Shawn was very pleased with Percy's attitude, and his tone grew more solemn.
"I'm sure you know about the Pentagram, the organization formed from the restructured Death Eaters. Although it seems to be under my control now, I've never managed to unite everyone. There are always people looking to stir up trouble.
"So, once you finish this school year, I need you to forgo your seventh year and join the Pentagram early, taking charge of internal disciplinary investigations. Are you willing?"
Percy's eyes reddened slightly, and his body trembled. He showed not the slightest reluctance to leave school life behind.
How could playing at power in school compare to joining the Pentagram and doing something important? This was real authority.
Percy also knew that Shawn intended to take complete control of the Ministry of Magic and absorb it in the future. Joining the Pentagram practically meant that a senior Ministry position would be waiting for him.
He thumped his chest hard and gave his assurance.
"Chief, I'm willing."
Arranging for Percy to join the Pentagram in July was neither a major matter nor a trivial one.
After Shawn told him to prepare properly, the two went their separate ways.
Shawn made a quick trip to the nearby Forbidden Forest.
After talking with Tina the basilisk, he learned that the secret passages extended far farther than he had imagined.
From Tina's rather vague description, Shawn kept feeling that this network was less a hidden chamber and more an underground town.
Besides the intricate underground passages branching in every direction, there were densely packed little rooms, large meeting halls, and various communal facilities.
More accurately, it was less an underground town than a shelter.
But who would build a shelter in the Forbidden Forest? Who had the money, perseverance, desire, and convenient