Harry Potter - Series Fan Fiction ❯ Behind the Fog (Backup Upload) ❯ Behind the Fog (Backup Upload) 15th Chapter ( Chapter 15 )

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 Fifteen - Chance

When Draco went down for breakfast the next morning, he found that Bill had been right; because only the Weasley's, Severus, Lupin, Potter, Granger, and Black were present for breakfast. He had woken early as usual and began working on some potions for the store after putting up wards and spells that he hoped would keep Moody's eye away and the smell of potions from escaping his room. Judging from the fact that no one was looking at him more weirdly than usual, he guessed that he had succeeded.

"All stand, his royal highness finally graces us with his presence." Ginny Weasley said and performed a dramatic bow as Draco entered the room, but the blonde was completely unphased.

"I was unaware that there is a set time for breakfast, as no one saw fit to inform me." He said.

Harry flushed guiltily at this, before speaking up. "You are always up by 6, and I thought you would come down." He explained.

"What you mean to say, is that you forgot to tell me, isn't it?" Draco had one eyebrow raised in doubt.

"How was I to know, that you would choose today of all days to oversleep." He remarked.

"I didn't oversleep; I was playing chess." Draco improvised.

"By yourself?" Severus asked incredulously.

After a long night of thought, he had decided that he would not compound a mistake with another. Draco might want him to leave him alone but he couldn't; he would be there even if he was not allowed to be. One day Draco would need him again, and he was determined not fail him then.

"He always plays alone." Harry said flippantly. "He says that no one is good enough to beat him."

"Is that bitterness I hear from you, Potter?" Draco asked with a smirk on his face. "Do you believe there is anyone good enough to beat me, after what happened when we played?"

"I am not the best at chess, and I was especially distracted that day." Harry defended.

"Then you will not object to a rematch?" Draco goaded.

"We should have a tournament Mister "I can beat anyone." is what I have to say to that.'' Harry rebuttled with a smirk on his face of his own. "There are several excellent chess players in this house right now, and there is nothing better to do anyway."

"I for one, know that I would not lose to the ferret." Ron said smugly.

"It seems I have neglected you for too long, if you have forgotten the thorough beatings I gave you as a child." Severus commented. "I also believe that Lupin is more than a decent player."

"A tournament it is then." Draco agreed.

"What are the stakes?" Sirius Black asked. "It's no fun to play for nothing."

"How about the two Quidditch tickets for the Puddlemere vs. Canons game I got through my job; The game is tonight." Arthur Weasley suggested, and the excitement level in the room heightened. Everyone had been fighting for those tickets since they found out Arthur had them the previous night.

"Those would be of no use to me, since I am not allowed to leave this place." Malfoy argued.

"Don't be so sure you will win them Malfoy." Ron retorted scathingly. The Chudley Canons were Ron's favourite team, and he would be damned if he lost a chance to watch them play to the ferret.

Draco also wanted the tickets. It's not like he absolutely had to watch either team play, but he still liked Quidditch, and this was a chance to get out of the stifling house. It had been less than a day since he came to Grimmauld, and he was already sick of the place, but that had to do with the company mostly.

"If you win the tickets Draco, we will find a way for you to go." Snape said, shocking everyone including Draco.

"Alright, let the games begin."

"I suggest a name draw to decide the matches." Remus said, and everyone quickly agreed.

They were about to head to the library, but Molly would not hear of it, and the lot of them sat back down to have their breakfast. Breakfast was hurried, and in fifteen minutes, everyone was seated in a circle in the library.

"Let's use only one board so that everyone can watch all the matches.' There was a quick agreement, and the first draw was Hermione vs. Ron, a game that ended quickly because Hermione was even worse in the game than Harry.

The second game was between Sirius and Remus, and Remus took it without much trouble. The third match was won by Severus who trampled all over Ginny while the twins who had decided not to play commentated the whole time. Bill beat Charlie in the fourth round.

"We get the rematch you wanted Potter." Draco said smugly as they set up the board. "Do you want me to give you a handicap?"

"Like I would need it." Harry sneered, but he greatly regretted that decision when he lost horribly only seven minutes later.

Bill lost to Ron, Remus lost to Severus and then, to several of the participants surprise, Ron lost to Severus. The finals were between Draco and Severus.

"Just like old times." Severus said, as he set up the board.

"You wish." Draco remarked, with a laugh.

There was nothing special about the opening moves but a few moves later, Severus realized that he could not read or predict what his godson would do anymore. Draco did not spend much time thinking, and all his moves seemed random, but it did not take Severus long to realize that he was irrevocably trapped.

"Checkmate in seven moves." Draco said sweetly, and Severus glared at him.

"I concede." The older man said. "When did you get so good?"

"I was always that good; I just didn't know how to play other people back then." Draco explained.

"It's cheating Malfoy." Harry said in exasperation. "Your playing is weird. It's impossible to know what you are doing until one finds themselves trapped."

Draco laughed. "Do you know, there are over three hundred and eighteen billion ways of playing the first four moves of chess, and over one hundred octillion ways of playing the next ten moves. I have just learnt more strategies than most but anyone who calls themselves a chess master is deluded." He pointedly looked at Ron then. "It's not humanly possible to completely master the game."

"Octi-what?" Harry asked in confusion. He had gotten lost somewhere along the explanation.

"Harry, he just means that chess has infinite possible moves." Hermione explained even though she had a look on her face that revealed she had learnt something new and she didn't like the source. Undoubtedly, she would be found hours later buried in a book finally showing some interest in chess.

"Oh, but somehow you manage to choose the winning path every time." Harry muttered with a frown on his face.

"It's why I always play by myself Potter; other people are too easy to predict while I can always surprise myself." Draco answered smugly.

"The tickets as promised." Arthur Weasley said, handing the tickets to the blonde.

"Thank you." Draco took them and began to head out the door, before he suddenly turned around, to look at the eldest Weasley son. "Bill, are you free to go with me? I am yet to thank you for last night."

"Sure." Bill smiled widely, and Draco handed him the tickets.

"I will see you tonight then." It was barely noon, but Draco had a lot of things to do before going to the game.

He wanted to package some of the potions he had left cooling, but he also needed to start thinking about the next product he wanted to launch, this next one would be in February, so perhaps something to pair nicely with Valentine's Day and Love Season in general.

It was hours later when Harry saw Draco coming out of his room, and something in him snapped. One minute he was standing at the top of the stairs and in the next, he found himself pushing the blonde back into his room. He had been about to head downstairs for dinner when Draco's door opened, and the Slytherin came out dressed in black slacks that outlined every lean muscle on his body and a fitted grey shirt that was a perfect match for his eyes. His hair was tied back with a black leather scrunchie and in the crook of his arm hung a black outdoors robe that Malfoy planned to wear in completion of his outfit when he left the house.

One moment Harry thought that his husband looked delicious and in the next, he thought that everyone would think the same; and suddenly he couldn't stand that thought. When he pushed Malfoy back into his room, he had intended to ask him to change and wear some ugly robes on top no matter how unreasonable that was; but that thought flew out of his head the moment the door was closed behind them, and Draco was trapped between him and the door; eyes impossibly wide and his breath coming in sharp gasps that caressed Harry's cheeks. This was the closest they had intimately been since that night in October, and Harry's mind blanked as he leaned down and took the pink lips which were slightly parted in a kiss.

Malfoy gasped in surprise, and Harry thrust his tongue into the blonde's mouth, and Draco also seemed to lose his sense for reason; because he twined his hands around Harry's neck and deepened the kiss. The kiss was intoxicating, and Harry felt like a man who had just taken his first sip of water after days of thirst. He placed his arms around Malfoy's waist and pulled him closer; causing the blonde to whimper and Harry to groan. He was about to snake his hands under the boy's shirt when there was a knock on the door, and whoever it was just wouldn't flipping leave. Mechanically, they separated; both looking shocked that something like that had happened.

Harry was the first to recover, and without thinking, he opened the door, forgetting that he was not in his own room. The knocker was Remus who had come to inform Draco that Bill was waiting downstairs, and the wolf looked as shocked as Harry felt to find Harry in Malfoy's room. He could pick Malfoy's scent up on Harry, and he narrowed his eyes suspiciously as the Slytherin emerged from behind the door. Apart from the slightly swollen lips, he looked like he always had, but Remus was not fooled. With a nod, Malfoy left as quickly as his legs would take him without allowing himself to run.

"Harry, what the hell are you doing?" Remus asked, looking at his cub as if he had lost his mind, and Harry was not sure that he hadn't.

"I have no idea, Remus." The boy said, and looked at his other godfather as if expecting to find an answer there.

"He was there looking like that, and I snapped." He explained, unable to make sense of the nonsense he was spouting. Remus didn't know what to say to that, but he watched in pity as his cub went downstairs, thinking that tough times were sure to come.

Malfoy and Bill had already left by the time Harry entered the kitchen, and he was part relieved and part disappointed.

Draco was quiet as he walked with Bill to the apparition point. "Are you regretting that you asked me instead of someone else to go with you?" Bill asked with a smile.

"Not at all." Draco answered.

"Not even Harry?" Bill couldn't see Draco's eyes narrow in the dark, but they did.

"Not even Potter. Besides, I wanted this chance to talk with you." Bill did not press the issue. Draco's lips looked thoroughly kissed when the boy came downstairs and other than Harry and Draco, Remus was the only person not in the kitchen and Bill somewhat doubted that Draco had been kissing Remus and Severus must have come to the same conclusion because he had seen the other man's scowl darken by a few degrees when he saw his godson. Luckily, they had been the only ones looking otherwise there would have been trouble.

They reached the apparation point, and Bill held out his hand which Draco took and they apparated away. They reappeared in front of a booth and Bill proceeded to give their tickets; Draco was glad they had gotten VIP tickets and did not have to queue to enter the stadium. They went to their box which was at the very top and sat down, it was still thirty minutes before the game began, and they had the box to themselves.

"Are you managing to work at Grimmauld place?" Bill asked.

"Yes, but I am not sure whether Moody's eye will be able to see through my protections or not. I suppose I won't know until he comes by." Draco said, and Bill nodded in agreement. "Anyway, I was thinking of coming up with a Valentine's Day product for the store which we can begin marketing at the beginning of February. Right after that, I want to launch the lycanthropy cure. I have already asked Marina to speak to Arwin about it after New Year's. What do you think?'

"I think it is an excellent idea."

"I am worried though."

"About what?" Bill asked frowning a bit.

"Generally, werewolves are shunned by society, and most have no money. I am conflicted about the pricing of the product. I was playing around with the idea of involving the various ministries and having them foot some of the cost of the cure. It's in their best interest for lycanthropy to be cured, but I don't know if they would be willing to do this. Can you do some research and let me know how we should price it, and if the ministries' can be a partner in this?"

"We already have contact with various ministries all over the world, I will begin setting up meetings once the holidays are over." Bill said.

"Thank you, Bill." Draco smiled. "Now, do you think Remus Lupin would agree to be our ambassador for this? He is a well-known, and well-respected werewolf; all he would need to do is take the cure and have healers at St. Mungos verify that the treatment works."

"I will speak to him."

The game started after that, and all talk about business was forgotten in favour of Quidditch. It was an exciting match, but it didn't take long because Puddlemere's seeker caught the snitch in forty-five minutes and they won 200-30.

"Shall we go to dinner?" Draco asked, once they were out of the stadium after the game. He was not ready to go back to Grimmauld Place, especially after what had happened with Potter, and he did enjoy Bill's company.

Uploader's Note: This Has Been A Backup Upload of Chapter 15 of Behind the Fog by Hancock23.