Marcus Flint was a junior member of the Department of Magical Games and Sports; he had been working there ever since he had left Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. It was a position that he had gained through family connections, his family having worked in the Ministry of Magic for generations, his own school grades not having been amazing. He knew that he wasn't the brightest person in his year at Hogwarts; he would say that was his colleague Percy Weasley in the Department of International Cooperation, but his family connections had ensured a career for him anyway. His position, whilst the same level of position as Weasley was slightly better, the blood traitor was working on things like reports on cauldron bottoms, whilst he was working on the preparations for the Triwizard tournament. The only way Weasley would have been promoted in any way was through a desire to keep tabs on his family through him, and through them Harry Potter. That was what happened though and he soon found that Percy Weasley had risen quickly through his department to become one of the Minister's own staff, while Marcus was still in his junior position.
Marcus didn't mind though, his position was interesting, he had always been a more sporting person than academic, so working in a department completely related to sports and games was more his thing anyway. It also meant that he was able to keep his head down and out of the way. He also managed to get tickets to quiddich matches at a reduced rate, something that the avid fan in him appreciated. Puddlemere United were his favourite team and through his dealings in the department he had even come to be on semi-friendly terms with Oliver Wood, something that he had never thought possible with all the rivalry they had at school, both on and off the quiddich pitch. It wasn't a friendship that he advertised though, and Wood seemed to understand, the other male was a pureblood but he was definitely light orientated and Marcus had to keep up appearances. Despite what many people thought about all Slytherins being dark and evil, Marcus had no real inclination to support the dark factions of the pureblood world. He didn't really have any vested interest in the purity of blood dogma that he had been force fed throughout his childhood, while not very smart he had realised that the muggleborn weren't all savages out to steal their magic and money.
When the tales of Voldemort having risen again reached him he cut all outward contact with Oliver, just to be on the safe side, he didn't want to be linked to the other male in case word got back to his parents or any other of Voldemort's followers. He was going to have enough problems keeping out of the Dark Lords clutches as it was, never mind those of his parents who he knew would be trying to either sell him into their masters form of slavery, or off to some woman in a marriage contract. No Marcus was best just keeping his head down and throwing his all into his work. With the disappearance of Ludo Bagman after the end of the tournament there was a lot more work to be going around, as everyone was splitting his duties while he was searched for. If he wasn't found the person who had coped best with the workload would no doubt be promoted. Without thinking of the consequences Marcus had thrown himself into his work and soon found himself rising within the department.
After the death of Dumbledore Marcus went to work every day, an air of trepidation around him, would it be his last, when would the Dark Lord take the Ministry, would he disband his department, what would happen to him, to his colleagues. It wasn't the nicest of thoughts that ran through his head, luckily there were no muggleborn amongst their ranks, and the few half bloods had obviously sensed the same things that he had, and had taken leave or holiday and had no doubt holed up somewhere under heavy wards in the hope that it would help protect them. Marcus didn't really have anyone to worry or care about but himself, his parents were already members of the Dark Lords regime and their place may even protect him a little.
And then it all changed, a mere couple of days before the Dark Lord overthrew the Ministry of Magic, he had the dream that changed everything, the dream that showed him his soul mate who was just about to come of age. He had never really expected to have a dream of a soul mate, and he certainly didn't want to have one now of all times. Imagine if his soul mate was muggleborn, they were sure to die in the coming unrest, couldn't they have turned seventeen after the conflict was over. At least then Marcus wouldn't have someone to worry about other than himself, and if they were to die, at least he wouldn't have known and felt like he had been unable to protect them. It was worse than a muggleborn though, his soul mate was a half blood, one right at the top of the Dark Lord's hit list, Harry Potter.
What Marcus knew of Harry td him that the younger boy male was bound to be in the centre of the whole war, Voldemort wasn't likely to leave him alone, and Potter wasn't about to back down and let the Dark Lord kill everyone he loved, it wasn't who the teen was. Marcus knew that he had two choices, he could ignore the fact that the younger male was his soul mate and let him get into as much trouble as he was bound to over the course of the war, or he could acknowledge it to himself and give Harry as much help as he was able to from the sidelines without endangering either of them.
As he came to a decision about what to do Marcus let out a groan, so much for keeping his head down and staying out of it. Over the following moths Marcus tried to keep his head down as much as he could, whilst still gathering as much information as he could. He had started listening to the wireless religiously when he was at home, listening to Potter Watch for any sign of Harry now that he was on the run from both the Ministry and the Dark Lord. He had also started passing any information that he heard on to the Weasley twins through Oliver in the hopes that it would help to end the disastrous war that was coming down on all their heads. He didn't take either side in any conversation about the war, he just carried on with his work, but when he heard the news of the battle to come, like many others he apparated to the gates of Hogwarts to help in a battle that he hoped would end the war.