The Muggle-born Conspiracy

Alex was standing in a line with the other members of the Hufflepuff team. They were in the waiting area reserved for players under the bleachers awaiting their turn to come out into the pitch. He looked around to see the faces of his team-mates. Suffice to say, he wasn't reassured.

"Feeling nervous?" the captain, Ernest, asked him.

"Not really," answered Alex.

"It's okay. You can tell us. It's your first game after all… There are a lot of things that could go wrong in a game. What if the other Seeker is faster than you? What if you can't find the Snitch? What if you get injured? What if–"

Ernest got lost in his ramblings.

"Hey, captain!" Alex interrupted. "Are you okay? You're the one who sounds the most nervous here. Don't tell me that it is your first game, too."

"What? Of course not… but it is my first game as captain. So it would be my fault if we lose."

"Don't be ridiculous, captain," said Alex. "The game hasn't even started, so don't think about losing. Let's do it just like we practised, okay?"

"Yeah, you're ri– hey! Who is the captain here, exactly?"

The other players laughed at their captain at that. That had reduced their nervousness.

When they stepped out into the field, they all showed excitement on their faces. Everyone in the Hufflepuff seats was cheering for them. Even Clay was shouting very loudly despite not being a Quidditch fan in particular.

Alex and his team were against the Ravenclaws for the first game of the year. According to their scouting report, they had a strong Chaser line-up. They were expected to be aggressive on the offence.

Ernest decided that their formation would focus on their defence. That put the pressure on Alex to win the game for his team. As the Seeker, it was up to him to find and catch the Snitch before the other team had an insurmountable lead.

When the players were all gathered at the centre of the field, Madam Hooch gave her customary warning about fair play.

The rules of Quidditch can be reduced to a few simple guidelines: No excessive contact, no grabbing of the opponents' broomstick, no excessive blocking, the Keeper must block the Quaffle from the front of the hoops, and only the Seeker could touch the Snitch.

The players jolted into action. It was the Ravenclaw captain who had taken possession of the ball. They immediately rushed to the right side of the field in their offensive formation.

The Hufflepuff had withdrawn back into their side of the pitch. Even the Chasers were positioning to defend.

Instead of just watching the action unfold, Alex harassed the ball-carrier. It was unlikely that the Snitch would show up at the start. He could not let the enemy dictate the pace of the game.

With his interference, he managed to slow down the enemy Chasers enough for the Hufflepuff Beaters to get into their places.

Seeing the defence closing in, the Ravenclaw Chasers attempted a shot from afar.

The Quaffle was easily caught by the Keeper who passed it to their captain after.

Ernest signalled the team to slow down. Instead of going on the attack, they passed the Quaffle around in the middle of the field.

Alex thought that they should be using the chance to attack. It was still early in the game and there were no scores up on the board yet. Although focusing on their defence was the right call, they should have some flexibility.

They had managed to stop the initial attack of the opposing team. This was a chance for them to pressure the defences.

After failing to spot the Snitch, Alex turned to where the enemy Seeker was flying.

There were two approaches to playing as Seeker. One would be to stay away from the other Seeker, gambling on the chance that you would spot the Snitch first. The other was to stick close to the opponent.

The Ravenclaw sneered at the rookie Seeker who had dared to fly close to him.

Alex was effectively telling his opponent that was confident in catching the Snitch regardless of who found it first. Since they were watching each other closely, any attempt at chasing the Snitch would result in a race between them.

Before long, the Ravenclaws had scored 90 points. Meanwhile, their team still had zero points. It was painful to watch.

They were being completely passive. Even if they were focused on the defence, they shouldn't be forgetting their scoring. So, Alex decided to change things up.

He dove to the side as fast as he could. The other Seeker thought that he might have found the Snitch and went to follow. But it was a feint. Alex turned to the right after the other Seeker was committed to following him. He was aiming for the Ravenclaw Chaser who had possession of the Quaffle.

The Chaser didn't expect that. Seeing how fast Alex was flying towards him, he panicked momentarily and passed the ball to one of his team-mates.

Alex pulled to the left and intercepted the pass as if he had completely anticipated it. With the Quaffle at hand, he flew low to the ground heading towards the Ravenclaw goals. He was already very close to the poles when he started pulling up. The Keeper had to position himself lower than the hoops to block Alex's path.

As he positioned himself in front of the goals, he threw the Quaffle through the left hoop. The Keeper was still turning around, trying to keep Alex within his sights when the ball went through the goal.

"Hufflepuff scores! An amazing play by Grey, the rookie Seeker!" they heard the commentator yelled. "With that, the Hufflepuff is finally on the board!"

The students went wild at the unexpected turn of events. His team-mates seemed to have awakened from their stupor.

They played more fluidly after that, even putting some pressure on the other team. However, they could still not match the scoring pace of the Ravenclaws.

The game went on. The score was now 160 to 50 points with the lead getting larger. If the difference reached over 150, there would be no more hope for them.

That was when Alex spotted a golden glint from afar.

Without wasting time, he shot past the other Seeker. He didn't even bother making a feint. When he got close to the Snitch, it flew away from him, diving into the direction of the Slytherin seats.

Alex turned to follow. The chase was on and the other Seeker was trailing behind him. But Alex was clearly the better flyer. His movements in the air were beautiful to watch.

As he got closer to the Snitch, a Bludger was sent his way. But he had seen it coming even before it was sent with a paddle. With a clockwise barrelling manoeuvre, he avoided the on-coming ball. He didn't lose his momentum.

The Golden Snitch was firmly in his hand.

"Grey had caught the Snitch! Hufflepuff wins, 200 to 160!" announced the commentator. "What a move that was! What a turn around! The new Hufflepuff Seeker has won the game for his team!"

There was a thundering roar coming from the Hufflepuff seats. The rest of the Hogwarts students were also applauding his performance.

Every team member was congratulating him. The captain even gave him most of the credit in their win. They would surely be partying until midnight in their common room. Clay and his gang were chanting his name.

With their newfound confidence, their team ended up winning every one of their games that year, getting the Quidditch Cup. There was a stronger sense of pride in the Hufflepuff House.

Even Prof. Sprout had become such a Quidditch fan all of the sudden. She was even listing all the Hufflepuff graduates who had become professional players, much to Prof. McGonagall's annoyance.

***

The very next day after he got home from Hogwarts that summer, Alex made a trip to the Leaky Cauldron. He went straight to Diagon Alley. He walked around for a bit, then he went back into the inn. After going through the portal, he applied his disguise once again. This time, he was wearing a more traditional wizards' attire.

He found the barman, Tom, sweeping the floor of his inn.

"Mister! It has been a while," said Tom. Alex had never given his name to the barman.

"May I ask, how was our little venture?"

"I did as you ask, but only managed to give away about 80 copies."

"That was to be expected. Did you have some trouble?"

"No, trouble. Not exactly. But some people noticed me handling out the book and asked me about it. Some of them even wanted a copy for themselves."

"And?" asked Alex, raising his eye-brow.

"Well, I didn't give it to them, of course. I promised that I would give them away to students. But they were muggle-borns, I was sure of it. So, I gave them a copy that I made. Figured it wouldn't hurt."

Alex thought about what Tom had said.

"Your right, Tom. The more people that know what is written in the guide, the better it will be for everyone. It is not like we're spreading lies."

"Actually, some of them had asked about you. Of course, I didn't tell them anything."

"Of course," Alex said. Tom was oath-bound not to tell them anything about his identity.

"You know almost anyone in the Wizarding World, Tom. And I know that you are very observant. Do you think these people could give us some trouble?"

From his words, he was making it sound like Tom was already part of whatever he was doing. He was sure that he had a good understanding of Tom's personality after a little Legilimency.

The man was somewhat of a coward who grew up always trying to avoid getting into trouble with powerful people. But if Alex showed him a little appreciation, made him feel needed and tempted him with profit, he knew that, soon enough, Tom would be following him of his own volition.

"I don't think so, mister. I've known these people for a while. It was hard for them to survive the war. I think they are just glad that someone is looking out for the muggle-borns."

"You've done a good thing… you can call me Alexander Grey. But to everyone else, simply refer to me as Prometheus."

"Mr Grey, it's an honour. I won't let you down," said Tom who looked like he was pleased with himself.

"I want you to gather the names of those you think can be trusted and make sure you know how to contact them. There will come a time when I will be meeting them. And remember, always be discrete."

Alex took out a small pouch from his robe pocket which he handed to Tom. Inside was 300 Galleons, like last time.

"Use this as you please," said Alex. "Continue with handing out the books to the students."

"Thank you, Mr Grey. Do you want me to make another oath?" asked Tom as he moved to take out his wand.

Alex raised his hand to stop him.

"That won't be necessary," he said. "I know that you can be trusted."

***

After their conversation, Alex went to Diagon Alley. From there, he went into Knockturn Alley.

The alley was known for being a gathering place of shady characters. Alex was very familiar with Knockturn Alley. In his past life, this was the place where he conducted a lot of his less than legal activities. The alley had certainly earned its reputation as the underbelly of Wizarding Britain.

However, there was more to the alley than criminals and dark wizards. It was also the place that the poor frequented. Knockturn Alley was less regulated compared to the other alleys that were connected to Diagon Alley. There, most of the shops did not have the necessary permits. But, the Ministry liked to turn a blind eye to what was going on there.

He went around the shops there while paying attention to the people around him. He was looking for a particular type of person. There were also plenty of muggle-borns looking for work in the alley.

He found a man that was standing just outside a tailor shop. His clothes were obviously very old, but he kept himself presentable.

"What is your name?" asked Alex being very frank.

"Malcolm Baxter is my name, young sir," the man replied.

Alex believed that he found the person that he needed. With eye contact, he could surf through the surface thoughts of any unsuspecting people.

The man in front of him was very wary of him. Indeed, no muggle-born could have survived the recent war without being cautious. Mr Baxter was nearing 60-years-old and he looked older than most wizards his age. He looked like a middle-aged man with some greying hair on his temple.

"I am Alexander Grey. You are a muggle-born, am I correct?"

Malcolm just looked at him, unsure about what to say.

"Relax, Mr Baxter. I am a muggle-born as well," ȧssured Alex.

"Yes… I am, indeed, a muggle-born."

"I am looking for a man who could work for me. Tell me, Mr Baxter, do you still have an identity in the non-magical world?"

"Yes, sir. I have a sister whom I visit once in a while. What type of work are you offering?" Mr Baxter sounded hopeful.

"The work could mean permanent employment if you are the man I am looking for. I want someone capable and loyal, who can be discrete."

"Do you mean a manservant? Perhaps, a house-elf could is what you are looking for?" asked Mr Baxter, a little confused.

"A trusted aide is what I need. You may think of it as the position of a butler. Last I heard, it is still a respectable job. Or do you think it is such a lowly position for a wizard such as you?"

"No, that was not what I meant. But, most people would rather buy a house-elf rather than hire a man."

"I need someone who could take care of my affairs, both in the Wizarding World and the non-magical world. Perhaps I will also get an elf, we'll see."

"And will this man be rewarded for his service?" asked Mr Baxter.

"A place to stay, respect, the life an honest man can be proud of, and of course, a monthly salary of no less than a hundred Galleons. Think it over. I will be in the Leaky Cauldron next week around eight o'clock in the morning. Meet me there and bring your credentials if you are interested."

He already had a good understanding of Mr Baxter's personality.. He knew that the man would be there for their meeting.