Harry Potter - Series Fan Fiction ❯ Behind the Fog (Backup Upload) ❯ Behind the Fog (Backup Upload) 5th Chapter ( Chapter 5 )

Disclaimer: I don't own Harry Potter. Anything you recognize is property of JK Rowling. Additionally this is not my story. I am uploading this to my own account in support of the author the story belongs to who has been struggling with hackers.

The thing I've most been dreading as a fan is that the story would be removed from the site by the hackers and the author wouldn't have access to their old chapters when the situation was eventually brought under control in the event the site moderators wouldn't be able to give the author their account back.

For anyone interested the author goes by Hancock23 on Fanfiction -dot- net. I will remove the story from my account when Hancock23 has gotten the story safely uploaded elsewhere or has been safely given their account back on Fanfiction -dot- net. Without further ado I give you a backup upload of: Behind the Fog by Hancock23.

PS: This Backup Upload contains minor edits for grammar, spelling, and punctuation. Plus some rewording/restructuring of sentences so they make better sense and flow better. Hope you don't mind me becoming something of a Beta Reader for this Backup Upload Hancock23.

Chapter Five - Decisions

Draco did not take his usual one hour to get ready because he did not want to keep Bill waiting in his secret room. Biddy had found it for him in his second year after he had a particularly bad Cruciatus session with his father, and he had used it since then whenever he wanted to be alone. Of course he knew about the Room of Requirement but too many other people also knew about it; so there was a greater risk of being spotted there while no one ever really went to the owlery that early in the morning.

Draco climbed the stairs and quickly located the stone and slipped inside. Large torches lit up the moment he entered and he took one of the arm chairs nearest the fire. The room was small and unlike the room of requirement on the seventh floor, it stayed the same; never changing. He liked it for that, its constancy made him feel safe and although he was taking a risk showing it to Bill, he didn't think it was the wrong decision. He heard the door open at exactly six thirty and the red-head slid inside.

"Malfoy." The man called in greeting when he noticed the blonde sitting near the fire.

"Have a seat please." Draco said by way of greeting; Bill complied.

"I had no idea there was such a place in Hogwarts." Bill said impressed. He had been the owner of the Marauders Map when he was at Hogwarts, and he was sure this place had never shown up on the map.

"I would appreciate if you could keep it secret." Draco implored.

"Of course." Bill agreed. "You said something about meeting the inventor of the ward?" He queried.

"I invented the ward." Draco declared simply, and Bill stared in shock; The boy had just turned sixteen, it was not possible for him to have created such a thing.

"Are you telling me the truth?" He asked incredulously.

"Yes, I made it and I can assure you that what you saw barely scratches the surface of what I'm capable of." Draco answered seriously.

"Yeah? How so?" Bill encouraged, curiosity showing.

Draco smiled. "I will let you see the complete structure of the ward." He said and moved his wand in the same complex movement Bill had seen the previous night. This time he was within the ward and he saw the exact runes and arithmancy he had seen before.

"Can you tell what these runes are?" Draco asked; Bill shook his head.

"This part of the ward is the defensive part. It breaks down spells aimed at the ward. I created a sensor that detects a spell. When that happens the ward reconfigures itself and sends out impulses to break down the composition of the incoming spell." Draco explained; Bill was flabbergasted, he had never even thought that such a thing was possible.

Draco then uttered a word under his breath, did another series of complex ward movements, and the runes in the ward completely changed; ultimately making it even more complex. "What the hell?" He asked.

"I call this 'arming' the ward." Draco said proudly. "It's the offensive part of the ward. It uses the sensor to detect enemies and read their magic levels before sending an appropriate magical pulse to disable the enemy. It has settings from a simple Stupefy, to the Avada Kedavra."

"Unreal." Bill declared, staring at Draco in awe. "And you say you made this?" This was something unheard of, it was something he wanted to be a part of.

"I did, and I want to start selling it among others." Draco said.

"Why now?" Bill asked.

"Because I am an adult now, and I need to make my own money." Draco replied.

"I see." Bill kept looking back and forth from the ward to Draco.

"I want to formally offer you a job." Draco said.

"What job?" Bill asked.

"I want someone who has a lot of knowledge on spells. Someone who can set up the wards and make sure people do not hurt themselves or others without concern. You would have to learn the integration runes for this ward, but you more than anyone will be able to understand this ward; even though you won't be able to break it." Draco told him, finishing with a laugh.

There was a long silence before Bill spoke again. "I want to ask you two questions before I make my decision." He said.

"Go ahead." Draco nodded.

"One, do you support the dark lord?" Bill queried.

"No." There was no hesitation in Draco's response.

"Two, Are you the dark lord's lover?" Bill pressed on.

"No." There was no hesitation this time either.

"I do not need to know the details of your life; That was enough." Bill said; and Draco felt new found respect for the man.

"Thank you. Are you accepting then?"

"Yes." Bill smiled; and Draco smiled in return.

"In that case, I have a welcome to the team present for you." Draco said.

"What?" Bill asked.

The boy stood up and raised his wand to Bill's temple; he waited for the man to flinch, but he didn't and so Draco pressed on; He said a word while waving his wand. Bill felt something click in his brain, but he didn't feel changed.

"What was that?" He questioned.

"Living the way I did has caused me to have a healthy distrust of Legilimency. What I have cast is a spell that will keep your brain safe in the event that someone tries to use Legilimency on you." Draco explained.

"How does it work?" Bill asked, fascinated and honestly curious.

"I have set it in a way that the spell triggers when a password is said or directed its way. The password is 'legilimens'. The word has to be said in order to perform Legilimency and when that happens, my spell counters it by stimulating the brain of the castor to produce an abnormal amount of dopamine. Instead of seeing your thoughts, they will experience a heavy dose of hallucinations." Draco explained.

"That's genius!" Bill exclaimed.

"Thank you." Draco said and cast a tempus charm; It was about time to meet with Marina.

"At the moment, I have discussed the business structure with my solicitor and I have managed to get Headmaster Arwin of the Arwin institute to authenticate my projects. I can't be connected with this at all, otherwise, my name will be enough to keep people away. The corporation will be my proxy and I want you to be its public face." He informed Bill.

"What does that mean?" Bill asked.

"It means that you will be responsible for dealing with clients and finding markets and marketting opportunities for spells, potions, etc. You will of course have people to help you so that you can have time for all the fun stuff. Is that okay?"

"Sounds fine."

"Okay. I will ask Marina to draw up a contract for you, and you can discuss salary and whatever else you need with her. I am trusting you with this operation so do not fail to speak your mind and concerns about salary or the like when you meet with her."

"Alright."

"I would also like you to keep some things in mind and give me your opinion by tonight because Marina will be taking the research papers to Arwin tomorrow." Draco continued. "There are several inventions I have ready, and I want to enter the market with a bang so I need your help in choosing the right project to introduce first."

"What do you have in mind?" Bill asked.

"Well, there is the ward I showed you. The Legilimency block. A potion to remove the effects of Cruciatus. I have a shield capable of blocking even the killing curse, and I have a cure for Lycanthropy. I think any one of those is good, but I need a definite winner for the first time." He said.

"I will be off now; See you later." Draco left before Bill could collect his jaw from the floor.

A potion to remove the effects of Cruciatus? A shield capable of blocking even the killing curse? A cure for werewolves? What in the world was this kid? If all those spells and potions worked, and he had no reason to believe they didn't, Draco Malfoy was a genius unprecedented in history. All these curses and afflictions have been around since the beginning of magic and yet no one had been able to come up with permanent solutions to them.

Bill felt elated; He was on the verge of making history. He may not be the inventor, but he felt proud to even be part of the process. He was happy for the first time in a long while, and he wanted to share it with someone, but there was no one. His family would think he was being had. Maybe Remus could appreciate this, but he felt as if this was not the right time to tell him about it.

Draco must have felt the same way, otherwise he would have suggested they bring Remus in because he had also noticed the complexity of the ward. They could all wait Bill supposed. As he ascended the many stairs of the owlery, Bill wondered what Malfoy had meant when he said, 'When you grow up like I did.' - During the bonding ceremony, Bill had fleetingly thought that Malfoy was likely not as simple an individual as he appeared, but he had not had the slightest idea why the boy gave him such an impression. Now he did.

Draco Malfoy was indeed a more complex individual than met the eye, and Bill was glad that he was now among the few people privileged to see that side.

Draco was exhausted by the time evening came. He and Marina had worked all day and finally decided on the first product for the market. They had chosen the potion that cures the effects of the Cruciatus Curse. The Cruciatus Curse was an Unforgivable and there weren't that many people who were afflicted, but those who were afflicted suffered greatly from its effects; they would gain a lot of ground when it comes to thwarting the dark lord, and much respect as well.

Draco had chosen to give the cure to the Longbotttom couple free of charge. It was not only that the Longbottoms were a famous couple who would garner a lot of attention, it was also because of his family; His aunt Bellatrix to be exact, had been the cause of their madness in the first place. If he was to give someone free service for this cure, it definitely had to be them. Draco also had a third reason for choosing the Longbottoms, but he did not want to think about that now.

Another thing they had decided upon was that the company needed a store in Diagon Alley where every day products would be sold, and Draco had already asked Marina to buy all the potions ingredients he would need to start brewing.

Uploader's Note: This Has Been A Backup Upload of Chapter 5 of Behind the Fog by Hancock23.