CHAPTER VI

NOVEMBER 1996

- Hogwarts, The Black Lake -

(Year 6)

It had been two weeks, since Hermione had seen the Dark Mark on Draco's arm, two weeks since she had run away from the boy who turned out to be nothing more than a blood purist monster like his father. Two weeks of guilt of leaving him in obvious pain because she had been scared. Two weeks of guilt building because she had still not told Harry and Ron that Draco Malfoy was now a Death Eater.

She sighed closing her book, knowing it was futile trying to read when all her attention was for once not on school but instead Draco Malfoy. She shouldn't have run off, and to tell the truth, she wasn't sure why it had scared her so much. Maybe it was the idea, that one day soon it would be Draco Malfoy performing the atrocities of Death Eaters right along side his father. Maybe it was the idea of Draco being a Death Eater that scared her more than the actual tattoo itself. Hermione had wanted to go and talk to Draco again but after her reaction, she wasn't sure that he would let her back in and to be perfectly honest she couldn't blame him.

She had begged and demanded to know why he couldn't be friends with her, and then at the first sign of trust, she had run. She hadn't even waited to hear him out. Maybe he had been forced to have the mark, maybe his father had kidnapped and brought him before Voldemort where he couldn't refuse, maybe he had asked for the mark himself. The point was she didn't know because she had run. Cursing herself she got out of her chair and exited the common room. She may have run then, but she wasn't going to run now not matter how much he resisted. He needed help, and whether or not he wanted help he was going to get it.

Not knowing where he was, she hoped that he had returned to his spot by the Black Lake. If not she would return every day until she managed to track him down. Luckily enough, as she approached the worn old tree, she could see him standing by the water. She wouldn't have to wait. Not bothering to announce her presence she ran up and enveloped him in a hug from behind. He stiffened at the contact but she simply ignored it.

"I'm sorry Draco. I asked to be your friend and then I got scared and ran. There is no excuse…but I'm here now and I won't run again." She paused before deciding to add. "I didn't tell anyone by the way…that you know…have the Dark Mark…"

Draco relaxed a little at the last comment. "Thank you." Hermione continued to hug Draco as they both stared at the lake. It took him a while, but eventually he started to speak.

"I didn't want to get it. Maybe when I was younger I might have thought it was cool without really thinking about the consequences of those decisions. I don't want to be there Granger. The Death Eaters, they're all petrified of Voldemort, scared they'll make one small mistake and then bam, one less Death Eater. Petrified, and yet they're fine taking orders and being subservient him. I don't want that life. I don't want a life were I follow someone's order blindly, I don't want a life where I have spend every waking minute looking over my shoulder in fear."

I don't want a life, he thought, where it's wrong to like you.

"But I had no choice! When Voldemort calls upon you, you come, unless you want to die. I had no choice Hermione. It was either become a Death Eater and live, or say no and die."

Hermione wrapped her arms around him tighter in comfort. "Just because you have that mark on does not mean you have to follow them Draco. When the time comes to truly pick sides, you don't have to choose them."

"Yes I do."

"Why do think that?"

"I may be many things Hermione – I'm a coward, arrogant and usually a prick, but there is one thing about me that I can say is good. Whilst I hate my Father for everything he has done, I love my Mother, Hermione. If choose to go against the Dark Mark then I leave her with them. If I don't choose them, not only is my life forfeit but so is hers. I can't do that Hermione. I have to protect her."

Hermione could feel tears cascading down her cheeks at his pain. She hadn't met someone so broken, so torn between doing right and wrong and she wanted nothing but to cast a spell and to have it all washed away. Releasing the hug, she walked around in front of him, and when he refused to look at her, she dragged his face down so he had no choice but to look.

"Draco. Come with me. Let me help you. The only options don't have to be death or serving him. There has to be another option. Let me help you." She whispered to him in hope. Her hands shaking for the pain that he must be feeling.

Draco looked at Hermione Granger carefully. Looked at the hope that he so desperately wanted to grab onto, and then down at his arm. At the mark that was hidden by his clothes and a glamour charm. He knew he had to choose, he was running out of time. He knew that he didn't want his Mother to die, but was unsure whether or not even that was enough motivation to carry out Voldemort's plan. He knew he didn't have it in him to kill Dumbledore.

Draco looked at Hermione again. He remembered the fear and hurt on her face when he had shown her the Dark Mark, and seeing her afraid of him had hurt more than all the times his Father had performed the Cruciatus curse on him. He didn't want to see it again when Hermione realized that he had chosen Voldemort and killed her beloved Professor Dumbledore.

It was barely a whisper, but he spoke it anyway, "Okay."

Warmth enveloped his heart as Hermione's anxious expression turned to pure joy. He smiled back at her and felt Hermione pulling in back up towards the castle.

...

.

...

Hermione dragged a nervous Draco Malfoy to the Headmaster's office. If anyone had any chance of saving Draco, and his mother too, it would be Professor Dumbledore.

"To what do I owe the pleasure of this unexpected visit, Miss Granger, Mr. Malfoy?" Dumbledore asked as he peered at them from over his desk.

"We need your help Professor Dumbledore."

Dumbledore merely raised his eyebrow in response. When Hermione, didn't say anything else, Draco realized she was waiting on him to explain. It felt odd asking the man he had spent the better half of his first years at Hogwarts disrespecting for help.

If it was anyone else who had dragged him up to his office, Draco would have been sure it was just a joke – that all Potter's little follower's would be hiding behind the curtains ready for him to reveal the Dark Mark before throwing him into Azkaban. But because it was Grang-Hermione, especially given that she had kept his secret so far, he trusted that she wouldn't betray him.

Draco rolled up the sleeve of shirt, revealing the horrible tattoo to Dumbledore. The old wizard sighed sadly.

"I feared this would be case. I can only assume that as you are here now Mr. Malfoy that you don't want to bear his mark."

For a moment, Draco was about to say that he did want to, fear for his mother and his own life, taking control. He squashed that fear down angrily. No he wouldn't be like his Father and allow fear to control his actions when he had options in front of him.

"Yes sir. I mean I got the mark, I can't very well say no to Lord Voldemort now can I? I said yes because I don't want to die, and I don't want my Mother to be punished for my decisions. So whilst I said yes, do I agree with what he stands for? Not any more I don't."

"Mr. Malfoy is pleases me to see that you have chosen this path. You are a bright young man, it would be sad to see that talent wasted if you had chosen that dark road. I am also glad to see that both you and Miss Granger have let go past hates to work together. It is nice to see the house unity I have been quite desperate to see slowly coming to fruition." A small twinkle of delight flashed in the old man's eyes. "Mr. Malfoy, I will do everything in my power to ensure both your mother's and your own safety. However there is one stipulation."

Professor Dumbledore's gaze pinned Draco as he spoke. "Yes, sir?"

"You must be complete honest with me."

"Sir?"

"I don't believe that Voldemort would have given you that mark without motive."

Hermione looked at Draco in confusion, not sure what Dumbledore was getting to. As Draco answered she found the horrible answer for herself, only this time she made sure she didn't run even though her mind screamed at her to do so.

"Lord Voldemort tasked me with..." taking a deep breath, Draco summoned up all his courage and finished, "he ordered me to kill you."

"Before talking to Miss Granger, where you thinking of going through with such on order?"

"Honestly? I don't know Professor. There's no part of me that wants to kill you, but there's a small part of me warring, screaming that if I don't, he will kill me and my Mother. For the first time in my life I don't know what I should do. I know what I'm expected to do, but not what I should."

Hermione spoke before Professor Dumbledore could, surprising him once more. "You're wrong Draco. The fact that you're here talking to us now means that you know what to do. You're just afraid of the consequences if something goes wrong. Deep down, you've always known what's right you just don't want other people to pay for your decisions."

Draco nudged Hermione playfully muttering, "Know-It-All. Professor, Lord Voldemort also plans to attack Hogwarts at the end of the year, which is when I am meant to have killed you by. He also plans on sending some Death Eater's into the school to make sure that I've killed you. I'm meant to get the Vanishing Cabinet working so that they can bypass all of Hogwarts security and come in without anyone even knowing."

Dumbledore gave Draco's words a moment of thought before he began, "Mr. Malfoy you are left with three choices. The first choice as you have already said you do not like, is to follow out with Voldemort's plan. Your second choice is that you ignore his commands, and we place your Mother into immediate protective custody starting now. Or the third option is on the surface you appear to working for Voldemort still reporting to him, however you will be feeding information to us to circumvent anything he tries."

Draco pondered the options for a moment before answering. "Although the second option is the easiest, I don't believe Mother would ever leave Father behind. Despite how much she fears him, some part of her still loves him and I don't think she could knowingly leave him behind to deal with Lord Voldemort's wrath. Do you really think I could pull it off? Spying on Lord Voldemort?"

"It takes a great deal of courage and determination to put yourself in that position. It is not a easy road, Mr. Malfoy but I can assure it can be done."

"As long as you can promise that if something goes wrong, you'll protect my Mother."

"You have our honor that should things take a turn for the worse, we will protect your Mother like she is one of our own." Draco smiled in relief. Dumbledore clapped his hands together in excitement. "Now let's work on a plan for this Vanishing Cabinet and the Death Eater's who think it's so easy to slip through all my wards!"