"Gin? Not vodka?"

"Obviously." Galahad smirked as he stirred the gin into the ice and vermouth. He then poured the mix into two martini glasses, one for himself and one he pushed toward me. "And that, Major Potter, is how you make a proper martini."

"Thank you, Mr. Hart," I said, holding my glass up. He tapped it with his, smirking. "Cheers."

"Cheers," said Galahad as he stood up, nursing the martini. "I admit, I am not too fond of Mr. Bond's choice of drink. A shaken martini? It is simply not done."

"I'll drink to that," I said, sipping at my own. "I'm not much of a martini man, though."

"Yes, Merlin has told me of your fondness for whisky. Tell me, Major, do you prefer an old fashioned or a Manhattan?"

"An old fashioned. Though I usually take my drinks neat."

"Good man," said Galahad as he readjusted his tie. "Merlin tells me you have visited our neighbors on Saville, yes?"

"Yes, I needed a funeral and wedding suit, so I was fitted a few years ago. Unfortunately, those suits are a bit too small on me now."

"If they weren't, I'd have been concerned, Major. Very well, we will get you fitted this afternoon. We are the modern-day knights and every knight needs his armor. What better armor is there for a gentleman than his suit?"

"Well said," I nodded. "What makes Kingsman suits different?"

"Other than that they are bulletproof? They have pistol holsters sewn into the insides, one on each side tucked under your arms, and pockets for six spare magazines."

"That's a lot of firepower."

"Indeed. Most of our agents carry, at minimum, one hundred and sixty-two rounds of ammunition on them for their sidearms. Do we need it all? Of course not. But the day we find ourselves trapped in a bad situation?"

"You would rather be prepared."

"Exactly. Now, Mr. Potter, I have reviewed your scores from the past months. Now, while you were the top of your class with weapons and physical tests, and I would have expected nothing less from a man of your background, you were middling in the knowledge portions. On your elimination test you scored a meager eighty-seven percent and have improved very little over your tenure with us. What is most impressive, of course, are the points you've accrued with your physical examinations and your dog's training." Hart smiled as he looked at the German Shepherd lying in a corner. "Pardon my curiosity, but what is his name?"

"Regulus."

"Lion hearted… Yes, as fine a name as any." Hart smiled as he waved for me to follow him.

"Fuss." Reggie was at my side in the blink of an eye.

"Yes, he is well trained indeed. It is rare to see a pet as eager to please their master as yours."

"He's a good dog." I smiled, scratching behind Reggie's ears as we walked. He panted a few times and pressed his head against my hand harder as Hart opened a door to our right.

"Please, after you."

"Thank you, sir." I said as I stepped inside the office lined with Newspaper headlines.

"Ah, yes, all of these were taken from the day after I completed a mission. Unfortunately, I ran out of wall space quite some time back."

"You have quite a few under your belt, Galahad. May I?" I asked, gesturing to the seat in front of his desk. Hart sat down and nodded.

"Yes, of course."

"Thank you. Regulus? Platz." The dog trotted to a corner and spun around in a circle, lying down with his chin on his paws as I relaxed into the leather chair.

"Now, Mr. Potter, I am afraid I am going to have to ask you some rather invasive questions. Please answer them as truthfully as you can." Galahad said as he sat behind his desk. I leaned forward toward him, slightly uneasy.

"Before you begin, I am bound by oath not to reveal secrets of the state – regardless of whether you know them or not, and bound by law not to reveal where I attended school or what I learned there. It is an international statute and I am not at liberty to say more about it."

"You are talking about St. Andrew's School in Aberdeen?"

"That is the school's public name, yes," I said as Galahad eyes flickered back and forth between mine.

"Very well. Answer what you can."

"Thank you, Galahad."

"Of course. Now, you told your recruiter…"

"Your suit will be finished by tomorrow at the latest, sir," the tailor said, throwing his tape around his shoulders.

"Thank you." I smiled, nodding to the man. "You've been a great help."

"I simply did my job, sir."

"And you've done it excellently." I smiled as I joined Galahad at the counter.

"I take it your fitting went well?"

"Swimmingly." I smirked as Galahad stood.

"Excellent. Now, even if you do not get the job, you will have a useful, not to mention lasting, memento of your time here. Now, if you will join me in fitting room three?"

"Of course." I nodded, following the man as he pushed open the door. He waved for me to go in ahead of him. I did, and he shut the door as we stared in the mirror.

"No questions?"

"I figured you would tell me why we're here." I smirked as Galahad nodded.

"If you'd pull the first hook to your left?" I glanced over and did as he asked. The hook gave, and the wall swung open with ease. "Welcome to our armory, Major."

"Woah…" I muttered as Galahad smirked.

"Woah indeed. Now, I am afraid I cannot allow you to take anything you'd like but these…" Harry took a pair of shoes off the wall and handed them to me. "Are Oxfords. They should fit you well enough until we can get you to our cobbler. They will also go with your suit quite well, I'd imagine."

"I went to school with an Irishman, his brogues looked just like these." I smirked, indicating a pair with a decorative trim. "His were a bit heavier and robust than these, though."

"Those are Oxfords which have broguing. Brogues are typically boots and are quite different from Brogued Oxfords." Galahad said as I pulled the shoes on. "An Oxford is any formal shoe with open lacing. You already know what the broguing is, it seems."

"Well, not really but I think I just figured it out." I said, standing up.

"Very good. Now, tap your heels together like so," Hart said as he puffed his chest out and slammed his ankles together. I blinked at the two-inch, double-bladed dagger that popped from the toe.

"Oh." I said as I tapped my heels. "That could be quite handy indeed."

"Indeed. I've finished many of my missions by nicking someone with the blade and hiding it before they ever knew they had been poisoned."

"Poisoned?"

"Yes, the blade is coated with a particularly nasty, rapidly acting neurotoxin. Death usually comes in seconds to the afflicted. Ah, speaking of poison, I've had a lot of fun with this." Galahad said as he took a fountain pen from the wall. "One of our finest examples of chemical engineering. [It's] harmless when ingested, but, when you wish, the poison can be remotely activated. Primed." He said, flicking the lever up with a high-pitched whir. "Lethal." Galahad said as he clicked the lever down.

"Wicked… So to retract the blade?"

"Oh, yes, of course. You do so very carefully." Galahad stressed as he put his boot against the wood and pushed the blade in. I copied his actions, pushing the blade back into the toe of the Oxford.

"Alright then… And what do the signet rings do?"

"These are worn on the dominant hand. You will find there is a contact on the back of the band. When touched, the ring will deliver up to fifty thousand volts though I am afraid it's quite the one hit wonder."

"Damn." I sighed, taking one of them from the rack. "Can I keep this?"

"I'm afraid not. But if you pass your training and become our newest fellow then you will be free to the contents of this room in their entirety."

"Brilliant." I grinned as I placed the ring back in its place. "Are there any other times I'll be able to do that?"

"On missions with Merlin or myself. Seeing as Merlin is our quartermaster and technological expert, there are some missions he will be unable to attend. After a discussion with Arthur and myself, we have decided that when he is unavailable, I will be your superior. Assuming, of course, that you are comfortable with this development?"

"I'd be honored, Galahad," I said immediately.

"Good. Now, I believe that was all we needed… Is there any business you need to take care of while you are in town?"

"No, sir. My bills are taken care of automatically and I was just home last night, everything looked good."

"Excellent. Shall we retire, then?" Galahad asked, tilting his head slightly.

"Of course. What did you have in mind?"

"There are certain skills you will have to learn to pass as a Kingsman agent, Major. Particularly how to dine properly and measure a man for a suit. We are, first and foremost, a tailor. If you cannot take a man's measurements then I am afraid you would out yourself quite quickly." Galahad smirked as he beckoned for me to follow him.

"You're going to teach me that tonight?"

"Oh no, I plan to teach you that tomorrow. We have other things to focus on tonight, Mr. Potter." Galahad said as he pushed open the front door of the shop. "And I, for one, am quite famished."

"Mr. Potter, please, do come in." Arthur said as I entered the study he was so fond of with Regulus in tow.

"Of course, Arthur. Merlin said you asked for me?"

"Yes, I did. Please, be seated," Arthur said, indicating the seat next to his. I nodded and sat, meeting the old man's eyes. "Merlin made an excellent choice when he nominated you, Mr. Potter. In fact, if you do not make the cut here, you will be a shoe in for MI6. You have all the makings to become an excellent agent."

"Thank you, sir," I said quietly.

"Yes, of course. You know, I myself chose an Alsatian back in my training period. Pretty dogs." He said with a smile that made me a bit uneasy. "What's his name?"

"Regulus."

"A fine name. How did you choose it?"

"It was the name of the bravest man I never knew."

"I beg your pardon?"

"My godfather's brother died trying to protect his family, in the end he succeeded. If Regulus is half as brave as his namesake, I have a fine dog indeed."

"Yes, indeed." Arthur trailed off, swirling his whisky. He nodded once and placed his drink on a side table, the glass clicked against the wood but he didn't come back empty-handed. He'd replaced his drink with a very familiar pistol and leveled it with my forehead. I hardly dared to breathe as I looked past the barrel into his eyes. Then the barrel tipped to the floor as he released the grip but kept his finger in the trigger guard, the grip now toward me. "Take it." He said. I did. His eyes bore into mine but his next three words almost stopped my heart. "Shoot the dog."

I looked down at Regulus, my heart thumping wildly as I stared at my dog – his tongue lolling out the side of his mouth. I didn't say a word as I stood up, pointing the pistol at him with shaking hands. "Bleib." I said, my voice hoarse as I took a step back. I glanced at Arthur who was staring at me.

Disdainfully.

Scornfully.

The man looked superior to the world as he stared up at me with contempt just behind those eyes of his.

'Everyone had a parachute.'

The thought shot through my head like lightning as I turned back to Regulus.

'Let me be right.' I thought as the gun bucked in my hand.

And then Regulus barked.

I blinked, staring at my living, breathing dog as the gun clattered to the floor. I almost fell out of my chair, kneeling down beside him. I desperately scratched Reg's ears while my mind raged against what I'd just done.

"Congratulations, Mr. Potter," Arthur said, reclining in his chair with his scotch back in his hand. "You've passed. Now there are no more tests." He said as silence reigned between us. I tried to calm myself while Arthur sat silently over me, his eyes burning into the back of my neck as I tried to convince myself my dog was still there. This went on for nearly ten minutes until there was another shot. "You are now a probationary Kingsman agent." Arthur said, shattering the silence between us. "You have no title nor any name. You will compete with Miss Bourne until one of you fails a mission or drops out of the program voluntarily. Good luck, Mr. Potter." Arthur said. I swallowed dryly and picked up the pistol, letting the barrel fall so that I was offering the grip to him. He didn't take it. "Keep it. Consider it a reminder. You are dismissed."

"Thank you, sir." I stiffly said, shifting the gun around so the grip was back in my palm. The cold metal dug into my fingers and palm while the smoothed wood felt like sandpaper. "Fuss." Reggie hopped up, heeling instantly as I walked for the door.

"Well done," Merlin said as I met him outside the door. "That was the hardest test you had left to pass."

"Great." I said shortly. "If you'll excuse me."

"Of course." Merlin sighed. "Your first mission will be in the morning. Feel free to stay in the barracks."

"Thank you."

"Harry." Merlin said before I walked off too far. "I'm glad you made it this far."

"I wish I hadn't pulled the trigger." I growled, clenching my fist around the pistol's grip.

"Me too." Merlin said. "But I did. All the agents did. You know who didn't?"

"Whittaker."

"Exactly. And he's going home. He's done with our agency."

"Our agency?"

"Kay's recommended him to MI6. He'll have to go through their course of training but he'll make a good James Bond."

"Well, at least we know he won't become a 006. Autumn would have"

"Aye… But not Whittaker. Go on, son. Get some rest. You start your first mission with Galahad tomorrow."

"Harry."

"Abi."

"What the bloody fuck have we gotten ourselves into?"

"I warned you." I muttered, lying back on my rack as I stared up at the ceiling. "I should have listened to that advice myself. Bloody Hell, I should have known the second they told us to to train the dogs that this was coming. That all of this was just another bloody tactic to screw with us. Fuck me… How many people have done the same damn thing?"

"Hundreds if not thousands." Abi muttered as she sat on the mattress beside me. "But we did it anyway."

"And we're one step closer to becoming Kingsman." I sighed, pulling a hand down my face tiredly.

"Aye… I don't know if I want to keep competing for it…" Abi murmured tiredly. "I just tried to shoot my fucking dog, Harry."

"So did I."

"On the order of these sick fucks."

"We followed the order."

"Yeah, and we both know what just following orders means."

"Yeah… Yeah we do." I sighed, sitting up. She turned around, crossing her legs as she faced me.

"What are we going to do?"

"Whatever we have to, I suppose." I sighed. "Bloody Hell… Did Merlin tell you about his training phase?"

"No, but James- Sorry, Lancelot, he was Merlin's candidate back in the '96/'97 trials. He told me Galahad's candidate sacrificed himself by jumping on a grenade to save Galahad, Merlin, and Lancelot's lives."

"Death or retirement… You know Gawain actually bloody retired?"

"That must have been a first for this merry bunch of lunatics."

"That we're trying to join. What does that make us?"

"Looney, that's what it makes us."

"Hah, no objection there." I chuckled ruefully, looking down at my hands thoughtfully. "They made you keep your pistol, didn't they?"

"Yes."

"Hm… Merlin told me that he and Galahad both were in the Galahad trials, but the Merlin at the time died in an accident. Merlin told me that he and Galahad both had a choice: Galahad or Merlin. Merlin decided he'd rather be out of the line of fire so Harry became Galahad."

"What are you saying, Harry?"

"I don't know… I… I just need to speak with Merlin."

"And what do you need to tell me?" The devil himself asked as he stepped through the door. I blinked, glancing between him and Abi. "I take it this needs to be a private conversation?"

"Probably."

"Alright then. Miss Bourne, would you give us the room for a few minutes?" Merlin asked as Abi stood up. I shivered at the intensity of the look she'd leveled at me but she nodded.

"Of course, Merlin. I'll be right outside." She said, walking out the room. Merlin nodded and tapped his clipboard a few times as the door shut behind Abi.

"I heard everything you and Miss Bourne said. The room is dark, no one can see us or hear the conversation we're about to have."

"Good." I said, standing up with my hands on my head. "I shot my freaking dog, Merlin."

"So you've said. Don't tell me you want out now."

"I'm in too deep now, Merlin." I snapped. "But do you want to know what was going through my head as I did?"

"What?"

"Everyone had a parachute." Merlin nodded as I shook my head. "Maybe Kingsman isn't as bad as I think, maybe it's worse. I don't know. What I do know is that I'm too deep into this to give up now but bloody Hell, I don't even know what I would do as an agent." I growled, shaking my head.

"You'd uphold peace."

"Yeah, but how? By assassinating people? I thought this was an intel agency not a gaggle of well trained hitmen."

"Be quiet." Merlin snapped, putting his clipboard down as he glared at me furiously. "We do not take lives lightly, Potter, only to protect or save lives."

"That's why you gave us blanks?"

"Yes. We had to see that you could do what needed to be done. I know you could, I've heard your stories. If you leave here, you won't find any peace in that world, Potter."

"Do I look like I care about finding peace? I'll never find inner peace, that I bloody well know. I'm not the guy who needs forgiveness, I'm not someone who needs to prove himself. I thought I might actually be able to do some measure of good here."

"And you still can," Merlin said. "We can talk to Arthur."

"About what? Do you want to read him into the Statute? Merlin, you and I both know how well that would go."

"So tell Bourne."

"What?"

"Bloody Hell, Potter, I can see you care for her. I don't care if you think you're just friends or if you want something more but if there's anyone who can keep a secret and deserves to know, it's her."

"Merlin…"

"I heard the stories about you and the Weasley lass, and a sad story it is. She left you high and dry for another man after you'd been off fighting the war. Now guess what? She left that lad too. He's moved to the colonies and is doing God knows what with his life. Bourne isn't that kind of woman. She wouldn't have made it this far in the training if she was."

"Autumn…"

"Aye, lad. I'm sure you can see the parallels between your old lassie and her."

"Yeah, I can. So, you want me to just straight up tell Abi, 'I'm a wizard! I still want the position though,' and go on like nothing ever happened? Even I can tell you that wouldn't go over well."

"Aye, you're probably right there… That's why I think you should speak to Arthur. If he knows your abilities, your ties, and how they can get you into the highest levels of wizarding Britain…"

"Weren't you the one who told me you weren't planning to make me a mole?"

"Things change, Potter." Merlin grinned, but there wasn't any humor in it.

"Abi would be Gawain?"

"And if things go well, you'll be my next proposal for an agent's post."

"I don't want to go through all of this shite again." I shook my head. "Like I told Abi, the only way out is through. Will I be a mole or will I be a Kingsman?"

"Why couldn't you be both?" Merlin asked.

"How?"

"Again, we'll have to ask Arthur."

"You don't mean…"

"I cannot promise anything, Major, but it has potential."

"I… Let me talk to Abi, alright? Then we can talk to Arthur." I said, my mind racing through the possibilities.

"Alright. You have ten minutes."

"Ten minutes? This is the biggest secret I've ever kept and you're giving me ten minutes to drop it on her?"

"I'm sorry, that's all I can give you." Merlin said. "Shall I send her in?"

"Yeah… Please do." I said, slumping back down on the rack. Merlin nodded as Reggie whimpered, plodding over to me as he placed his chin on my thigh. I scratched behind his ears as I heard the door open.

"Miss Bourne, I'm afraid Mr. Potter only has a few minutes but he does need to speak with you. I will be back to retrieve him in ten minutes."

"Alright?" She asked, stepping inside the room as Merlin closed it behind her. "Harry? What's going on?"

"At the start of training, you asked me what my story was. I lied."

"What? Why?" She asked as she sat in front of me again.

"Because I did go to a boarding school in Scotland, some of my mates did move away, but that horrid incident I told you about? Well… I guess I should start from the beginning, shouldn't I?" I chuckled, shaking my head as she cocked an eyebrow.

"That's usually a good place, yeah."

"Isn't it?" I chuckled as I rubbed my wrist, my wand holster itching against my skin. "Do you believe in magic?"

"Magic?" She scoffed. "Like smoke and mirrors? Sleight of hand?"

"No. Real magic."

"No, Harry, that doesn't exist."

"Oh but it does," I said, the familiar, comforting wood of my Holly and Phoenix wand snapping into my palm. "Let me show you." I grinned as I snapped my wand toward Whittaker's rack, transfiguring it into a boar. Regulus and Lacy both barked, barreling toward the squealing pig as I flicked my wand again, changing it back.

"What the bloody fuck!? Why didn't you tell me you could do that!?"

"Because I'm bound by international law not to. In 1689, scared shitless by the witch trials and burnings, the wizards of the world came together to hide from the non magicals that were killing us. It's been in effect ever since and I could get into deep trouble just for telling you."

"Merlin knew this?"

"His parents were magical and his sister was a witch. I hate to say that she was killed by the same terrorist that killed my parents."

"Bloody Hell… What happened to the terrorist?"

"I killed him in 1998. My parents died in 1981 and Merlin's sister died before that… He called himself the Dark Lord and he certainly was that. He found a way to make himself immortal but he lost his body in 1981 when he tried to kill me."

"He tried to kill you when you were a baby?" Abi gasped, her eyes wide. "Why?"

"A prophecy." I rolled my eyes. "Bloody wanker thought I'd be the one to bring him down. Obviously he'd never heard of a self fulfilling prophecy."

"Tell me everything." She demanded.

"Alright. My name is Harry James Potter-"

"Not that, you tosser." She grinned, shoving my shoulder as I rolled my eyes.

"Right, right. That school in the highlands? I don't know where it is, not exactly, not a lot of people do. It's hidden behind glamours and charms that make non magicals see it as a ruin too dangerous to even be within a hundred yards of and uninteresting to boot. It's called Hogwarts, it's where I had the best days of my life and the worst memories you can imagine. And they had the gall to call it the safest place on Earth."

"Bloody Hell…"

"My first year, the disembodied spirit of the Dark Lord possessed my Defense Against the Dark Arts professor, ironic innit? Stuttered and bumbled around so we wouldn't think he was suspicious at all while he tried to get a body back."

"From a school?"

"It's a long story and we don't have a lot of time." I sighed, rubbing my hand down my face.

"Right… What happened next?"

"Sixty foot long snake that could kill you just by meeting your eyes. It's how I got this scar." I pushed up my sleeve, letting her look at the scar marring my arm.

"That's how you got that? A snake bite? I thought someone shoved a pipe through your arm and you got ridiculously lucky." Abi shuddered. "Sixty foot long… Bloody, fucking, Hell. I'm almost scared to ask about your next year…"

"You should be… Demons. I fought demons my third year."

"Excuse me?"

"Expecto Patronum." I muttered. Prongs erupted from the tip of my wand and pranced around the room, seeking out any threat. Once he was satisfied nothing was amiss, he turned to Reggie and snorted a plume of mist in the Alsation's face. Reggie barked, wagging his tail as he went down on his forepaws. "Dementors. Their very presence makes you relieve your worst fears… Or your worst memories. The first time I had the displeasure of meeting one was the day I was able to remember my mother's voice. This is the only spell known to drive them away."

"Oh, Harry…"

"And as bad as that was, it was nothing compared to my fourth year. I was drafted into a gladiatorial, international tournament against my will. I wanted out but in the end I 'won,' the damn thing while one of my competitors lost his life."

"How?"

"He was killed by a servant of the dark lord five minutes before that servant gave him his body back." I muttered. "All in a graveyard, of course. That was in '95. He was back for three years and turned wizarding Britain into a hellhole. That trouble at the millenium bridge? That was him."

"Bloody Hell… You spent three years fighting a war against a legitimate terrorist?"

"I was fourteen when he was resurrected."

"Before you even finished puberty… Shite."

"Aye. My headmaster, the only man who could fight Voldemort toe to toe, died in June of '97. When Dumbledore died, Voldemort steam rolled over everyone… We couldn't stop him. He took over Hogwarts days after Dumbledore died."

"How did you win?"

"We made him mortal, me and my best mates. They moved to Australia after the war. One of my friends, Hermione, was born to non magicals - Voldemort's whole campaign was about purifying wizarding kind. Muggleborns were the lowest of the low in his eyes. If they were students then they weren't allowed at Hogwarts. Most of them were locked in Azkaban, the prison."

"He committed a Holocaust and no one knew about it?" Abi blanched. "No wonder Merlin nominated you. Knocked off a dictator and no one knew? It's bigger than anything we could ever do."

"He should have killed me. He actually cast a curse that did kill me but it backfired on him. I lived, he became mortal, and then he died. Permanently"

"Sounds like a pretty mundane end."

"That was his worst fear. That and death. So the fact that he'll only be remembered for dying like a bitch is the best comeuppance I could have given him."

"Hah! Alright, Potter, true enough." She grinned. "What's this got to do with me?"

"I thought you should know." I shrugged. "And Merlin brought up a bloody good point."

"Which was?"

"He said you could keep a secret and deserved to know. He was right." I said, glancing over at my side table. I reached into it, plucking out my house keys and waving my wand at it. "Gemino." Instantly, the one set of keys became two. "These are a copy of my house keys. They're yours."

"What!? No, Harry, I can't–"

"You can. I want you to have these." I said, taking her hand and putting the keys in it, rolling her fingers over the metal. "I trust you, Abi."

"Harry… I… I trust you too. Thank you."

"Of course… Now, if you'll excuse me, I need to go speak with Arthur," I said as I stood up. She did, too, dropping the copied keys in her pocket. She cupped my face with one hand while the other took one of mine.

"Don't you dare quit on me, Potter. Not after that."

"I won't." I muttered. She nodded, leaning up and brushing her lips against mine.

"Good. Now get out of here before I do something we'll regret Merlin interrupting." She smirked as she let me go.

"I have a feeling this is against protocol." I smirked as she laughed.

"Undoubtedly. Now go on." She said, shooing me toward the door. "I'll be here when you get back."

"Maybe." I smirked. "This may end well for both of us."

"Oh? I do like the sound of that." She grinned as I pulled the door open.

"Ready?" Merlin asked as I stepped into the hall with Regulus panting happily at my side.

"I am."

"You both kept this from me. Why?" Arthur growled as he glared up at us from behind his desk.

"I'm bound by the International Statute of Secrecy, Merlin technically is not but he understands why we have to keep this quiet."

"And why is that?"

"Because there's an entire society out there hidden from the prying eyes of the non-magicals living in relative peace."

"Relative?"

"Humans aren't a peaceful species, Arthur. I fought a war from the time I was fourteen until I was seventeen and my side won. I could have joined the Auror corps, the wizarding military-police force, but instead I left that world completely behind save to get my charms mastery."

"Hm. I understand his reasoning, but yours, Merlin? No. Explain yourself."

"Without proof, would you have believed me?"

"No, I would not have. Mr. Potter's display is the only reason I'm entertaining this at all," Arthur growled. "What would you have me do? Add another chair to the table? There have always been twelve seats at the table and a quartermaster. You would have me change a hundred years of tradition for what?"

"An in to a world you didn't know existed until now. A world that I can make you forget exists with a word," I said, spinning my wand between my fingers. "Just ask Autumn. With two spells, I'll make you forget this conversation ever happened and then make you, Merlin, Galahad, and every other Kingsman you have forgotten I exist. That's if you don't kill me right now. But if you don't, remember that I'm still a Major in Her Majesty's Marines. That opens doors. And I'm quite sure MI6 would love to know about the little dog and pony show you've got running here."

"You wouldn't dare." Arthur growled, leaning over the desk.

"I might be SBS, Arthur, but Who Dares, Wins," I said coldly, my arms folded behind my back as I stared at the old man. "And you wouldn't even know who sold you out." Arthur glared at me before smirking and relaxed back in his chair.

"He's good, Merlin. Very good. Alright then, boy, you want a place at the table? You have it. Welcome to Kingsman… Mordred."

"Really, Arthur?" Merlin asked, an eyebrow raised. "Out of all the names?"

"If any are to bring about the end of me, it will be him. What better name is there? Send in Abigail."

"Right away, sir." Merlin said as he stepped into the hall.

"I suppose you think you're clever, don't you boy?" Arthur said once he was sure we were alone.

"No sir, this was Merlin's idea. I just happen to agree. If you can get a handle on the Magical world now then you won't be surprised when one of your agents accidently falls into the thick of it."

"Hm… How many wizards are out there?"

"The estimates range between one man in every ten thousand to one in every hundred thousand."

"That's quite a bit lower than I had imagined."

"Yes sir. Unfortunately, here in the isles we only have a shopping center in London, a school, and a village specifically for magicals. The village barely houses one hundred. Now, there's also a village in Scotland that's historically been specifically for magicals but recently muggles, non-magicals, that is, have integrated into it. That's where I was born."

"I see… You are to be Kingsman's eyes and ears among them but I am afraid your celebrity status among them will draw undue attention."

"That's what I'm hoping." I smirked as Arthur cocked his head to the side. "Who'd expect Harry Potter, hero of Magical Britain, to be a spy?"

"Interesting. You also expect people will say anything around you simply because of who you are?"

"Better yet, I've got an in with the Auror department. The head auror owes me a favor. So does the Minister for Magic, actually." I grinned as Arthur smirked too.

"Very good. Anything the aurors cannot handle or is a threat to the immediate peace is to be brought to our attention and terminated as quickly as possible, do you understand, Mordred?"

"I do, Arthur."

"Very good. Explaining why you were brought to the table will be tricky without revealing your world."

"They're your men. If you explain that they cannot reveal my nature to anyone else, not even their candidates, they'll follow your orders."

"You are comfortable with this?"

"Absolutely not, but they're my colleagues now. They'll find the truth sooner or later, it's their job."

"Indeed."

"They'll also need to understand the dangers a non magical will face against a magical, even highly trained agents can be taken by surprise when your opponents can all teleport, turn invisible, incapacitate you with a word, or strip your memory before you realize what's happened."

"... I'm beginning to understand why Merlin thought you would be a good addition to our program." Arthur muttered as the door swung open again. "Ah, Abigail." The old man said as he got to his feet. "Congratulations, and welcome to Kingsman. Gawain."

"Thank you, sir," Gawain said, looking at me out of the corner of her eye.

"Ah, yes, Mr. Potter has accepted a different position here in our organization. Agent Gawain, this is Agent Mordred."

"We both passed?"

"Yes, you have. Congratulations. Mordred, you will begin your infiltration mission tomorrow. Gawain, you will link with Agent Lancelot tomorrow morning for your mission briefing, just as planned. Both of you, report here at 0600. Understood?"

"Yes sir." We both said with our arms folded behind our backs.

"Excellent. Your belongings will be relocated to Kingsman safe houses. Mordred, I understand you own a home in London, yes?"

"Yes, Arthur."

"I will put a work order in for it. When our people are done, it will be as well fortified and armed as Galahad's residence. Gawain, this is the address of your new home." Arthur said as he handed her a slip of paper. Abi read it and nodded.

"Thank you, Arthur."

"It's a perk of the job, dear girl." Arthur smiled. "Now, go home. Rest. Your work will begin tomorrow."

[A] - Long Italics: From Kingsman: The Secret Service.