Author's Note:
Hello, lovely people! This is my first story on this website and I want to see where it goes.
I've read hundreds of different fanfictions from the Harry Potter universe as it is by far my most favorite fandom of all time. I grew up reading every book and watching all the movies. I left the last movie supremely unsatisfied with the conclusion, but that's just my opinion. Over the years, I've seen so many talented authors attempt to expand the world and bring new perspectives and their own personal twists to the canon story.
I have to admit that the WBWL trope is a guilty pleasure of mine. That and giving life to characters that were either glossed over by JKR or ones that were given limited exposure. I hold a personal love for Fleur Delacour as there are so many amazing stories about her and the possible interactions she might have had with Harry. I just don't know how to properly explain it. All I know is that I discovered a wonderful fanfic called The Deprived by The-Crimson-Lord and loved the premise. Since then, multiple authors attempted to bring their own twists to the story, and I enjoyed reading those fics as well.
Seeing as I'm neither as skilled a writer nor as original, I decided to put my own twist to the fic. An homage, of sorts. The main issue I noticed with the original story I am basing this story on is Harry's character and interactions with the world. To make a long story short, while a wonderful literary work, I cut myself on all the edge. It seems to be a constant phenomenon when it comes to WBWL fics. Don't get me wrong, I enjoy a good revenge plot as well as the next guy, but the lengths that some authors go to portraying James and Lily's failures as parents (abusive, selfish, downright moronic, etc.), makes it hard for me to suspend disbelief and go with the flow.
So in this fic, I will declare right here, right now, there will be no character bashing. I will do my utmost to lend the characters a voice to show why they make the decisions they will go on to make. Will it be slightly unbelievable? Yes. Will there be a few plot holes? Absolutely. Do I seek to write a perfect story? Not at all.
To give some clarification, this is not a crossover with the Kingsman movies. I have simply taken some elements I like and incorporated them into my story. Yes, Harry will be very powerful for a teenager, his exploits when I get into his past will be difficult to believe and I'm sure many will be dissatisfied by how unrealistic it would be for a child to do x, y, z. I understand that and state right now that I do not care. This is my story, and I will write whatever I want. If my Harry seems overpowered, that is because he is. If that doesn't appeal to you, then you don't have to read on.
I am writing this simply for my enjoyment. I will be open and say that I will not be actively monitoring reviews, and will definitely not be accepting PMs. I have a general idea of the story and where I want it to go. I know this may not endear me to many readers, but from my exposure to the review section of a lot of other fics, I can safely say I'd rather not deal with any of it and would probably be more likely to keep writing if I don't read them.
Regarding updates, they will be sporadic, seeing as I have a full-time job. I work very long hours, so while I would love to commit to weekly updates, or a set schedule, I know that it would only put undue pressure on me. For now, I can safely say that one chapter a month shouldn't be out of reach. If my muse helps out, I might release chapters earlier, if not, then they might be delayed. I ask for your understanding in this.
As a last note, English is my third language, so I am not very confident when it comes to writing. I use MS Word as a spell and grammar checking software, but there still might be mistakes. If there are, I ask you to ignore them. The shifts in perspective might be a bit wonky, but bear with me as I try to improve upon my skills in storytelling.'
Welcome to my take on the Harry Potter world.
DISCLAIMER: Harry Potter and all related intellectual properties belong to all the rightful owners and not me.
Antoine Delacour shot a skeptical look at the young man sitting opposite from him. The long mahogany desk that separated the two was festooned with various papers and other personal effects.
He had announced himself as a candidate in the running for Minister for Magic in his home country of France the previous year during his family's annual Yule Ball.
It had been a long abiding dream of his, seeing as he had learned all about politics on the knees of his father and grandfather, some of the best statesmen in recent magical history. They had long since passed, but their ambitions and hopes for him had not died with them. If anything, they had only gotten stronger, their final wishes fueling his desire to aspire to the vaunted position.
He had gone forth on the campaign trail and after many months of rousing speeches, rallies, handshakes and baby-kissing, he was seen as the favorite to win by a landslide. Now here he stood, at the cusp of achieving something both his beloved mentors had attempted and failed to accomplish. Yet not once did he ever think that throwing his hat in the ring would have such dire consequences for his family.
He had always known that he would face some backlash due to his wife's lineage as a Veela. Due to his position as Department Head for the Bureau of Magical Justice, and a highly respected Head Auror before that, not many had ever thought to spew their bigotry to his face.
It was only now that the pent-up hatred and vitriol against him had reached a tipping point and was being aired almost daily. All under the guise of political speech and articles that hyperbolized the numerous scandals he had apparently suffered throughout his rise in the Ministry.
It was all so predictable. He could deal with that easily enough. It was the threats to his family that set him on edge. He had reached out to a close friend of his in the ICW and asked for some help. After receiving a promise of securing the best help that could be hired, he had relaxed somewhat.
Until a teenager in a suit walked into his office.
"I must say, I am surprised by how young you are Mr…?"
"Devereaux. Henry Devereaux. My age often raises a few questions, but rest assured Monsieur Delacour, you asked Jonathan to get the best protection for your family that money could buy. There is a very good reason why my company was the first he reached out to."
The boy had responded in fluent French. That came as a surprise.
"Your French is very good. If I didn't know any better, I would think you a classmate of my eldest."
The boy smiled mysteriously, his sapphire eyes twinkling. "Who knows? Perhaps I might have been, if my life had turned out differently."
Antoine allowed himself a brief smile before he became serious and switched to his Department Head persona.
"While this bantering is all well and good, you give me no confidence in your abilities as a bodyguard. My opponents cannot do anything to me politically, so the snakes will try to go after my family. I asked Jonathan for the best, and I got you. Tell me, Mr. Devereaux. Why should I trust you, a mere boy, with the lives of the people I hold most dear in this world?"
The genial smile never wavered from the boy's face as he slowly reached inside his jacket pocket with slow purposeful movements. Withdrawing his hand in a cupped fist, he slowly reached towards him.
Antoine reached out to accept whatever it is the boy held in his hand, if only out of curiosity. He felt two small items drop into his palm as the boy leaned back into his chair. Observing the items, his eyes widened minutely before his anger started simmering.
In his hand were a pair of silver cufflinks inset with deep blue sapphires. The initials "AD" was engraved on the rear, and his hand trembled lightly as he recognized them for what they were.
"How did you come by these cufflinks, Mr. Devereaux?" His tone was neutral, but the underlying anger within was not very well-concealed. Judging by the wretched smirk on the boy's face, he had noticed this as well.
"That's an easy question, Monsieur Delacour. I took them from the armoire in your bedroom while you slept. You see, I knew that you would doubt my capabilities, so I took measures to ensure you that I am quite good at what I do."
"Oh? I thought you were a bodyguard. Not a thief." Antoine surprised himself with how much venom he had injected into the accusation.
The boy. 'Henry Devereaux' he corrected himself, took it all in stride.
"We don't specialize in just protection services, Monsieur. We also have been known to take on the occasional missions of… acquisition. Retrieval of anything, whether it be people or sensitive information, from places far more secure than your chateau. While beautiful in design, it's very impractical from a security standpoint.
Also, your wards haven't been maintained anywhere near as well as they should have been. It was laughably easy for me to circumvent them, infiltrate the property and then your bedroom in short order. If I was an assassin, I daresay you wouldn't be alive to have this conversation today."
The way Devereaux casually spoke of not only taking a life but the fact that he snuck into his house and was in his bedroom was enough to send shivers down Antoine's spine. Despite his efforts to not seem affected, the slight wavering of his voice spoke volumes.
"You know I could have you arrested for breaking and entering into the home of a Most Ancient and Noble family, theft, threatening a Ministry official, and a whole host of other crimes, no?"
Never one did the confident smile fall from Devereaux's face as he riposted.
"You could. Not that it would do you any good. Not only would you be bereft of proof that I committed any crimes other than my supposed personal confession to you, but I would be free within half an hour of my arrest. After that, you might find that things in the political realm will become significantly harder for you. Regardless whether you win the election or not."
Antoine gathered himself before responding icily. "Is that a threat, Mr. Devereaux? I don't take kindly to those."
"Not a threat, Monsieur. Simply an accurate prediction, seeing as I am owed favors from powerful people all over the globe. Ministers, high-ranking ICW personnel, business moguls and politicians from both the magical and non-magical side.
I guarantee that within 10 minutes of my arrest, you would receive a call from someone much higher on the political ladder than yourself. Then, they would proceed to verbally tear you a new one before forcing you to cut me loose with a sincere apology to boot.
During all this, you would have made a powerful and well-connected enemy that would not easily forgive the slight to his person. And for what? Something as useless as wounded pride?"
Antoine carefully considered the claims before closing his eyes and taking a deep breath. Leaning back into his chair, he flicked out his wand and pointed it towards a globe on the far side of the room. It popped open, revealing a well-stocked bar inside. A bottle of Special Edition Ogden's Firewhiskey, an ice bucket, and two rocks glasses flew towards them and settled down on the desk.
"May I offer you a drink, Mr. Devereaux?" Antoine pushed a glass towards him.
"I do not drink while on the job, Monsieur Delacour, though I thank you for your kind offer."
Nodding to himself, Antoine put in a large round sphere of ice into the glass before pouring two fingers worth of the expensive magical alcohol and taking a large sip. The slow burning of his throat accompanied by warm flame that billowed out of his mouth right after helped set his mind at east. The revelations, while unpleasant proved that he had been wrong to doubt Jonathan's choice.
"Can I assume by those words that you accept the job of guarding my family?" he questioned.
"Why Monsieur Delacour, it would be an honor to protect the family of the next French Minister for Magic. However, before I can commit to anything, we must discuss logistics."
Antoine waved his hand. "If it's money, then I can assure you I have plenty. I would never spare any expense when it comes to my family's safety. Just name your pri-"
Devereaux's smile turned slightly condescending. "Monsieur Delacour" he interjected.
"Money is not an issue that we need to bother with. I am well aware that you have enough to afford my company's services, otherwise Jonathan wouldn't have bothered reaching out to me. My company is the best in the protection game. No other group can boast a 100% success rate where the principal survived until the end of the contract period."
Antoine swallowed his irritation at being interrupted by a boy that looked no older than his eldest daughter. Even from her, he wouldn't tolerate such blatant disrespect.
Devereaux continued. "No, by logistics I do not mean finance. I mean assessing the ability to settle my men and their equipment in your house, coming up with a security plan that can be agreed upon and followed to the letter, and finally, ensuring the cooperation of all principals. Protecting those willing to follow directions promptly and without questions can oftentimes mean the difference between life and death."
"Alright. The Bureau will need to conduct background checks on all members of your company that you will be bringing to my home. They are currently in charge of protecting myself and my family. Upon signing the contract, I will bring my wife and daughters into the fold and we can lay out a clear plan for security and I will take any and all suggestions from you and your team into consideration."
"I can help ease the process along Monsieur Delacour. I have with me detailed dossiers on all the members of my team who will be joining me as part of this protection detail. There will be two members with you and your wife at all times, and one for each of your daughters. However, before you can view them, I must insist upon signing a standard Secrecy contract."
He immediately rejected the request. "No. Unacceptable. I will not be signing anything until I am ensured that you have taken the job."
"Then I am afraid we will not be able to take the job, Monsieur Delacour. All of our team members are guaranteed their anonymity. Part of the protection is the Secrecy contract that all clients must sign willingly before any personal records can be viewed. I am willing to wait for you to summon your lawyer if you wish.
Seeing as it's a Thursday and judging by the current time, Monsieur Bayard will be having his weekly lunch with his wife. That means that Monsieur Chollet will be in the main office. It's been 20 minutes since noon, so he should be finished with his lunch and able to answer quickly. He could be here within two minutes once you let him know."
At this point he was thoroughly unnerved by how much information Devereaux was freely giving. It would have been relatively easy to find out which law firm the Delacour family has on retainer, as it hadn't changed in nearly 200 years.
The fact that he knew Alain would be dining with his wife at their favorite restaurant near the Seine and Francois would be finished with his lunch in 20 minutes showed that he had really done his research and most likely had them followed. Suddenly he found himself questioning whether he even wanted this shadowy group in charge of his family's protection.
Getting up, he walked to the fireplace and took a pinch of Floo powder from the pot on the mantle. With a flourish, he threw the powder into he flames, turning them a bright green.
"Bayard, Chollet and Associes, Main Office" he called out before sticking his face into the fire.
"Ahh, Minister Delacour! A pleasure to see you. How can I help you today?" a voice called out to him.
A thin man in a well-tailored suit with wispy gray hair walked towards the fireplace.
Antoine smiled. "Good afternoon, Francois. You know that I am not Minister yet. It would premature to attach that title to my name."
Francois laughed heartily while waving. "Oh please, Antoine. Everyone knows that you will win the upcoming election. I am simply helping you get used to being addressed as you will be in the future."
This got Antoine chuckling in amusement. "I never could win in an argument against you."
"Never try to argue with a lawyer. Especially one as old as I am." Francois winked.
Antoine became serious. "Old friend, I need your help with an urgent legal matter."
The grin was quickly wiped off Francois' face, replaced with a stern and professional demeanor. "How can Bayard, Chollet and Associes help you, Monsieur Delacour."
"Currently, I have a man in my office that runs a company that offers protection and security services. I informed him that the Bureau would run background checks on his employees, but he offered me their dossiers in return for singing a Secrecy contract. I of course, refused to sign anything, but he got me to seek your assistance in reviewing the contract before choosing to reject it. He has unequivocally stated that without signing the contract, his company cannot take the job."
Francois nodded. "A smart choice, Monsieur. I will fetch my briefcase and be over shortly. I would like to see who exactly would hinge employment based on a Secrecy contract."
Antoine nodded in response and withdrew his head from the fireplace. Turning to Devereaux, he said "Francois will be here shortly."
Devereaux smirked lightly but didn't give any other signs of reaction.
They waited in silence for a minute before large green flames billowed out of the fireplace. From inside, the figure of Francois Chollet strode out, giving an errant flick of his wand to dispel a bit of ash on his suit jacket.
He gazed imperiously around the office. "Greetings, Monsieur Delacour. Let me see who would dare attempt to force you to… sign… a Secrecy contract."
His previous confident attitude melted away as he saw the individual in the chair opposite. Shivers went down his spine and his whole body trembled looking into the bright blue eyes of the blond-haired boy staring at him. The glowing orbs pierced through whatever façade of confidence he had mustered before coming over.
"M-Monsieur Chevalier. Wh-What a surprise. I di-did not expect to s-s-see you here." He stuttered as memories of a blood-drenched blond hair and icy cold eyes came to him in a flash. He had severely underestimated the capabilities of the boy in front of him once in the past. It was a mistake he would never make again.
"Ah, Monsieur Chollet. It has indeed been a while since that dreadful business in Romania. How are your son and daughter-in-law?"
Francois gulped before deeply bowing. "They are doing very well, thank you for asking. They are expecting a child within the next few months. I sincerely thank you again for helping them."
Deveraux waved his hand dismissively. "No need to stand on formalities. It was merely a job. One that I was well-compensated for. I am happy to know of the addition to the family. Perhaps I will send over a present after your grandchild is born."
Antoine watched the proceedings with a keen eye. He caught a variety of emotions from Francois' body language that worried him. A deep-seated fear and distress being the most prominent. Yet almost immediately after there was sincere gratitude, but still hints of anxiety within.
Based on the conversation, it seemed as if Devereaux had helped Francois in the past. Some situation in Romania with his son. Though that didn't answer the question why he was calling the boy Chevalier when he had introduced himself as Devereaux. He would inquire about it later, but he had asked Francois for legal assistance. It was time to get the conversation back to the topic at hand.
"While I would be happy to let you both catch up, could it be done after the issue with the Secrecy contract has been resolved?" he questioned while indicating for Francois to take a seat.
Francois seemed slightly sheepish as he briskly walked over and sat down. "My apologies, Monsieur Delacour. I got a little distracted. It won't happen again."
Devereaux didn't say a word, merely turning back to face him without a care in the world.
Clearing his throat, Antoine started explaining the context to Francois. "Monsieur Devereaux here claims that I will be unable to hire his company to protect my family without signing a Secrecy contract. I asked a friend at the ICW to seek out the best protection I could afford, and he reached out to Monsieur Devereaux's company. Would you please review the contract and advise me on whether to sign it or seek another option?"
Francois nodded. "Of course, Monsieur Delacour." Turning to the Devereaux, he asked "Would you please provide me a copy of the Secrecy contract you are asking my client to sign as a pretext to hiring your company?"
Devereaux nodded and retrieved a business card from a card holder inside his jacket pocket. Giving it a light tap, he imbued some magic into it, and a single rune lit up brightly. Out of thin air, a thin stack of parchments materialized on top, with a white feathered, silver tipped quill beside it.
Gesturing Francois to take them, he leaned back and relaxed. Antoine sat there, sipping on his drink as the sound of rustling parchment overtook the room.
It took roughly 10 minutes for Francois to review and summarize the contract. The relative silence was broken by him clearing his throat. "Monsieur Delacour. I have reviewed the contract, and have determined that while the terms for secrecy are among the strictest, I have seen, so long as you adhere to them, no harm shall befall you."
Antoine nodded in response. "So, it would be your professional recommendation that I sign it?"
"It is not my place for you to decide which company you want to hire for your family's protection, Monsieur. I can only help with the legal proceedings that would have to be observed should you choose to sign a contract with Monsieur Chevalier's company."
Antoine sighed. "Francois. I am asking as your friend, not your client."
Francois looked down for a second before looking directly into Antoine's eyes. "As a friend?"
Antoine nodded, encouraging him to answer.
"You will not find any better protection than Monsieur Chevalier's company. They are among the very best I have ever seen and my firm has hired them multiple times in the past on behalf of our clients for both protection and to resolve some volatile situations. Truthfully, my son and his wife would not be alive today if it weren't for him." Francois confidently stated.
Antoine raised an eyebrow at the show of faith from his friend. "If you don't mind me asking, what exactly happened with your son that you sought the help of this company?"
Francois reached forward and grabbed the spare glass on the table. Antoine immediately poured a finger of his Firewhiskey and skipped the ice, knowing his friend's preference to drink his whiskey neat. Without any hesitation, Francois gulped down the alcohol and gave a great belch of fire.
"Pardon. It is difficult for me to talk about it, Antoine. Especially knowing that it was my foolishness and arrogance that led to it in the first place. Despite them not blaming me for what happened, I have never forgiven myself. I tell you this under the condition that not a word of it is repeated. It would damage the firm's reputation badly if it got out that I may have broken client confidentiality of my own volition."
"You have my word, old friend." Antoine promised.
Francois held his glass out, and it was refilled promptly. "I was sent out on business for an international client in Romania. I brought my son and his then fiancée along so they could enjoy the sights and he could get experience in a foreign court. It turned out that the client was a vampire. A very old and wealthy one. He wanted me to represent one of his sons in court.
The son had been accused of murdering numerous mundane tourists and turning them into his thralls. His father was highly disapproving of this behavior and wanted to enact vampire justice against him for disobeying the orders of the coven leader. Unfortunately, the Romanian Aurors had captured the son first and the Ministry were looking to try and execute him. They had an open and shut case, and I told him directly.
He insisted that money was not an issue, and so long as his son was given proper representation during his trial, he could ensure that he be freed from Ministry confinement and face justice that did not involve his death. This son was the one he had with his favorite concubine, so he made it clear that he would personally handle the punishment.
I laughed in his face and told him that he might as well give up, seeing as the Romanian Ministry would never give up a suspect that had killed so many. The higher-ups had already held a lot of disdain for vampires and that no one would bother sparing one who had killed so many humans, even if they were without magic.
His concubine, the son's mother, was unhappy with my decision and argued that as a father I would do anything to help my son even if he committed a crime. I sneered at her and replied that I never had to because I was a good parent. How my son would never do something as heinous as hers did.
The client was furious, but ultimately accepted my decision. After being dismissed, I went back to the hotel room and started planning what to do for the rest of the trip. There were so many places I wanted to visit, and after a short rest in my room, I went to my son's room to see if they would accompany me to dinner."
Francois took a deep sip of the whiskey. "I came upon a scene I still see in my nightmares to this day."
Antoine stiffened and held his breath in anticipation.
"There was so much blood. All over the sheets and walls. The furniture was turned over and broken. It was like a hurricane had gone through the room. I ran in and yelled for them, but no one was there. I turned around and saw on the wall, written in blood, 'A son for a son. Take the case or else.'
I knew I was out of my depth, so I tried to approach the Romanian Ministry, only to notice that I was being watched. They had sent their minions to ensure I did not involve them, and when I attempted to go to the Aurors directly, they said my son would die if I told anyone."
Another sip drained the glass fully. "I went back to the hotel not knowing what to do. It was then that I remembered a company that the firm had hired in the past that dealt with security and protection. I knew it was a long shot, but I contacted them in the hopes that they could help me.
The business card became a portkey that whisked me to their headquarters where I met Monsieur Chevalier. I explained the situation and was able to send a message to the firm with the explanation as well. Alain was distraught, seeing as his godson had been captured by a vampire coven. He had the firm foot the bill to mount a rescue mission.
Monsieur Chevalier had me sign a Secrecy contract and meet the team members who would protect me and the ones who would go after my son and daughter-in-law. He instructed me to prepare a robust defense and go along with the wishes of the vampires while he would go in and extract the hostages. It was a simple plan, and while I had reservations about his age, I agreed all the same.
The day of the trial came and I followed his directions, defending the client to the best of my ability. It didn't matter in the end. He had caused too much bloodshed for them to let him go. Regardless whether his father would punish him or not. I knew from the moment the opening statements were made that I wasn't going to win.
The trial ended as I predicted, with the panel barely taking half an hour before deciding on a guilty verdict with execution as the punishment. I tried to buy as much time as possible, but it was all for naught. I walked out of the courtroom certain that I had failed my family. That was when I saw Monsieur Chevalier standing at the end of the hallway with both of them."
He glanced at Devereaux. "Monsieur Chevalier was true to his word. He personally led the attack on the coven and recovered my family from the jaws of death. It is why he has mine and my family's eternal gratitude. In fact, Jean and Marie are certain that if their child is a boy, his name will be Andre, in honor of the man that allowed them to become parents."
Antoine looked at Devereaux and was surprised. The smile on his face now held something that hadn't been there before. A genuine warmth. His eyes lighting up in delight.
"It would be an honor, Monsieur Chollet. If you are blessed with a grandson, I hope he becomes an intelligent and strong man like his grandfather. It took a lot of courage for you to entrust strangers with your family's survival and work to the best of your ability.
Many others would not have been able to focus and play their part while worrying about their loved ones. You were an integral part of the mission, and I hope you never forget that. That should also be part of the story you will tell your grandchild."
Turning back to Francois, Antoine filled their glasses again. "Thank you for telling me Francois. It must have been hard to talk about, but rest assured, I will not speak of it to anyone. I just had one question, you keep referring to Monsieur Devereaux as Monsieur Chevalier, why is that?"
Before Francois could speak, Devereaux interjected. "That is because every client knows me under a different name and face. It is difficult to track someone when you have no idea of their name or appearance. If by chance anyone were to locate a previous client, they would not get any extra information seeing as the Secrecy contract would prevent any of them from divulging details.
Even through the use of Legilimency, the memories would only show the face that I used when in the presence of that client. It is a safety measure used by myself and my team to maintain complete anonymity when dealing with clients. It's also for the client's protection, seeing as we often find ourselves up against various criminals and terrorists."
Antoine shot him a look of disbelief. "You're under a glamour? Impossible. The wards should automatically dispel any and all glamours unless I specifically turn it off. That protection has been there for the last 200 years. There should be no way you managed to maintain it while inside the chateau."
Devereaux smirked. "Please, Monsieur Delacour. As I previously mentioned, the wards on the chateau have not been maintained very well. I was able to sneak into your bedroom. Do you really think I cannot maintain a glamour at will?
Anyway, where was I? Ah, yes. We are a secret organization that takes jobs by reference only. We also thoroughly vet every single one of our clients. Using our contacts all over the world, we tend to find a lot of things that people try to hide.
Only after all the information is compiled, do we decide if we are willing to take on a client. Otherwise, we would reject meeting them. After all, there are plenty of unscrupulous individuals that would seek to use us for nefarious means."
Antoine huffed as he leaned back in his chair. "So, you stalked my family? Is that what you're saying?"
"Stalking is such a crass term. We prefer 'doing our due diligence'. We do not go out of our way to try and intrude on our client's private lives. The only reason you would have to worry is if you were running an illegal enterprise and/or were responsible for the deaths of magicals in a criminal capacity.
Then we would simply approach the French Ministry or ICW with the information. Shortly thereafter, the French Aurors, or if you're really unlucky, my team, would come knocking at your door. Trust me when I say that you would not want that to happen. As many have found out in the last couple of years."
Francois' head dipped down, trying to look anywhere else but Devereaux. That alone told Antoine enough to know that the boy in front of him was dangerous. A man as unflappable as Francois Chollet would never be so timid towards others, unless he had good reason to be. Perhaps this was exactly what his family needed.
Leaning forward, Antoine took the Secrecy contract on the table and grabbed the white quill. Without any hesitation, he flicked the pages, signing wherever was indicated. Once he was finished, he slapped down the contract and pushed it towards Devereaux.
Before he knew it, the contract was replaced with a folder. At this point, he was beyond being surprised by anything that would happen. Taking it without a word about the phenomenon that just occurred, he started reviewing the dossiers.
As Devereaux mentioned, real names were all replaced with codenames. Antoine noticed something interesting though, all the codenames were the names of the fabled Knights of the Round Table. Reading through their mission records, his eyebrows began slowly climbing up.
He noticed the names of famous incidents that were recognized almost worldwide. It appears that the organization he was attempting to hire were truly accomplished. Hell, he even saw that the French Ministry had hired them in a consulting position. To think that he had never heard of their existence even as Department Head of the Bureau was a testament to their secrecy and professionalism.
He didn't even need to finish it, only perusing the last couple of team members. Looking at Deveraux he spoke. "So… where do I sign?"
Devereaux smiled and pushed the business card he had previously used to take out the contract. It was a simple looking cark with a large "K" in the center in gold foil. With a pulse of magic, another stack of parchment, this one much thicker than the Secrecy contract appeared on the table.
"A wise decision, Monsieur Delacour. Consult with Monsieur Chollet and sign where indicated. After that, you can rest easy, knowing that the Kingsman Agency is in charge of your family's protection. I look forward to working with you" he said.
It might have been a little preemptive, but Antoine reached out across the desk. Devereaux accepted his handshake with a confident smile. "Though I feel much better knowing my family is in your agency's capable hands. I'm just curious, your details were not in the packet. Who are you in the Kingsman Agency?"
Devereaux's smile turned dangerous as his eyes glowed with untold power within. "I do not reveal any of my details to clients. I guess you will simply have to find out the depth of my skills while I protect you and your family. As for my codename, you may call me… Arthur."