Harry Potter - Series Fan Fiction ❯ Behind the Fog (Backup Upload) ❯ Behind the Fog (Backup Upload) 37th Chapter ( Chapter 37 )

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 37 - Three is A Crowd

The tension at the Gryffindor table could have been cut with a knife if someone had gone out of their way to do such a strange thing. Most of the members of said house did not know the specifics of what had caused the tension, but it was clear that whatever it was; was because of Harry and Ginny.

From where he sat at least ten seats diagonally across from Ginny, Harry looked unconcerned even under the piercing angry glare that Ginny was sending his way. If you looked more carefully, he looked carefree and happy which was a contrasting emotion to the rage that was clearly present on Ginny's face.

"Harry, don't act rashly on this." Hermione said, as she gave her supposed best friend a pleading but careful look.

For a minute, Harry did not appear to have heard the girl's plea and he continued to pile up food on his lunch plate. He was starving and if he did not need to keep the charade, he would have just ignored her; and went on to eat his food, but he knew he couldn't do that. He did not want to make them suspicious. He knew that they suspected what he had done, but this was not the time to prove their suspicions right. He was a victim in all this and he needed to play the victim until the time was right to drop the act. Arranging his face into a sorrowful mask, he looked at Hermione.

"She cheated on me, Hermione." He said with a broken, but nevertheless slightly loud voice, loud enough that it carried to the people seated closest to him. There was a gasp and an urgent whispering started almost immediately, as the busybodies carried the information down the people on the benches. Harry knew that the entire school would know what he had said within a matter of minutes, but he did not care; In fact, he wanted everyone to know, because if they knew what had happened, no one would be able to blame Draco for it, like he knew they would want to do. This would be the first time that the Hogwarts gossip mill would work to his advantage rather than against him.

"I saw everything Hermione, and I can't forgive her for it." He continued, and for good measure, he threw a hurt look at Ginny; and another one at Dean, who was sitting two places away from the red-headed girl.

"Technically, you also..." Hermione started, but Harry did not allow her to finish because he knew exactly what she wanted to say.

He had started out thinking that he was cheating on Ginny with Draco too, but the more he thought about it; the more it occurred to him that it had never felt like he was cheating, at least not on Ginny; In actuality he had felt as if he was cheating on Draco with Ginny, but all that was over now. He felt right with Draco, but Hermione and the rest of the eavesdropping Gryffindors; did not need to know that now.

"Technically, I also cheated on her; with Draco?" He asked, with a sneer that was so Malfoy that the people around him, frowned at him even more. "Well, as you might recall, I had no other choice; but she did."

The last was said as Harry sent a scathing glare at Ginny; and silence fell upon the table, as everyone contemplated what they knew; and what had been said.

"Can you pass the potatoes?" Harry directed the question at Neville, and although the boy passed him the requested food platter; Harry could see the suspicious look that the boy gave him.

Everything had begun when he woke up after the pseudo-date that he'd had with Draco a day ago. Although Harry still acknowledged the importance of pretending that he was Dumbledore's loyal soldier, and one part of doing that was being with Ginny; he also knew with every cell of his being, that he could no longer be with her. His heart, his mind, his soul, and his body; all belonged to Draco, and after what had happened in the early hours of the morning; it felt wrong to share them with Ginny, even as a scheme.

Harry had known that he needed to end things, but he had not known how to end it without causing trouble for himself and Draco. For a long time, he had sat in the window seat, looking subconsciously to the South; and suddenly, an idea occurred to him. A devious idea that made the Slytherin in him smirk with satisfaction, before he dashed off to fetch his Marauders Map.

It had taken hours of looking at the Marauders Map without any results, but what he had hoped for finally happened. Ginny was the first to leave the common room; and as Harry had hoped, Dean followed only a few minutes after. Harry had not needed to confirm with the map that the two had sneaked away for a rendezvous, but nevertheless, he held his seat until he saw them meet up; before heading out towards the Greenhouses.

Harry knew that he needed to work fast and he did. He grabbed his school bag and dashed to the Gryffindor common room, where he had known Neville was. After making sure to catch his breath before opening the portrait of the fat lady, he walked into the common room. As calmly as he could, Harry had asked for Neville's help on their current Herbology project; and the gentle boy had enthusiastically agreed, before dashing up the stairs to retrieve his school things. Even better, Seamus had asked to join them, because he was having trouble growing his assigned plant; and the three of them had set off to the greenhouse, but only two had any intention to go there to study.

The walk from the Gryffindor common room to outside the castle had felt like a lifetime and more than once, Harry had been tempted to remove the map from his bag to make sure that Ginny and Dean were still where he had seen them but he had not. He could not be seen being impatient, or his two unknowing accomplices would realise that something was off with him; so he held back his impatience and made the long trek. Looking back now, Harry could not help but be impressed that he had been able to appear cool and unconcerned; even when his heart had been pounding away in his body demanding immediate action.

Once outside of the castle, the three sixth years had begun the walk towards Greenhouse Six, and it was when they were passing Greenhouse Five that Harry put his hopefully convincing plan to use.

"Did you hear that?" He asked the other two, and both Neville and Seamus looked at him in question; because they hadn't heard anything.

"What is it?" Seamus asked.

"I don't know, but I heard something that sounded like choking." Harry said in concern and that was all he needed; because Neville quickly turned towards Greenhouse Five instead of continuing to Six.

"It could be that some poor fifth year is being choked to death by devil's snare or some other plant in the greenhouse." The boy said urgently; and the three of them quickened their steps, only for Neville to suddenly stop between two rows of some bushy plant, that Harry couldn't have named for the life of him.

At the very end of the rows, Ginny and Dean were frozen in position; and were it not for the need to carry the act without a hitch, Harry would have burst into laughter at the look on everyone's faces. Neville looked unbelievably surprised that anyone would choose to fuck in the greenhouses; especially when it was still light outside. Seamus looked like he was about to cry, and Harry noticed that his eyes were focused on Dean rather than Ginny; which confirmed a suspicion that Harry had carried for a long time. Shaking off his guilt at orchestrating the scene, Harry reasoned that this was probably best for Seamus too, because even though they had never been particularly close; he still believed that Seamus deserved better than Dean.

Down the aisle, Ginny and Dean looked both smug and horrified at being caught; and Harry almost rolled his eyes at this. After what felt like a suspended moment, Ginny disengaged herself from Dean, and in the silence of the greenhouse; there was no mistaking the 'plop' sound that carried throughout the space as Dean's dick popped out of her wet vagina. Hurriedly, the girl pulled down her skirt that had been bunched up at the waist; while Dean quickly tucked himself away and zipped up his pants, as they simultaneously took steps away from each other, as if trying to distance themselves from the actions they had been caught doing.

"Harry, I...um...this; This isn't..." Ginny began a feeble attempt at explaining, but Harry did not let her. With Neville and Seamus as his witnesses, no one would fault him for ending things with her. More importantly, no one would be able to blame Draco. Everything had gone as planned. All that remained now was to wrap up the show, and leave as quickly as he could manage.

"I don't want to hear it, Weasley." Harry said angrily.

"There is nothing you can say that will make this betrayal go away; so don't even bother to try and explain. You and I are done." He said with finality, and watched as her eyes widened in surprise and horror.

He knew that she would not give up easily, but for the moment; he felt a sense of accomplishment as he walked away from Greenhouse Five, and made quick work of the walk back to the East Tower. It was not until he was securely locked in his room that he allowed himself to laugh out loud at the success of his plan. He would not be able to openly be with Draco for a while, but at least he was justifiably no longer obligated to be with Ginny.

After he had come back down from his adrenaline high, Harry had strengthened the wards protecting the tower; and he was just in time. Not even five  minutes later, the other two thirds of the golden trio and Ginny had arrived at the entrance; and began pounding on the portrait making Aphrodite -the Greek goddess who guarded the entrance- so angry, that she had set a suit of armor on them, causing them to run away in fear.

After the incident, Harry had not left the East Tower. He refused to receive visitors, and he didn't come to the Great Hall for meals. However, this was the last day of the Easter Break; and he'd known that he had to emerge from the East Tower sooner rather than later or Dumbledore would come and drag him out of there, and that's why he had decided to show up for lunch; to avoid the headmaster and gauge the atmosphere.

As he had expected, Ginny acted as if she was the one who'd been wronged, Ron was not speaking to him; while Hermione was trying her best to regain the status quo, but none of that bothered Harry, because, for the first time in ages, he was completely free. There was no Ginny coiled around him like some sort of climbing vine, and making even the most basic of movements harder than they should have been; and there was no voice at the back of his mind, admonishing him for carrying on with Ginny when all he wanted was Draco. He was free and he allowed a smile to touch his lips, before scooping some of the potatoes that Neville had handed him onto his plate.

"Harry..." Hermione began, but a complicated look took over her face before she could finish. "Why is he back already?" She asked quietly, and Harry turned towards the door to see what had caught her attention; His heart literally skipped a beat.

Harry had not expected Draco to be back until that evening; with the rest of the students, so he was pleasantly surprised to see him walking towards them. Maybe it was because he was finally free from Ginny, or because of the revelations they had made to each other only a few nights back; but Draco had never looked better to Harry. He wore nearly transparent baby blue robes that revealed the outfit underneath them in great detail. Under the robes, Draco wore a tight white vest tucked into tight white breeches, which themselves were tucked into grey-silver knee length dragonhide boots. His platinum hair, which appeared to have grown longer during the break, was combed loosely over Draco's right shoulder; and Harry could not prevent the sudden butterflies in his stomach, and the tightening of his jeans in the groin area. Draco was gorgeous and he stole Harry's breath away; as he continued to make his way towards the Gryffindor table.

"What the fuck are you doing back, Malfoy?" A shrieking voice demanded, effectively pulling Harry from the self-induced daze he had been in.

The voice was Ginny's and she appeared livid, but that did not seem to phase Draco; who only spared her a scathing look, before he turned all his attention back to Harry.

"You're back." Harry said stupidly, and he saw a corner of Draco's mouth lift up in amusement.

"Nice catch Harry, I didn't think you would notice." The blonde said, and Harry smiled goofily as he looked at him. He had missed this. He had missed the banter, weird humour, he had missed everything about Draco; but he could not allow himself to grab his husband and hug him like he wanted, at least not in the middle of the Great Hall. He could see the same emotions in Draco's eyes; and that somehow allowed him to relax and talk in a somewhat even tone.

"Welcome back." Harry said awkwardly. "Did you have a good holiday?"
"Thanks to you." Draco said as he handed a wrapped box to the Gryffindor; who looked at it sheepishly for a moment before grabbing it.

"What is it?" Harry asked, as he turned the box every which way; to try and figure out what was within. He was aware that everyone in the hall was looking at them, some were analysing every nuance of the interaction; trying to understand each word and vocal undertone. However, at that moment, Harry did not care; even though he knew that he should. He was just happy that Draco was back.

"Open it." Draco told him instead of answer; and there was a mischievous look in his eyes that made Harry wary, but interested at the same time. Cautiously, Harry lifted the lid off the box; and within was a Dragon World bud like he had received a little over twenty four hours ago. Carefully, he lifted the flower in his hands; and watched it bloom into beautiful blue-purple flowers that curved at the top.

"What do they mean?" Harry asked.
"They…" Draco started, but was interrupted.

"They are bellflowers Harry, and they mean 'unwavering love'." Hermione answered before Draco could. Her voice was urgent and she was looking at the hand that was holding the flowers suspiciously.

As if she was afraid that poison would seep into Harry's body from the flowers. Overcoming her caution, Hermione made a grab for the flowers with every intention to throw them away, but Harry reflexively moved them out of her reach; much to the displeasure of her and many of the other Gryffindors at the table. To them, even a cheating Ginny; was better than Malfoy, and that irked Harry to no end.

"Don't be so common, Granger." Draco said with an exasperated sneer, but Harry could still see mischief in the boy's eyes; which made him think that Draco had intentionally courted the ambiguity of the flower's meaning. "Campanula also symbolise gratitude."

"If 'thank you' is what you wanted to say, it should have bloomed into hydrangeas instead of bellflowers." Hermione argued with a self-assurance that irritated Draco, and that irritation bloomed into anger; when he heard what she had to say next. "I have been thinking about how that Dragon World flower spell works; and I know for sure that the flower takes the form of the most dominant secret emotion in a person."

Draco saw red at her words, but there was no discernible change on his face to show his changed mood. Harry knew just the same though. The Slytherin's eyes were no longer mischievous and for a single heartbeat, Harry could have sworn that he could feel a spark of the hidden anger within himself. For a single beat, he could feel an overwhelming anger that was not his own, but a feeling he immediately recognised as Draco's. It reminded him of that one time that they had been able to telepathically communicate, after Harry's magic went berserk due to Dumbledore's machinations. He, however, did not have time to dwell on it; because Draco began to speak in a highly controlled voice that did not betray his anger. Harry had no idea what his husband was angry about, so he listened and watched attentively in hopes of figuring it out.

"I don't know whether to call you shallow or just plain stupid Granger." Draco said, and for a moment, he seemed to really be pondering the question of whether she was actually stupid or shallow. "I don't know who you think you are to decide what the spell does; but from what happened during Valentine's day, even you should have been able to figure it out. That spell is not meant to force people to confess their secret love or some such nonsense; it only says what the sender wants to say; nothing more, nothing less."

Draco knew that he should keep his calm, but he couldn't when someone misconstrued the intent of one of his creations. More than anyone else, he understood that people have hidden depths and hidden feelings to them, but he also understood that no one has any right to make others own up to those feelings and depths before they were ready; because that could only ever lead to disaster. So what if he loved Harry? For the moment, it was enough for only him to know that; and when the time was right, Harry and the rest of the world would also know.

The flower had bloomed into bellflowers not because it was expressing his secret love for Harry, but because he wanted to express his gratitude to Harry for helping him convince Dumbledore to let him go home for the break. Granger had no right whatsoever, to ascribe a flawed intention to his spell. Forcing himself to calm down, Draco looked straight at the girl with a challenge in his eyes.

"For the sake of argument, what would you have thought I intended to say to Potter if it had turned into hydrangeas?" He asked.
"Thank you." She answered imperiously, and Draco sneered.

"I call bullshit." He stated. "Given our history and the bond business; you would have assumed that I was insulting him. By calling him 'frigid' or 'heartless' right? After all, aren't those the other meanings of hydrangeas?"

"Well…." She began, but Draco cut her off.
"You aren't as smart as you think you are, so don't presume to know everything." He said, totally done with the girl.
"Thank you for your help two weeks ago Harry, I will head to the tower now." The Slytherin muttered to Harry, and made to leave the hall.

"I'll go with you." Harry said as he quickly left his seat; and thinking that people would find it weird for him to accompany Draco to the tower, he explained himself. "I changed some of the wards yesterday, and I haven't had time to include you."

Draco nodded at the explanation, and began to walk away; when he was once again stopped, but this time by someone who hadn't said a word since the debacle began.

"Malfoy, how exactly do you know what the Dragon World flower spell was intended for?" Ron Weasley asked, and there was no mistaking the suspicion in his eyes and tone.

He had known that Malfoy was somehow connected to the genius inventor of Dragon World, and this altercation had solidified his belief. Malfoy knew more than he was telling; and more than ever, Ron was determined to ferret the truth out of him.

"Like I said, anyone with half a brain should have been able to figure it out." Draco answered. The answer was a clear dig at Hermione's intelligence.

As he walked back with Harry to their tower, Draco couldn't help the feeling that he had slipped up and allowed Weasley to figure out more than he should. He needed to be more careful, because he did not want his identity as the owner of Dragon World to be exposed just yet. For now, though, he just wanted to get into his rooms with Harry and forget the world outside their tower. Shaking the gloomy cloud that had come over him, Draco waited until Harry had included him in the wards; and then stepped through the portrait hole to find the Gryffindor waiting in the foyer. Awkwardly, they watched the portrait swing shut behind him, and then moved as one into each other's arms.

"I missed you." Draco admitted frankly, and he felt Harry's arms tighten around him. He loved Dragon Castle, and he had been happy there; but standing within Harry's arms at the base of the stairs that led to their rooms in the tower, Draco felt content and happier than he had ever been. This was home. Wherever Harry was, was home to him; and it didn't matter that they could only be this way in the privacy of their own rooms.

"I missed you too." Harry answered hoarsely, and Draco lay his head on Harry's shoulder as the other held him even closer. They stayed like that for a few minutes, and then interlocked their fingers; and began to slowly head upstairs. They only realized that they had no idea what to do, when they stepped into their rooms; so they awkwardly stood at the door until Harry's growling stomach broke the tense atmosphere.

"I didn't manage to eat anything before we headed up here." Harry explained sheepishly, a light blush staining his face.
"You are in luck then." Draco said, as he pulled Harry towards the dining area that they rarely used.

"I was hoping you wouldn't have eaten already." The Slytherin said, as he pushed Harry into a chair and proceeded to remove something from his pocket. Before Harry could ask what he was doing, Draco enlarged the shrunken basket that he had brought with him from Dragon Castle.

"I actually came back early, because I was hoping to have lunch with you; before the feast tonight." Draco explained, and Harry could see the pink blush that coloured his husband's pale face at the admission. The sight made butterflies rampage in his stomach all over again. It made him happy, that Draco had intentionally planned to spend some time with him.

To Harry's surprise Draco removed three pots, a bottle of wine that was in an ice bucket; plates, cutlery, and a pair of wine glasses from the basket.

"Wow." Harry intoned, as he watched Draco lay everything out. "You came prepared."

"Of course, who do you think I am?!" Draco asked in amusement, as he finished placing the forks before taking his place beside Harry.
"Help yourself." He continued, and took the pot lids off to expose the content that was within, which made Harry's mouth water and his stomach to growl even more.
"I've never had any of this." Harry said, as he scooped some black grains onto his plate. "What are they?"
"The one you're serving right now is wild rice." Draco answered right away, as he pointed at the dish. "That other one is pot-roasted pork with apples, and the last one is a sauce."
"I hope you like pork…" Draco trailed uncertainly.
"I love pork." Harry assured, and served loads of the dish onto his plate.
"Oh. That's good." Draco said with a smile, before reaching for the chilled wine.
"The wine is a 1949 red, burgundy from France." He informed.
"I know nothing about wine, but I trust your judgement." Harry said, which made Draco smile even more.

"Wine vintages were part of my education growing up. It was expected that I should be able to have that knowledge ready on the tip of my tongue at a moment's notice." Draco stated, which surprised Harry; because the Slytherin was notoriously private about his home life. "I like wine though, so I didn't mind."
"My relatives like to think of themselves as members of high society; so they have wine with every meal, but I seriously doubt they can differentiate one wine from the next." Harry said with a shrug.

His knowledge of wine which had been acquired from the Dursleys, extended to knowing the difference between white and red, but that was all. In all honesty, he had never been interested; but his first taste of the burgundy, as Draco had called it; made him think that maybe he should have been. The food was more delicious than anything he had ever eaten, including his beloved treacle tart; and the wine went perfectly with it. He felt as if he was in culinary heaven as he ate and drank what had been laid out before him.

"Everything is honestly delicious." Harry said, as he took another forkful of the pork into his mouth. "Your house-elves are very talented."
"How do you know that I didn't make it?" Draco inquired, a blush on his face.
"Did you?" There was surprise in Harry's tone, which made Draco sit up defensively.
"For all you know I very much could have." He hedged.
"But did you?" Harry asked, curiosity peaked; but he was doubtful.
"I chose the food and the wine." Draco answered with a huff, causing Harry to snort lightly.
"I will have you know that I tried; I just don't know what happened." Draco continued self-consciously, as he recalled the disaster of his attempt at cooking.

He had closely watched an elf prepare it, but when he had tried to do it himself, everything had gone wrong and the end result was not edible. After several tries and very confused elves; who could not understand how their master was messing up the food, he had given up and allowed one of the elves to make it.

"I don't care whether you made it or not, I am happy enough that you thought of it and tried." Harry said quietly, and lightly placed his hand on top of Draco's. Shyly, he brought the hand to his mouth, and placed a light kiss on the palm; all the while keeping his eyes looking directly into Draco's.

Draco cleared his throat lightly, but he did not remove his hand from Harry's which made eating and drinking slightly more difficult; but he did not care. The rest of lunch was spent talking about what had happened during the break; at least as much as they could each reveal anyway. Draco could not tell Harry about Dragon World or its activities yet, but he could share details about his home; and he did so in such detail that Harry could picture the rooms, the grounds, and the atmosphere as Draco had seen it. Although he did not say it, Harry hoped that he would be able to visit and call Dragon Castle home when all was said and done.

For his part, Harry told Draco about his training in preparation for the war, and about his break up with Ginny; which brought such a radiant smile to Draco's lips that Harry regretted not doing it sooner. They also talked about the foreign students who would be arriving that evening, and the purpose of their visit. Draco had suspected that there was more to the sudden student exchange program; and finding out that Harry was the focus of the investigation, he realised that he would need to be more careful; lest some of the students caught on to his secrets.

Harry did not mention anything about the World Divination Orb, because he had a suspicion that he was yet to confirm. Everyone thought the divination was about him, but deep down, Harry felt that wasn't the case. He was almost sure that it was about….

"Harry," Draco called, and Harry turned inquisitive eyes to him. More than wanting to know why Draco had called him, Harry wanted to know everything about Draco. He wanted to know whether his suspicions were right. That Draco, his Draco, was somehow involved with the divination in ways that would likely cause the blonde more heartache and trouble than he was experiencing now.

Looking at the bright silver eyes that held so much longing as they looked at him, Harry concluded that he would not allow anybody to harm Draco; even if he had to stand against the world. As he thought this and tightened his hold on Draco's hand, Harry had no way of knowing, that he would literally need to stand between Draco and the world in a matter of months.

"Harry, can we..." Draco continued shyly, and with a mischievous grin, Harry pulled him until he landed on the Gryffindor's lap; his face inches away from the raven's, and all their thoughts dissipated like smoke as their lips met for the first time in weeks.

At the exact moment that Harry pulled Draco onto his lap, a door into a car aboard the Hogwarts express opened and Luna Lovegood walked in. Some of the carriages at the back of the train had been combined into one large car, so that the foreign students and other students who might wish it; could sit together and get to know each other.

"Hello, I'm Luna Lovegood." The blonde girl introduced herself loudly; and took a window seat, before retrieving the latest edition of the Quibbler from her bag.

The car had quieted when she walked in; and it took almost fifteen minutes of attempting to look harmless, and even a bit strange with her upside-down Quibbler before conversations resumed. Most were hushed up and in languages Luna did not understand; but she didn't need to understand it now. Later, herself and some Slytherins would acquire a penseive and a translation spell, that would allow them to decode everything she would manage to overhear; in the hours it took for the train to arrive at Hogsmeade.

Uploader's Note: This Has Been A Backup Upload of Chapter 37 of Behind the Fog by Hancock23.