Harry Potter - Series Fan Fiction ❯ Behind the Fog (Backup Upload) ❯ Behind the Fog (Backup Upload) 39th Chapter ( Chapter 39 )

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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.

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 39 - A Move with Tempo

Harry was hard pressed not to glare at Schieren as she turned away from him to look at Draco, who was still seated at the Slytherin table. She had said that she did not want the future to be changed, but in asking Draco to perform the restriction spell, she had drawn unnecessary attention to him and neither Dumbledore nor the other foreign students would ignore it.

At the other end of the Great Hall, Draco's mind was racing. He had not had the occasion to speak to the girl since she had arrived at Hogwarts, so he had no idea why she had suddenly asked him to perform the restriction spell. Was it because he was Harry's husband? Somehow, he didn't think that was the case; and neither did everyone else in the hall, because they were looking at him in suspicion and accusation.

He had expected the suspicion, but the accusation was a surprise; since he was not the one who had suggested the restriction spell. The only reason that Draco could think of that explained why they were looking at him in accusation, was that he was about to perform the spell and deprive them of knowing what the seer had seen in Harry's future. Looking at it that way made him realize that the only people in the Great hall who actually wanted the spell to be performed were Harry and Schieren.

Harry obviously could not perform the spell, because the vision was about him; but there was no reason whatsoever for Schieren to believe that Draco could. It would have been logical for her to assume that Draco wouldn't want to do it, because he, like everyone else, wanted to learn the truth. Why was she so confident that Draco would do it? In all honesty, Draco also wanted to know what she had foreseen, but nevertheless, he began the walk towards the pair that was still standing close to the Gryffindor table.

He was undecided on whether he should perform the spell; and it was when he was pondering the issue that a thought suddenly occurred to him, and he stopped in his tracks. Apprehensively, he turned questioning eyes on the girl; and as if she had been waiting for him to realize it, Schieren nodded her head. Draco wanted to curse, but he forced himself to remain calm and think.

From the smile and nod, she had given him; he surmised that she knew that he was the owner of Dragon World, and that his Grey Faction was more than a joke. She had also guessed that he would be able to decipher her logic in asking him to perform the spell; and she was right in gambling on the fact; that he would not take the risk of having his secrets revealed, to Dumbledore or anybody else. Quicker than before, Draco resumed his walk towards the girl; with every intention of performing the restriction spell, before she changed her mind.

It was not yet time for the world to find out about the owner of Dragon World and to become aware of The Grey Faction. Now was especially not a good time, because Lord Edwin Berkley had sent word that he had finally managed to petition the Wizengamot about the werewolf issue. The note had said that the Wizengamot would be convening the next morning, to discuss whether the Ministry of Magic should give back the property that had been confiscated from former werewolves; and if that was not possible, whether the Ministry should provide monetary compensation. Knowing that, Draco could not afford for the world to find out about his involvement in the issue, because it would only prove to be negative for the former werewolves. By the time Draco stood before the Durmstrang girl, he had already steeled his resolve.

"Nice move." Draco said, in a low voice as he looked at the girl. He could not help but smile at her; even though she had placed him in a difficult situation. It was not often that someone got one over on him, but that was the least that anyone could expect from a seer.

"It's a move with tempo." The girl said, and Draco's eyes widened in surprise at the chess term.
"For who?" He asked.
"You of course." She said confidently, and Draco could only stare incredulously; because he could not see how.

If anything, this was a move that made him lose a tempo; because from now on, he would need to take more precautions in keeping his secrets secret. He knew that the foreign students would start paying him as much attention as they did Harry; and that would severely constrain his movements.

"How so?" He asked, and she smiled.
"All of them will spend the whole day trying to figure out why I chose you; and the two at the top will fail to prepare for tomorrow's Wizengamot meeting." She answered, and Draco could see the mirth in her eyes.
"Now, Mr Malfoy, shall we get on with it?" Schieren asked in a louder voice, when Draco was about to ask more questions.

"Miss Schieren, I would urge you to reconsider." Dumbledore pleaded urgently.

He was desperate to prevent the ritual, especially now that he had observed the whispered conversation between the girl and Malfoy. The only thing that prevented him from physically or magically interfering was the public setting. The backlash from interfering with a seer seeking to perform a restriction ritual, would be too severe for even a person of his status to handle.

"I am sorry, but I will not change my mind Headmaster Dumbledore." The girl said, and the tone of her voice told Dumbledore that there was no room for negotiation.
"Harry, are you sure you don't want to ask her anything?" Draco unexpectedly asked, and for a minute, Harry was tempted to.

He could tell that Draco had already figured out why she had asked him to perform the spell, and he had also overheard some of the things that they had been whispering about; so it was impossible for him not to have questions. However, he shook his head in the negative. Despite his curiosity, Harry firmly believed that how he ended up living his life should not be influenced by whatever Schieren had foreseen. He'd had enough of prophecies dictating how he lived.

"I am sure." He affirmed.
"Okay, I will perform the spell then." Draco said, and there was angry muttering all around the hall.

The foreign students were especially angry, but like Dumbledore, they all knew that there was nothing that could be done to stop it.

"Harry, move away for a bit." Draco ordered; When both Harry and Draco were about two meters away from Schieren, Draco pointed his wand at her and began reciting the words that would initiate the restriction spell.

"Calling on Janus; beholder of the past and the future." Draco said in a loud voice; and a blue magic circle that was about one and a half meters in diameter, appeared on the ground beneath Schieren.

"Guardian of time and passages; grant her wish and restrict her vision to the present."

Magic flared from the circle the moment that Draco was finished with the spell; and Schieren was covered in blue light for about two minutes, before the light dissipated and she fell unceremoniously to the ground.

"Did it work?" Draco asked cautiously, once the seer had picked herself up from the ground.
"Yes." She said with a smile. "I can remember it, but I cannot say anything about it, thank you."

Draco accepted the gratitude with a nod and she came closer to him. "I will find you later, so have my Grey Faction badge ready." She whispered, and before Draco could say anything, Schieren made her way out of the hall; followed closely by Dumbledore and the other foreign students.

"What did she say?" Harry questioned in curiosity.
"I'll tell you later." Draco answered, and instead of going back to the Slytherin table to finish his breakfast; he went to the East Tower.

His thoughts were chaotic and he needed to sit down and decide what to do from then on. In the end, Draco and Harry did not get a chance to talk since the teachers did not deem the disturbance at breakfast to be enough to warrant a free day. After classes, Harry had gone to an emergency Order of the Phoenix meeting followed by training with Dumbledore. It was already past midnight when he finally made it back to the East Tower and he was too tired by then to have any meaningful discussion. Thankfully, the next day was a Saturday; and since Dumbledore was attending the Wizengamot meeting, Harry slept in and did not wake up until eleven.

Harry was alone in bed when he woke up, and feeling as if he hadn't seen Draco in ages, he went in search of him; and found him poring over something in the sitting room. He quietly made his way towards him, and before the blonde could detect his presence; Harry bent over and kissed Draco's hair, causing the Slytherin to reflexively sit up.

"You're up?" He asked benignly.
"No, I'm still sleeping genius." Harry answered with a chuckle, as they both recalled that Draco had once replied in the same manner, right after the belladonna poisoning incident.
"Touche." Draco replied, but there was a smile on his face.
"Did you sleep well?" He asked.
"Yes." The Gryffindor answered, as he walked around the sofa to take a seat next to Draco.
"I could have woken better though." Harry wiggled his eyebrows as he said that, and Draco flushed pink in embarrassment.
"Pervert." The blonde deadpanned.
"Hmm, somehow I don't think you mind." Harry said, as he pulled Draco closer to him.
"You are right, I don't." He answered and Harry smiled.

"You are yet to tell me what Schieren told you before she left." Harry said. It was really not the best conversation to have in the position they were in; but Harry was still very curious about it.

Draco took a minute, to think about how much he should tell Harry; and when he decided, he looked directly at Harry and spoke. "She said that she wants to join The Grey Faction."
"I see." Harry should have been surprised by the news, but he wasn't.

He hadn't expected that that was what Schieren had said, but now that he was confronted with this reality, he didn't think that it was an inconceivable development.

"Harry, the reason…" Draco began, but he seemed to be having some difficulty saying what he wanted to say.
"Harry…" He began again. "The reason that she chose me yesterday, is that she knows some of my secrets; including the fact that my Grey Faction is serious."
"I suspected as much." Harry said in a solemn voice, after a moment of contemplation. "I heard her say something about a move with tempo; what does that even mean?"

Draco looked at Harry for a moment and then decided to tell him the truth about what was happening with the Wizengamot. "Well, in chess, a tempo means one move." Draco began. "A player can gain or lose a tempo depending on how they play. Gaining a tempo means using fewer moves than necessary to get what you want, and losing a tempo means using more moves than necessary to get what you want. When one makes a move with tempo, it means that they are getting what they want by making the enemy waste their moves."

"I understand the concept, but what does that have to do with anything?" Harry queried.
"Say, what do you think Dumbledore and Voldemort did all day yesterday; after the debacle in the Great Hall?" Draco asked, and Harry didn't even need to think about it.

"If they are smart and I am led to believe that they are, they spent all day trying to figure out why Schieren chose you to perform the spell. They probably also tried to figure out if there is a way to remove the restriction spell, and if not, whether there is a way to work around it." Harry answered.

In fact, Harry already knew that Dumbledore was thinking that way; since he had said as much during the Order meeting. He was also inclined to think that Voldemort would have pursued the same thinking, after his spies told him what had happened.

"Exactly," Draco beamed. "They probably spent their time doing exactly that, and forgot whatever else they had planned for the day."
"I don't get it." Harry said in confusion.
"Harry, do you remember reading about Lord Edwin Berkley in the Quibbler and Prophet over the past few weeks?" Draco asked.
"Yes, but what has that got to do with anything?" Harry countered.

"Well, he petitioned the Wizengamot about the Ministry offering comensation to, or return the property of former werewolves; The hearing was set for today." Draco explained, but Harry still seemed confused so he went on with the explanation.

"The petition was only accepted by the Ministry on Thursday evening. This means that both Dumbledore and Voldemort only had yesterday to make plans with their allies in the Wizengamot. However, if they both prioritised the event in the great hall instead of their original plans as we believe, then they have unknowingly walked into an ambush which will help Lord Berkley get what he wants that much faster."

"What does that mean?" Harry asked.
"Do you think the Wizengamot will vote in favor of giving back the properties that had been taken from werewolves?" Draco asked.
"I doubt it." Harry answered.

"They won't vote for it because most of the property now belongs to the members of their council or other influential people." Draco affirmed. "The Minister of Magic has been getting a lot of pressure from the media to return the property. He probably approved the petition because he knew that the Wizengamot will vote the petition down. The media's attention would then shift from the Minister to the Wizengamot."

"Bastards." Harry muttered angrily and Draco smiled.
"Don't worry, it won't happen like that." Draco's smile widened as he said that, and Harry raised an eyebrow in question.

"If I was Dumbledore or Voldemort, I would have tried to ally with Lord Edwin Berkley when the petition was approved." Draco said. "I would have promised to convince the members in my faction to vote in favor of the petition; and compensate for some of what they have taken from the former werewolves. In exchange, I would have had Lord Berkeley pledge himself and the other former werewolves to my faction. After all, the former werewolves are still incredibly strong, and with the looming war; having them would be a great advantage."

"How will not being able to ally with Lord Berkley lead to an ambush?" Harry asked.

"Well, because they will not have had the opportunity to find out that Lord Berkley will not ally with them." Draco answered, an evil smile on his face. "He would have refused both sides if they had gone to him with the proposal for an alliance. When that happened, they would have had the opportunity to wonder why he was refusing their offer; when he clearly has no allies in the Wizengamot who can help him with the petition. It would not have helped them stop what is about to happen, but they would have at least had a suspicion that they were walking into a trap. That way, they could have prepared something to momentarily get in the way of Lord Berkley's plans."

"How do you know so much about it?" Harry asked, as he seriously considered what Draco had said. "Surely you can't know how Lord Berkley would have reacted."
"I know because he is in my grey faction." Draco disclosed, and Harry finally understood that the Minister of Magic had made the wrong decision, when he approved the petition.

::At the same time, in the Ministry of Magic's Courtroom 10::

"As the presiding Chief Warlock of the Wizengamot, I Albus Brian Wulfric Dumbledore, bearer of the Order of Merlin 1st Class, would like to present the petition submitted by Wizengamot councilman Lord Edwin Berkley." Dumbledore began.

"The petition requests that the Wizengamot issue a decree that requires the Ministry of Magic to begin procedures to reinstate the former werewolves as citizens of the English Wizarding Community, and return their confiscated property or offer monetary compensation."

There was a bit of grumbling as some of the council members talked amongst themselves. Most of them felt that the petition was utter rubbish and that bringing it to the Wizengamot was a complete waste of their precious time. After all, there was no way that the Wizengamot was going to issue such a decree!

For his part, Edwin could hear the grumbling and feel the glares levelled at him, but he pretended not to notice anything. He resolutely looked at Dumbledore as he waited for him to continue with the proceedings.

"We shall begin by taking an initial vote; and then debate the issue before taking another vote. If the results of the second vote do not differ from the first, the results shall be considered as the decision of the council. If the results significantly differ, we shall continue the debate and take another vote. The process will be repeated until a decision is made." Dumbledore informed, but he did not think that the issue would get past the second debate.

He had originally planned to speak to the Berkley boy and offer his support, but yesterday's events had derailed his plans. However, he wasn't very regretful about it because the issue and vote could be revisited in the future, which would give him a chance to make an alliance with the boy. In fact, today's defeat would make it easier for the young lord to chose an alliance with the light. Satisfied with his thought process, Dumbledore cleared his throat to get the attention of everyone in the room.

"Please show your support for the motion by standing up." Dumbledore called and then stood. Several people, including Augusta Longbottom and Amelia Bones also stood up, but the seated members were clearly the majority. Dumbledore was about to commence the debate, when he noticed that the petitioner was still seated.

"Lord Berkley, could it be that you have petitioned a motion that you do not support?" He asked the young lord, who appeared to be viewing the situation with undue amusement.

"May I have leave to speak?" Lord Berkley asked, and Dumbledore gestured for the supporters to retake their seats, before giving Lord Berkley leave to speak. "I believe you have misconstrued my intentions honourable Chief Warlock."

"How so Lord Berkley?" Dumbledore inquired.

"The issue before us is not a simple criminal case that can be decided at the whim of wizards." There was angry muttering as the members of the council objected to the assertion, that their decisions were based on whim. However, Edwin didn't pay it much attention and continued with his speech.

"When the original members of the Wizengamot came together in 1707 to create the Ministry of Magic and the Wizarding Laws, they invoked Magical Law to ensure that the decisions they arrived at were not for personal gain, but for the good of the entire Wizarding World."

Lord Berkley could see the horrified realization on the faces of some of the Wizengamot members, and he almost burst out in laughter; but he restrained himself. They should have wondered why he had requested to hold the meeting in Courtroom Ten instead of the regular rooms, but their realization was coming too late; because the magic of the room was already taking effect. To hammer the nail in, he made the formal declaration.

"For this discussion of Wizarding Law with regards to Magical Beings, I would like to invoke the Impartiality Law." There was a loud whoosh as one would hear if they trapped wind in an enclosed space; and before anyone could react, they felt something sweep over them before disappearing seconds later.

It had been more than a century since the last time the Impartiality Law had been used, and although some, like Dumbledore, knew that it existed; there had been no one willing to use it in several decades. The simple reason for its disuse was because the magic invoked by the law forced the Wizengamot members to completely disregard their own interests in whatever issue was in front of them.

At some point in time, the Wizengamot had become a playground for people to further their own agendas. Laws were passed not because they had merit, but because they benefitted the proposer and their allies. It had become the norm to trade favours in order to pass laws, but Draco had decided that The Grey Faction could not afford to follow that trend. Getting allied with either the light or dark was not an option, not if they wanted to change how things had become. If they gave in even a bit, they would end up giving in a lot, and they had already given up too much; to take the easy way out.

The Impartiality Law is the answer that they had found, after painstakingly searching for a way to get laws passed; without having to compromise their beliefs. They would probably end up suffering for taking this hard way, but it was the only way that made sense to the members of The Grey faction. The only way to avoid being trapped in the mire of Wizengamot corruption was by doing everything by the book even if it alienated Lord Berkley from the other Wizengamot members.

"Very well Lord Berkley." Dumbledore said through gritted teeth. No faction could be a winner when things were like this, and he regretted that he had not reached out to the man when he had the chance. The family had been very influential before their fall, and he should have expected that they wouldn't stay quiet for long. This was clearly a ploy to re-establish the Berkley family to their previous status!

"State your position." Dumbledore said curtly.
"I am arguing that werewolves are not citizens of Wizarding England, thus their properties should not be under Ministry control." Edwin said, in an almost pleasant voice.
"That is preposterous." One of the councilmen said, and most of the others nodded their heads in agreement.
"I propose that we begin by examining the question of what makes a person a citizen." Edwin said, and some of the others sighed; this was going to be a very tedious task. "Chief Warlock, according to the law; what makes a person a citizen?"

Dumbledore muttered something, flicked his wand, and thick copies of the wizarding law of England appeared on each councillor's desk.

"A citizen as decided by the formulators of our law; is a person who enjoys the rights of Wizarding England and takes responsibility of enjoying said rights, by contributing to the community." Dumbledore said, and his face darkened as understanding began to sink in.

"Exactly." Lord Berkley said.

"Starting now, I want us to examine the rights and responsibilities of a citizen of Wizarding England in relation to werewolves, and people with active creature blood. I propose that the moment a person is turned into a werewolf or other magical creature, they cease to be a citizen of England. If a person with active magical creature blood is not a citizen of England, then they are classified as aliens and our law does not prohibit aliens from owning property in Wizarding England. Therefore, the seizing of their posessions by the Ministry is against the law."

All the members of the Wizengamot were flabbergasted by the argument. It had never occurred to them, that denying non human magical beings, all the things that human magical beings enjoy; would end up being used against them in this manner. Many of them would have found the approach to be ingenious, if it was not being used against them. Furthermore, none of them had failed to notice that Berkley kept mentioning 'non-human magical beings' instead of werewolves. This meant that he was not constraining his argument to werewolves; which opened a Pandora's box that no one had ever dared to open before. Things had spun way out of control.

Grudgingly and reluctantly, the discussion about rights and responsibilities began. Sequestered for five days and nights, the Wizengamot examined the individual rights and responsibilities of a citizen; and with dawning horror, they all began to see a pattern that led to the conclusion that non-human magical beings were not citizens because they did not enjoy the priviledges of citizenship. By the time they finished the discussion, all the members of the Wizengamot were exhausted, but relieved. They were relieved because they could now escape the chamber that had become a chamber of nightmares for some as they tabulated just how much property and money they would have to give back.

The next day, the Wizarding World woke up to a full account of the proceedings in the Prophet; and a declaration that the former werewolves would be able to reclaim what they had lost.

From where he was sitting at the Gryffindor table, Harry looked at Draco, who had also turned to look at him; and wondered what would happen to his husband when all his machinations became public. Harry was in no doubt that the truth would be revealed in due time, and Draco would garner more enemies than he already had. It worried him, but there was nothing to be done about it. It's not like he could change anything about Draco even if he was given a chance to. Either way, he was very proud of his husband, so he discretely gave Draco a thumbs up; which elicited a smile from the Slytherin.

The following days saw many articles that could not have been better if The Grey faction itself had written them:

"Werewolves to be given back their properties; On account of them being non-citizens when the properties were confiscated."
"Former werewolf Lord Edwin Berkley fights for his unfortunate contemporaries."
"Ministry forms a department to deal with property reclaims."
"Is the Berkley family regaining its influence?"
"The Impartiality Law makes an appearance after a century of disuse."

Draco was happy that they had managed to pull off their plan, but he could not afford to dwell on it, since he was on a tight schedule; Dragon World was about to do something that would garner the Wizarding World's outrage. Snickering evilly, Draco sat down to write the letters that would set the next phase in motion.

Uploader's Note: This Has Been A Backup Upload of Chapter 39 of Behind the Fog by Hancock23.