Disclaimer: The following story is merely fanfiction derived from the amazing works of J.K. Rowling, the author of the great "Harry Potter" series. While, at times, there will be dialogue used from various books in the "Harry Potter" series, I do not intend copyright infringement. I will make no money from this venture and I am simply trying to improve my writing skills.
Author's Note
This fanfiction is going to be an interesting one to write and, I hope, read. My plan is to have everything from the plot the same up until the very end of "Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince" and I will go from there. Despite the plot being different, all things that come from "Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows" will be in the story. This means that things like the Horcruxes and the Hallows will remain the same, at least at the beginning. Things will change as the plot does, however, so this is not going to be going over everything that happened in "Deathly Hallows".
If any of you have ever read the "A Song of Ice and Fire" series, the format of this story will be similar to that. I will have characters that all have chapters from their point of view. For example, this chapter is from Draco Malfoy's point of view, and he will have future chapters from his point of view as well as others having their own. This allows me to tell various stories at once while maintaining the main story. I have chosen to not use Harry as a P.O.V. Character for several reasons, but the main reason is that the series was already from his point of view and I wanted a fresh perspective.
I would like to note that I am not overly fond of the title of this story, so I will welcome any other possibilities that you may have.
But enough of my rambling. This first chapter, as I said earlier, is from the point of view of Draco Malfoy and is set before and during the events of the Battle of the Astronomy Tower. Oh, I feel that I should warn you that there are allusions to certain things that may offend some readers, though it is never, and will never be, explicit.
Enjoy, and please let me know what you think. Good or bad.
Draco
Draco Malfoy was sitting in one of the couches in the Slytherin Common Room, hand in hand with Pansy Parkinson while Vincent Crabbe and Gregory Goyle sat opposite them. The younger Slytherin students weren't bothering them, as they hardly ever did. The older students made sure of that on the day that the First Years arrived each and every year. Draco, however, had never participated in a lot of that, claiming that he was "above such things". The real reason was one only two people knew. Himself, and a student that was in Sixth Year when Draco was in his First.
Generally, on the first night of the year, the new First Year Slytherins were somewhat bullied, under the guise of "initiation", to make sure that they didn't think that they were on the same level as the older students. When Draco had made his way to the common room, he found that there was a lot of mental bullying going on. He was the only one who got a form of physical bullying from a Sixth Year boy that he no longer knew the name of, be it because he had forgotten it or because it had been blocked from his memory.
The first time the Sixth Year tried something, Draco had said that, if it didn't stop, he would have his father have him expelled. That only made the boy laugh and simply try harder. Draco tried to get away, but the older boy far overpowered him and Draco found himself forced to sit through it all, as uncomfortable and upset as he was. Luckily, this only happened on that first night, although that was enough to give Draco nightmares for quite a while.
From that day, Draco made sure that he never participated in any such things. He only went as far as ignoring the students. He knew, from about Fourth Year onwards, Theodore Nott became a lot like that Sixth Year boy, and Draco found himself hating Theo because of it. In fact, as he gradually forgot the face of the Sixth Year, for some reason Theo's face became that face.
It was actually in Fourth Year that Draco found a First Year boy sitting in a corner, crying and shaking uncontrollably. It was late at night, probably around three o'clock, but Draco was up because the first night back at Hogwarts made him have more nightmares. He found that the room was empty, save himself and the boy. Draco felt his heart go out to the boy, who he couldn't seem to remember the name of.
The Common Room was bathed in a dark green light, though everything still appeared dark and Draco couldn't easily see the boy. The boy didn't even notice Draco sit down, though he did notice it when Draco put an arm around his shoulder as he whimpered and flinched away.
"No..." the boy had said weakly, and in a tone that made Draco's heart simply drop. "Please..."
"I'm not going to hurt you," Draco had said softly and pulled the boy closer, remembering how much he hated not having anyone there to hold him after that first night. The boy seemed to give in and buried his face in Draco's shoulder. "It's going to be okay. I know what happened. It will get better."
There had been a silence for what seemed like an hour before the boy looked up into Draco's eyes. This was the first chance for Draco to see the boy's face clearly. The first thing Draco noticed was how small the boy was. He then saw that his eyes were bloodshot and his mouth was cracked. The boy had short black hair and blue eyes. Draco remembered him as Graham Pritchard from the Sorting Ceremony.
"Will it?" Graham Pritchard had asked. Draco had nodded, though said nothing.
Draco's thoughts were suddenly interrupted by the coin in his pocket heating up and vibrating. His eyes seemed to widen as he let go of Pansy's hand mid-conversation and stood up abruptly, followed stupidly by Crabbe and Goyle. His now freed hand went straight into his pocket.
"Draco?" Pansy asked, looking at him strangely. "What's the matter, darling?" Draco could feel the heat radiating from the coin as she spoke.
"I'm sorry," he said quickly, leaning down and kissing her on the cheek, a motion which he was pleased to note that Crabbe and Goyle did not follow, "but I have to go. No matter what happens, you need to stay here. That means you as well," he finished, looking to Crabbe and Goyle.
"What are you doing Draco?" Pansy demanded, leaving her seat. Draco looked around the room to see that some of the younger students were looking at him.
"Something I have to do, Pansy," Draco said, turning on his heel and leaving. He could still hear other footsteps, though. "Sit back down." The footsteps stopped and Draco briskly walked to his dormitory where he picked up the Hand of Glory which he shrunk and put it in his pocket. He also found some Peruvian Instant Darkness Powder that he had gotten from a First Year Hufflepuff boy. He thought that it could be of some use.
As he left the Common Room, Draco immediately got out the coin and found the words written on it. This is it, he thought. Dumbledore's gone. Now's the time to act. Despite everything, he didn't feel as happy as he thought he would.
As he walked along the corridors of Hogwarts, Draco seemed to take more notice of it, knowing that this could well have been the last time that he ever looked at the school. It was as he was doing this, that he caught a glimpse of himself in a mirror and came to a halt.
He looked terrible. He looked nothing like he had in the past. Some of that was surely to do with aging and being a teenager, but he found that he looked much too old to be a sixteen year old. He looked thirty at least.
There were dark rings under his eyes as he looked at himself. He reached up to his hair, which seemed to feel thinner. He lifted his robe, and touched his stomach to find that he could actually feel his ribs, where he had once felt muscle. He had to have looked in horror at the image in the glass before shaking himself out of it and walked onwards, up too many flights of stairs. But every time he came past a window or a mirror, his bloodshot eyes seemed to always look at himself as he passed.
He finally reached the seventh floor and that familiar tapestry of Barnabus the Barmy. Draco instinctively closed his eyes and began pacing in front of it. I need the Vanishing Cabinet. I need the Vanishing Cabinet. I need the Vanishing Cabinet, Draco thought quickly. When he opened his eyes, Draco found a large, steel door in front of him which he quickly pushed open.
The room he found was packed to the brim with objects, as usual. It was almost like a city the way the objects piled to the high roof above. Draco, however, wasted no time and began to walk as fast as he could. Right. Left. Left. Right. Left. Right. Right. Left. Left. Right. Left. Left. Right. Eventually he came to the large cabinet. It loomed a good foot taller than Draco, and Draco suddenly felt scared. His right hand went to his left forearm as he realised just what he would be unleashing upon the school and its students.
He suddenly remembered Graham Pritchard again. Not as the boy he had taken to watching over, but the poor little child that was crying and shaking in the corner. He knew that Graham's family was not, and would never be, aligned with the Dark Lord. That made Graham a target. If Draco were to unleash the Death Eaters on to the school, what would become of Graham? Would he stay hidden or would he fight against the invaders? And if he did fight, how could a Third Year hope to survive this?
And then another face crossed Draco's mind. It was that of the Dark Lord. But not the face that he had seen from afar, but the face he saw up close. The face marred with a strange sense of glee while administering the Dark Mark on the screaming, then fifteen year old. Laughter filled Draco's head and he knew that he couldn't not do this. If he didn't do anything, it would cost him his life.
Draco put a hand in his other pocket and pulled out the ring. It was a simple, silver ring. But it signified more. It was the sign for Borgin to gather the Death Eaters together. Draco carefully opened the door of the repaired Vanishing Cabinet and sat the ring inside. He closed the door and drew his wand.
"Harmonia nectere passus," Draco murmured, pointing his wand at the cabinet, his hand shaking slightly, but visibly. There was a slight sound to indicate that it had worked. Draco waited for two minutes when he heard the sound again. He quickly opened the door and found a golden ring in place of the silver one. He smiled weakly.
He sat on a nearby table as he waited for the next part to occur. He was well aware that this part could take quite a while as many people had to be told. The Dark Lord was one of them. Though, curiously, the Dark Lord had said that he was not going to partake in this particular attack. He was, however, sending some of his best people.
"Young Draco," the Dark Lord had said, with a sickening smile on his face, which Draco had always had trouble looking at, "this is to be your job. I do not wish to be involved. I will provide you with some to help you accomplish the task, but this is your endeavour. Should you fail to kill the old man, you will be severely punished. You don't want that, do you young man?"
Draco looked into the red eyes of the Dark Lord before looking away, partly because of fear and partly because he was disgusted. He shook his head.
"Good boy," the Dark Lord had said. "Bella! Escort your nephew out and bring in Wormtail. I believe he has news." Draco had realised later that evening that Wormtail's news was not good news as the screams echoed around the manor. That was enough to motivate Draco to do what the Dark Lord wanted. The screams.
Before Draco knew it, twenty minutes had passed and he suddenly heard the sound again. He jumped to his feet immediately and opened the door to the Vanishing Cabinet. The first person through was his Aunt Bella.
"Good work, Draco," she cooed as Draco shut the door to the cabinet, awaiting the next sound. Aunt Bella then caressed his hair before beginning to look around the room. The sound happened again soon, and again, and again until all of the Death Eaters that were to partake were there. And Fenrir Greyback which both surprised and sickened Draco.
After a while, Draco realised that they were all looking at him to work out what was going on. Aunt Bella seemed to be the only one who wasn't, as she was toying with something that she picked up in the room. It looked kind of like a tiara. Draco saw her eventually pocket it.
"Well?" one man asked. Draco recognised him as Gibbon, a relatively new recruit. "What do we do?"
"Well..." Draco's voice was shaky, but somewhat composed. The entire group was watching him now, even Aunt Bella who seemed to have a nice smile on her face. A welcome change in Draco's opinion. "Rosmerta got in contact with me. She says that Dumbledore will be back soon. We need him here as soon as possible. So, we need to lure him back.
"You," Draco pointed at Gibbon. "You go to the Astronomy Tower and launch the Dark Mark from there as high as you can. If he thinks someone has been killed, the old fool will get here as soon as he can."
"Fine," Gibbon grumbled. Draco knew he would do what he could.
"Good," Draco replied. "The rest of you need to come with me. There will, no doubt, be some resistance. Potter and his friends will likely try to head us off. As you know, you need to leave Potter alive. Capture him if you can."
"What about the other traitors?" Yaxley asked. Draco was sure that Yaxley already knew the answer. The man was just testing him. Draco didn't like Granger, Lovegood, Longbottom or the Weasleys, but he didn't really have the wish to see them dead. Not really.
"Kill them," Draco said firmly, happy that his voce didn't crack. "But you have to realise that the main objective here is to kill Dumbledore. Not other students. Don't do anything that would hurt the main objective."
"You aren't trying to protect your school chums, are you Draco?" Amycus taunted. Everyone there seemed to laugh except Draco and Aunt Bella. Draco did, however, redden slightly. He hoped that they thought it was out of anger.
"No. I just want to get things done as easily as possible," Draco said quickly and slightly angrily.
"If the Order gets here," Aunt Bella added, "we won't win. There's too many of them. This is, and was always meant to be, a small mission. Otherwise the Dark Lord would have sent more of us. We cannot face all of the school, the teachers, Dumbledore and the Order with so few of us."
The group fell silent.
"If that's all," Draco said impatiently, pulling out and enlarging the Hand of Glory, carrying it in one hand and the Instant Darkness Powder in the other. "I'll leave first to check that everything's alright. If there are people out there, I'll use the powder. If that happens, only I can see because of the Hand of Glory, so we'll need to go single file and hold hands to get through. So be prepared."
Draco led the Death Eaters to the exit of the room. He looked over his shoulder and noticed that they had actually gotten into single file. That lifted Draco's spirits somewhat. It was every Slytherin's dream to be able to command such power. But is this the power I want?
When Draco opened the door, the first thing he saw were the Weasleys and Longbottom. Straight away, he threw the powder into the air and lifted the Hand of Glory so that he could see to get out of the powder. He reached back and took his Aunt's hand in his. It was the first time he had held his Aunt's hand and he found it quite smooth. But he didn't have time to think about that, however, as he walked forward straight away. He was quite pleased with himself hearing the fools try to use spells to see things. Luckily, the Death Eaters were able to contain themselves enough to not attack them.
Everything seemed to be going smoothly once the Death Eaters were out of the smoke and Draco started to lead them to the Astronomy Tower. Gibbon, however, decided to run ahead to do his duty. Draco wanted to go with him, but Aunt Bella held his arm.
"If you go with him, there's no telling what will happen," she whispered to him. It was not like his Aunt to be like this, but Draco knew better than to disobey. It was while the group was making their way to the tower that people started to come. As they were walking, Draco saw some people emerge in front of them, out of a side corridor. He wasn't sure who they were, but he knew that they wouldn't be friendly.
Aunt Bella grabbed him and forcefully pushed him into a small, cave-like area in the wall before all hell broke loose. Draco saw Fenrir Greyback run right forward and start attacking someone extremely viciously. Draco put his head around the corner to try to see things better and saw that the one that Greyback was attacking was a red-head. One of the older Weasley's no doubt. The thought brought no pleasure to Draco.
But before he could get a better look at everything that was going on, he saw a stunning spell hurtling towards his head. Draco was barely able to get his head back into the cave. He swore that he could feel the wind brush past his head. He sat there, hearing the sounds of spells being cast for a few minutes when he saw three familiar people head past him and towards the battle. It was the Weasleys and Longbottom again. Where's Potter? Draco wondered to himself. It was beginning to worry him that Potter hadn't shown up yet.
It didn't take long for Draco to realise that he had to move. If he didn't, he would miss the chance to kill Dumbledore. The problem was that the only way to get to the Astronomy Tower was through the battle. Draco realised that he would have to chance it. If he did nothing he would be dead anyway.
So Draco quickly scurried out of the cave and was very nearly hit by a stunner that had been fired by someone. He assumed that it was one of the Order of the Phoenix, since they never killed anyone. A sentiment that the Death Eaters, unsurprisingly, did not share.
And he ran. He ran as fast as he could towards the battle. There were red and green lights everywhere, but he seemed less afraid while he was running. As he was running, he caught the eye of Aunt Bella. She seemed pleased that he was getting a move on, which made him feel even better about things. It was then, strangely, that he realised that he had lost the coin and the Hand of Glory. They weren't important anymore, so he continued to run.
Once, he had to dodge a Killing Curse which was cast by a Death Eater at the wrong angle, but otherwise, he had a clean run. He did have to step over a dead body, which the darkness had obscured. He took a guess and assumed that Greyback had finished the job. For some reason, he felt sick at the thought. But he didn't stop. He kept running until he was out of range of the fighting.
He caught his breath as he walked the rest of the way, but soon reached the steps that lead to the top of the Astronomy Tower. He took the steps two at a time in order to get up there quick enough. When he reached the door he quickly opened the door.
"Expelliarmus!" he cried, mainly as a precaution. As soon as he spoke the last syllable, he saw Dumbledore standing there. The old man swished his wand, but made no move to block the spell which sent the wand flying. It unnerved Draco that Dumbledore showed no sign of panic at all.
"Good evening, Draco," Dumbledore said almost amicably, looking Draco directly in the eyes and seeming to see right through Draco, right into his soul. Draco stepped forward and glanced around the room quickly and saw no one. He saw two brooms, however and instantly became suspicious.
"Who else is here?" Draco asked, not looking away from the brooms.
"A question I might ask you," Dumbledore said in an annoyingly calm voice. "Or are you acting alone?"
Draco immediately looked away from the brooms and back at Dumbledore who had not looked away from him at all.
"No," he said, not sounding overly confident. He could feel the sweat on his face and reached up with his left hand to fix his hair slightly. "I've got back-up. There are Death Eaters here in your school tonight."
"Well, well," Dumbledore responded, in a tone that suggested to Draco that he was actually impressed. "Very good indeed. You found a way to let them in, did you?"
"Yeah," said Malfoy, who realised that he was panting from the sprinting that he had to do to get to the tower. "Right under your nose and you never realized!"
"Ingenious," Dumbledore said, seemingly sincerely. "Yet…forgive me…where are they now? You seem unsupported."
"They met some of your guard. They're having a fight down below," Draco remembered the body on the ground and, unbidden, the image of Graham and then Theo came to his mind. "They won't be long…I came on ahead. I - I've got a job to do."
"Well, then, you must get on and do it, my dear boy," Dumbledore said softly, sounding his age for the first time in as long as Draco had known the man. In a strange way that unnerved Draco.
There was silence for a time. All Draco did was stare at the man that he was tasked with killing. And then, all of a sudden, Dumbledore smiled. Draco felt more frightened of that smile than of the Dark Lord's.
"Draco, Draco, you are not a killer."
"How do you know?" Draco said immediately, hating himself for doing so just as soon as he did. But he's right. Draco could feel his cheeks light up. "You don't know what I'm capable of," Draco said suddenly, with far more force. "You don't know what I've done!"
"Oh, yes, I do," Dumbledore said mildly. Draco's eyes widened. "You almost killed Katie Bell and Ronald Weasley. You have been trying, with increasing desperation, to kill me all year. Forgive me, Draco, but they have been feeble attempts…so feeble, to be honest, that I wonder whether your heart has been really in it…"
"It has been in it!" Draco replied hotly. No it hasn't. "I've been working on it all year, and tonight —"
Draco suddenly heard a muffled yell and he stiffened and quickly glanced over his shoulder. He hated himself for showing such fear in front of the man he was supposed to kill.
"Somebody is putting up a good fight," Dumbledore said in an almost happy tone which actually made Draco feel a little sick. "But you were saying… yes, you have managed to introduce Death Eaters into my school which, I admit, I thought impossible…how did you do it?"
Draco heard what Dumbledore said, but was too busy listening to the sounds from below. He couldn't help but wonder who it was, and he found himself frightened for whoever it was. Friend or foe. Even if it was Potter.
"Perhaps you ought to get on with the job alone," Dumbledore said and Draco turned quickly to meet the much older man's eyes, his own showing some fear. "What if your backup has been thwarted by my guard? As you have perhaps realized, there are members of the Order of the Phoenix here tonight, too. And after all, you don't really need help… I have no wand at the moment…I cannot defend myself."
Draco stared at the man and looked to Dumbledore's hands, one of which looked almost dead as it was. Dumbledore was right. He had no wand. Do it, Draco thought forcefully, but that thought was followed up with a feeble, I can't.
"I see," Dumbledore continued kindly, after Draco spent some time doing nothing at all but looking at the old man's hands. "You are afraid to act until they join you."
"I'm not afraid!" Draco said loudly, though he still made no move to hurt Dumbledore. "It's you who should be scared!" But he's not. I am.
"But why? I don't think you will kill me, Draco. Killing is not nearly as easy as the innocent believe…so tell me, while we wait for your friends…how did you smuggle them in here? It seems to have taken you a long time to work out how to do it." Dumbledore continued to annoy Draco with his calm tone.
Draco was fighting down the urge to vomit. He gulped and took several deep breaths, glaring at Dumbledore, his wand pointing at the old man. He thought about it and realised that there was no reason not to tell Dumbledore the plan.
"I had to mend that broken Vanishing Cabinet that no one's used for years," he said, noting the look in Dumbledore's eyes. "The one Montague got lost in last year."
"Aaaah." Dumbledore's sigh seemed pained. He closed his eyes for a moment and Dracoo realised how weak the man actually was. "That was clever…there is a pair, I take it?"
"The other's in Borgin and Burke's," Draco replied, not lowering his wand, "and they make a kind of passage between them. Montague told me that when he was stuck in the Hogwarts one, he was trapped in limbo but sometimes he could hear what was going on at school, and sometimes what was going on in the shop, as if the Cabinet was travelling between them, but he couldn't make anyone hear him…in the end he managed to Apparate out, even though he'd never passed his test. He nearly died doing it. Everyone thought it was a really good story, but I was the only one who realized what it meant — even Borgin didn't know — I was the one who realized there could be a way into Hogwarts through the Cabinets if I fixed the broken one."
"Very good," Dumbledore murmured, still sounding impressed. Draco realised that Dumbledore's words were making him feel better somehow. "So the Death Eaters were able to pass from Borgin and Burke's into the school to help you…a clever plan, a very clever plan...and, as you say, right under my nose…"
"Yeah," Draco replied, more enthusiastic than before, feeling strangely elated at the praise. "Yeah, it was!"
"But there were times," Dumbledore went on, "weren't there, when you were not sure you would succeed in mending the Cabinet? And you resorted to crude and badly judged measures such as sending me a cursed necklace that was bound to reach the wrong hands…poisoning mead there was only the slightest chance I might drink…"
"Yeah, well, you still didn't realize who was behind that stuff, did you?" Draco said with a smile. As he did he noticed that Dumbledore slid a little down the ramparts, the strength in his legs apparently fading. Somehow, this made him feel better as well. But worse at the same time.
"As a matter of fact, I did," Dumbledore replied, surprising Draco. "I was sure it was you."
"Why didn't you stop me, then?" Draco demanded, actually angry that his plans were so easily seen through.
"I tried, Draco. Professor Snape has been keeping watch over you on my orders —" While Dumbledore was talking, Draco snorted and interrupted.
"He hasn't been doing your orders, he promised my mother —" but as he was talking, Dumbledore interrupted, surprising Draco.
"Of course that is what he would tell you, Draco, but —"
"He's a double-agent, you stupid old man, he isn't working for you, you just think he is!" Draco had been there at Death Eater meetings when Snape gave information on the Order of the Phoenix. He knew where the man's true loyalties laid. And it wasn't with Dumbledore.
"We must agree to differ on that, Draco. It so happens that I trust Professor Snape —" Draco couldn't believe the stupidity of the old man.
"Well, you're losing your grip, then!" Malfoy said with a laugh. "He's been offering me plenty of help — wanting all the glory for himself — wanting a bit of the action — 'What are you doing? Did you do the necklace, that was stupid, it could have blown everything —' But I haven't told him what I've been doing in the Room of Requirement, he's going to wake up tomorrow and it'll all be over and he won't be the Dark Lord's favourite any more, he'll be nothing compared to me, nothing!" Draco suddenly realised that he was moving his lips, but his father's voice was coming out. Everything that his father had ever taught him, came out of his mouth.
"Very gratifying," Dumbledore said with a feeble nod. "We all like appreciation for our own hard work, of course…but you must have had an accomplice, all the same…someone in Hogsmeade, someone who was able to slip Katie the - the – aaaah." It was clear that Dumbledore had realised the answer. Dumbledore closed his eyes again and nodded, as though he was about to fall asleep. "…of course…Rosmerta. How long has she been under the Imperius Curse?"
"Got there at last, have you?" Draco taunted.
There was another yell from below, rather louder than the last and Draco looked straight over his shoulder before looking straight back at Dumbledore.
"So poor Rosmerta was forced to lurk in her own bathroom and pass that necklace to any Hogwarts student who entered the room unaccompanied? And the poisoned mead…well, naturally, Rosmerta was able to poison it for you before she sent the bottle to Slughorn, believing that it was to be my Christmas present…yes, very neat…very neat…" Draco seemed quite pleased with the praise, even though it was coming from a man he was to kill. "Poor Mr. Filch would not, of course, think to check a bottle of Rosmerta's…tell me, how have you been communicating with Rosmerta? I thought we had all methods of communication in and out of the school monitored."
"Enchanted coins," Draco replied. He noticed that his wand hand was shaking badly. "I had one and she had the other and I could send her messages —"
"Isn't that the secret method of communication the group that called themselves Dumbledore's Army used last year?" Dumbledore asked, his voice light and conversational. Draco noticed him slip even further.
"Yeah, I got the idea from them," Draco replied, with a twisted smile. "I got the idea of poisoning the mead from the Mudblood Granger, as well, I heard her talking in the library about Filch not recognising potions…"
"Please do not use that offensive word in front of me," Dumbledore said quickly, clearly disgusted. Draco couldn't help but laugh at the absurdity.
"You care about me saying 'Mudblood' when I'm about to kill you?" he asked with a laugh.
"Yes, I do," Dumbledore replied with a steely tone, his feet sliding slightly on the floor. "But as for being about to kill me, Draco, you have had several long minutes now. We are quite alone. I am more defenseless than you can have dreamed of finding me, and still you have not acted…"
Draco had realised that all he was doing was stalling. The thought of killing someone was easier to digest than actually killing someone. Particularly someone who was standing there defenceless and who was actually being complimentary towards him. His mouth twisted slightly at the truth of the words that Dumbledore had spoken.
"Now, about tonight," Dumbledore went on, "I am a little puzzled about how it happened…you knew that I had left the school? But of course," Draco could actually see the old man's brain tick over as he put it all together, "Rosmerta saw me leaving, she tipped you off using your ingenious coins, I'm sure…"
"That's right," Draco replied. "But she said you were just going for a drink, you'd be back…"
"Well, I certainly did have a drink…and I came back…after a fashion," Dumbledore mumbled just loud enough for Draco to hear. Draco didn't quite understand that, but let it go. Dumbledore was a fool after all. "So you decided to spring a trap for me?"
"We decided to put the Dark Mark over the Tower and get you to hurry up here, to see who'd been killed," Draco replied with a smile. "And it worked!"
"Well…yes and no…" Dumbledore said in such a way that dropped Draco's spirits. "But am I to take it, then, that nobody has been murdered?"
"Someone's dead," Draco said as harshly as he could so as to not betray how sick he felt at the mere thought of that body, but even so, his voice went up an octave. "One of your people…I don't know who, it was dark…I stepped over the body…I was supposed to be waiting up here when you got back, only your Phoenix lot got in the way…"
"Yes, they do that," Dumbledore said with a small smile.
There was a bang and shouts from below, louder than ever. Draco guessed that the fighting had moved to the actual spiral staircase that led to where Dumbledore and Draco stood.
"There is little time, one way or another," Dumbledore said almost impatiently. "So let us discuss your options, Draco." Draco's eyes widened and he began to feel quite angry very quickly.
"My options!" He found himself yelling. "I'm standing here with a wand — I'm about to kill you —"
"My dear boy, let us have no more pretence about that," Dumbledore said kindly. "If you were going to kill me, you would have done it when you first disarmed me, you would not have stopped for this pleasant chat about ways and means."
"I haven't got any options!" Draco suddenly burst out, sounding more like a child than he had in years. "I've got to do it! He'll kill me! He'll kill my whole family!" Secretly, he was wondering if Dumbledore could actually save him. If he could...
"I appreciate the difficulty of your position," Dumbledore said in the voice of a grandfather talking to a grandson. "Why else do you think I have not confronted you before now? Because I knew that you would have been murdered if Lord Voldemort realized that I suspected you." Draco shuddered at the name as the face came to his mind and laughter filled his head.
"I did not dare speak to you of the mission with which I knew you had been entrusted, in case he used Legilimency against you," Dumbledore continued in the same tone. "But now at last we can speak plainly to each other…no harm has been done, you have hurt nobody, though you are very lucky that your unintentional victims survived…I can help you, Draco."
"No, you can't," Draco said sadly, truly realising that he could not win in this situation. He looked to his wand hand and found himself shaking badly. "Nobody can. He told me to do it or he'll kill me. I've got no choice."
"Come over to the right side, Draco, and we can hide you more completely than you can possibly imagine," that piqued Draco's interest. "What is more, I can send members of the Order to your mother tonight to hide her likewise. Your father is safe at the moment in Azkaban…when the time comes we can protect him too…come over to the right side, Draco…you are not a killer…"
Draco stared at Dumbledore for a time. There seemed to be two voices going in his head. His father's voice, telling him about the rewards of the Dark Lord and what he could do for them. And then there was his own voice. But Draco had been taught to obey his father.
"But I got this far, didn't I?" he said slowly. "They thought I'd die in the attempt, but I'm here…and you're in my power…I'm the one with the wand…you're at my mercy…"
"No, Draco," Dumbledore said quietly. "It is my mercy, and not yours, that matters now." Draco raised his eyebrows.
But suddenly footsteps were thundering up the stairs and a second later Draco was pushed out of the way as four people in black robes burst through the door on to the ramparts. Amycus Carrow, had an odd lopsided leer as he gave a wheezy giggle.
"Dumbledore cornered!" he said happily, and he turned to his sister, Alecto, who was grinning eagerly. "Dumbledore wandless, Dumbledore alone! Well done, Draco, well done!"
"Good evening, Amycus," said Dumbledore calmly. "And you've brought Alecto too…charming…"
"Think your little jokes'll help you on your death bed, then?" Alecto jeered. Draco was a little put off by this intrusion.
"Jokes? No, no, these are manners," Dumbledore replied and Draco nearly scoffed, but kept it to himself.
"Do it," said the rasping bark of a voice of Greyback. Draco was sure the werewolf was talking to him.
"Is that you, Fenrir?" Dumbledore asked.
"That's right," Greyback rasped. "Pleased to see me, Dumbledore?"
"No, I cannot say that I am…" Dumbledore replied quetly.
Greyback grinned, showing pointed teeth. Blood trickled down his chin and he licked his lips slowly, obscenely. Draco felt sick once again.
"But you know how much I like kids, Dumbledore." Draco saw Theodore Nott for half a second when Greyback said that.
"Am I to take it that you are attacking even without the full moon now? This is most unusual…you have developed a taste for human flesh that cannot be satisfied once a month?" Draco was surprised at the audacity of Dumbledore, a man facing down five people with no wand of his own in sight.
"That's right," Greyback replied with a creepy smile. "Shocks you, that, does it, Dumbledore? Frightens you?"
"Well, I cannot pretend it does not disgust me a little," Dumbledore replied. It disgusts me, Draco thought. "And, yes, I am a little shocked that Draco here invited you, of all people, into the school where his friends live…"
"I didn't," Draco said, trying not to throw up. He didn't even look at the werewolf. "I didn't know he was going to come —" That was true enough.
"I wouldn't want to miss a trip to Hogwarts, Dumbledore," Greyback rasped. "Not when there are throats to be ripped out…delicious, delicious…" Draco nearly heaved. Greyback then raised a yellow fingernail and picked at his front teeth, leering at Dumbledore. "I could do you for afters, Dumbledore…"
"No," Yaxley said suddenly. "We've got orders. Draco's got to do it. Now, Draco, and quickly."
Draco felt terrified as he stared into Dumbledore's face, which was even paler, and rather lower than usual, as he had slid so far down the rampart wall. Draco knew, in that moment, that he could not kill Dumbledore.
"He's not long for this world anyway, if you ask me!" Amycus said with a laugh, which was accompanied by Alecto giggling. "Look at him — what's happened to you, then, Dumby?"
"Oh, weaker resistance, slower reflexes, Amycus," Dumbledore replied. "Old age, in short… one day, perhaps, it will happen to you… if you are lucky…"
"What's that mean, then, what's that mean?" Amycus yelled, apparently haven taken offense at those words.
"Always the same, weren't yeh, Dumby, talking and doing nothing, nothing, I don't even know why the Dark Lord's bothering to kill yeh!" I'm supposed to kill him, not the Dark Lord. Alecto turned to Draco. "Come on, Draco, do it!"
But at that moment, there were renewed sounds of scuffling from below and a voice shouted, "They've blocked the stairs - Reducto! REDUCTO!" It appeared to Draco that the Carrows, Yaxley and Greyback hadn't actually stopped everyone. And that worried him.
"Now, Draco, quickly!" Yaxley yelled angrily. But Draco's hand was shaking so badly that he could barely aim, not that he was going to do anything.
"I'll do it," Greyback snarled, moving towards Dumbledore with his hands outstretched, his teeth bared.
"I said no!" Yaxley yelled and there was a flash of light. The werewolf was blasted out of the way and hit the ramparts and staggered, looking furious.
"Draco, do it, or stand aside so one of us —" Alecto shrieked, but at that precise moment the door to the ramparts burst open once more and there stood Severus Snape, his wand clutched in his hand as his black eyes swept the scene, from Dumbledore slumped against the wall, to the four Death Eaters, including the enraged werewolf, and Draco.
"We've got a problem, Snape," said the lumpy Amycus, whose eyes and wand were fixed upon Dumbledore, "the boy doesn't seem able —" He was cut off by Dumbledore's feeble voice.
"Severus…"
Dumbledore was pleading, Draco realised. But for what reason? If he truly believed that Severus was on his side, why was he pleading?
Severus said nothing, but walked forwards and pushed Draco roughly out of the way. Finally stopping Draco from having to kill Dumbledore. Severus gazed for a moment at Dumbledore, and there was revulsion and hatred etched in the harsh lines of his face.
"Severus… please…"
Severus raised his wand and pointed it directly at Dumbledore.
"Avada Kedavra!"
A jet of green light shot from the end of Snape's wand and hit Dumbledore squarely in the chest. Draco wanted to scream both in horror, surprise and happiness as Dumbledore was blasted into the air. Dumbledore was soon out of sight as he fell behind the ramparts.
"Out of here, quickly," Severus said as he seized Draco by the scruff of his neck. Draco was finally able to tear his gaze away from the edge of the tower when Snape threw him through the door to the stairs where Draco started to run and the others followed. As he reached the bottom of the stairs, however, he heard a familiar voice.
"Petrificus Totalus!" Potter shouted and Draco heard someone fall. It wasn't Severus, though, as he pushed Draco to the bottom of the stairs.
When they reached the bottom of the stairs, Draco saw the fighting still going on, involving a lot of people, a few of whom he could actually recognise.
"It's over! Time to go!" Severus yelled. Amidst the fighting, Draco heard Potter's voice again.
"Petrificus Totalus!" Potter shouted. Draco looked back in time to see Greyback fall on top of Potter. After that, things became a bit of a blur for Draco. The next thing that he could clearly remember was being outside the castle and close to that oaf, Hagrid's, hut.
"Stupefy!" Draco heard Potter's voice yell. Draco turned around to see the spell go right past Severus' head.
"Run, Draco!" Severus yelled. Draco didn't have to be told twice as he turned and sprinted towards the gate. He ran through it and was about to Apparate away, but turned around to see Potter being bested by Severus. Draco didn't want to stick around too much longer, so he turned on his heel and Apparated back to the safety of Malfoy Manor. And the Dark Lord.