Disclaimer: This is a fan-fiction work. The events depicted herein did not happen and will not happen in real life. The Author of this work does not claim to own the Harry Potter Universe or the copyright of the same. Any character that appears in this work that may resemble a real person, living or dead, is not intended to represent such person, and any and all resemblance to such person is purely coincidental. Please note that some of the actions depicted in this work may be illegal and should not be imitated in real life.

HARRY POTTER AND THE KNIGHTS OF WALSINGHAM

THREE

He happened to be at the attached library of the manor when the slight bell echoed around his head, warning him that the arrival wards that he had placed around the perimeter of his childhood home had been pinged. Since the end of the Blood War, there had been those that had attempted to get close to his home for the purpose of heckling him, and Draco Malfoy had grown tired of directing them to the goblins and the ministry so that they can file their claim according to the procedure that had been set up by the side that had won the war.

As his thoughts turned toward the war, he could not help but let out a sigh, and though the first thing that most people who would have seen that sigh would think that the son of the head of the Malfoy family was regretting what he had done during the war, it was actually not the case. Rather, the reason for the sigh that escaped from the lips of Draco was because he regretted the fact that he and his side had not won that war, and that meant that they would have to lie low and think of more creative ways to defend their way of life.

The blonde former Slytherin stood from his seat and made his way toward a large window that was on the wall far from where he had been seated. It was a window that would allow him a perfect view over the approach to the main entrance to the manor, and whoever had come calling would be directed to take that path by the wards that had just been pinged. He was not worried, however, that the person who is about to arrive was unwelcome, after all, if the wards had allowed him passage through, then it means that he is in the rather exclusive list of people that Draco would have no problem approaching his home.

As he walked toward the window in question, he could not help but let out another sigh. His thoughts once more returned to the war that he fought and lost and with a subtle shake of his head, the regrets that he felt back then once more bubbled up to the surface of his being.

Despite the bravado that Draco had exhibited when he was but a student in the most prestigious magical school in the world, he knew for a fact that he is not the leader that his side would need. Aside from the fact that he now knows that he lacks the charisma, he had been forced to admit that he lacked the power to wield the old traditional families into one mighty force that could force the rest of their world to listen. Then, there is also the fact that it was well documented that, during the Battle of Hogwarts, his father and mother had not fought for the Dark Lord, preferring instead to roam the battlefield to look for him.

It was that particular act that spared the Malfoy family from true condemnation from the winning side – though like all 'Dark' Families, they had to pay a fine – but it was also that act that forever blacklisted the once prominent family from becoming the true leaders of the 'Dark' Side.

'Looks like we are going to have to wait for a new champion to arrive,' Draco thought at the same time that he felt the beginnings of a headache at the forefront of his mind.

Although his family no longer wields the power and influence that it once had, Draco knows that his father still has friends with the Wizengamot who appraises him of the trends in that body. In the immediate aftermath of the war, there had been moves to ban any and all references to blood purity in the society and in the government, but that move died down when it became obvious that that would be impossible to enforce. It was the first time since the war that Draco remembered his father celebrating.

Occasionally, such proposals would rear their ugly head, but they are usually shot down even before they could get to an actual bill to be voted upon by the members of the governing body. With a shudder, Draco realized that getting a bill to the voting stage would be just the same as having that bill turn into a law, as neither Draco nor his father are sure in regards to the loyalty of those remaining traditionalist families in the Wizengamot.

Once more, the thoughts of Draco turned toward the window in front of him. He had been reading correspondence from his father – who was, ostensibly, on a vacation in Asia – regarding his inroads with the traditionalist there. The tenor of the letter of the senior Malfoy, however, indicates that it would be rather hard to convince those traditionalists to join with them. Lucius Malfoy had even gone so far as to indicate that the traditionalists in the east are more discriminating than those in the west.

'Just as well, perhaps,' Draco thought, and once more, he felt the headache at the forefront of his mind. The reason for that was because at that moment, his thoughts turned toward the man that he had called as his rival while he was still studying at Hogwarts. He knew that the reputation of one Harry James Potter would ensure that no Dark Lord would rise up in the British Isles, or even in Europe, in the foreseeable future.

The blonde former Slytherin was distracted from his reverie a few moments later when, using his peripheral vision, he saw a cloaked figure approaching the main entrance to the manor. With his dark cloak wrapped around his face – to protect his identity, though Draco thought that it must also have something to do with the bleary weather that they were having at that moment – it was difficult, almost impossible, for Draco to be able to tell who the guest was, and he did not even bother to guess his identity as he told himself that he would know soon enough.

Well aware that any meeting with the guest – whoever he may be – would not be conducted in this library – as it is one of the more private wings of Malfoy Manor – Draco turned his attention away from the window with the intention of making his way to the office at the ground level of the manor, but as he did so, he was forced to pause.

At that same moment, lightning flashed behind him, though he was unable to actually see it because he was staring at the figure in front of him, even if he knew that he was only seeing an illusion the moment that he saw it.

The Dark Lord was seated behind the desk that Draco himself had left when he heard the wards warning him of an approaching guest, and from where Draco was standing, he could see that the champion of the Dark side was examining a tome of some sort.

He was brought out of the reverie that he had fallen into – and the illusion disappeared at the same time – when the thunder that was associated with that lightning that he did not see echoed from the distance. Draco blinked in reaction to hearing the thunder, and when he was able to recover less than a second later, the Dark Lord was no longer seated behind the desk.

"Perhaps I need to sleep earlier," he thought, yet he did not actually make his way back to the desk, choosing instead to walk out of the library and make his way to where he would be meeting his unknown guest.

It took him less than five minutes to reach the ground floor office, and at the same time that he did, one of the house elves of the family – dressed in such gaudy clothing that even Draco had to fight the urge to puke – popped next to him to inform him that he has a guest.

He fought the urge to tell the elf that he already knew that at the same time that he reminded himself that it was actually illegal to harm an elf – 'Damn Granger,' he thought – before he said, "Bring him here, please."

Despite the fact that Draco had not physically assaulted an elf – at least not directly – since the House Elves Protection Laws – 'Damn Granger,' he thought again – had been passed, it was obvious that the elf still feared him. As it disappeared with a barely audible pop, he could not help but smile, though he was quick to return to the present and school his features as it would not do well for his guest to see him seated at the office with a goofy smile on his face as he imagined punishing Granger much like how he would punish an elf.

"Your guest, Master," the voice of the elf tore Draco out of his reverie, and he spared himself a few moments to imagine that instead of the elf, it was the muggle-born witch that had humiliated him so much that was speaking, but again, he could not afford to lose himself in his imagination anymore than he already had, especially when he was able to identify the guest that have come to see him at one glance.

"Thank you," Draco said, barely able to keep his voice neutral, "Have some refreshment sent please," before he turned his attention to his unannounced guest, politely inclining his head toward him before saying, "George, please, sit."

Draco could tell from the expression on the face of George Moore that the man was not comfortable with dealing with Draco, though if he was being honest with himself, the former Slytherin could understand why that is the case. Still, as the man took a seat, his face relaxed a little.

"To what do I owe the honor of your visit, George?" Draco asked.

He was quite sure that the man was not visiting in his professional capacity, after all, George Moore is a member of the Department of Magical Law Enforcement. He also works directly under Auror Captain Potter, being an administrative staff member of one of the elite auror teams established in the wake of the War.

Of course, that was his public façade, because underneath that façade, George Moore is actually a spy for Draco, and he was a damned good agent that even Potter had not been able to unmask, though that may have something to do with George actually having fought for the Light side during the War. It was just that he is also a member of a traditionalist family who strongly believed in the separation of the magical and muggle world.

Before George could reply to the question that Draco had set before him, there was an audible sound and a tray appeared on one of the end tables inside the room. It was filled with the refreshments that Draco had ordered his elf to produce, but the elf himself did not return to the room, which suited Draco just fine.

"The Minister met with representatives from the muggle government this morning," George suddenly said, prompting Draco to turn his complete attention toward his spy, yet at the same time that he did, he told himself that he really should have known that whatever the topic that brought George here, it would have something to do with the muggles.

Draco was not aware of the history of the Moore family with the muggles, but he would honestly admit that he had never seen a family so against the muggles as the Moore family. It was a slight miracle that they actually did not join the Dark side during the war, but he guessed that that would be because the former head of the Moore family was a traditionalist so steeped in tradition, he demanded that the Dark Lord present proof of his descent from Salazar Slytherin before he would even speak with the Dark Lord.

"I actually do not see anything wrong with that," Draco said at the same time that he waved his hand toward the direction of the tray that his servant had brought into the room, causing the teapot to pour tea into one of the cups before the cup gently sailed through the air and landed on the surface in front of Draco. He sipped from the cup before turning his attention back to his guest and saying, "Even though we need to separate our world from theirs, we must still coordinate with them over some other aspects of governance."

Draco could see the exasperated look on the face of his guest. Indeed, it looked as if George was ready to pull out his wand and curse Draco, though he did not react because there are wards inside this room – and the Manor in general – that would kick in should George actually attack him.

Like the entry wards, those wards are placed as a necessity, after all, Draco had lost count of the number of times that their guests had tried to curse at him and the other members of his family inside their own home.

"The representative spoke with all members of the elite auror teams as well," George added a few moments later. If Draco was being honest, even that was not something that he should be concerned about. More often than not, the aurors and the other members of the Department of Magical Law Enforcement are the ones that have to deal with the muggle world, so it could just be a routine briefing.

George, however, continued before Draco could say anything, "Something about missing materials in the muggle world, though whatever it is, it caused Granger and Potter to panic."

Draco actually smiled at that, and found himself wishing that he was there to see it. He knows, however, that it was wishful thinking on his part because despite the fact that he is actually one of the best students of his year, his background would disqualify him from becoming an auror. In any case, it was not something that he dreamed for himself, even when he was just a student, preferring instead to follow in the footsteps of his father and become a politician.

Sadly, that path was closed to him in the aftermath of the War, and the only way that he could be a politician is if the social order would be reversed again, something that Draco was not sure would happen in his lifetime, though he is sure that it would happen.

"And whatever it is that is missing is so important that the muggles had no choice but to ask for our help?" Draco asked, although he already knew what the answer to his question would be, which was why he was not surprised when he saw George nod.

The former Slytherin paused for a few moments, though it was more for theatrical than any other purpose. He would not have a problem admitting that he is rather intrigued about the reason why the muggle world was approaching the magical world in this, but he told himself that it was actually something that does not concern him.

Almost lazily, he returned his attention toward his spy in the law enforcement section of the Ministry and asked, "Do you know why the muggles went to the Ministry?"

Draco would admit that he was surprised with the look that appeared on the face of his spy as the man turned his complete attention toward him. By the time that he realized what he was doing, Draco was already reaching for his wand as he was sure that his spy was about to attack him from the expression on his face, yet George made no move, forcing Draco to pause and wonder what was going on.

The blonde former Slytherin was about to say something else – and in that regard, he had already prepared to part his lips to push the words out – but before he could do so, George cut him off, thought he man did not use words, instead, he nodded. Draco took that nod to mean an affirmative answer to the question that he had earlier asked, though he forced himself not to speak and just wait.

His patience was rewarded a few moments later as George finally said, "The muggles suspect magical involvement because they had found eight wands at the scene of the crime."

Draco blinked in surprise at that revelation. He had initially thought that the muggles were just blaming them for their screw-up, but now that George had revealed that the muggles had actually found wands at the scene, he realized that they have a reason to ask for the help of the magical world. Indeed, Draco was quick to realize that, perhaps, the muggles were not just asking for help from the Department of Magical Law Enforcement. It was quite likely that the muggles blame them for the theft.

For some reason or another, when George told him about the wands, he could not help but think about Granger. It took him just a few moments to remember that Granger had set up a Registry of Wands – and at the same time, he remembered his fervent opposition to the same – which meant that if the muggles had taken wands, then they could check on the same against the Registry.

"Do they know who the wands belong to?" Draco asked before he could stop himself.

The man in front of him did not even hesitate to nod, and for one reason or another, the fact that he did not hesitate caused the confusion that Draco was feeling to double. An uncomfortable silence descended between the two men, though it was quickly broken by George.

Actually, it was Draco who was about o break the silence, and he opened his mouth to say something, but before he could do so, his spy suddenly said, "Five wands belong to people who have died during the War, the other three belonged to people who were under-aged during the War."

The fact that the wands were lost during the War caused Draco to sigh involuntarily, and at the same time, he now knew the reason why George had gone to him. It would not take a genius to know that suspicion now falls on the 'former' Death Eaters as being the perpetrators of the crime, especially with Light-side prejudice against them.

"I suppose Weasley was the first to suggest it," Draco said with a resigned tone. He did not wait for George to reply to his question before he turned his attention back to his tea and sipped on the same. He would have to admit, if he was asked, of course, that the reason why he did what he had done was because he did not want George to see what his reaction would be to the spy confirming what he had just said.

Even George himself must have realized it, because rather than replying verbally to the question, he simply nodded.

Once more, there was an uncomfortable silence inside the room, and once more, it was George who broke it even if Draco wanted to be the one to speak first. The spy that Draco had in the law enforcement department of the ministry turned his complete attention toward the direction of Draco, and once more, the blonde former Slytherin was reaching for his wand before he could stop himself.

"Did you guys do it?" George asked.

Draco had enough presence of mind to note that the tone that George had used was accusing, though as he thought about it, he realized that it was to be expected. During the War, it was the Death Eaters that had stolen wands so that they could use the same for their deeds, and there are also those foot soldiers who had fought during the War that were never issued wands in their youth.

"No, we did not do it," Draco replied. He was not denying that they had stolen wands during the War, of course, he was denying that they were the ones behind the theft that brought the muggles into the Ministry building. He placed a serious expression on his face as he stared at the man in front of him before he repeated his earlier words, "We did not do it," he said.

Draco had often wished that he had taken the time to learn the art of mind-reading when he could. He knew that he would have made more than a dozen profitable deals more profitable for him if he could read the mind of the person that he was dealing with, and as he stared at the man in front of him at that moment, he once more found himself wishing that he had learned that art.

Of course, he reminded himself a few moments later that it might be useless, considering that the man that he is dealing with at that moment is a support member of the elite auror teams of the Department of Magical Law Enforcement, which meant that George probably has countermeasures against mind-reading.

"What was stolen?" Draco suddenly asked when he realized that despite his best efforts, the look of distrust on the face of his spy had not disappeared. He could tell that his sudden question had taken George aback, not only because of the way that he asked the question, but also because George realized that Draco would not be asking that question if the former Slytherin had been behind the theft.

Draco could see that his spy was hesitating to say anything, and because he knew that it would be in his best interest to strike while the iron is hot, the former Slytherin increased the volume of his voice a notch – but not enough that he could be considered as shouting – and asked again, "What was stolen?"

He knew that he had broken George at that moment, because the spy turned his complete attention toward Draco and replied in a feeble voice, "I don't know what it is actually called, but they said it is powerful enough to create a weapon that would eradicate a part of London in an instant."

Draco had heard about such a weapon before from muggle-borns that were captured during the War. He had dismissed it as ramblings coming from prisoners who have been tortured to the brink of death and who knew that they would die soon, which was why he did not even bother to find out if there was any truth in their claims.

The headache that Draco had thought that he had beaten before he even met with the man who was now seated in front of him returned at full force a few moments later, and it was painful enough that before he could stop himself, he found his left hand massaging his temple.

Unfortunately for him, the man in front of him has more bad news to deliver, and while it was obvious that George was aware that something was troubling Draco, he still proceeded to add, "The muggles are also thinking about implementing something called Contingency Sabre."

Despite the headache that he was feeling, Draco forced himself to return his complete attention toward the man who was in the room with him at that moment. The reason why he did so was because he wanted to give the man a questioning look as he had never heard of anything about a Contingency Sabre before.

This time, George was more than willing to provide all information that he has, and when he realized that the man was volunteering everything so fast, it was because George was so afraid of the contingency. A few moments later, Draco was also feeling the same fear that George must have been feeling at that moment.

"The muggles said that they would void the Statute of Secrecy and descend en masse upon the magical world if the stolen materials are not found," George said.

Draco blinked in response to that declaration, and he did not need to ask if George was being serious. If he was honest, at that moment, what the former Slytherin wanted to ask was if such a threat was even possible, but then he realized that it must be because the muggles would not have bothered with the threat otherwise.

He turned his attention toward the direction of George with the intention of demanding more information, but at that moment, there was a popping sound in the room that caused Draco to turn toward the direction of the same.

The fearful look on the face of the house-elf that popped into the room did much to calm the nerves of Draco – and he was reminded that he loved seeing such look on the face of those who are inferior to him – but the house-elf was still able to deliver her report, "Begging Master's pardon," the house-elf said, "You have another guest asking permission to enter."

As he could not remember hearing the chime connected with the gate-keeper ward in his head after he had met with George, Draco realized that the new guest that was asking permission to enter was someone whom he had not included in the list who could enter the premises of Malfoy Manor. That would also explain the reason why his house-elf had to warn him.

"Did they say who they are?" Draco asked, fighting to keep his voice calm though he was still feeling some pressure after the revelation of his spy in the Department of Magical Law Enforcement.

"Yes, Master," the house-elf replied, "They be Erik Hound."

Draco blinked at that moment, surprised at the identity of the person that have come to visit him, but it was George who was able to speak first, "Erik Hound?" he asked, and from the tone that he had used, it was obvious that he did not believe the report, though he quickly asked, "The self-appointed successor of Fenrir Greyback?"

"He is not self-appointed anymore," Draco replied off-handedly, still distracted by the sudden appearance of the werewolf that had recently taken control of ninety percent of werewolf packs in the British Isles, "His pack had grown considerably so most werewolves consider him as the true successor," there was a pause before he turned his complete attention toward the house-elf and asked, "Ask him what he wants, but show him in to the dining room."

The house-elf let out a fearful squeak before it disappeared to comply with the order that Draco had given. At the same time, George stood from where he was seated as he said, "I should go."

Draco had no intention of stopping him. Although it is highly unlikely, it is still possible that Erik Hound would be able to see him, and that would reveal their connection, something that Draco does not want to reveal as it may compromise the position of George.

Before George could stand, however, Draco suddenly said, "We were not involved this theft, George, you must see that," and he was actually relieved when his inside man in the Department of Magical Law Enforcement gave him a nod. Still, there was something else that Draco wanted to ask for.

"George," Draco suddenly said, forcing the man to return her attention toward the direction of Draco with a questioning look on his face, though before he could say anything, the former Slytherin said, "Could you keep me posted?"

Draco could see that his spy was hesitating about something, but then he nodded without saying anything.

Harry could not keep the smile off of his face as he stared at the red-headed woman in front of him who was obviously making her way toward him. She was not riding her broom, but at that moment, it seemed as if it would not have made a difference with the speed with which she was running toward him, and less than a moment later, he felt her petite figure slam against his body with such force that he very nearly lost his balance and fell backward.

That would have been disastrous, because at that moment, there was a table behind him, and it was laden with the food that he knew she would enjoy, which was why he went ahead and ordered for her.

For a few moments, Harry could only stare at the top of the head of the pretty red-head whose arms were wrapped around his body, and he returned the favor by wrapping his own arms around hers. He could not hear the applause that were coming from the other guest of the restaurant that he had chosen, even as he thanked his luck that though the Minister had asked that he cancel this date with his girlfriend, he was still able to make it.

She felt as fit as ever against his arms, the result, he was sure, of her almost endless Quidditch drills that made her the star chaser of her team, the Holyhead Harpies. He also did not need to look at her pretty face to know that she is as beautiful as Harry could remember her.

Harry gently pushed Ginny away from him a few moments later, though he made sure that there would not be that much of a distance between the two of them. He decided not to tell her about how close they came to having this date cancelled because of his work, but with a start, he realized that she was probably already aware of that, just as she was aware that her brother and her own best friend would not be joining them, after all, she did not react to the fact that there are only two seats at the table.

"Another argument, huh?" she asked rhetorically as Harry saw her regarding the table in front of her. Before he could do anything, Ginny shrugged and replied, "Well, at least we can enjoy this with just the two of us."

Harry laughed in response as he told himself that he could always trust Ginny to find the silver-lining in even the worst of situations. He finally let go of her and she took that chance to make her way to the seat at the other end of the table.

Though Harry would have preferred to help her to her seat, she did not give him the chance to do so, leading him to believe that she was already hungry, something that he thought was confirmed a few moments later when she suddenly reached forward and grabbed a loaf of bread to place on the plate in front of her just as Harry was about to take his seat.

"Ron told me that you have a new case," Ginny suddenly said.

For a few moments, Harry could only stare at her with wide eyes, though he nodded a few moments later, acknowledging that that is indeed the case. At the same time, however, he made a mental note to remind Ron as soon as he sees him that he should not have told Ginny anything. Right now, Ginny is the girlfriend of Harry, but even if they get married, it does not mean that Ginny would have access to the case files of Harry, especially if it is as sensitive as this new case.

The fact that Ron is the brother of Ginny does not also excuse him from telling a technical civilian anything about active auror investigations.

"He should not have told you anything," Harry commented a few moments later, barely able to keep the disappointment that he felt at that moment from coloring his voice.

Ginny did not look as if she even noticed that, shrugging as she said, "Well, he has a big mouth, so you really should not be surprised about that."

The auror captain let out a sigh at that moment and told himself that he really should talk with Ron about that. At the same time, he knew that there was nothing that he could do at that moment, so he decided to just enjoy the dinner that he had insisted he should have with Ginny.

"How is your practice?" he asked. It was the only topic that he could find that would ensure that they would not talk about the ongoing operation of Harry, after all, Ginny was a passionate Quidditch player.

He was proven correct in that assessment a few moments later when she placed a wide smile on her face and she started to ramble about how she was sure that they were going to win the local league this year. Harry made sure to nod and comment on the right places, but even though he was the one who suggested the topic, it did not take him long to grow bored of it.

It may have something to do with his ongoing operation, but something tells him that there was an underlying reason why he could not bring himself to be excited about Quidditch anymore.

"Harry," Ginny suddenly said, tearing Harry out of his reverie and forcing himself back to the present at the same time that he placed a questioning expression on his face. He turned his attention toward his girlfriend and he saw that she was looking at him with a serious expression as she asked, "Have you considered the offer of Puddlemore?"

He let out an exasperated sigh in response to that question. Puddlemore had still been sending him offers to join their club, but while Harry had seriously considered becoming a professional player in his youth, now that he was an auror, he realized that it was not for him. He had explained that much to Ginny many years ago during one of their first arguments when she told him that he should try out, but it would appear that she has not been listening to him.

"I have," he replied. He wondered if she could see through the lie – and here, he noted that Hermione could, no matter how hard he tried to hide it from her – but she disappointed him when it was made obvious that she did not.

Before he could say anything, Ginny interrupted him by placing a frown on her face as she said, "You should take it," there was a brief pause before she added, "It's not as exciting as being an auror, but at least its safer."

Harry actually managed a smile in response to that assertion, "Not by much," he replied. He stopped himself just in time from adding anything else, well aware that if he were to do so, he would only be speaking about the number of times that he was nearly killed while playing the sport. It was not a topic that Ginny was fond of as she thought that it was critical of her own choice of career.

"Well, it pays better," Ginny said off-handedly.

Harry nodded in response to an assertion that he could not deny. He also knew what Ginny was going to say next, so he did not even bother to pretend that he did not expect the next words that came out of her mouth, "Not to mention, it makes you even more famous than you already are," she said.

It was not the first time that Harry found himself asking if Ginny could truly understand him. He had not actually come out and told her anything about it as he thought that she would someday come to realize that Harry actually hated being famous.

A sigh escaped from the lips of Harry at that moment, "Listen, Ginny…," he began.

Before he could finish whatever it was that he wanted to say, he spotted someone approaching them through his peripheral vision. The way that he approached them told him that the person was not a threat, but because he could not be sure why the person was approaching, Harry could not help but pause so that he could focus his attention – albeit in such a way that he was not giving himself away – toward the person.

Ginny must have realized it because she turned her attention toward the direction of the approaching person, though unlike Harry, she was easily able to discern the intention of the approaching person, "It's just a fan who wants an autograph, Harry," he said at the same time that she stood from her seat so that she could greet the approaching person who had produced a poster – 'Had he been carrying that poster from the beginning?' Harry asked – at the same time that he extended his hand toward her so that he could stop her.

S he ignored him, however, and shook hands with the fan, and it was not long before it turned into an impromptu meet and greet session with the star chaser of the Holyhead Harpies.

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E/N: As always, the next two chapters are avaialable via p atreon