Harry Potter - Series Fan Fiction ❯ Behind the Fog (Backup Upload) ❯ Behind the Fog (Backup Upload) 27th Chapter ( Chapter 27 )

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 27 - The Hogsmeade Weekend

Author's note (Hancock23):

From the books, we know that Igor Karkaroff was killed by death eaters before the start of Harry's sixth year,but for the sake of my plot, Karkaroff is still alive; and he is still the Headmaster of Durmstrang Institute.
Oblansk is the real name of the Bulgarian Minister of Magic; he was mentioned in Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire.
Babajie Akingbade is also the actual name, in this case of the Supreme Mugwump who replaced Dumbledore due to the debacle in Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix.
Historically, the Russian KGB (Komitet Gosudarstvennoy Bezopasnosti) broke up in 1991, but for this story's purposes, it is still in existence.

Apart from the Minister of Magic, people who worked in the Department of International Magical Cooperation, and several of the highest-ranking ministry officials, everyone else thought that it was business as usual at the England Ministry of Magic, but nothing could be further from the truth.

In a magically enlarged room on the fifth floor of the Ministry of Magic, five hundred and seventy-nine representatives of one hundred and ninety-three countries, and one scribe; sat in uncomfortable silence as they stared at what appeared to be a Divination Orb, that had been placed in the middle of the room. Loosely, the orb could be called that, but it was unlike any of the orbs that Trelawney used in her Divination class.

Instead of showing the future, this particular orb showed the location of particularly strong magic. As the five hundred and eighty people watched, the orb shimmered, and above it, a world map appeared. Not a second later, a golden light emerged from the orb and settled on England. None of the people moved to speak until the map, and the shimmer of the orb disappeared.

"It is like I wrote in the summons." Babajie Akingbade, the Supreme Mugwump that replaced Dumbledore the previous year intoned. "Strong world changing magic is gathering in England, and it will soon reach its peak." He continued and chanced a furtive glance at Dumbledore who was sitting next to Minister Cornelius Fudge and Percy Weasley who had been moved back to the Department of International Magical Cooperation as the new head.

When Voldemort had made his appearance at the ministry the previous year, the ministry had been left with no choice but to accept that the dark lord was back; Since then they had been doing everything possible to aid the Order of Phoenix. Percy had repaired his relationship with his family, and perhaps it'd been to gain more favour with the Order, but Fudge had promoted Percy; From Junior Undersecretary to the Minister to Head of the International Magical Cooperation Department.

"Well, England is heading to war. It is not a surprise that such strong magic would be gathering in England." Cornelius Fudge said, and several of those gathered gave him a look that was akin to disgust. England had been heading to war for years now, and yet the orb had not shown any sign of activity until a few months ago. Most didn't think this had anything to do with Voldemort.

Dumbledore, who knew more than most, thought that it had everything to do with Harry Potter, but he was not about to divulge any of what he knew to anyone here. His decision went against the spirit of the confederation, but this was not a normal issue. He doubted that any of the others would say anything if they knew what he knew about someone under their control either.

"What are your thoughts on this Headmaster Dumbledore?" Babajie Akingbade asked the professor.

"Well, nothing like this happened even at the peak of the war with Grindelwald, or at the height of Voldemort's power sixteen years ago." Dumbledore said, hoping to divert everyone's attention from the war or the people participating in the war. He could see that his statement had had the intended impact, because most of the delegates were nodding their heads in agreement.

"Dumblydorr 'as a point." Madame Maxime supported, in her slightly broken English. "There 'as been many wars in the past few centuries, and not one time 'as the orb reacted."

"The last time that the orb reacted was when the Flamels created the Sorcerer's Stone almost six hundred years ago." One of the US delegates added. "Even then, the orb only glowed bronze."

"Before that it was when Hogwarts was founded a millennium ago, and it only shone silver." Dumbledore continued plunging the room into silence.

No one knew who had created the orb, or how long ago it had been created; the only thing known was that it has always been accurate. After studying the trends of events, it had been discovered that the orb glowed bronze, when very strong magic likely to affect an individual and their close connections would appear. It shone silver, when such magic would affect an entire region, as the founding of Hogwarts had affected England; and it glowed gold, when the magic would influence the whole world.

"You have forgotten another instance, my good man." One of Australia's representatives commented. "The Orb did glow gold right before the Muggle black plague."

That particular phenomenon had been the cause of many debates because the black death had not affected wizards as much as it had muggles. However, the fact that the orb had glowed gold could not be refuted. Some scholars and unspeakables speculated that the wizarding community would yet feel the effect of the black death, but it was almost seven hundred years later, and nothing had come of it.

Whatever world changing magic had gathered back then was either still dormant, or the orb had malfunctioned for whatever reason. The generally accepted consensus was that something had caused the orb to make an erroneous divination, so people rarely referenced that instance.

"That mystery aside, I think it is too early to dismiss the possibility that this prediction has something to do with the war in England." A heavily accented voice said, and Dumbledore turned narrowed eyes to the Bulgarian Minister of Magic, who had a look of amusement on his face. He had noticed that Dumbledore was trying to divert the meeting from the war and that observation made his thoughts even more plausible.

"Why do you say that Minister Oblansk?" Babajie asked the man, and everyone turned their eyes to the Bulgarian Minister.

"As a matter of fact, I believe this phenomenon could be connected to Harry Potter." The man said, and Dumbledore had to swallow his trepidation.

"How so?" The Russian General who had attended the meeting in place of his ailing Minister asked. His eyes and mind so trained in warfare could detect undercurrents that were as yet unclear to him, and he did not like it.

"I met young Harry Potter at the Quidditch World Cup almost two years ago. While the boy was only marginally stronger compared to other children of his age, he had the vastest and most concentrated magic reserve I have ever encountered in my life." He finished that by glancing at Dumbledore, and most others did the same.

Dumbledore wanted to curse his bad luck. The Bulgarian Wizarding Community was predominantly pureblood, and most of them had more than a little creature blood in their lineages. It would just be his luck that Harry had met one who could detect his magic even before it awoke. Dumbledore had known that Harry would become a very powerful wizard, but it was not until they began training in the past month that he realised that Harry would become uncommonly so.

"I had Igor observe the boy during the Tri-wizard Tournament..." At this, everyone turned to look at Karkaroff, who sat next to his Minister and when he nodded in acceptance of the words, said attention shifted back to Oblansk. "He saw and felt the same things that I did. Harry Potter is unlike any other wizard alive today."

"You must know that Harry Potter is an elemental wizard." Percy spoke for the first time, and by the lack of surprise on anyone's face, he figured that the news had reached everyone in the room. Although none of the countries had moved to interfere in the war happening in England, all of them had kept a close eye just in case the chaos spilled over to their own territories. "Is it possible that Minister Oblansk sensed this potential?"

"I don't believe so." The man said, and gave an unmistakable smirk to Dumbledore.

"What makes you say so?" Madame Maxime asked, her voice full of suspicion. She knew that it was not the Krum boy's fault that he had been forced to Crucio Diggory during the tournament but all in all, she blamed the Bulgarian Ministry of Magic for allowing their children to be taught such spells at Durmstrang. "After all, there 'as not been an elemental wizard in centuries."

It was not as easy a question to answer as one would expect. It was instinct really. It was what muggles would refer to as epigenetic memory, because Oblansk had the distinct impression that elemental wizards were very powerful, but not as powerful as Harry Potter would prove to be. It was likely that one of his ancestors had met an elemental wizard and that information had been passed down as instinct over the generations. The Bulgarian Minister could not explain that to the expectant faces looking at him, so he sneered instead before he spoke.

"It is impolite to ask others to reveal their magical heritage." He said and watched the faces become very distrustful. "What I can say is, that Harry Potter is more than a mere elemental wizard."

They all let the word 'mere' slide. Only an insane person would consider someone who could manipulate an element with a wave of his hand 'mere'. It had not been revealed what type of elemental wizard Harry Potter was, but whichever type he was, he could no longer be considered 'mere'.

"Even if what you say is true, it is hard to imagine that the actions of a single person will have such a profound effect on the world." The US Minister of Magic spoke up.

What he said was true. Harry Potter's main role in this world was to defeat Voldemort. While the dark lord was only a problem in England at the moment, the world would come together to smite him down if he somehow conquered England and expanded his vile campaign to other parts of the world. The US Minister could not see a scenario where Harry Potter's influence spread so much that it had an effect on the whole world.

"It would be arrogant of us to think we know what the future holds." The Supreme Mugwump cautioned. He was also finding it hard to believe that Harry Potter had the power to influence the world that way, but stranger things have happened, and it's always best to be prepared. "After all, the Orb glowed gold at the birth of Merlin."

Most of those gathered seemed offended that Babajie had likened Harry Potter to the man who had done more for the magical world than any person before and after him. Dumbledore, on the other hand, felt a chill of trepidation climb his spine.

Usually, an elemental wizard can control only one element, but Merlin had been different. The wizard had been able to wield and control all elements, and if Dumbledore was not wrong and he rarely was when it came to such matters, Harry was shaping up to be someone who could do the same. Harry Potter was an all elemental wizard, and Dumbledore had no intention of letting anyone find that out until the time was right.

"Before deciding that Harry Potter is the next coming of Merlin," The US Minister sneered in distaste at the sacrilege before he continued. "Shouldn't we think about the one person that is already influencing the whole of our world, all while managing to keep their identity hidden?"

"Yes." It was not typical for the Russians and Americans to be in agreement on anything, but this time they seemed to be on the same page, much to the surprise of everyone else. "We would be remiss if we did not consider Dragon World as the reason for the orb glowing gold." One of the Russian delegates cautioned. Contrary to popular belief, the Russians are also capable of recognising power that is not military in nature.

Many of Dragon World's products had made their way to most countries in Europe, the Americas, and Asia and no one could deny the significance of some of those products. The Lycanthropy Cure Potion, in particular, was probably one of the most significant inventions in wizarding history.

There was a thoughtful silence as everyone contemplated all that had been said. The only thing that was forthright at the moment was that whatever would cause the world class magical phenomenon was in England, but the representatives could not pinpoint the exact nature of the magic. They also could not dismiss the possibility that Voldemort had gained power that was unknown to them or that someone else had come across something that was capable of affecting the world as a whole. It was all a big jumble of messy possibilities.

"Do you know who the owner of Dragon World is?" Akingbade directed this question to the England team, and the three shook their heads in negation.

The frown that Dumbledore had been wearing expanded on his face as the frustration he felt over his impotence in discovering this information surfaced. Bill, Severus, and Remus were no use and every time he had thought to get the information from any of their minds; the Anti Legillimency Spell had thwarted him. After Ron had mentioned that Draco Malfoy might know the person, Dumbledore had privately followed up on that lead. He had found out that the young Malfoy's lawyer; Marina Vaughn Clarke, also handled Dragon World's business for the owner, but he found nothing else that would point him in the right direction.

Albus Dumbledore did not believe in coincidences unless they were of one's making and because of this philosophy, he had briefly considered that Malfoy was the true owner of Dragon World. After all, Draco was Latin for 'dragon', the store's opening had been too coincidental for it to be unrelated; the boy's financial independence was another clue, and the most glaring of all evidence was that Malfoy had been using Dragon World's products even before their official release.

Dumbledore had gone on a frenzy and demanded a copy of every test and homework assignment that Malfoy had ever submitted. Even though the professors hadn't appreciated the extra work, the copies had been compiled, and after days of reading, Dumbledore had allowed himself to relax a bit because Malfoy could only be classified as incredibly smart, likely overzealously studious, not a genius.

Unlike Ron who did not have the resources to conduct a thorough investigation of his suspicions, Dumbledore had directed his considerable assets into finding out how Malfoy came into his money, just to be sure he was not the owner of Dragon World. Towards the end of last week, he had found out that Malfoy had inherited an estate and a small fortune from a great aunt. Upon finding that out, Dumbledore had allowed himself to relax fully; He would not know until much later that Marina Vaughn Clarke and the Goblins had set up those accounts precisely to throw off anyone checking up on Draco Malfoy in relation to Dragon World.

That said, Dumbledore was sure that Malfoy had some sort of relationship with the owner of Dragon World, but no matter what he did, he could not figure out what it was. He had not wanted to wait until Harry found out something so he had attempted to make contact with the solicitor, the Longbottoms, and Arwin of the Arwin Institute, but no one was talking, and all were using the Anti Legillimency spell. To say that Dumbledore was frustrated would be an understatement. He only had one more play to make, and he was almost sure that it would lead nowhere.

"We have done all we can to try and figure out the identity of the owner, but there has been no progress." He said bitterly. "We have only found out that Dragon World is incorporated and banks with the Swiss branch of Gringotts." Dumbledore's statement was loaded, and all the delegates turned as one to look at the Switzerland representatives.

"If you are suggesting what I think you are, I am afraid that there is nothing we can do." The Swiss Minister of Magic said with a frown on his aged face. "We cannot interfere with the running of Gringotts, and the laws of the country are very strict when it comes to the privacy of banking clients. The goblins take that very seriously."

Dumbledore had expected that answer and so did most of the others if their reaction was anything to go by. Although they very much wanted to find out who owned Dragon world, they could not risk another Goblin rebellion at such an inopportune time by interfering in their dealings.

"As it stands, we completely lack information to make any definitive decisions or plans, so I welcome suggestions on the way forward." Babajie Akingbade said, and the room fell into another silence. The representatives of each country could be seen whispering amongst themselves, and it was the US that came up with the first suggestion.

"This matter has the potential of affecting the entire world." The US Minister paused to allow the others to agree with him, and when everyone had nodded in agreement, he continued. "I find it imperative that we place observers in England to ensure that we are not caught by surprise when things come to a head." More nods could be seen at the suggestion.

"If I am not mistaken, Harry Potter will turn seventeen this coming summer." The Bulgarian Minister added. "Seventeen is a magical age, and many of our children gain their inheritance at that age. It is a possibility that Harry Potter will fully come into his magic then."

'Damned Bulgarians!' Dumbledore cursed in his mind. The reasoning was sound and Dumbledore himself had come to the same conclusion. Harry would fully come into his elemental magic when he turned seventeen, and Draco Malfoy as his mate would serve to ground him so that his power wouldn't overwhelm him.

"I think it's prudent that we place people within Hogwarts; To monitor him as he approaches this important birthday."

"Wait a minute...," Cornelius barked, and Dumbledore could see that the man was barely managing to keep himself seated. "I will not have strange people roaming the halls where our children live."

Dumbledore chose to ignore the fact that Fudge had allowed Dolores Umbridge into the school and instead, silently celebrated that the Minister had taken such a strong stance against Oblansk's suggestion.

"What about transfer students?" One of Russia's representatives inquired. Like their Muggle counterpart, the Russian Ministry of Magic had an equivalent of the KGB, and no matter what decision was made here today, Russian spies would make their way into Hogwarts. It simply would not do to be caught unawares.

"It is the middle of the school year." Dumbledore said desperately. "Also, England is at war. I doubt that any parent would be willing to let their children transfer to Hogwarts right now."

Dumbledore had raised a valid point, but they all knew that the matters at hand could not be left to England alone. While the orb was incomparable when it came to predicting strong magic that would affect the magical world, it did not show whether the magic would be positive or negative. Voldemort was vile, no doubt about that; but as vile as he was, his vileness had not been enough to warrant even a shimmer of the orb in the first war. If the gathering magic was negative, then it only made sense for all the countries to keep tabs on the situation so that they can all take appropriate actions for their own survival.

"I agree that there is a need for monitoring of the situation." Babajie concurred. "England already has its hands full with the Voldemort situation, and cannot be counted on to deal with both of these situations at the same time."

The England representatives wanted to argue, but the look on the Supreme Mugwumps face said that arguing would not produce another result. For the thousandth time, Dumbledore cursed the chain of events that had led to his removal as the Supreme Mugwump. From his seat next to him, he could tell that Fudge was regretting his role in that particular outcome. Percy's only objection was because Harry would be the person being monitored. Weirdly, Percy had developed some respect and a tentative friendship with the boy who lived; and he hated that this would happen to him.

"However, it would not be practical to send a representative of every country to Hogwarts." Babajie continued. 'We need a system to determine who will go on behalf of the entire confederation."

"Wait a minute..." Fudge started again, but was silenced by a narrowed glance.

"Those who are chosen will report to the confederation." This time, the Supreme Mugwump sent warning looks at Russia, the US, China, and some of the other countries that seemed severely put off by the declaration. "No one country can be allowed to take control of the situation for their own profit or to the detriment of others. Until the situation becomes more clear, the confederation will act as a united force. Any country that acts otherwise will face the full force of the Confederation army."

That warning silenced the dissenting voices that had still been muttering their discontent amongst their fellows. The Confederation's army was made up of elite Aurors from each country in the coalition, and even Russia with its large military of Aurors could not hope to beat it.

"What about after the situation becomes clear?" The Kenyan representative asked, noting the loophole in what Babajie had said.

"We will hold a meeting then and make a decision based on the findings." Babajie said.

He was cautious not to commit himself and others to a decision whose implications were not fully understood. The other representatives seemed satisfied with that decision.

"What if elite students from all eleven magical schools are sent to Hogwarts?" The Japanese Minister of Magic suggested.

She had not spoken since the meeting started; instead, she had observed. It was only natural that each country would have their own agenda coming into this meeting, but what she realized was that the agendas ran deeper than what was natural. Of everyone, she decided that Dumbledore was the one everyone needed to be most wary of.

"I believe that would work." Dumbledore said, much to the surprise of Percy, Fudge, and most of the other delegates. Some, like the Japanese, had already realized that the old man was more cunning, than anyone had ever given him credit for.

For his part, Dumbledore had decided that this was not an insurmountable obstacle. Harry had the Invisibility Cloak and the Marauders Map; If anyone could move around Hogwarts without being detected, it would be him. Dumbledore just had to make sure that Harry knew how to conceal his magic before the observers arrived at Hogwarts, and everything would continue as planned. Yes, this was not an insurmountable problem.

"What is to stop the chosen students from reporting to their home countries first?" The Argentian Minister asked.

"I would suggest that the students be bound." Percy suggested, and when he saw that he had all their attention, he began his suggestion from the beginning.

"Assuming that forty-four children are chosen from all the magical schools including Hogwarts, one for each Hogwarts house. We could contractually bind them to write the information they gather on special parchments that will be given to them. The information written down by all the students will appear on secondary parchments that will be given to each person here, including the scribe, for recording purposes. The students parchments will be soaked in a special infusion of veritaserum so that they will not be able to omit or relay fabrications when they write on said papers."

If Dumbledore had not known that Percy was an incredibly gifted young man, he would have been as surprised by the simplicity and brilliance of the plan as the other people in the room. To be truthful, Percy Weasley was dull. He had no flair and his personality was not as commanding as he imagined it was; but once in a while like just now, he commanded all the right attention.

"I believe we have found our solution." The Supreme Mugwump said with a smile to Percy; causing the young man to flush at the acknowledgement. "I think that it would be acceptable to leave the choice of students to the respective heads of school, yes?" No one raised any objections, and Babajie saw that as a cue to proceed.

"If the situation were any other, we would have been able to wait until the beginning of the next school year, but unfortunately, time is not on our side." The man said. "Headmaster Dumbledore, will it be possible to take in forty students after the Easter holidays?"

Russia and the US clearly didn't like that they had to wait for a few more weeks, but there was no way around it. There was much to be done before the students were ready to be sent off to Hogwarts.

"I believe it is possible." Dumbledore agreed grudgingly. "I will put my staff on alert the moment I get back." He said and received a collective nod at that.

"Are there any other issues left unaddressed?"

There were none, and everyone was too tired to formulate more problems. The meeting had gone on for quite a long time, and none of them had taken a bathroom or lunch break. All of them just wanted to tie things up and take the international floo in time for whatever meal happened at the current hour in their countries. It was almost dinner time at Hogwarts.

"If there is nothing else, I would like to declare this meeting adjourned." Babajie said, much to the relief of everyone.

"I will work with Mr Weasley to prepare the parchments, and we will meet again at the beginning of Easter to bind the students and hand out the parchments. I trust that the headmasters and headmistresses will provide adequate reasons to their respective students and their parents or guardians for the sudden exchange program." There was all around agreement to that as they all moved to take their leave

With a series of wand movements by Fudge, the wards of the Ministry of Magic lowered for the second time that day to allow the foreign delegates to apparate away. The wards came back up a minute later, and Fudge slumped back on his seat in exhaustion.

"I will be heading back to Hogwarts now." Dumbledore said and left the room, closely followed by Percy.

For his part, Fudge wondered when he had lost control of everything or if he never had control to begin with. He was the Minister of Magic, but Dumbledore was the one real power and influence. He was the one people listened to, and for the first time, Cornelius Fudge wished he could abdicate his seat.

The only reason he did not do that, was because he despised the thought of leaving a pitiful legacy behind; and that was what would happen if he left at this juncture. For now, all he had to do was listen to what Dumbledore advised, and all would be well.

With that, Cornelius sighed and dragged his weary body out of the chair and to his office for another long night of work.

::While Dumbledore was at the Ministry::

"You seem cheerful Harry." Ginny commented as she looped her arm through Harry's while they began their trek towards Hogsmeade.

She was right; Harry was cheerful. Weird as it may sound, finding out that Ginny was cheating was one of the best things that had happened to him in months. It meant that he could be happy with Draco, without feeling the guilt that had previously accompanied that happiness.

What he had felt for Ginny was different from the desperate crush he had had on Cho two years ago, and that had made Harry believe that she was the one for him. He couldn't have been more wrong! He had never marvelled at the sound of her laughter like he did with Draco's, nor had he ever wished he could spend every minute of his time with her like he now did with Draco. Draco was invigorating in a way he had never encountered before, and while Harry knew that he would never be able to let him go, he was also finding it hard to let go of Ginny.

It's not like he still had any lingering feelings for Ginny, but he was afraid of what would happen if he broke up with her. Would Hermione and Ron still be his friends? What about the rest of the Weasley family? The Order? There was a lot to lose from breaking up with Ginny; and Harry was not yet prepared to face the consequences.

To themselves, Harry and Draco admitted that the kiss a few days ago had somehow broken the wall between them, but it was too early to define what was growing where the wall had been. Harry found himself ditching his friends more often so that he could spend time talking, reading, arguing, making out with, and even following Draco in an attempt to find out what the boy was hiding.

Every night, he would follow him to the Room of Requirement and come back in three hours just in time to catch Draco re-emerging from the room. It had become a routine, and after the first two nights, Harry had the distinct impression that Draco knew he was being followed. However, since the blonde didn't seem to mind it, Harry continued to make the pointless trips even though he knew he would not be able to find out anything in this way.

For his part, Draco understood Harry's plight. It was not all he was, but Harry was the boy who lived. He had a responsibility to rid the world of Voldemort, and he had to pursue every advantage he could get at this juncture. Draco understood all that, but he could not allow himself and Dragon World to be part of the light, so he pretended that he did not know Harry was following him and just enjoyed the silent company to and from the Room of Requirement.

He had discovered that house-elves could apparate a person within Hogwarts so Biddy had been apparating him, from the Room of Requirement to the base at the owlery and back, after three hours of work, each evening. He knew that Harry suspected that there was more to his visits to the seventh floor; but for now, they were both enjoying the cat and mouse game too much to allow serious suspicions to come between them.

Shaking off the urge to snatch his arm away from his supposedly loyal girlfriend, Harry sighed and answered her observation. "I am." He said, noticing that she also seemed cheerful; but Harry doubted it was for the same reason as himself. "It's been a while since I left the castle. I hadn't realised that I missed coming to Hogsmeade so much until now."

In the last few days, lying to Ginny had become easier; and the guilt that had always accompanied it, was nowhere to be found. It's like her actions had given him permission to do and say whatever he wanted, without feeling as if he was betraying her in some way. However, he was not lying about this. After months of being cooped up in the castle, this trip to Hogsmeade felt like his first time had back in third year.

She laughed coyly and squeezed closer to his side, causing Harry to discretely roll his eyes; because she would be practically walking on his toes if she moved any closer. "I am glad that you are enjoying yourself." She said.

"Where should we go first?" He asked, when he saw Ron and Hermione waiting for them, at the junction of the main road and the road they were on.

This was his first Hogsmeade visit with Ginny as a couple, and Harry had no clue what was expected of him. Usually, he and his friends would go to the village proper for some shopping; and then head to The Three Broomsticks for lunch and butter-beer.

"Jeannette's Robes for the Fashionable Witch and Wizard. Definitely." Ginny answered with a blush; and Harry almost lifted his brow in question of this odd behaviour. "We should buy some decent robes if we are to go to dinner at Antoine's later. They have a very selective clientele."

"Let's go then." Harry said, opting not to comment on her statement.

"Where are you guys going?" He asked his best friends, when they joined them at the junction. Ron turned red, and Harry wondered what that was about, because he didn't think he had said anything out of the ordinary.

"We will go with you to Jeannette's Harry; We also need some robes." Hermione's tone was challenging; as if she expected Harry to say something about the situation, but he felt no need to. Instead he nodded, and wondered what was wrong with the clothes at Gladrags all of a sudden.

The robe shop was next to the post office and directly opposite Honeydukes, so the group of four did not have to walk for long from their position at the junction. They were greeted by an assistant the moment they walked into the shop, and she rushed to call Jeannette herself to attend to such a distinguished client when she realized he was Harry Potter.

'Elegant!' Is what Harry thought, from the moment he saw Madame Jeannette.

She was taller than the average woman, and her posture made her seem even taller and straighter than she was. She had her hair tied back in a tight bun that did not make her face appear pinched as McGonagall's did. Her clothes were understated, but with the sort of sophistication that one would expect from the noblest of ladies.

She could not be called beautiful by any definition of the word, but all in all, she was impressive, and she was clearly not impressed with the group that had come into her shop if the look on her face was anything to go by. They had all worn their best clothes for the trip, but they all looked like rags to the eyes of the such an established designer and seamstress.

"The entire package then?" She asked, and Harry could barely hide his amusement at the distaste on the woman's face.

She somehow reminded him of an affronted Draco, when someone did something particularly nasty or uncouth in front of him. It was the look he wore every time he glanced at the Gryffindor table, only to find Ron talking with his mouth full. Disgusting habit, that was!

Harry had no idea what the full package was, but he thought that this shopping trip could turn out more fun than he had originally thought; so he nodded his head in acceptance. The regal lady also nodded her head, and a tape measure appeared in her hand.

"On the pedestal Mr Potter." The lady commanded; and Harry did not need to be told twice. He had a feeling that she was used to ordering people around and he simply found no need to be difficult over her tone.

The moment he stepped on the block she had indicated, her tape measure slithered under his clothes, running around his body at its own leisure; and before he could pull himself from the shock to complain, the tape was back in her hands; and a slip of parchment containing his measurements lay on a work table beside them.

"Now to choose some fabrics." She said, and on cue, three assistants appeared with rolls of fabric in reds and golds; no doubt an allusion to his Hogwarts house, but Madame Jeannette sneered at the choices, causing the assistants to still their progress.

"Return those; Quickly." She said urgently, as if afraid someone would notice the disastrous choices and blame it on her, "They are horrible for Mr Potter's complexion, and they simply do not go with anything Mr Malfoy owns."

"Excuse me?" Harry asked, confused, but also somehow amused. "What has Malfoy got to do with anything?"

"Mr Malfoy is a valued customer, and I would hate to embarrass him by having you stand next to each other with horribly uncoordinated robes." Madame Jeannette said, the first part with pride, and the next with the sort of tone that suggested she would rather die, than cause embarrassment to any of her customers.

"I see." Harry nodded sagely, and watched with growing amusement how Ginny's face became decidedly flustered.

"He would certainly never let any of us hear the end of it if that was to happen." Jeannette nodded in agreeement at Harry's words, and spared him a small smile of understanding.

The Madame seemed to fall away and disappear into her own thoughts for a moment; as if trying to decide something, and Harry waited patiently for her to speak whatever was on her mind.

"I have come into some silver spider silk, which I know would be perfect for Mr Malfoy. In fact, I was getting ready to send him a note informing him of the fabric when you walked into the shop." She said, and motioned for one of her assistants to get the mentioned material. "It's quite rare, and even I have difficulty keeping it in stock."

Harry had never had any interest in fabrics and fashion, but he couldn't help being curious of the fabric that the Madame spoke so reverently of. It took a few minutes for the assistant to get back with the fabric, and Harry gasped in awe the moment he laid eyes on it. As the name suggested, it was a shimmering silver; but unlike any silver, Harry had ever laid eyes on. Looking at it, Harry thought that it looked exactly how the moon would look, if it was spun into fabric. It was beautiful for lack of a better descriptor.

"It's gorgeous." Ginny said in awe, as she came forth to touch it.

"Yes, it is." Jeannette agreed. "It's most precious, this silk. It's woven by a species of silk spiders that are only found in Peru. This quality can only be woven on the first full moon of the year; I have only just managed to get this one."

"Can I have it, Harry?" Ginny asked eagerly, her eyes pleading with Harry.

"The fabric is not for sale." Jeannette said harshly; and the assistant who had brought it out whisked it away, as if afraid the whimpering redhead would steal it.

"What? But you just said that you were going to send a note to Malfoy to inform him that you have it?" Ginny whined. "Haven't you ever heard the saying, First-come, First-served? It's not just for the muggles you know."

Jeannette harrumphed at the girl's words, and her nose rose higher in the air before she spoke. "Young lady, a pivotal part of my business model, is to anticipate what my clients will want before they even realize they want it; and I know for sure that Mr Malfoy will want the silver spider silk. Because of the fact I know that he will want it, I can offer it to no one else before he sees it. I can show it to however many people I like, but I can only present it as an item for purchase to someone else, after Mr Malfoy has passed on purchasing it himself."

"That is certainly not fair." Hermione said from where she sat, and Harry felt a SPEW reminiscent argument coming on; but he didn't think Jeannette could be moved. "Malfoy has not even seen it yet. What would be the harm?"

"Young lady, how many robes do you buy in a year?" An assistant asked unexpectedly.

"Three to five robes." Hermione answered.

Ginny answered likewise, but Harry knew she was lying about that.

"I see. In that case, I implore you to say no more; Nothing you can say will be worth losing Mr Malfoy's business." The assistant said, in a tone that suggested the conversation was over, and that the girls should just accept it and move along.

"Out of curiosity, how many robes does he buy?" Harry asked.

"Mr Malfoy changes his wardrobe every season; so he buys more than one hundred robes each year." Harry's mouth dropped open in shock at this answer.

"Who in the world, needs so many clothes?" He asked.

He didn't even think the cumulative sum of each article of clothing he had owned in his life all put together, would match one hundred robes; much less a single year's worth of his clothing. "No wonder his clothes keep encroaching on my wardrobe space."

"He really is quite meticulous about his appearance isn't he?" Jeannette said with a fond smile. Ron snorted. "He is a ponce, that's what he is."

Jeannette glared at him for this, but held in whatever she probably wanted to say to ignorant redhead and continued talking to Harry instead.

"Mr Potter, I believe emerald is your best color; Dark reds and dark navies would look quite fetching on you as well." The assistants appeared instantly with fabrics of the mentioned colours; and began draping them one by one over his shoulder and Harry had to agree with the Madame's judgement. "As for the cuts…"

Seeing the beginning of a speech about something Harry had no knowledge of and of which he had no intention of learning, Harry promptly interrupted her before she could get started.

"I will leave that to your wise judgement." He said, and she nodded with a pleased look on her face.

He had no idea what he had expected before coming into the shop, but it was certainly not choosing to buy close to twenty fabrics which the Madame insisted that he simply must have. While it was not the most fun way to spend his time, he still enjoyed himself. Harry had never chosen any of the clothes he wore, and he found that doing it for the first time brought him a satisfaction he had not imagined possible.

In the end, he chose fabrics to be turned into a full wardrobe, and even ordered jackets, trousers, socks, underwear, shirts, and shoes from the extensive catalogue Jeannette kept in the shop.

"You will need something to wear out for the rest of the day; The rest will be delivered to Hogwarts." Jeannette said, when Harry had finished making all the choices he was required to.

After he nodded his head in acceptance, she heralded him to a changing room and began shoving ready-made robes at him. It took almost a half hour before she declared him satisfactory enough to be seen leaving her shop. When he returned to the front of the store, the others had already been cared for by the assistants; and Harry could tell that they were unhappy about something. He had no idea what that something was, but he decided that whatever it was, could wait until they left the shop.

"How much do I owe you?" Harry asked, when he saw that everybody else was ready to leave.

"Five hundred and twelve galleons." Jeannette answered; and Harry was shocked that clothes could be so costly.

He had noticed that everything was priced below two galleons at Gladrags when he went to buy socks for Dobby in their fourth year; and he thought that it would only be slightly more expensive at Jeannette's. Either way, it didn't matter. His parents had left him enough to be able to afford this, many times over.

"Including Malfoy's spider silk?" He asked, as he reached for his money bag.

"No, that will be put on Mr Malfoy's tab." She said.

"Charge it together with our things." Harry said, and almost instantly, an angry buzzing of hushed chatter began, where he knew his friends were standing. He could feel sharp eyes on his back, but he did not let himself be cowed into negating his words to Madame Jeannette.

"I will, of course, give you the customer discount on that." The lady said with a small smile that hinted she was both amused at the situation, and impressed at his nerve. "With that, the total is two thousand, four hundred and twelve galleons." The buzzing was now no longer a buzzing; and Harry was suddenly afraid to face his friends. Nevertheless, he pushed on. "You can draw from my Gringott's vault, right? I fear I don't have that much on me."

"Yes, just sign here." She said, and proffered an invoice to Harry. Harry's signature would automatically let the Goblins transfer the sum to her vault from his. He made quick work of signing, and was about to take his leave when she stopped him.

"May I trouble you to deliver this to Mr Malfoy?" Jeannette asked, as she handed Harry a thick portfolio.

"Sure, but what is it?" He examined it, confusion evident, but agreed readily as it was really not a troublesome errand.

"They are our new patterns and cuts; He will want to decide how his robes are made and the portfolio will help." She explained.

"Oh. I'll make sure he gets it. Thank you for everything today, Madame." Harry said, as he shrunk and pocketed the catalogue.

"Good day Mr Potter." She said; Harry was not sure, but he thought he heard amusement and sympathy in her voice.

It would be a long day for him, and he wished he could hide in the shop rather leave to face his angry friends, but he knew he couldn't do that. Bracing himself, he bravely stepped out of the shop, and found his friends and girlfriend waiting for him a few feet from the door. From the glares they sent him, he could tell that they were pretty pissed off. Maybe he had pushed it by insisting that he pays for something that belonged to Draco in front of them; but surely that wasn't enough to warrant this much anger, right?

"How could you do that Harry?" Hermione asked the moment he was within hearing range; Somehow, he was not surprised that she was the first to confront him and he sighed, resigning himself to a lecture.

"Do what?" He asked, although he knew what she meant.

"Humiliate us, especially Ginny." She answered.

"What are you talking about?" This was not the chastisement he had been expecting, and her words threw him off.

"Ginny wanted that silver spider silk." Hermione said, her voice full of accusation.

"Yes, but it was already reserved for Malfoy." Harry stated the obvious, not understanding what she was getting at.

"Even if she insisted on not selling it to me, you should have fought for it for me Harry." Ginny snapped angrily.

"What? You expected me to fight over fabric with a shop owner? Why?" This was not making any sense to him.

"Because I had my heart set on it and you should have done everything within your powers to ensure I got it." She answered, even more heatedly.

"Again Ginny, it was already Malfoy's. What the hell did you want me to do?" Now Harry was the one who was getting angry.

"You should've that snob shop owner that you can be as good a customer as Malfoy, so she'd fork over the silk that's what!" Ron weighed in.

"Let me get this straight; You wanted me to buy one hundred robes just to show that I can?" Harry asked, a disgusted look on his face. Their entire thought process was eluding him, and he seriously doubted that Ginny had truly had the time to 'set her heart on it' given how fast the fabric had been taken from their view.

"What about when she asked her assistants to take care of us? You should have stood up for us, but you didn't insist she see to us herself as she did you." Ginny argued, confusing Harry even further.

"Surely it was faster if we all got taken care of by different people at the same time instead of by the same person one after the other; That way we can move on to something else sooner, right?" He asked patiently, begging them mentally to start making sense please, any minute now.

"Well, that's true, especially in muggle shops; but Harry think about all the things you've learned about magic since we were eleven; Don't you see that she was just snubbing us by not attending to us personally too?" Hermione sounded less mad and even a bit sad now; and although Harry figured that she was probably right as usual, he still didn't see what the big deal was.

Harry could feel a headache coming on. A few months ago, he probably could have done what they were suggesting, just to spite Malfoy; but things had changed. He had changed, and if he were being honest; he'd confess that the real reason he hadn't argued whether Ginny did get the silk in the end or not, was because he wanted to see Draco in that silk. For a moment, he allowed himself to picture how the silk would look on Draco, and caught himself just in time to prevent an embarrassing hard on in the middle of the street.

Although Harry could see that his friends wanted to argue some more, he found that he did not have the patience for it. Like he had begun doing more recently, he decided to direct their attentions to something else to distract them from the current situation. In a moment of inspiration, he suggested they head to the jeweller where he shelled out more galleons for a gold and ruby bracelet for Ginny, a nice hair tie for Ron, and a very fancy looking hair clip for Hermione. He did not dare buy anything for Draco when he was already in front of a firing squad.

When they left the shop, Hermione kept throwing him looks; and he supposed she wanted to know why he had not bought a promise ring or something, but there was no way he could bring himself to do that. He had no qualms whatsoever about misleading Ginny until he figured out how to end things without losing everything, but a ring was beyond what he was comfortable giving. He had already bought unwanted rings before; and he wanted the next time he bought them to be special, so he dismissed Hermione's pointed looks with an unapologetic shrug.

Clothes shopping and the jewellery had taken longer than expected, and the group of four barely had time to pick up a few things from Honeydukes and Scrivenshaft's, before they had to start heading to the restaurant for dinner. Antoine's was located at the far end of Hogsmeade; opposite Madam Puddifoot's tea shop and the walk to the place was filled with excited prattle from Ginny, disappointed looks from Hermione, and almost, but not quite successfully concealed anger from Ron.

It was the last that concerned Harry, because as far as he knew, Ron was quick to anger, and he was never afraid to let it out on the unfortunate individual who caused it. The fact that Ron was attempting to hide that he was angry at Harry for the fiasco at Madame Jeannette's, made Harry wonder just how much he knew about his best friend. It could be that Ron was not as simple as everyone thought he was, but Harry had no time to dwell on it, because they arrived at a building that he assumed was Antoine's not long thereafter. Ginny was right. Even from the outside, the restaurant was posh and more a place that Draco would choose to eat than he would.

At the strike of the hour, a host directed them to the seats that Hermione had reserved, and Harry was grateful that they had changed, because they would not have been allowed in had they stayed in their regular clothes. As it was, they still seemed a bit underdressed compared to the rest of the diners. Deciding to try and enjoy himself despite his current company, Harry picked up his menu and almost groaned in frustration. The foods were listed in French, and although he could somewhat successfully guess what some of them were; it was not enough to help him chose something he was likely to like.

"I will order for us." Hermione said, and she could not completely hide the superior look in her eyes when she looked at her dining companions.

It was enough to make Harry want to cast a translation charm on himself, but he decided to just let it go. Instead, he allowed himself to sink into the thoughts that had been playing on the surface of his mind for the last few days and more so, in the last few hours. Harry knew for a fact that something had gone wrong with all his relationships. Ginny, Ron, Hermione, Sirius, Dumbledore, the Weasleys, and even most everyone he only knew due to their dies to the Order; but he couldn't pinpoint what the problem was.

He used to love spending his money on his friends, because he had no one else to spend it on; but now, it was just a tool to distract them from everything else happening in his life. This confused him, because it made him realise that true friends should not have been distracted that easily; but here his friends were. Did it mean that their friendship wasn't as solid as he had always thought? A few days back, he had thought that their actions seemed calculated and deliberate, but now he knew his own actions were equally calculated and deliberate when he dealt with them.

The change in his relationship with Draco shouldn't have been able to change things this much. They had been friends for a long time, and before things became this bad, they should have been able to talk things through. However, Harry couldn't bring himself to talk to his friends.

He couldn't talk to them about the grey faction, and his suspicions about Draco, without worrying they would tell Dumbledore and the Order. He couldn't tell them about his new feelings for Draco, without worrying they would abandon him. In the end, he couldn't even feel bad about lying and misdirecting them, as a true friend should. Harry was relieved when dinner was over, because the necessity of standing up and leaving the restaurant, distracted him from his forlorn and confusing thoughts. For all that they had spent what felt like hours in the restaurant, Harry couldn't say what they had spoken about or what he had eaten, although he was sure he had done both.

His friends looked more happy and relieved than they had been all day; and he realised that they must not have been able to tell, that his focus had not been with them the entire evening. He must have gotten better at faking without his notice. That his friends had not caught on confirmed what he had thought earlier in the evening; Something had really gone wrong with his relationships.

"Give me a few minutes; I'll be right out." Harry said to his friends who were already standing to leave, and knowing that he was settling the bill, they nodded and left. He quickly paid the bill, but as he was about to leave, he noticed the couple sitting next to their former table was having dessert, and a sudden thought struck him.

With a quick exchange of galleons, two desserts were placed under a stasis charm and packed away for him to take back to the castle. Harry found his friends waiting for him and cursed that he had not had the insight to hide his package, because the three turned curious eyes to it when they saw him.

"What do you have there mate?" Ron asked, as they began the walk back to Hogwarts.

"Fondant au Chocolat." Harry said the name that the waiter had called the dessert that the young couple had been having. "I thought that it was quite delicious so I bought some to eat at the castle."

None of the others mentioned that Harry'd had a tarte au citron for dessert. In fact, none in their group had had any chocolate based dessert, but there had been a blonde man sitting next to their table who had been eating the Fondant au Chocolat.

That Harry was falling for Malfoy was not a secret to either Ron, Hermione, or Ginny; but they had thought that things could still be fixed. This was the first sign of real trouble, and they realised that they had to do something; before things escalated to the point of no return. When they said good night at the castle entrance, Harry hurried to the East tower. Ron, Hermione, and Ginny went to see the Headmaster and report their recent observations and the situation with Malfoy.

Uploader's Note: This Has Been A Backup Upload of Chapter 27 of Behind the Fog by Hancock23.