Chapter Nine- Snape and Dumbledore

Draco felt like all the blood had drained from his face. Kill Dumbledore? How could he do that? He supported the headmaster now. There was no way he could kill him.

Bellastrix looked at him with savage pleasure on her face. He looked at his mother to see that her face was blank. Everyone else was looking at him, waiting for his response.

He looked at Voldemort before bowing his head and murmured, "As you wish, My Lord."

"Very good, my boy. Do this and your good standing and status will be restored. Fail and I'll kill you and your family."

Draco paled at this pronouncement, yet bowed his head again. "Yes, My Lord."

Draco could barely hold in his panic as he stood next to the fireplace the day before term would start. He had to speak to Dumbledore immediately, but he had to act as if everything was normal. Except it's not normal, he thought. I don't think Dumbledore expected me to learn of a murder plot or that I would be tasked with carrying out the plot.

Narcissa embraced Draco. "Take care of yourself. Stay safe and please the Dark Lord."

"Yes, Mother. See you at Easter." Draco stepped into the fireplace, threw down the Floo Powder he grabbed beforehand, and shouted, "Hogwarts!" The fireplace and his mother vanished in a whirl of green flames and was replaced by Professor Snape and his office fireplace.

"Good evening, Draco," Snape greeted. "Study up. Your next instruction quiz is this Wednesday."

"Yes, sir. Professor, is Professor Dumbledore here? I need to see him urgently."

"I'm afraid not. Does it have to do with your mission?"

"Yes, sir. You-Know-Who is planning to have Professor Dumbledore killed and he wants me to do it!" Draco's voice rose hysterically as the last six words.

"I see," Snape said calmly.

"Professor, I can't do it, but if I don't, he'll kill me and my family." Draco fell into a chair and buried his face in his hands. No sobs escaped, but his misery was plain to see.

Snape rose from his desk, stood beside the blond, and put a hand on his shoulder which made the boy look up. "I appreciate you telling me, Draco."

"Only you and Professor Dumbledore know what I'm doing. Sir, why weren't you at the meeting?"

"My "orders" from the Dark Lord are to stay at school while classes are in session and during Christmas and Easter breaks."

Draco nodded, feeling a little calmer. He would be repeating his report to Dumbledore as some point and hopefully Dumbledore will already have a plan in place.

Classes resumed the next day and Draco was in full study mode. He was expert in nonverbal spells in DADA, Transfigurations, and Charms, being second only to Granger. He took his instruction quiz and aced it which pleased Snape greatly and promised Draco that he could assist him the next time the potion needed to be brewed- but only in handing over the ingredients. Draco didn't care that his participation was small; he was finally allowed to help begin the brewing process!

On the Monday after term started, Draco received a roll of parchment. He opened it to see Dumbledore's writing summoning him to the office at eight and including the new password. He was thrilled to get the invitation; he was bursting to tell Dumbledore and perhaps have a solution.

At eight, Draco knocked on the door and he heard, "Enter," before doing so and closing the door behind him. "Good evening, Professor."

"Same to you, Draco." Dumbledore said as he put his hands on the desk, right over left.

Draco stared at the right hand. He remembered seeing it at the Welcoming Feast looking the way it did now: Blackened and looking as if it was dead or dying. "Sir, what happened to your hand?"

"It is nothing to be concerned about, dear boy. Severus has already taken care of it. So, you have anything to report?"

"Yes, sir. Voldemort wants you dead and he's set me to the task."

Dumbledore smiled benignly. "Has he now?"

"Sir, you know I could never kill you. Voldemort made it clear that if I fail then my family and I will be killed."

"Just out of curiosity, what did he offer for success?"

"He said my good standing would be restored. I think he means that the Death Eaters would show me respect instead of the looks of disgust they give me."

"A tempting offer."

"True, but how they view me doesn't matter at all. My concern is keeping my parents and me alive in a way that doesn't involve murder."

"Thank you, Draco. I assure you I will do all I can to save you and your family."

Draco nodded and left the office. Once the door had closed shut, Dumbledore stared at the ceiling. Draco had certainly changed since being bitten. His perception of purebloods and muggle-borns had changed, his resolve to study harder and seek a teaching post- all had been brought about by the bite.

His gaze landed on his right hand. If Severus is correct and I have no reason to doubt him, I will be dead by the end of the school year thanks to the curse that had been inflicted on me. Hmm…perhaps I can ask more of Draco; something he can carry on with after I'm gone.

February arrived and Draco found himself in Snape's office on a Saturday morning, assisting in brewing the potion. He paid strict attention to what Snape was doing and when passing over the ingredients.

"All right, that's all for now. We need to let this mature for a week before we complete it." Snape glanced over to see Draco nod and stare at the potion intensely, committing the color to memory. He gave a small smile as he carefully stored the cauldron and the remaining ingredients before dismissing Draco for the weekend.

Draco had become an almost completely different person. When he first started Hogwarts, he was every inch the typical Malfoy: proud of his pureblood status and being placed in the same house as his father, who was a school governor. Lucius lost his post as a school governor the following year, but Draco's attitude didn't change at all…until this past summer.

Now, blood status meant nothing to the boy and he changed his support of the Dark Lord over to Dumbledore. He had accepted his werewolf status and was hiding it well from his housemates. His schoolwork had also improved and had not suffered from Quidditch practices, his private lessons, and most recently, Apparition lessons.

Draco's always been good with his schoolwork. He's just started working harder to prepare for a teaching job. When McGonagall assumes the post of Headmistress, I will approach her and explain Draco's situation so that when he applies, she'll hire him on the spot.

Draco thought the Apparition lessons to be hopeless and boring; probably because he hadn't successfully Apparated yet. Perhaps I need to focus more. I can't Apparate with my mind distracted with potion-brewing and keeping my secret.

He took a deep breath and cleared his mind of everything except the space in the hoop before stepping forward and turning on the spot. He sensed blackness and a feeling of compression before it was released. He opened his eyes and looked down to see the hoop encircling him. A grin lit up his face: He had done it! He Apparated!

I know I have to wait until I'm seventeen to take the test, but at least I know I'll pass. He smirked as he returned to his starting point along with his classmates, ready to try again and succeed.