PREVIOUSLY ON… HARRY POTTER AND THE HIDDEN THREAT

Hermione stopped in her tracks and forced him to stay with her. "Tell me what's wrong, Harry," She said softly.

"Nothing, I'm fine."

She huffed and let go of his arm. "Fine, if that's how you want to play it, then so be it." She started walking ahead without him. "Just don't expect me to help you until you start acting like yourself instead of like your brother."

…

"You want to know what happened to your bigoted friends? The four idiots had the brilliant idea of threatening the lives of me and my friends by dueling us while the trolls tried to kill us from the other side. You are making the exact same mistake as they did, they messed with me and if you don't lower your wand you're going to end up just like them. In the infirmary fighting for their lives. Please, give me a reason. Just one. Take your best shot at me, Parkinson. But you better know; if you do, you better make sure I'm dead because if you take a shot at me and I step out of here alive I swear on my life that I will burn you and your whole family to the ground!"

…

"Obliviate! Sirius Black was your secret-keeper. He graciously accepted the responsibility and never suggested switching secret-keepers at the last minute. Peter Pettigrew isn't and was never your secret-keeper. He wasn't there when the Dark Lord attacked. Peter Pettigrew is your best and closest friend and he would never betray you. You haven't had any nightmares featuring Peter and you aren't even considering going to a mind healer, nor did you have a conversation about it with Peter or anyone else."

CHAPTER 9: PLANS IN MOTION

Peter Pettigrew's Apartment

1:00 a.m.

If someone were to ask Peter when his life began, the answer would be a pretty simple one.

Ten years ago.

Ten years ago, the Dark Lord had gotten himself blown up by Noah Potter, and what could have become the end of Peter's life instead became his new beginning. He had managed to trick the entire Wizarding World, obliviate his friends, send Sirius to Azkaban, and effectively break-up the Marauders in one fell swoop. And the best thing about it was that no one even suspected him. No Death Eater actually knew of his involvement with the Dark Lord and no member of the Order of the Phoenix suspected him of being the traitor.

To the whole wizarding world, Peter Pettigrew was a nobody, and he had learned from a young age that being unnoticed and staying in the shadows was the best way to live. Don't make waves, talk less, smile more, go with the flow, never advertise what side you're truly on. And that's exactly how he decided to live after that fateful Halloween. After all, who would bother to care about Peter Pettigrew? A measly obliviator who lived alone and was almost never involved in anything that would put him in the spotlight.

He rarely talked to his co-workers, never accepted the multiple job offers that would gather the attention of the press. His only real friend was James Potter, and a part of himself mentally snorted at the thought. After how James and Sirius treated him in their last years at Hogwarts, the thought of him considering James Potter as his only true friend was laughable to the cynical part of him However, he couldn't deny the accuracy of that statement.

After the war was over, it was easy to just pretend in front of James. He had been pretending ever since their graduation, he was used to it by now. So that's what he did, he stuck close to James to make sure that he could make sure the memory charm had actually worked. But it wasn't until after the whole… situation with Remus that things between him and James had changed. With Sirius in prison and the werewolf in exile, James had latched on to him as his closest friend, and Peter was more than happy to comply.

However, as time went on and he grew closer to James and his whole family, including his goddaughter, Peter couldn't honestly tell if he was still pretending to be James' friend or if he actually cared for the man. The lines had become too blurred at this point to actually tell the difference, but in the end, he had to accept the undeniable truth; he actually gave a shit about James Potter and his family. At first, Peter had hated himself for his stupidity by letting himself actually grow to care for the Potters. He had promised to himself that he would never do that again, he had supposed to have learned his lesson back at Hogwarts. He was supposed to only look out for himself and let the rest of the world burn if that's what it took.

But after a while, he realized that maybe it wasn't as bad as it seemed. At the end of the day, the war was over, Voldemort was dead, and the other two Marauders were in their own personal hell and all the while. No one actually knew what he had really done all those years ago. The war was over and he had won even if his side had lost. He could live a happy life and completely ignore his Death Eater past as if it were nothing more than a dream.

And that's what he had done ever since. He had lived an extremely quiet life with the only action he was getting was with the woman he met during his weekend outings or vacations. And of course, it didn't hurt that he was the closest friend to one of the richest and powerful wizards in Britain. Peter had done what he had thought impossible, he managed to live an incredibly fulfilling life where enough people knew who he was to be respected, but not enough people cared about him that he was thrust into the spotlight.

For the first time in his life, Peter Pettigrew was living a life where he was genuinely happy with where he was and who he was.

Until tonight.

After exactly ten years of a perfectly quiet life without any big waves that would disrupt his boat, the rug was pulled out from under him by whatever cruel deity decided that now of all times the memory charm suddenly starts failing. After devoting the past ten years to studying everything about memory charms and experimenting with them he had never heard of a memory charm failing due to time. It was just not possible. Sure, there were a couple of ways memory charms could be bypassed, but one was an extremely expensive and ministry-controlled substance that people had to apply to get and he had already made sure to be alerted if James went through that route. The other was extremely limited as to who could learn it and he knew for certain that James still wasn't a Head of the Auror Department nor had he met either of the other requirements that could give him permission to study the art.

So, Peter repeated the same question that he had been screaming inside his head for the past four hours.

How the bloody fuck did James Potter suddenly get his memory back out of the blue!?

It made no sense and it was beginning to drive him insane. All of his life could've fallen apart in an instant if James Potter hadn't been a complete idiot and revealed that information to him earlier tonight. After learning that, of course, Peter wasn't going to take any chances! It didn't matter that he considered James to truly be his friend, he had not lost sight of the mantra that had gotten him to where he was in life.

Always look out for yourself, everybody else can go fuck themselves.

And so, that's how Peter Pettigrew tiredly entered his apartment after returning from his mission before immediately slumping down on the nearest couch.

Peter could safely say that he had no quandaries when he snuck into Potter Manor and obliviated James of those memories that just wouldn't help anyone. After all, he hadn't done anything illegal, really. Not during the war nor after the war. His only crimes were just telling the wrong things to the wrong people, what those people did or did not do with that knowledge was not up to him. And besides, his scheme to get revenge on James and Sirius had ended up failing miserably anyways.

It's just like you said, old friend. No harm, no foul. Peter thought to himself with an impish smile on his face.

He had taken care of the problem by obliviating James again, however, that didn't mean this would be the end of it. If James had managed to somehow recover those memories, there was no guarantee that he couldn't do that again. So now, Peter was faced with the question that would decide the rest of his life. What to do now?

His first instincts were to pack everything and take out all of his savings before fleeing to whatever third-world country was furthest from Britain. However, that was an option that he would consider as his final resort, he still had time.

Besides, you're not ready to give your life up yet, are you? A voice in his head whispered at him. And how could you? You have an amazing life here. You and James are extremely close to the point where he considers you to be his brother in all but blood. You also love your goddaughter and you know, deep down, that you can't possibly leave her. You care about them, all of them, too much to just up and leave your life when there's still a chance to save it.

I don't care about them more than I care about myself. Peter mentally spat at that voice. Always look out for yourself, everybody else can go fuck themselves.

True, those are the words that have ensured our success and it would be foolish of you not to live by them. But right now you have a chance! All is not lost, at least not yet. Why would you suddenly flee when instead you can work to make sure that no one can take away your life. Or does Peter Pettigrew just bow down to anyone that wants to take what is rightfully yours? What you have rightfully earned through all your hard work?

Of course not!

Good! Then what are you waiting for? You know what to do.

Peter nodded to himself as he stood up from his couch and entered his room before standing right in front of the right wall facing the bed. Tapping the fifteen spots in the correct order and then casting the counter for the complex locking spell the Dark Lord himself had taught him, he watched as the wall suddenly turned into water right in front of him, the water fell directly on the drain that was underneath the wall and filled up the hole perfectly before turning back into stone.

He entered the room and walked past the library as he headed towards his potions room where he kept all the potions he had been preparing or creating over the years. The potions he prepared there ranged from common potions like Pepper-Up potions and Hangover cures to more unique potions he'd been creating in his free time. And it was at the end of the hallway where he found the one he was looking for; Obliviscaris In Perpetuum.

The idea came to him at the height of his paranoia during the months following the war. It was to be used as a final resort in case either Potter got their memories back. This potion was the reason why he became an obliviator and dedicated all of his time and effort to learning everything he could about memory charms to the point where he was fairly sure he was one of the foremost experts on them in all of Britain. In the perfect scenario, the Obliviscaris In Perpetuum would make the drinker forget every single thing about themselves with no possibility of ever recovering those memories. Once this was in a person's system, there would be no chance for them to ever recover those memories. They would essentially be a blank slate.

I worked on this for years and never perfected it. There are no guarantees that I can now suddenly manage to make it work.

You know the potion can work, you just need the right motivation for it and now you have it. Stop being sloppy! Stop being lazy! If you had finished the plan you put in motion ever since that night instead of ignoring it we wouldn't be in this situation.

We wanted this as a last resort though, this would kill James and Lily.

It wouldn't kill them. Think of it as reforming them, you would have to work with them but if you pull this off right, you can have improved versions of your friends who won't ever discover your past and expose you to the Wizarding World.

If James blows the whistle on me before I potion him, it would look extremely suspicious. It would just be easier for me to confess at that point.

Then you have to make sure you potion James before he gets the chance. And if you don't manage? There are always other options. After all, you still have many resources and ways to contact the other Death Eaters. It would be a shame not to use them if necessary.

You're right. Peter thought to himself as he stared at the painting on the other side of the room. It would be a shame indeed. An evil smile crossed his features before he began working on the potion for the first time in seven years.

Slytherin Common Room

7:30 a.m.

Harry stepped out of the boys' staircase with a big smile on his face. Halloween was done and the world was much better for it. If he were pressed to say, Harry would admit that the day looked a bit brighter than yesterday. And in the end, Halloween didn't end up being that bad. After all, it had ended pretty spectacularly for him. He had managed to make a new ally, deal with old enemies that were sure to become a problem in the future, strengthen his relationship with Flint, and had gained the respect of the house. All in all, it was a decent Halloween.

Harry made his way through the common room, making sure to smile at every Slytherin that looked his way and see how they reacted to him (Harry was pleased to notice that most of the expressions were neutral and there was a great deal of fewer sneers and glares thrown in his direction) before he finally reached the person he'd been wanting to see the most.

"Hello, Hermione." He greeted his best friend cheerfully as he sat down on the couch beside her.

Hermione huffed before quickly standing up and walking out of the common room with Harry in tow. "Are you still going to be acting like your jerk brother or will you go back to being yourself?" Hermione asked primly as soon as Harry caught up with her.

He winced. "Sorry, I guess I was a bit of a jerk yesterday."

Hermione snorted bitterly and shook her head in exasperation. "This is the last time you take out your anger on me like that, Harry Potter. I have too much self-respect to let anyone treat me like that."

Harry stopped and held her back before they officially left the area near the dungeons. "Look, I'm sorry okay. I was just having a bad day."

Hermione looked around for a moment before her face softened. "I know, Harry. But that doesn't mean you can treat me like crap because of it. Just control your emotions and we'll be fine." She gave him a tentative smile.

"Alright, I promise." He returned her smile.

"Good," Hermione nodded to herself, slipping back into her cold mask before continuing walking ahead. "We're skipping breakfast today. We have a lot of things to talk about."

Harry smiled at her in amusement before following her to the library. They took their spot in their usual table and cast the regular privacy charms to ensure no one could spy on them.

"Alright," Hermione started as she pulled out a large tome from her book bag and let it fall on the table with a loud thump. "We got them." Hermione said with an impish smile.

"You mean?" Harry asked eagerly.

"Yup,"

"Well then what are we waiting for!" Harry exclaimed as he moved to Hermione's side and opened the book to the Table Of Contents. "Where do you want to start?"

"Well, we have Potions in about an hour. So why don't we start there." Hermione said rationally before pointing her wand at the section that said Potions. Immediately, the book switched to the correct page.

Harry and Hermione started analyzing the 'study guides', which Harry felt was an inaccurate name for what this was. Oh sure, it was technically supposed to be a study guide, but it was so much more than that. It not only had a detailed description for everything they were going to see in each individual class, but it also had very exhaustive explanations that are not seen in class. It made learning the topics much easier and it was also going to be a big help because all the information they had to research for the essays was right there! This book seemed to have everything and anything that a student could possibly need to get full marks on all the classes if it was used appropriately.

After around fifteen minutes of just exploring the large tome, Harry finally turned to Hermione. "This is brilliant! No wonder Malfoy managed to tie with Greengrass for second place last month!"

Hermione didn't say anything, she was biting her lip in thought. "How do you think they work? The study guides?"

"I believe you were there when Snape explained very thoroughly all about the study guides and point system," Harry smirked at Hermione.

"Prat," Hermione punched him on the shoulder. "I meant what Snape said. About us forgetting about the study guides at the end of the month."

"I don't know," Harry shrugged. "There must be a spell in the book or one that Snape casts, I'm not really sure how it would work. But as long as we keep winning them then what's the problem?"

"I'm thinking more long term. If we forget the contents of the study guides at the end of the month, then will we get to remember them after the end of the year or will we just forget? If we lose the study guides then will we forget how to cast a spell if we used information from the book to learn it?"

"Hmmm… we'll definitely forget about the contents of the study guide if we lose them so I think we should not solely depend on them. We should use them as an aid while still consulting other books and making sure to learn from other sources. However, I don't really know if we'll get to remember after the year is done. At that point, I think we probably should since the year is over but I don't know. We could ask Flint about it later, he did say he would take over today's class after last night's events."

Hermione glared at him. "Since you decided to bring up last night's events, why don't we talk about them?" She began punching his shoulder. "What! On! Earth! Made! You! Run! Back! Towards! The! Trolls! Do you have a death wish!?"

"Oi! OW! Hermione! Stop!" He caught her hand to stop the barrage of punches she kept throwing at his now sore shoulder. "Look. I saw Theo about to get pummeled by the trolls and I just couldn't leave him there to die! Blame the Potter blood inside of me, but I just couldn't."

Hermione huffed. "You're turning out to be too much of a Gryffindor for my liking, Potter."

"If I remember correctly you came back for me," Harry said impishly. "I would say that was pretty Gryffindor-ish of you, Miss Granger."

"There's a difference. You," She poked him on the chest. "Harry Potter, are my friend. Nott was not even your ally. There was no rational reason to go back."

"Maybe not, but I just couldn't let him die." Hermione looked like she obviously understood what he was saying and why he did it but she crossed her arms to show her displeasure at his rashness. "Look," He started, trying to appeal to the Slytherin in her. "Think of it as a risk. We gained Nott as an ally who could be useful in the future and we made a statement to the other bigots because of how we handled Mulciber and his gang."

"Oh, yeah. I heard all about your little statement. You really don't do anything half-way, do you?"

"We would have had another confrontation with the bigots sooner or later," Harry shrugged. "This was the best way to ensure that they thought twice before trying something like what happened yesterday. It was a pretty gutsy move from them to attack us right in the open like that."

"Yeah, it was. If they hadn't been toying with us their plan would have actually worked." Hermione furrowed her brows. "Do you think that something happened to their hourglasses because of it?"

"No," Harry answered immediately. "No one else saw what they did. They were sneaky about it and didn't really break any of the rules so I think they're safe in that account. But you're right, they got too overconfident to the point where one of them even used an unforgivable!"

"They underestimated us," Hermione said simply. "They were sure they were going to end up killing us and made mistakes."

"You know, you seem really nonchalant about people wanting to kill you. I would have thought you would have more of a reaction to it."

Hermione raised an eyebrow at him. "Is it really a surprise? It wasn't more than fifteen years ago when the Death Eaters hunted muggle-borns and killed them in their own homes. I knew what I was getting into before I came to Hogwarts and I still decided it was better to come here than stay there. So while people started trying to kill me a bit earlier than I thought, I am not surprised by the fact that it happened. However, just because I am not surprised this happened that does not mean I'm okay with it. Don't think I'm not making sure to remember every single person who has wronged me in any way. Trust me when I tell you that when the time is right and I actually have some influence, I will make sure they all come to regret it."

Harry smiled at her. "I wouldn't have expected anything less."

Hallway Outside The Prefects Dormitories, Slytherin Common Room

11:35 p.m.

Reginald Avery was a very punctual person, which meant that every day, without fail, the sixth-year Slytherin finished studying at 11:30 p.m. sharp. All the observant Slytherins knew it but most importantly, Marcus Flint knew it. This is why he found himself waiting in the dark for him to return with Gemma and Higgs as his accomplices. He had finally put all his plans in motion so that he could make his big play tonight, and he was going to make sure to savor this.

So when he heard the footsteps from the staircase, he couldn't stop the evil grin that appeared on his face. The three Slytherins watched from the shadows as Avery entered the hallway and began walking towards his room. Flint gave the signal to Gemma and she fired the silent stunner that hit her mark perfectly just before Higgs managed to catch the stunned body with a levitation charm.

"Perfect," He praised his friends before looking predatorily at his old friend. "Let's go."

Flint opened the door to his room and watched as Higgs levitated Avery into the room before following Gemma inside and making sure to close the door behind him. They set Avery in the chair before tying him up extremely well and removing his wand. Once they were sure he could not escape, they revived him.

It didn't take more than two seconds before the sixth-year started screaming. "YAXLEY! JUGSON! HELP! HELP ME!" As he did so, Flint, Higgs, and Gemma laughed cruelly at him.

"Come on! You can do better than that!" Flint taunted. "Put some effort into it! Here, I'll scream with you. AH! SOMEBODY HELP!" He began howling with laughter as Avery realized the thing Flint already knew.

Reginald Avery was completely and totally fucked.

"That was cute," Flint said snidely after he composed himself. "I'd even give you a few points for it but I don't want the Headmaster knowing why I gave them to you, so I'll refrain."

"Marcus, ple-"

"Don't you dare call me that!" Flint snarled as he immediately pulled out his wand and put it under Avery's neck. "You lost that right years ago."

"Flint, please. It wasn't personal." The boy pleaded.

"Oh, don't worry." Flint chuckled. "I know. However, I can promise you something. This, what I'm about to do. This is so much more than just personal. And I'm going to enjoy every second of it. Did you really think that you and your little friends could try to kill me and Harry fucking Potter, the kid that I made sure every Slytherin knew was under my protection, and that I wouldn't retaliate in any way? Did you really think that I'd just forgive and forget? Because if you did, you were very wrong. I'll make sure that the other three pay in their own way, but right now I'm going to focus on you. Because you, my friend, you and I have history. Tell me, what would Carrow, Rosier, and Mulciber think when they realize you and the others have been lying to them? What do you think they'll do when they find out about The Knights?" Avery's eyes widened at that. "Nah, don't worry. I'm not going to out the Knights just yet. No, what I have in mind is so much better."

Flint stood up and began pacing in front of him while Gemma and Higgs watched with interest. He knew they were dying to know what he planned to do, but he had wanted to make it a surprise so he didn't tell them the full extent of his plans.

"You see," Flint continued. "When I was a kid, I was so… pissed about what had happened. My uncle and brother were too, no doubt about it. But at the time, I thought that I was even angrier than them. I had always fantasized about being a part of the group, going out on missions, and helping to put the mudbloods in their place while ensuring the pure-blood ways survived. Merlin, I was such an idiot," Flint laughed. "And thankfully, I've spent my time at Hogwarts with people who have taught me how wrong I was. Now I'm actually glad my family was thrown out of the Knights because I would have been extremely disappointed with myself if I had turned out like one of you. My point, with this little story, is that even though my opinion on the Knights of Walpurgis has changed completely, a part of me still yearns for one thing. I want to know what happens inside those meetings the adults always had. Do you remember them? The ones where they holed themselves up in the dining room for hours while they told us to go play on any other part of the Manor? Yeah, those ones. All my life I've been dying to know what actually happened in those meetings."

Flint turned back to Avery and sat down on the chair in front of him.

"Now, you might be wondering. Flint, why on earth are you talking about this right now? I'm getting there, I'm getting there. All these aspirations of learning what goes on during those meetings are just the dreams of a sad and lonely kid. Or they would be if certain events were not taken into consideration. And all these events surround one person; Harry James Potter. Let me tell you something, Avery. That kid, he's brilliant, like truly brilliant. He's a little bit rough around the edges and he has much to learn, I'll give you that. But he has the potential to be the truest Slytherin out of anyone I've ever met. He's a natural, that's for sure, he just needs a push in the right direction. I mean, look at what he's done, when he arrived at Hogwarts he was a nobody, I didn't even know the kid existed until the sorting ceremony, and now, every Slytherin knows his name and most actually respect him. A first-year! You should've seen how he took control of the room back in Halloween after you tried to kill us, it was perfect. He has made more waves than any other first-year and has gone up against the whole lot of you guys, and he not only managed to survive it, but he's also beating you. He knew what alliances to make and what buttons to push and I don't even think the kid even fully knows what he's doing. Like I said, a natural. But someone doesn't just appear out of nowhere and cause as many waves as Potter has without getting the attention of the sharks. I'm sure that you and the other kids on the Knights have already sent letters back home talking about Harry Potter, so I'm sure that he will be a topic of conversation in the winter meeting."

Flint leaned back and sighed dramatically.

"And that leaves me with a big problem. You see, I don't think I'm okay with a bunch of fifty-year-old men and women talking about an eleven-year-old kid and deciding what to do about him. Well, at least I'm not comfortable about it without knowing what happens. Frankly, I've invested too much in Potter that it just won't do to let you and your little cult ruin him. And so, Avery, we go to the crux of the problem. Those Merlin damned meetings! I need to know what happens in those meetings, otherwise, how am I supposed to make sure you don't get your filthy hands on my ward? No, that just won't do. And that's why I've decided, Avery, that I'm going to have a spy inside the organization. And guess who's going to be the lucky guy who gets that position?" Flint grinned.

"NO!" Avery immediately shouted. "Flint, they'll kill me! You know how they are! You know about… her. I'm not doing that. Torture me, I don't care. I'm not stupid enough to cross the Knights of Walpurgis."

"Torture you?" Flint asked with over-the-top bemusement. "Who said anything about torturing you? No. Nothing of the sort. I'm going to tell you what's going to happen here. In five minutes, you're going to step out of this room with your wand in your hand after you'll agree to become my spy on your own accord, and the best thing about it is that you'll thank me for it. Gemma, love," Flint turned towards her, only to watch her throw a small trapezoidal prism made of glass. Flint caught it easily before turning back towards Avery. With a wave of his wand, Flint released Avery from his restraints and threw the remembrall at him as the sixth-year stood up. "Here, why don't you look at the memory I stored there."

Flint watched as Avery looked at the remembrall with trepidation before his eyes suddenly glazed and red smoke appeared inside the glass object. One minute later, Avery came out of the memory and immediately staggered back into his chair with a terrified look on his face.

"You didn't think I had forgotten about that, did you, old friend? You were so confident that you were going to succeed in killing us that you got excited. You made a mistake. You used the killing curse and the four of us lived to tell the tale. Now, before you do anything stupid, I should tell you that I sent seven different remembralls to seven different people, from seven different families. So let me tell you how this is going to work, Avery. If anything happens to me, if I start acting suspicious, if one of the people I trusted with a remembrall dies suspiciously, if one of them fears for their life, or if you just piss me off, that memory you just saw will be sent to the right people who will ensure that you get a one-way ticket to Azkaban for your use of an unforgivable, on a first-year no less! I also have other contingencies in place in case some other worst-case-scenarios happen, but I won't bore you with all the details. Now, let me say this in layman's terms in case you're too dumb to understand."

Flint stopped containing his emotions and shot him the vilest, nastiest, and yet most triumphant smirk.

"I. Own. You. If I say jump, you'll jump. If I say roll over, you'll roll over. If I say break-up with your girlfriend, you'll do just that. If I say you're going to be my spy and tell me everything that happens inside the meetings of The Knights of Walpurgis, what will you do?"

Avery stared at nothing, but Flint could see clearly that he was weighing his options carefully. But in the end, Flint knew what would win. After all, the possibility of death was much better than the certainty of life in Azkaban.

"I'll be your spy and tell you everything that happens inside the meetings of The Knights of Walpurgis," Avery whispered in defeat.

"I'm sorry, I didn't hear you?" Flint mocked and Avery sighed to himself before looking up at him.

"I'll be your spy and tell you everything that happens inside the meetings of The Knights of Walpurgis."

"Good boy," Flint said patronizingly. "And while you're at it, you'll also spy on the other bigots for me, won't you."

Avery looked down but nodded.

"I want you to say it," Flint said harshly, wanting to humiliate the sixth-year completely.

"I'll spy on the other bigots, too."

"That wasn't so hard, now was it? It should be left unsaid that if anyone else learns or finds out about this meeting, the memory I showed you today will not stay hidden either, right?"

"Right." Avery gulped.

"Excellent. Now, as promised." Flint pulled out Avery's wand from his pocket and the boy immediately took it and pocketed it before quickly going for the door. "Oh, Reg," Flint turned around and grinned at his new spy. "I just saved your life by not sending this memory to the DMLE. It's usually polite to say 'thank you' when someone saves your life."

"Thank you," Avery mumbled before leaving the room as fast as he could.

Flint smiled to himself as he sat back down on his chair. This move could have very well made the problem of protecting Potter and Granger much easier and at the same time he would finally get a spy into The Knights which could end up being extremely useful in the future. For now his job was done, he would deal with the other bigots later.

Right now, he needed to focus on Harry Potter.

Thanks, Proton6 and MasterChaos1 for alpha reading and ATP Synthase for beta reading!

This was a pretty light chapter on both Harry and Hermione, so let's talk about one of the big players in this chapter. Marcus Flint. This guy has a pretty complicated past and many different experiences with different people. I started to tease it in this chapter and it will be explored more and more as we go on. There are a lot of things I want to say about him, but since many are linked with his relationship with The Knights of Walpurgis, I'll keep my mouth shut. That's something I don't want to spoil or talk about in too much detail because they will be a big part of the fic as a whole.

I won't say anything about Peter here except for the fact that we won't see him for a while.

Alright, that's it for this chapter. I hope you enjoyed it! Next chapter will be the start of the winter break where we'll see what Flint's plans for Harry are and meet a new big character.