Harry Potter - Series Fan Fiction ❯ Behind the Fog (Backup Upload) ❯ Behind the Fog (Backup Upload) 32nd Chapter ( Chapter 32 )

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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.

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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 32 - The Easter Holidays

"Mr Malfoy, what you have requested is simply not possible." Dumbledore said more out of habit than anything else. At some point, it had become the natural thing to do to say no to the young Malfoy and to be honest; he was much too busy to give the issue any real thought at the moment. The exchange students would be arriving at Hogwarts in two weeks; and there was much that needed to be done before then.

"I am only asking to go home for Easter Holidays like everybody else." Draco said, trying not to show the exasperation and desperation he felt. "I haven't been allowed out of the castle for a long time, and even when I was; I had to be around hostility the entire Christmas break. Even I deserve some moments of peace away from this place."

"That may be true Mr Malfoy, but we do not know what the dark lord plans and we cannot take the risk of him knowing more than he does; or getting his hands on you now that you are Harry's bonded." Dumbledore remarked, almost lazily.

"What exactly can he find out from me?" Draco argued. "I know nothing of your precious Order of the Phoenix, and even if I did; I have already made the decision not to pick sides in this war. I have every intention, despite your best efforts, to survive this war; and I highly doubt that associating at any lengths with the dark lord will help me in my goal to survive."

"He is right Albus. It would do no harm to let him go home for the Easter Holidays." Remus said, and Draco was hard pressed not smile at the man in gratitude.

"And where exactly is your home Mr Malfoy?" Dumbledore asked; There was no hiding the curiosity and frustration in his twinkling blues.

Draco knew that the Order had been trying in vain to investigate him, and were it not for the fact that he didn't want to aggravate the headmaster further at that very moment; he would have rubbed their faces in the failure. The goblins at Gringotts had done a better job than expected in following his instructions and maintaining his privacy, but Draco could not help but wonder at their motives. Goblins were rarely loyal to a wizard, and he had expected that they would eventually trade his information for something; but that had not happened yet.

Draco was no fool. He very much doubted that the Goblins were loyal to him just for the ethics of it; but he did not care about that now. He would cross that bridge when he got there; For now, he was just glad that Dumbledore did not know truth about Dragon World or The Grey Faction.

"I am sure you can understand my reluctance to share that information with you." Draco finally answered, when he noticed that everyone was looking at him in expectation.

"Then I am sure you can understand our reluctance, to allow you to run around with no supervision in a place we do not know." Sirius Black said, with a finality that suggested that the matter was closed; and they should move on to more pressing topics of discussion.

"What if he did have supervision?" Snape asked suddenly.
"What are you suggesting Severus?" Dumbledore asked, with narrowed eyes.
"Mr Malfoy is not only my student, he is also my godson. I doubt there is anyone more qualified to supervise his time away from Hogwarts." Severus said, and looked Dumbledore straight in the eye; hoping that the old man would misconstrue his suggestion, as an offer to spy on Draco.

"I don't know about this Severus." Dumbledore said, although he was loath to pass the chance up.

If there was anyone who could get information from Malfoy, it was indeed going to be Severus, but Dumbledore could not afford to let the man leave the castle at such a crucial time. There were wards to be put up, schedules to be examined and a whole load of other things to be done, before the end of the Easter break. Dumbledore had been hoping to enlist the Potions Master's help in getting things ready, especially in the case of some of the more sensitive tasks, which he could not entrust to the rest of the Hogwarts professors and staff.

"I think you should let him go." Harry said, with an internal sigh of resignation, and continued before he lost his resolve. "Both Malfoy and I need some time apart."

When Harry and Draco had been summoned to the headmaster's office to make arrangements for the Easter Holidays, Harry had not expected Draco to ask for permission to leave the castle. However, now that he thought about it; it shouldn't have been a surprising development. Draco had always been the type to go home for the holidays, and considering what Draco had been through the past few months; Harry could understand the blonde's need to be away from Hogwarts for the two weeks of their Easter Break.

In all honesty, he would have liked not to be separated from Draco for those two weeks; but he could see even if no one else could; that Draco really wanted to go home and just take a break from everything. There is not much that Harry had been able to do for or give Draco over the months they'd been bonded, and he was determined to help him have this; despite his own feelings over the matter.

Harry knew he would miss Draco terribly when he was away, but this also gave them space to think things through especially after the last several days, following Harry's accidental magic blow-up. When Harry woke up for the second time after the decable that had occured during the awakening of his elemental water magic, he had remembered everything; including what Dumbledore had said to set him and his magic into such a fury.

His first instinct had been to confront and rage against Dumbledore, but he had realized quickly that it was no longer an option. Now, he knew that Draco Malfoy had somehow become the most important person in his life; but with that knowledge also came the realization that he was not strong enough to protect him. So he had refrained from reacting in any way that would endanger Draco.

Harry did not doubt that he was magically more powerful now than both Voldemort and Dumbledore, but he lacked the experience and knowledge that they had. There was also the issue of foreign students coming to Hogwarts for a reason he did not fully understand yet. Taking all of that into account, he resolved to be more careful and avoid doing or saying anything that could put Draco in more danger than he was already in.

Harry loved Draco, of that he was sure; and the telepathy thing that had happened when he was in the Hospital Wing had brought them even closer. However, the true nature of their relationship would have to remain hidden in the confines of the East Tower for now. He wanted nothing more than to officially break things off with Ginny and get together with Draco; but he could not do it and risk Draco being the one to suffer the consequences.

For now, he would train with Dumbledore like he had been doing for months now, putting in more effort than he'd ever done before; and when he was certain that he could protect Draco from both Dumbledore and Voldemort, he would be free to announce to the world that he loved Draco and couldn't imagine spending his life with anyone else.

"I am sure Professor Snape can handle Malfoy if he decides to take advantage of this time away from the castle to make a move against the Order." Harry added, hoping that Dumbledore would just agree already; because he did not think he could keep his true feelings hidden for much longer.

It was hard to say that he wanted Draco to be gone, when all he wanted was to hole up with him in the East Tower for the duration of the break.

"I agree with Harry." Nymphadora Tonks said, much to everyone's surprise.

She, Remus, Sirius, and Severus had all been in Dumbledore's office when Harry and Draco had arrived; and although Draco had never associated with his cousin before, at that moment, he was glad that she was there. For whatever reason, she was supporting him on this; and he could not help but be grateful.

"Very well." Albus said, as he cast a suspicious look at the pink haired Auror. He did not think that her support of Malfoy in this matter was a result of familial loyalty, but he had not failed to notice that something had changed with the girl in the last couple of months.

Nymphadora Tonks, despite her clumsiness, had always been a good soldier; One who carried out his orders without needing many explanations. Lately though, she had been questioning his orders more often than not, which was seriously beginning to annoy the headmaster. Sighing and deciding to get to the bottom of Nymphadora's attitude later, he continued.

"When the Easter Holidays begin in three days, I will allow Severus to accompany you Mr Malfoy; and if he at any point decides that you cannot be trusted, he will bring you back. I advise you not to abuse the trust and privilege I am extending to you."

Draco had to almost physically restrain himself from sneering at that. The hypocrisy of it irked him more than he showed, but instead he nodded, and waited for the man to continue; because he seemed to have a lot more in mind.

"I would prefer if the students and by extension Voldemort, do not find out that you will be away from the protection of the castle for the break. Therefore, for five minutes on the morning of the first day of Easter break, I will connect your residence floo to Hogwarts to allow you and Severus to travel."

Draco almost laughed at that. Did Dumbledore think he was a fool who would carelessly disclose his floo address, which could then be used to track his movements and directly lead to the location of Dragon Castle? It was an absurd proposition, and Draco heard Harry snort in amusement from his place beside him.

"I apologize professor, but I would prefer to use a portkey or apparation. Professor Snape should be able to arrange either of those moments before we are scheduled to leave on that morning."

"I see." Albus was not pleased about that, but he was not discouraged either.

No matter what method of travel the boy insisted upon, Severus would eventually know the location; which he would be able to relay to him thereafter. For now, Malfoy was not a priority, so he let the matter go in favour of moving the conversation along. "You will have to leave very early in the morning, before everyone else; so that no one will find out that you are out of the castle."

Draco nodded at that, and took it for the dismissal it was. He walked out of the office, and because Harry had been asked to stay back; he headed back to the East tower alone to wait for the raven-haired Gryffindor. Harry walked in almost a half hour later, and no matter his apprehension about being away from Draco for two weeks; he could not help but feel pleased with his decision to convince Dumbledore when he saw the happy grin on Draco's face.

It was so rare to see Draco looking genuinely happy; and it made Harry want to spend all his time trying to keep that happy look on the other boy's face. The moment the door closed behind him, Draco grabbed Harry and kissed him so tenderly; that Harry let out an involuntary sigh of nostalgia when the Slytherin pulled away.

"Thank you." Draco said as they pulled apart.
"It was nothing." Harry said dismissively, but they both knew that he could have chosen not to intervene on Draco's behalf.
 
Draco would have been disappointed at being unable to go to Dragon Castle for the break, but deep down; he would not have minded it very much. In all honesty, he would have preferred to spend the time with Harry; but there were things that they both needed to do away from each other.

The headmaster had told the school about the exchange program that'd be starting in two weeks, but something about it did not add up to Draco as simply as Dumbledore had told them it'd be. No matter how much he thought about it, starting a student exchange program right when the England Wizarding Community was about to go to war, was an incomprehensible decision. Harry seemed to know more about what was happening than he was letting on, but Draco did not want to ask him; because he figured that Harry would tell him when he could.

Like Harry, he could feel the change in their relationship since their telepathic connection was discovered a few days back. They had not been able to bring the connection back up again, but they had both walked away from the experience knowing that the other cared about them more than they were admitting. Draco did not know what Harry's reasons were; but for him, he knew that he would need to speak to Harry about everything that had happened to him over the years, and even everything that was happening now; and that was a conversation he was dreading.

Harry already had an inkling about what Draco had gone through at Voldemort's hands, so Draco did not think that the Gryffindor would reject him when he found out about everything else; but the thought of opening up about everything was still a scary prospect to him. Either way, now was not the time to have that conversation; so he turned his mind back to the situation at hand.

"I will show you what is the least I can do to show my gratitude." Draco said with a smile as he dragged Harry to their bedroom, where he proceeded to show Harry just how much he appreciated him.

Much later after they had woken up from their exhausted sleep, Draco sent a letter to Marina informing her that he would be able to go home for the Easter holidays after all and asked her to call for a faction meeting to be held in six days time. While Draco was doing all this, Harry looked on; and although his curiosity was pushing him to investigate the matter, he forced himself not to pry. Harry knew that it was not a lack of trust that prevented them from being completely open about all their affairs with each other, but rather a deep-seated confidence that neither would do anything to hurt the other at this point.

It would have been the romantic thing to do, to open up about everything at this moment in time; but they both knew that their lives were not some fairytale like one would read in a book. Love would not fix all the problems in their world, and because they knew that; they were both consciously deciding to continue down their chosen paths and hoping that their paths would meet and become one at a point in their near future. Harry would defeat Voldemort and Draco would lay down the means to protect all beings in the Wizarding World including those that have historically been disadvantaged; and together they would begin remaking the Wizarding World into what it should have been all along.

At that time, when their paths merged; there would no longer be a need for secrets between them, and they would be forever destined to walk the same path. With this thought in mind, Harry and Draco chose to trust without resentment and for the few days leading to the Easter Break, they spent all the time they could in their rooms. When the morning of Draco's departure arrived, Harry went with him to the Hogwarts gates where they had arranged to meet with Severus.

It was five in the morning, and it would have been easier for Harry to remain in bed; but both had wanted to prolong the moment of their parting, for as long as they could. They walked in the cold morning, Draco's left hand interlaced tightly with Harry's right one; and as they walked, both knew that they would do anything and everything possible; to make sure that they could be with each other for a long time to come.

Severus was already waiting at the gate when they got there; and he did not miss the fact they were holding hands, but chose not to say anything about it.

"Are you ready to go?" The man asked his godson, and Draco nodded; before turning to Harry.
"I will see you in two weeks, Harry." He said to the Gryffindor.
"Don't miss me too much darling." The raven said back teasingly, and kissed the Slytherin before he let go of the other's hand.
"I will try not to." Draco answered, with a smile that was barely visible in the still limited morning light.

For a long time after Draco and Severus had left, Harry continued to stare at the place they had apparated from; and it was only after the wet brisk chilly air began to seep into his cloak, that he began the long trek back to the castle. By the time he had taken a shower and gone down to breakfast, Harry had hardened his determination.

These two weeks away from Draco would be used to train hard, and spend time with the Gryffindors even though he did not want to. More than ever before, Harry had someone that he was unwilling to lose; and to protect Draco's life and happiness, he would do everything he could to appear to be Dumbledore's perfect little golden child, and live up to the old man's vision for The Boy Who Lived; but that was only going to be the case until he was strong enough to ensure that he could protect Draco from anything.

After he'd bought Dragon Castle, Draco had asked the goblins to set up more wards on the property; and only he was allowed to apparate directly within the property. With Severus side-along apparating him, they were able to apparate straight into the castle's foyer, and Draco's first sight of his new home took his breath away. Although he had not shown it, not being able to visit the castle that he now called home had affected him deeply; but all of that was gone at his first glance of it in person.

Over the weeks, Marina had sent him wizarding photos of the different rooms, and he had come up with redecorating concepts which he was now happy to see Marina had managed to carry out. With a smile as he looked around, he could not help thinking that he needed to pay her more. Marina Vaugh Clark had turned out to be an excellent solicitor; and he doubted that he would have managed to accomplish half of what he had were it not for her. She was an uncommon gem, and Draco hoped that they would continue to have the same cordial relationship in the future.

"Welcome home Master Draco." A squeaky voice uttered, pulling Draco from his musing of his first in person glimpse of Dragon Castle. He turned to see Biddy leading a small army of house-elves into the room. She more than anyone had been ecstatic to know that her master Draco had bought a house, and were it not for the fact that he still needed her at Hogwarts, she would have moved to Dragon Castle right away.

"I am home Biddy." Draco said.
"Biddy is introducing the other elves to master." The little one said proudly, and Draco had to smile at that as she motioned to one of the others to come forward. "This here is Noku master Draco, he is the head elf before the master is buying Dragon castle."
"Noku is pleased to serve one as noble as Master Draco Malfoy." Noku the elf said, as he bowed in a way that reminded Draco of a highly trained butler.

It was not common to have human butlers in Wizarding England homes, but many wizarding families trained their house-elves for many roles, including butlers and valets.

"It is good to meet you Noku." Draco said, and the elf teared up at that. The introductions went on for a while, and when Draco thanked them for agreeing to stay in the castle even after it had changed masters; they cried and extolled about his kindness so much, that Draco could feel his cheeks burning up in embarrassment.

Unbeknownst to Draco, the newest arrivals to Dragon Castle had been quietly watching the scenario unfold, and they released a breath of relief that they had been unaware that they were holding. Edna and Edwin Berkley had arrived at the castle only the day before, and after finding out that their benefactor would be able to come to the castle much sooner than expected; they had decided to wake up early and greet him the moment he arrived.

It was mostly because they were grateful that they had wanted to meet and thank him right away, but they had also wanted to observe him and ascertain what kind of person he was. This time as they watched the interaction, it was with a smile on their faces because the first observance of the boy revealed a lot more about his character than words could have revealed.

"Biddy is making sure that all the elves know how to take care of Master Draco until Biddy can do it herself." The elf said proudly, and a bit sadly; because she had to return to Hogwarts rather than stay and take care of Draco herself.

"I am sure they will do just fine Biddy." Draco assured her, and Noku straightened his back at the new master's confidence in their abilities. "You have to go back to Hogwarts, before the other elves realize you are missing."

"Yes, Master Draco." The elf said, and disapparated with a crack.
"Good morning, Mr Malfoy." Draco almost gave himself whiplash, when he turned too fast trying to the owner of the new voice.

"Lord Berkley, Lady Edna," Draco called with a slight bow at the people who now stood in front of him. "It's so good to finally meet you. This is my godfather Severus Snape." Draco said, and Severus who had remained silent the entire time, stepped forward.

"Lord Berkley, Lady Edna." The man said and like Draco; gave a slight bow to the two. It was a customary way of acknowledgement; and although Severus had not assumed his Prince lordship yet, he was still careful to follow the accepted rules of etiquette.

"We are not that yet, but it's good to meet you too." Edwin Berkley said, acknowledging the fact that they were yet to get back their titles and properties.
"If it's not much trouble, shall we have an early breakfast before you rest?" Lady Edna said, much like the society lady she had been raised to be.
"That would be lovely." Draco said with a smile. "Fani, can you see if Mr Slater is awake; and ask him if he would be kind enough to join us for breakfast?"
"Right away master." One of the elves Draco had been introduced to said and left.
"Teru will take Master Malfoy's and Master Snape's things to their rooms." Another elf said, and Draco and Severus handed over their shrunken luggage to the elf.

After that, Noku led the way into a breakfast room where Draco sat at the head of the table and Severus to his left while the Berkley's sat on his right. Slater walked in a few minutes later, just when Draco was serving himself some coffee which he was happy to note was his preferred brew.

"We meet at last." The vampire said the moment he got into the room. He was a devilishly handsome man, like all vampires tended to be; and he had an open smile that made people want to smile back at him.

"I'm excited too." Draco confessed cheekily.

"It's been months since you sent me that letter wanting to join the Grey Faction and I am honoured to finally meet you." He said with a more appropriate smile, as he stood up to greet the man. When they had all the pleasantries out of the way, Slater sat down next to Severus.

"From your letters, you didn't sound as if you would be able to leave Hogwarts anytime soon." Slater said. "He only barely got permission to leave, and only because Potter backed him up." Severus added in.

"Yes, Dumbledore would not let me out of his sight if he could." Draco said. "It's because Harry made it seem like he also needed time away from me, that they allowed me to leave and only with the concession that Severus would supervise me."
"Harry Potter helped you?" Edwin Berkley asked with a frown. "But why? Isn't he an enemy from Dumbledore's side?"

"I have also been having trouble understanding this relationship the two of you have formed." Severus said. "I know for sure that he has seen you have meetings with Lovegood and write letters to the faction, but he never reports it. Every time he is asked, he always reports that he knows that you are up to something, but he hasn't seen you meet with anyone besides Zabini and Parkinson; and that you don't receive or write letters at odd hours."

Draco laughed at that, and the others looked at him weirdly. "It's because Harry is a genuinely good person." He finally said.
"What does that mean?" Edwin asked.

"He is giving me a chance at survival." Draco explained. "His sense of right and wrong does not align with the Order's intention to kill or imprison me after the war; just so he and Ginevra can be put on display as the poster couple for the next generation. In the beginning, he thought we would both go our separate ways after the war. It was a shock to him, the realization that he was one of few people who thought that to be what would happen."

"He is definitely like that." Severus agreed. "Harry Potter has never learnt to distrust people, so when the people he cares for betray his expectations; it always comes as a surprise to him."

"He must have led a privileged life." Edwin sneered.
"No, he hasn't." Draco said seriously.

Harry may not have said much about his childhood, but Draco could tell that life hadn't been as easy for Harry, as most people thought it had been.

"He hasn't lived a privileged life, but he is the sort to expect goodness from people because he himself is inherently good. Harry is naïve, unaware of the true depths of ugliness of the world around him; but that quality of his is why he can be a hero to the people. Most of us are jaded, and thus we expect the worst of people. People like him are rare, and that's why the Wizarding World can look up to him with hope. Because of how and who he is, most of the Wizarding World will follow him to the end of this war."

"What you are saying is that for as long as you do not do anything that will hurt people, Potter will not report on you, correct?" Slater asked, returning to the original line of query. "Yes." Draco agreed. "He doesn't want me to die. Although he may try, he knows that he can't protect me from everything; so he is trusting me to take care of myself where and when he can't."

"It's the only thing he can do." Severus said. "When it comes down to it, Dumbledore and most of the Order like to think that they know what is best for Potter; and he is always kept in the dark until it's too late. Even if he asks them to leave you be, they will probably just ignore him; and do what they think is best for him."

"He is getting smarter about things though. If I am not mistaken, he has already realized the true position he is in; and I doubt very much, that he will allow himself to be in that disadvantageous position for much longer." Draco said, with a fond smile.

"He must be spending too much time with me, because he is learning subterfuge." They all laughed a little at that before Draco continued.
"Do you have any idea when the clansmen we sent to China will be back with the ingredients?" He asked Slater.
"As a matter of fact, they should be back within the week." The man answered with confidence.
"That's good news." Draco said. "I want to do as much as I can, before I have to head back to Hogwarts."

"What's this about China?" Edwin asked.
"Several of my clansmen went to China to gather chilling grass." Slater answered. "Mr Malfoy needs it for a potion."
"Please call me Draco." The blonde said to the gathered people, and they nodded in acceptance of his request.
"Chilling grass," Edwin said, with a contemplative expression on his face. "If I remember correctly, it is the substance with the lowest temperature on earth."
"Yes," Snape confirmed, and then turned his attention to Draco. "You haven't told me what you need this grass for Draco; It's a dangerous ingredient to handle at best."

"I found a way to use the chilling grass to affect the hypothalamus and cells of a vampire in such a way that it will make their bodies permanently able to regulate their temperature even under direct sunlight." He explained.
"I will explain the technicalities to you later." He said, and Severus nodded in agreement to that, already trying to figure those out for himself, and reigining in the excitement at learning the ins and outs of another of his godson's genius concoctions.

"Speaking of which," This time Draco addressed Slater. "I have a theory, and I need your cooperation to confirm it."
"How may I be of help?" The handsome vampire asked.
"I have a few questions first." Draco waited for the man to nod before going on.
"Are all vampire mates originally human?" He asked.
"Yes." Slater said, and Draco smiled brilliantly.
"Do you think your clansmen would be agreeable to giving me vials of their mates' blood?" Slater looked at him apprehensively with questions in his eyes.
"I have a theory which, if proven correct, will allow vampires to live freely without being harassed or segregated by the Wizarding World."

"What are you talking about Draco?" Slater asked urgently, not daring to hope for too much.

"After reading all the information you sent me about vampire feeding habits and trends, I saw a common pattern. Shockingly, there is a condition that some humans have that closely follows a vampire's feeding trends. If I can confirm that vampire mates have the faulty gene that causes this condition, there will be a clear way for vampires to live better than they have been for centuries." Draco said. "I don't want to go into details until I confirm this."

"If the blood can help you help us, I will bring it to you after breakfast." Draco nodded gratefully at Slater's words.
"I will need your help with this Severus." Draco said to his godfather. "I want to have the results by the time we hold the faction meeting in a few days."
"What do you need?" Severus asked.
"We need to test all the blood for the HFE gene." Draco answered, and Severus' mouth fell open at the words.
"Oh, my Merlin," He stammered. "If it's there, this will truly mean a new beginning for the vampire race."
"My thoughts exactly." Draco said.

"Is there any way we can help?" Edna Berkley asked.
"There is someone coming for you tomorrow, but until then, it is best you continue to reacquaint yourselves with what you have missed over the years." Draco replied.

The Berkleys agreed, and breakfast was a silent affair from there. Afterwards Draco was shown to his room by Noku, where he sat thinking until Slater brought the requested blood at nine in the morning on the dot.

Uploader's Note: This Has Been A Backup Upload of Chapter 32 of Behind the Fog by Hancock23.