Harry Potter - Series Fan Fiction ❯ Behind the Fog (Backup Upload) ❯ Behind the Fog (Backup Upload) 41st Chapter ( Chapter 41 )

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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 41 - Inheritance

"Merlin Harry, are you trying to kill us?" Draco complained, as he abruptly jumped back from the hot spray of water; that was pouring out of the showerhead.

"What do you mean?" Harry asked, pretending to be innocent; as he stepped into the spray, a sigh of contentment stealing out of his mouth. He clearly preferred his showers scalding hot.

"I am not a bird Harry; that kind of water is only good for defeathering birds." Draco continued his tirade; and Harry could not help but smile, as he turned to look at his husband.

"Are you sure love?" He asked, with a lopsided smirk on his face. "You could have fooled me with all the preening you have been doing lately."

Draco responded to this by chucking his bathing soap at Harry, who barely managed to evade the missile. In all honesty, he could not deny the truth of Harry's words. He had been over the moon over the past few days, since things at Dragon World had calmed down; and the store had been able to successfully launch the vampire potion.

The Wizarding World had been divided about his letter to the Prophet and other papers, but no one had outrightly come out and given witness to any vampire related attacks and deaths. With no reason to withhold the potion, Dragon World had gone ahead with the launch on the 1st of June, and for the first twenty four hours, the Wizarding World had been in a state of suspension.

However, the tension seemed to dissipate with every day that passed with no news of an attack from the vampires. All in all, Draco couldn't have been happier with the results; Vampires could now be outside during the day, and although it was by a small margin, there was a slight change in the way that the Wizarding World viewed non-human magical beings.

"I will turn it down." Harry pleaded, taking note of the cheeky grin that suddenly appeared on Draco's face.

"Good, you should..." Draco began, but he did not get to finish; because his eyes rolled back into his head and he fell forward in a dead faint, which would have undoubtedly caused his head to crack on the bathroom floor; if Harry was not there to catch him.

"Draco?!" Harry screamed in alarm, as he slowly lay the unconscious boy on the floor.

"Draco? Draco, please wake up!" He cried, but there was no answer. "Draco, come on. This isn't funny! Merlin, what the hell is happening to you?"

There was still no answer, and Harry seriously began to panic. They had just been talking, and he had no idea what could have caused his husband to suddenly faint like that. In a blind panic, he took Draco into his arms; and began a mad dash to the dungeons. His attention was so focused on the boy in his arms, that he did not think to remember that they were both naked, even when he saw the stupefied faces of Severus, Remus, and Sirius when he made quick work of Severus' wards; and forced his way into the Potions Master's private quarters.

"Harry? What the..." Sirius began, and lost for words, he turned to Remus for help; but the former werewolf was as perplexed by the situation as he was.

Seeing no other option, Sirius turned to Snape, but there could be no help from that side either; because the man looked as pale as death. It seemed his shock would not even allow him to blink, nevermind turning his eyes from the ridiculous scene in front of him.

"Potter, please tell me you did not just streak through the castle with your..., your...and my godchild with his..."

"Severus, I don't have time for your dithering." Harry said urgently, utterly unaware of why the three people in front of him were acting so weirdly. It spoke to how much shock Severus was in, that he did not immediately take offence at being accused of dithering.

"Something is wrong with Draco." Harry continued, imploring the man the get his head in the game.

That seemed to do the trick. Severus snaped back to his senses light a light switch had been flipped; and as if he had not been stammering like Neville Longbottom in most classes a few seconds before, he quickly ushered Harry to his spare bedroom. The one he now reserved for Draco.

"Tell me, what happened?" The man prompted, as he began to run a battery of tests on his godson.

"We were taking a shower, when he suddenly fainted. I tried to wake him up, but nothing worked." Harry answered. There was really nothing else to tell, and he felt helpless for it.

Severus frowned at the unhelpful information, but otherwise continued to throw every diagnostic spell he could think of at the blonde. He knew that Draco would come of age at midnight, but it was at least three hours too early for him to be undergoing the inheritance process. Seeing as nothing life-threatening had happened to induce a premature inheritance, Severus had no idea of what could be the cause of his godson's current condition.

After what seemed like a lifetime, but was only a quarter of an hour; he exhausted all the diagnostic spells he knew, but he still could not figure out what was happening with Draco.

"Well?" Harry asked anxiously, when Severus finally ceased his wandwork.

"From what I can tell, nothing is wrong with Draco." He began, and when Harry seemed like he was about to interrupt; the man lifted his hand to stall him. "He seems to be in a sleeping state like the one wizards are in for their inheritance."

"But..." Harry began to argue, and was interrupted by Remus; who was holding out a cloak to him, an amused smile on his face.

"Put some clothes on first. Severus can tell us everything he has found out after that." The former werewolf said.

"What?" Harry asked, wondering what the man was talking about; and it was not until he took another look at Draco, that he realised what state they were in.

"Ah..uh..um..." He stammered, a blush taking over his face as he grabbed the cloak; while Severus covered Draco with a bedsheet. When that was done, the Potions Master conjured four chairs for them to sit on, but Harry opted to climb onto the bed and sit next to Draco.

"Is he in danger?" He asked.

"Not that I can see." Severus answered, and although that answer wasn't very satisfactory for Harry, he knew that it was the best that the man had. Severus cared for Draco, and he would have been the first to suggest that they take the Slytherin to Madam Pomfrey; if he thought that there was more that the mediwitch could do.

"So, what do we do now?" He asked, gaze locked on his husband.

"There is nothing to do but wait." Sirius answered. "It takes about an hour for a normal inheritance."

"I see." Harry stated, as he turned to stare at his godfather; with a contemplative look in his eyes.

"Then we have enough time to straighten some things out." He said, a hard look on his face as he took a moment to look at each of the three men in the room; especially his godfather.

"What do you mean?" Remus asked in confusion.

"The three of you are very important to me." Harry began, and blushed a little at the admission. "Remus, you were a friend to my parents, and I came to respect and care for you in my third year. Since then, I have come to consider you as an honorary godfather."

Remus smiled at that, but there was a look of worry in his eyes; since he had no idea what was on Harry's mind.

"Severus, I disliked you for so many years; but I have come to care for you. You have not only protected me, but you have also been a good friend to me. Most importantly, you care for him." Harry placed his palm tenderly on Draco's head, to indicate who he was talking about.

"He is my godson." Severus stated the obvious.

"I know." Harry said, and managed to spare him a smile; before he turned his attention to the last of the three. "Sirius, I was thrilled when you appeared in my life. I was happy to have a family, and I am still happy to have you as my family, but I also want to make it clear to you that my family must now include Draco."

There was no doubt to what Harry meant by his words, and if there had been any; the hard look in his eyes would have been enough to put his message across.

"Harry…" Sirius began cautiously, but was interrupted.

"I know that you don't like Draco. I also know that is not your fault, given the relationship we had in the past wouldn't encourage you to have a good opinion of him." Harry stated softly. "However, that is all in the past. I love Draco, and that won't ever change. I intend for him to be part of my life to the end, and I will do everything within my power to make that happen. Ginny and I will never be together again. I need you to come to terms with these facts."

"I…" Sirius began, with every intention to argue; and tell Harry that he was making a big mistake, but before he could say a word, his eyes shifted to Harry's hand on Draco's head, and he suddenly understood.

Even in his sleeping state, Malfoy seemed to have turned both his head and body towards Harry. There was a happy smile on his face, and Sirius understood that this was not the type of magic that could be manufactured in a potions lab, or summarized in a spell. Harry and Malfoy were in love. Truly in love with each other, and he realized that he would surely lose Harry; if he continued to act the way he had been.

As he looked at the two boys, Sirius couldn't help but feel ashamed of himself. He had not taken the time to talk to Harry; to understand what was going on with his godchild, and although he had missed it before; he could see the damage it had done to their relationship. Harry had not spoken to him, in anything but perfunctory words for the past few weeks; and that should have been enough of an indicator that something was wrong. He hated his immaturity, and although he was still unsure about Draco Malfoy; Sirius swallowed all the words he had been about to say, and chose the ones he did say, more carefully

"Harry, I'm sorry." He said, surprising everyone in the room. "I can't say that I am ecstatic about your choice, but if there is a chance; for he and I to get to know each other better, I am sure I will one day be able to wish the best for the both of you; from the bottom of my heart."

Harry smiled at Sirius, Severus looked at him as if he was possessed, and Remus threw his arms around him.

"I knew you were capable of not putting your foot in the mouth." The former werewolf said; and those gathered chuckled, before Harry's face turned serious again.

"I gather you are not against it?" This he directed at Remus, because he already knew that Severus did not object to him and Draco being together.

"Of course not." Remus answered, in a matter of fact tone. "I could not have picked a better partner for you, Draco Malfoy is an extraordinary person."

Remus' words were followed by a comfortable silence, so the occupants of the room did not disturb it until Sirius felt he had to.

"Can you feel that?" He asked, a frown marring his face; and the others looked at him for a few seconds, before they caught on to what he was talking about.
"What is going on?" Harry asked worriedly, as he stole a look at Draco. "The magic at Hogwarts has never been this dense before."
"Come to think of it, something has been off with the castle's magic for a while now." Remus added.
"What do you mean?" Severus asked. "I didn't feel anything until now."

"I noticed it right before Harry arrived." Remus began his explanation. "My werewolf senses are pretty sensitive, they must've allowed me to notice before the rest of you. It has been building up steadily for the last hour or so."

"Now that you mention it, I remember Dumbledore saying something about an alignment of all planets when I saw him during our last training session." Harry stated.

"An alignment of planets?" Sirius asked, a curious look on his face.
"Of course!" Severus exclaimed, with a look at Draco. "There is a rare alignment of all planets happening at this exact moment."
"Could it be the reason that Draco went into this state earlier than expected?" Harry questioned.
"It could." Severus affirmed, but they could all see that he was not fully convinced that that was the only reason.
"This kind of alignment happens every few thousand years. The alignment is a magical phenomenon which explains why the magic at Hogwarts has become denser. I believe the same phenomena should be happening in magical places all over the world." He explained.

"That makes sense." Harry stated, and they took a minute to fully absorb the information they had on hand. Harry was about to ask what this alignment meant for magical beings; when dizziness overtook him, and before he could let the others know what was happening, he fell over in a dead faint.

"Harry!" Sirius shouted, but there was no answer from the boy; who was at that very moment standing next to his husband, in front of what could only be described as a sphinx.

She had one of the most beautiful faces that Harry had ever seen, and her lustrous red hair fell in waves to her back which resembled the torso of a lion. Great wings sprouted from her back; but her most striking feature was her tail, which was a viper that was currently hissing at Harry; as if he was an intruder on sacred ground. Instinctively, Harry stepped in front of Draco, and quickly cast his eyes around the room to determine where they were. However, nothing in the room was of any help; because all the surfaces were done in white, and Harry could not see any exits in the circular room.

"Calm down Harry, she won't harm us." Draco said calmly, and moved to stand next to Harry.
"How did you get here anyway?" He asked.
"Probably the same way you did." Harry answered cheekily. "By falling into a dead faint."
"Hn, speak for yourself." Draco snarked. "I do not faint."
"If you say so." Harry humoured, but he could not restrain the chuckle that fell from his lips. "Anyway, what is this place?"
"Eh, hm..." Draco began, and then looked at the Sphinx as if asking her for guidance.

This made Harry realize that they had probably been talking, before he intruded into the room.

"I presume you are Harry Potter?" She asked, but she did not seem to require an answer; because she continued without waiting for one. "Harry Potter, you are not supposed to be here, but the magic of the night has chosen you to become an audience for the young dragon's inheritance."

"What do you mean?" Harry asked in confusion. Was he supposed to sit and watch Draco inherit? He would come of age in July, and he did not have any knowledge about what was supposed to happen during an inheritance.

"If Draco Malfoy so chooses to accept the inheritance offered by the gods, then you shall bear the burden of witness, to the consequences that may follow." The sphinx answered assuredly.

"Consequences?" Harry inquired worriedly, and Draco tried to assure him with a smile, but it was filled with uncertainty that told Harry that Draco was also in the dark about what was happening. "Is this about the world-class magic that the International Confederation of Wizards is worried about?"

Draco didn't seem surprised about this, so Harry assumed that he somehow already knew about that. He did not realize that the sphinx had just finished explaining to Draco about the World Divination Orb, and the different classes of magic; when Harry had arrived.

"Some inheritances have greater consequences than others." The sphinx answered, and Harry could tell that she would not be more forthcoming.

"Shall we get to it?"

"Wait…" Harry made to interrupt, but Draco stopped him.
"It's alright Harry." The blonde said, acting calmer than he felt. "She said, "if I choose to accept" ~ It means that I have a choice in whether to accept or not, isn't that so?"
"That is so." The Sphinx confirmed.
"Okay." Harry agreed reluctantly.
"Now, child of man; will you answer my riddle?" She asked.
"Pose it." Draco answered confidently, and the Sphinx began.

"There was once a man who found himself in a spot of trouble and was offered two choices. One of the choices asked him to kill his child to save the rest of his townspeople. The other choice was to do nothing; in which case both his child and townspeople would die. One of the townspeople counselled him and said; in either case, the child dies, but everyone else will survive if you kill the child. It's the right thing to do. Another person came forth with counsel and said; it is a sin against Gaia to take a life that she has freely given, and it is especially not right to kill a child. Now then, answer me, what is wrong and what is right?"

Draco didn't even need to think about it; although Harry seemed both saddened and infuriated by the scenario.

"Two people walking towards a house from different directions are asked to state the colour of the house. One says black, the other says white. They both descend into a fight because they think the other is lying. They each know that they are telling the truth and if they are right, then the other must be wrong. A third person comes along and says; You are both wrong. Just because you only see white, doesn't mean black does not exist, and just because you see only black doesn't mean white doesn't exist; to not see the whole, is to not see the truth. That is my answer."

"And a good answer it is, child of man." The sphinx said. "You have a right to be the heir of the first vault."

Draco had known that he was inheriting something significant, but he had not expected it to be the first vault. However, he did not have time to be surprised, because a door suddenly materialised on the wall behind the Sphinx; and she stepped aside to let him pass.

"Not you." She said, when Harry tried to follow Draco into the vault.
"I don't understand." Harry said in confusion. "You said that I am to bear witness to the inheritance."
"No, I said that you are to bear witness to the possible consequences if the rightful heir accepts the inheritance." The sphinx clarified. "Only the heir has a right to enter the vault."
"What about you?" Harry argued.
"I am not an heir." The sphinx said.
"I will be alright Harry." Draco called.
"Scream if you need my help." Harry advised irrationally, and Draco had to smile at that.
"Malfoys don't scream." He said, and disappeared into the vault; before Harry could retort.

Unsure of what to do, because the sphinx didn't seem in a hurry to tell him what he was supposed to be doing; Harry began to pace around the white room. It was as he was pacing that something occurred to him.

"If Draco is the heir of a vault, does that mean we're at Gringotts?" He asked.

"That we are." The sphinx replied readily. "We are in the deepest level of Gringotts where no one but the owner of the first vault, myself, a goblin named Heimdall the Trueblood, and now yourself are allowed."

"I see." Harry said. "What is the first vault?"

The sphinx didn't answer as quickly this time around, but after a few minutes of hesitation she finally acquiesced. "The first vault is a gathering of knowledge and magic." She said cryptically.

"Can't you be clearer about this?" Harry asked, as he desperately tried to ignore the chill that was invading his spine.

He had a feeling that the vault was not just a collection of books, wands, and magical trinkets. If it were, there would have been no need for a Sphinx to guard the vault. From what Harry knew, sphinxes were the sort of magical beings that you never wished to encounter in your entire life. He also had a feeling that the sphinx before him was unlike the one that he had seen in the maze during the Triwizard Tournament.

"Why would Draco inherit something like this?" He wondered allowed.

"That is not for me to answer." The sphinx said. "However, I can tell you that when compared to the previous heirs, your dragon stacks up as the finest of the heirs that have come."

"What? This is actually hereditary? Does it belong to the Malfoy family?"

"The first vault belongs to the gods." The sphinx said proudly. "The first vault has been there since the beginning of time, and excluding the young dragon, there have been ten heirs thus far."

"Just ten? Since the beginning of time?" The scale of the thing was making Harry's head hurt, but he needed every bit of information he could get; if he had any hope of making sure that Draco was safe.

"Harry Potter, do you know how many times the World Divination Orb has glowed gold?"

"Ten." Harry answered, his face and voice full of trepidation. Dumbledore had told him that piece of trivia in one of their training sessions, and he hadn't thought much of it. Now he regretted not asking for more details when he had the chance.

"Do you also know how many times the human civilization has come to an end or nearly come to an end?"

"Oh Merlin!" Harry cried, as a horrible thought occurred to him; and when the sphinx continued to stare at him, he answered, "Ten."

"Exactly." She said, and for the first time, smiled at Harry.

"Are you saying that Draco will use whatever is in that vault to end the world?" Harry asked.

"What would you do if that were true?" The sphinx asked, and there was both an accusatory and inquisitive look on her face.

"I trust Draco." Harry said without hesitation.

There was a determined look on his face that suggested that he believed with every fibre in his being; that Draco would not end the world for the fun of it. For the second time in a matter of minutes, the sphinx smiled at him.

"Sometimes, the heirs seek to destroy the world; and sometimes, they seek to save it. Sometimes they succeed, and sometimes they fail." The sphinx said, with a direct look at Harry. "However, none of the heirs before your dragon; had a partner like you by their side."

"What do you…" Harry began, but she stopped him before he could finish his question.

"It's time." The sphinx said abruptly.

"Time for what?" He asked

"The heir has chosen to accept the inheritance of the gods." The sphinx said, and Harry looked towards where Draco had disappeared; hoping that he had come out of the vault. "It will be a while before he comes out. I must now ask you to make a choice."

"A choice?"

"There was once a man who found himself in a spot of trouble; and was offered two choices. One of the choices asked him to kill his child to save the rest of his townspeople. The other choice was to do nothing in which both his child and townspeople would die. One of the townspeople counselled him and said; in either case, the child dies, but everyone else will survive if you kill the child. It's the right thing to do. Another person came forth with counsel and said; it is a sin against Gaia to take a life that she has freely given, and it is especially not right to kill a child. Answer me, Harry Potter; what is wrong and what is right?" The sphinx offered its riddle a second time, much to Harry's surprise.

He had not expected that she would ask him the same question as Draco, but no matter how much he thought about it; he found it hard to answer in the same way as Draco.

"I don't know about right and wrong." He began. "I would try my hardest to save both, but it is only natural that I would have some bias towards my child."

"Understood." The sphinx said without stating whether his answer was right or wrong. Instead of the door opening like it had done for Draco, images began to appear on the walls around him.

At first, Harry did not know what he was looking at; until he took a closer look and realised that the person who sat on the floor in the middle of what appeared to be a quidditch field full of books was Draco. His hair was incredibly long, to the point that it covered an area of about one metre around him. His face and eyes seemed vacant, as he stared lifelessly at a book that was placed in front of him.

After a few minutes, the Draco in the image turned towards one side of the field; and in came a man that Harry had never seen before. His clothes appeared metallic, and they reminded Harry of all the futuristic garments he had seen in sci-fi movies. The man talked to Draco for a minute and then left the room. After the door closed behind the man, the scene changed to another; where the Draco in the image had shorter hair, and the clothes of the man who visited were less futuristic.

Sometimes the visitors were women, but other than the design of their clothing and the length of Draco's hair, nothing else seemed to change. It appeared to Harry as if Draco was some kind of prisoner, and more than worried; Harry was confused, because the images seemed to span more years than the lifespan of a wizard. He was about to voice this to the sphinx when once again, Draco turned to a corner of the field; and in came someone that Harry actually recognised. It was Dumbledore, but Draco did not act differently towards him than he had towards all his other visitors. The Draco in this image looked like the present Draco; except for the fact that his hair was a few centimetres longer. Like the rest, Dumbledore spoke to Draco for a few minutes and then left the room.

Shocked and confused, Harry turned to the sphinx. "What was that?" He asked.

"That is what will happen to the young dragon; if the world is allowed to get a hold of him." The sphinx replied.

"I don't understand" Harry said impatiently. "Some of those images…."

"Yes, some of those images will not be able to happen for a very long time."

"But Draco..."

"That is one of the consequences of the inheritance." The sphinx said sympathetically. "Draco Malfoy will not die. Whether he lives free, or lives as a prisoner, though; is up to you."

"What can I do?" Harry asked optimistically. He knew that he would do anything to make sure that he would never see that dead-eyed stare on Draco's face.

"I think you already know the answer to that." The sphinx answered, and after a moment of thought; Harry realised that he did know the answer, and that he was already acting on it. All he needed to do, is be more powerful than anybody else.

"You're right; I do." Harry answered solemnly; and the moment he said the words, the white room dissolved from his sight; and he felt himself descend into a blackness that was followed by such intense pain, that Harry cried out from it. He felt as if he had been subjected to a hefty dose of skelegrow, that was breaking and regrowing every bone in his body several times over. When he came to, it was to the sight of three faces looking down at him in worry.

"Harry, what happened?" Sirius asked, and there was no mistaking the worry in his voice.

"Draco's inheritance." He said simply.

He did not know whether he should say anything more specific to them without Draco's permission. In fact, he was not sure that he should say anything at all. The more people who knew about Draco's inheritance, the higher the danger he would be in.

"I think you have also received your inheritance." Remus stated.
"What? Me? What do you mean?" Harry asked, aware that it was way more than just a few hours too soon for him given his birthday was over a month away.
"It's better if you see for yourself." Severus said; and conjured a mirror for Harry to look into.

His face was fundamentally the same as before, but it appeared more refined as if someone had taken a brush to the rough edges. His hair was longer, and it fell to the middle of his back. Putting the mirror down, Harry felt around for more changes and discovered that he would probably be taller when he stood up, but the most significant change was in his magic. His magic had always been overwhelming, but now it felt infinite.

He felt like he could pull at it forever and never get drained. It had also never affected especially strong wizards; but from the drunken looks on the faces of Severus, Remus, and Sirius; he could tell that that was no longer true. Cautiously, he pulled it in and concealed it, like he had been taught by Dumbledore all those weeks ago.

"Harry, a mark has also appeared on your chest." Remus said quietly, which made Harry turn his eyes to his chest which was in full view of everyone.

The tattoo was on the left side of his chest, right above his heart; and it made Harry gasp, because he easily recognised it. It was an ankh. They had covered it in class as a symbol of immortality.

"Harry…" Sirius began, but Harry stopped him.
"I can't say anything, not until Draco wakes up." He said firmly.
"Harry, I know it is possible for wizards to come of age early; if there is an extreme need…" Severus spoke, but trailed off fearfully; which was something, given his usual demeanour.

"I believe that is what has happened in this case, but everything will have to wait until Draco wakes up." Harry said.

At that very moment, Draco pricked his finger, and a drop of his blood fell on a magical parchment; and the writing on it turned blood red. The action was followed by a whirlwind of magic that saturated the first vault, and when it was finally over; a ring appeared on his left index finger. It was an ornately designed platinum band with a large inlaid alexandrite stone. The ring sat heavily on Draco's finger and from the information he had gathered as it took form on his finger, he would never be able to remove it or glamour it; because it was a representation of the responsibility he had assumed when he chose to accept the inheritance.

Carefully, he picked up the parchment written in red ink, folded it and walked around an ornate mahogany study desk to place it in one of the drawers. After that was done, he walked out of the vault to emerge in the white room where the sphinx still waited.

"May I call you Hekate from today onwards?" He asked. One of the documents that Draco had discovered within the vault had let him know that each heir was required to choose a name for the guardian sphinx; and he had immediately thought of the goddess Hekate.

"Powerful, wise, goddess of the crossroads; and gatekeeper between the worlds. I will be honoured to answer to that name." The sphinx accepted smoothly.
"Thank you for guarding the vault." Draco said.
"It is my honour to guard it." Hekate answered.
"I will not be able to come here for a while. Will you be able to hear, if I call your name?" He asked.
"Yes." The sphinx said. "Once you physically take possession of the vault at Gringotts, I will be able to take a form of your choice; and accompany you wherever you go."
"I will come as soon as soon as I can." He said.
"I will await your arrival." She assured.

With that, Draco's consciousness began to blacken. However, unlike Harry, he did not undergo a painful metamorphosis, but when he woke up, he could feel a notable increase in his magic.

"Welcome back Sleeping Beauty." Harry said cheekily, and the others in the room burst out in laughter.
"Bite me." The blonde said, inelegantly sticking his tongue out. He would not know until later that Harry had kissed him right before he woke up.
"How are you feeling?" Severus asked.
"I'm fine." He answered, as he looked at his godfather; and the others in the room strangely. "Why are you here?"
"I brought you to Severus when you fainted earlier." Harry explained.

"Worth mentioning that you were both stark naked, when he ran across the castle with you in his arms." Sirius added unhelpfully, and the other two grown-ups burst out into laughter again. Now that everything seemed to have calmed down, they could not ignore the ridiculousness of the scene that they had encountered.

"Shut it." Harry reprimanded; and even Draco laughed, as he imagined a naked Harry running through the castle. He hoped that no one had seen them, but it was still a funny thing.

"Can you tell us what happened now?" Severus finally broached the subject.
"I don't mind them knowing." Draco said, when he saw the meaningful look that Harry had sent him.
He was a bit uncomfortable with Sirius Black, but the man was Harry's godfather. He could trust him if Harry said it was okay.
"The sphinx didn't tell me what was inside the vault." Harry told Draco.
"The sphinx?" Sirius asked in shock; and he wasn't the only one.

"I inherited the first vault, which is guarded by a sphinx in Gringotts." Draco finally said, and the room fell into silence.

Everyone who had grown up in the Wizarding World knew of the first vault, but it had always been treated like a legend. As legends went, it was even more famous than the three deathly hallows.

"The sphinx only told me that the vault contains knowledge and magic." Harry said.
"Yes.' Draco confirmed, but hesitated before continuing. "I am sorry, but I can't say more at the moment."
"It's alright." Harry said, as he pulled Draco into a hug. "I am honestly not sure that you should tell anyone about the contents."
"Why do you say that?" Remus asked.

"The reason why my inheritance happened early, is that Draco will be in danger the moment the world learns of what is now in his possession." Harry said,  not mentioning the fact, that the sphinx had hinted at a world-ending event; which Draco may or may not be the cause of. "He is in danger of being a prisoner for eternity."

"Eternity?" Sirius asked in apprehension, as he thought of the mark that he had seen on Harry's chest.

Instead of answering, Harry lowered the bedsheet that covered Draco to reveal an ankh, not unlike his, right above Draco's heart.

"Have the both of you become immortal?" Sirius asked, just to be sure.
"Something like that, yeah." Harry answered.
"Oh, despair! I wonder what I did; to deserve a lifetime of Harry's nagging." Draco said jokingly, and they all chuckled in good humour.

"Is it really okay with you two; To live for eternity, just by yourselves?" Remus asked in concern after awhile. He couldn't fathom living on endlessly, when all those he loved had perished; but maybe if there was one person to endure it there with him it'd be ok?

"Well…" Harry began, when the reality of it occurred to him.

His parents were dead, but he'd still managed to gain a family he cared for very much; and it did sadden him that he would now outlive them all, but in the end, he was just happy that he'd get to be with Draco until the end of time.

"Don't worry Harry, it doesn't have to be just us." Draco said, when he saw the slightly sad look on Harry's face.

"What do you mean?" Harry asked.

"Just that the first vault has more answers to questions than any person can ask in a lifetime." Draco said; but from the look in his eyes, the other four in the room knew that he would not be more forthcoming.

"I know I cannot stop you from revealing everything to Parkinson and Zabini, and I have no intention to; but you must make sure that no one else finds out about this." Severus said solemnly. "Merlin knows what Voldemort and others like him would do if they knew the answer to immortality, can be found in the first vault."

"I know." Draco said, just as seriously. "I have no intention of telling anybody else."

Draco was not a fool and more than anyone, he understood the consequences of being the heir to the first vault. It was not just his safety that was at risk, it was the safety of everyone that he cared for. He knew that there was a risk that any of the people he cared for could be taken hostage as a means to force him to give up possession of the vault, or use some of the contents in ways that he normally wouldn't.

It didn't matter that he had no authority to transfer the vault; because people would still try to take it from him. Draco knew that he was not strong enough to protect himself from all the threats, and even though he knew that Harry would do his best; things could go horribly wrong if the International Confederation of Wizards combined their forces against him.

"We will worry about everything tomorrow." Harry said abruptly, when he noticed the pensive mood that had come over the room. "It's already past midnight; which means that my dear husband has come of age. Happy birthday Draco."

"Thank you." Draco said, as he accepted a quick hug and kiss from Harry.
"Shall we have an early party?" Harry asked hopefully.
"I will get the firewhiskey." This was said by Sirius, to no one's surprise.

Uploader's Note: This Has Been A Backup Upload of Chapter 41 of Behind the Fog by Hancock23.