position within the Ministry, Harry had always wondered whether Amos' behavior was simply due to her high place within the Ministry. While Gabrielle Delacour was no Ministry-bottom dweller, she was nothing compared to the Head of the Department of Magical Law Enforcement. To hear that she had a relatively similar opinion on the man that Hermione had was both encouraging and discouraging. On one hand, it meant that Hermione wasn't being paranoid about her treatment.
On the other hand, it mean that a man who was single minded and unable to see the fault in his ways was the man in charge of their country.
"Thank you, Gabrielle." Harry replied earnestly. "Now, what did you have for me today?"
"Headmaster-"
"Harry."
"Harry." Gabrielle answered with a slightly embarrassed grin. "I would like to have these meetings be a weekly occurance so that we can discuss the things that I see in the classroom."
"Will you be sending Amos a report on these meetings?" Harry asked.
"Harry, for my sake, would you refrain from referring to the Minister by name? I know that you are somewhat more lax on titles but it will make my job significantly easier if we use the Minister's proper title when referring to him."
"Of course." Harry agreed. "Feeling a bit like you're serving two masters?"
"A bit. I know I'm not the first to do so but it's rare for those two masters to be the two most powerful people in the country."
"I can imagine that would be difficult." Harry replied. "To go back to my original question: Will you be reporting on these meetings to the Minister of Magic?"
"That depends on your answers." Gabrielle admitted.
"How so?"
"If you reveal any plans to overthrow the Ministry, for instance." Gabrielle replied knowingly.
This comment struck Harry strangely. Leaning back in his chair, Harry found himself not exactly sure how to proceed.
"How much did he tell you?" Harry asked.
"Enough. He wanted an advisor, you did not. He attempted to force you, you blackmailed him."
"I did not!" Harry exclaimed before immediately coming down from such an outright refusal. If not blackmail, then what had Harry done to Amos? "Fine. I blackmailed him. What else did he say?"
"You worked out a deal so that the Minister could avoid whatever it was you held over him."
That forced Harry to chuckle.
"Would you like to know what I 'hold over him'?"
"That's really none of my business."
"I didn't ask if it was your business." Harry snapped. "I asked if you wanted to know. What do you think it was that the Minister wanted kept secret?"
"I honestly couldn't tell you."
"Then guess." Harry suggested.
"I would have to say that you or Miss Granger knew something about the Elena King murder."
"I do know something about that." Harry admitted. "It never came up between the two of us."
That clearly threw Gabrielle off. For several seconds, she seemed to wander in and out of her head, coming up with several ideas before shutting them down without speaking a word. Finally, Harry decided to put her out of her misery.
"I promised him that if he gave me what I wanted, I wouldn't immediately announce my candidacy for Minister of Magic in two years."
"Two years?"
"Whether or not I run, I will likely use my considerable influence to encourage the Wizengamot to request an election in two years. The sooner I get the Minister out of office, the safer I will feel." Harry informed her before leaning forward. Unlike with Diggory, Harry did this not to intimidate but to make her feel more comfortable, like Harry wasn't aloof. "This is the Minister of Magic you work for. I worked to protect my school, he worked to protect his position."
"You did the same." Gabrielle argued. "You saw The Minister as a threat and you saw an advisor as an extension of that threat. So you used your influence to secure your position."
"This is true. But there's one essential difference, Gabrielle. The Minister did what he did to ensure that he was secure. I did what I did because I believe in my heart that there is no one better to ensure the quality of education for my students right now than me."
"Don't you believe that the Minister feels the same way?"
"Probably." Harry admitted. "But at that point, who would you rather place your faith in?"
Gabrielle never answered the question. Instead, she simply smiled.
As the month of September continued to press forward, Harry continually found himself amazed at how much work was put on the desk of the Headmaster. Frequently, he found himself delegating much of the day-to-day work of the school to Gemma. For a time, Harry had considered himself an early failure, destined to be sacked at the end of the year.
Then, Minerva reminded him that Harry had practically run the school the previous year, a sign that even a Headmaster as experienced as Minerva McGonagall was sometimes forced to pass things off her to Deputy.
However, one of the things that Harry refused to delegate was the new class that was being instituted at the beginning of October. After working both at the Ministry and Hogwarts, and living with a former Head of the Department of Magical Law Enforcement, Harry was well aware that most of the students who entered the Auror Academy were woefully unprepared when it came time to start at the Academy.
Therefore, Harry was creating a new course, Auror Preparation. This class, which was closed except to the most advanced seventh year Defense Against the Dark Arts students, would inevitably become one of the most challenging courses that the school had ever offered. In fact, based on the coursework that Harry had lined up for the class, Harry would be surprised if any more than two or three people even passed.
The other unique thing about this class was that it would become the first class in nearly two centuries to be taught by the Headmaster of the school. Thankfully, Harry wasn't taking on the class alone as his Defense Professor, Padma Patil, was splitting the duties with him. Much of the design of the course had been created by Harry so that even if Harry wasn't able to attend class, his fingerprints were all over the course regardless.
As September came to an end, it was finally time to select the students who would take the class. Harry had already determined that a maximum of ten students would be selected. Among the population of the seventh years who had remained with Defense Against the Dark Arts through seventh year, a number totalling just under one hundred and fifty, only fourteen students had qualifying grades to enroll.
Among those fourteen, eight had already decided that they would not be entering the Auror Academy, leaving a grand total of six eligible students.
Harry was certain that not all of them would make the class.
"First on the list: Sam Wood." Padma said as she pulled out the files for each student. They were seated in Padma's office for a change. As they were teaching the class together, Harry felt it better to work out of her office rather there be some sort of feeling of superiority by Harry.
"Oliver's younger brother." Harry muttered softly. "I'm not sure I want him."
"I think you'll disagree when you look at his grades." Padma said with a smirk. "If you look at his grades for first and second years, they're nothing to write home about. But then third year, top of the class in almost everything."
"Obviously Oliver's death inspired him." Harry sighed. "I'm not sure how I feel about that."
"Sam is a good kid, Harry. There's nothing dark in his heart, at least nothing that I can see. He's driven to make sure that no one has to live through the death of his brother. No one else anyway."
That was encouraging but the situation still had Harry on edge.
"We'll come back to him. Who's the second student?" Harry asked.
"Abbigail Roberts, Slytherin." Padma answered as she looked through the file. "A bit weak in Defense but her Charms, Transfiguration and Potions scores are all close to what Granger scored. Not quite a prodigy but as close as we've seen in those subjects."
"Good temperament?"
"She's a bit shy. I'm not certain how she will handle the pressure that you're going to put on her in this class."
"That we're going to put on her." Harry corrected gently.
"Actually, the classwork will be easy as pumpkin pie for her. It will be the practical work that is a challenge. Since we've already discussed that you will be doing far more of the practical work than me, it is more likely to be you that is pressuring her."
"Is that going to be a problem?" Harry asked. "I won't have time to coddle these students, Padma. They're going to have to be ready to go from day one. If they get left behind, they're only going to slow the whole class down."
"I'm well aware." Padma said sadly. Harry could tell that Padma was suddenly uncertain about Abbigail.
"Will she make it?" Harry asked bluntly.
"I can't be certain." Padma admitted.
"Then we leave her off." Harry ordered before picking up the next file. "Brandon Meyer, Hufflepuff. Fifth in the class across the board, Dueling Club chancellor. Parents are both Aurors. Is there anything we should be concerned about?"
"He does have a bit of an ego." Padma replied with a shrug.
"I do remember that. However, if they don't have a bit of an ego, then they aren't going to succeed in this class." Harry replied before tossing Brandon's file into the bin for accepted students.
After a quick discussion, Elizabeth Wells was rejected for lacking a truly advanced score in both Potions and Transfiguration. However, Kara Wilde, the school's Head Girl from Ravenclaw, was considered an ideal candidate, a great mix of academic excellence and leadership.
All of that led them to their last candidate. As Harry watched Padma pull the last file from her bag, Harry knew exactly whose information was in this final file.
A young man by the name of James Cresswell. The son of Dirk Cresswell, James had been named in honor of Harry's own father. Spending the majority of his youth without a father had been rough on James. Just as he was ready to go off to school, his father was forced to flee their home before dying at the hands of the Ministry's Snatchers.
Over James' previous six years, he had achieved a reputation for being an exceptional student, someone who could always be counted on to understand a concept without much work.
Unfortunately, he could also be relied on for being a hothead and rule breaker. In fact, Harry had already had him in his office once this school year after a near record breaking number of visits with the young man the previous year.
"Cresswell has the grades. He wants in." Padma said simply before moving to put his file on the rejected pile. Quickly, Harry raised a hand, stopping her from putting it there just yet.
"You can't seriously be considering him?" Padma replied. "No offense, Headmaster, but you'll put the course in jeopardy from the very beginning if you include someone like James Cresswell. I know he was named after your father but-"
"That's quite enough, Padma." Harry scolded. "This has nothing to do with his name or the fact that I met his father. This has everything to do with James. We've all known for years that if James only applied himself, he would likely be the head of class."
"And yet, he continues to goof off, get only moderately exceptional grades, average two detentions a week and be a general terror on the school."
"James Cresswell has never taken any class that he didn't need. In third year, he took no extra electives forcing Minerva to enroll him in Care of Magical Creatures, which he promptly flunked just to prove that he could fail at something." Harry said, failing not to manage a small chuckle at the end.
"He's a rebellious boy and he's going to be a nightmare."
"He is." Harry admitted. "But for the first time in his life, James Cresswell is seeking to apply himself in something and I'm not about to tell him no. Not when I think he could make a first rate wizard with a little bit of hard work."
Harry stood and gathered his things as he finished before making his way to the door.
"Throw him and Wood in the class."
"They hate each other." Padma growled in addition. "They're going to fight the entire class."
"Then they'll fit in at the Auror Academy swimmingly."
That evening, as the clock struck ten, Harry took the package he had received earlier in the evening out onto the balcony of his office. There, Harry had a large bottle of butterbeer on the table next to his favorite chair. From this vantage point, Harry could sit and look over the entirety of the grounds. Tonight was a moderately warm evening so Harry could sit outside without fear of needing any sort of warming charm.
Opening the package, Harry held its contents in his hands gently, not wanting to touch the book, much less open it. However, Harry was well aware that his knowledge on Gellert Grindelwald was limited. Specifically, Harry knew almost nothing about the forces that Grindelwald commanded during his reign.
Harry knew that unlike Voldemort, Grindelwald empowered his followers, often instructing them to strike at Muggle targets without asking Grindelwald opinion. In this way, Grindelwald was less a traditional military leader. Instead, he was, to his followers, a magical messiah, designed to pass his message of terror to his followers who would pick up his cause and create their own forces to take up his banner.
The most famous text on the subject, which Harry now held in his hands, was written by a contemporary of Gellert Grindelwald: an American named Donnie Jones. The book, entitled The Greatest Good, was practically a love letter from Donnie to Grindelwald himself. From the first few pages, it was clear to Harry that Grindelwald must have allowed Jones private access to his forces in order to ensure that Grindelwald's image was portrayed in the way he wished.
However, the date of publication, April 1, 1952, also meant that the book was able to include Grindelwald's battle with Dumbledore, his defeat and trial, then finally the subsequent trials and disbandment of all of Grindelwald's forces.
These were the chapters that Harry was most interested in. It was clear that the Masters of Death were either following or were highly influenced by Grindelwald's ideology. If they were going around and attacking wizards using Muggle technology, then it was clear to Harry that they desired the same thing Grindelwald had longed for: war with the Muggle world.
Thankfully, the book made the search relatively simple. The fourth chapter from the end was titled "Die Meister des Todes."
The Masters of Death. Sipping lightly on the butterbeer next to him, Harry began reading.
DIE MEISTER DES TODES
Over the years, Grindelwald amassed an amazing following of some five thousand witches and wizards, the largest gathering of magical allies in history. For most of these people, they longed to belong to the most elite of Grindelwald's forces: The Masters of Death.
Only Grindelwald himself is aware of the true genesis of this group but there are a number of rumors among the general population of Grindelwald's forces that make a certain amount of sense. The most common idea is that Grindelwald himself is the Master of Death, the owner of three legendary artifacts known as The Deathly Hallows. The power that Grindelwald wielded at the height of his power lends credence to this theory. In fact, there are those that say that Albus Dumbledore himself now possesses the Elder Wand as a result of his duel with Grindelwald.
The result of Grindelwald's duel against Dumbledore calls into question this theory. If Grindelwald truly held the Death Stick, then it is highly unlikely that a mere schoolmaster could defeat the most powerful wizard in the world with the most powerful wand in history.
Regardless of the genesis of the name, there is no doubt where the group first appeared. After Grindelwald disappeared in the 1920s, a group of like-minded witches and wizards sprang to life in his absence. For nearly a decade while Grindelwald hunted for a powerful artifact in the MACUSA, they operated unchecked by European governments.
When Grindelwald finally returned to Europe in 1932, he adopted these people under his banner, naming them The Masters of Death, the captains of The Greater Good. For thirteen years, until Grindelwald's capture at the hands of Albus Dumbledore, this group of fifty ran through Europe, nearly destroying the Ministry of Magic in Greece and executing dozens of Ministry officials in Norway.
From the moment they began their work together, their goal was always the same: to create unrest in the Muggle world. To that end, Gellert Grindelwald enabled his Masters to work their way into the Muggle world, attaining high ranking within the governments of Muggle Germany, France and Italy. From these positions, they were able to encourage dissention and disorder.
But even among The Masters of Death, there was one leader known to the others only as The Phantom. While the rest of the Masters of Death wore the same attire, The Phantom was marked with a different set of robes and mask, marking them as unique among The Masters of Death. Each Phantom was selected for only a year at a time before they were replaced by another member of the Masters.
Of the nearly thirteen year history of the Masters of Death, only two people are known to have been The Phantom: the first and last of that title. The first was a man widely known to the Muggle world: Joseph Goebbels, the propaganda minister for Nazi Germany. Goebbels, a man of marvelous forward thinking, realized that if he gave the Muggles another target, they would ignore the threat that the magical world posed to them.
To that end, Goebbels placed the head of the Nazi Party, Adolf Hitler, under the Imperius Curse which he would remain until days before his death. Then, at Goebbels' direction, Hitler began the total annihilation of the Jewish people. In contrary to his portrayal in Muggle history, Goebbels had no particular hatred of the Jewish people. Instead, he saw opportunity in the hatred that most within the Nazi Party already held. Using this, Goebbels directed their attention to them. Meanwhile, Gellert Grindelwald was free to exercise free reign over a tense and then warring Europe.
Goebbels served as The Phantom from October 25, 1932 until November 1, 1933. From that point, he served as a faithful member of The Masters of Death until his murder at the hands of a party lead by Albus Dumbledore on May 1, 1945.
Unfortunately, the story of the last Phantom is not as honorable. Unlike every other known member of the Masters of Death, Alexander Wilson was not a member of a European nation. Instead, Alexander was a proud American who realized that his country was lost to the Muggle world and instead wished to join Grindelwald in his crusade to free his people.
On December 1, 1944, Wilson took command of the Masters of Death as The Phantom. As a member of the United States' Army, Wilson was ideally placed to receive information and pass it to Grindelwald. For six months, Wilson fought an uphill battle as it became clear that the Axis Powers were likely going to lose the Muggle war, making it far more challenging for Grindelwald to operate unchecked.
Finally, on May 1 1945, Wilson's luck ran out. Wearing the cloak of the Phantom, Wilson was captured by French Aurors, also under the direction of Albus Dumbledore. While no one ever spoke to officials with any information on Wilson's activities, he was unfortunately captured with the cloak of The Phantom among his personal effects. The simple possession of this meant that Wilson would spend the rest of his days in Alcatraz Prison. Meanwhile, his wife, Lucille, and only child fled to Europe to avoid the misguided scourge of MACUSA, who intended to brand them as sympathisers and throw them in prison as well. Lucille currently lives in England under an assumed name. Rumors last suggest that she had managed to marry her way into one of the Sacred Twenty-Eight, the list of pureblood Houses in England.
With both Grindelwald and Wilson in prison, The Masters of Death struggled to coagulate into any sort of functional entity. To this day, The Masters of Death still fight to retain the power they once had. Unfortunately, they have had little to no success at breaking their beloved leader out of prison. Without him, they have no recruiting power. Since being a member of The Masters of Death is still considered an offense punishable by death by most European governments, the Masters unfortunately remain in hiding, hoping that one day someone is able to restore them to their former glory.
Harry didn't even know where to begin. The fact that the last Phantom's family had escaped to England certainly couldn't be ignored. Also, the presence of the Sacred Twenty-Eight meant that Harry was certain to target some fairly influential people.
People like the Weasleys and The Greengrasses, both of whom were on the list of the most pure magical families in England.
Still, Harry would have to digest this information further before anything else could be done. So, rather than stay up and ponder what he had read, Harry took down the briefest of notes on the subject before turning in for the night, electing to simply stay in the castle.
As he slept, Harry's dreams were haunted by the image of the Phantom, the man in the mask. He appeared to be leading the Masters of Death currently and it was he who Harry was going to have to find.