"YOU DID WHAT?" Snape yelled, and then after neither of us managed an answer he continued in a menacingly low voice, "are you insane?"
At this, Draco finally spoke up, "No, we are not insane, and we need your help to figure out the other two horcruxes."
"Don't say that word aloud! You've already caused enough danger for us without you going around yelling about secret dark magic," Snape hissed. "I warned you about getting this girl involved. She has filled your head with nonsense."
"Hey!" I protested indignantly. "My idea is not nonsense. It will work just fine if you help us. Besides, don't you want to be free of your servitude to him?"
Snape paused at that, as though he had not considered his freedom in the equation. "Walk me through it again," he said, "I was too mad to listen fully the first time."
"There are seven horcruxes, the diary, a ring, the diadem, the cup, Nagini, and two more we don't know about. Four are already destroyed, so we just need to identify the other two. Once we have all the easy ones done, we kill Dumbledore and go present his wand to Voldemort, but instead of giving it to him, I kill the snake and Draco kills Voldemort with the wand. Maybe someone less obnoxious can take over as Dark Lord." I finished with a sneer.
"You arrogant child, you think you can just walk in and kill the most powerful wizard alive?" Snape asked.
"He won't be the most powerful wizard alive once we have destroyed seven chunks of his soul. His strength is also his weakness," I snapped back.
"Are you going to help us or not?" Draco questioned him. Snape did not answer immediately. He turned his back to us and paced away towards his desk. I was ready to give up on him, when he turned and walked briskly back towards us.
"I know the other two horcruxes," he said, "I will destroy one, but the other will be up to you. Tonight Dumbledore is taking Potter to a cave to retrieve a locket, but it is a fake. The true horcrux is being worn by Umbridge. I will go get it from her and destroy it."
"What is the other one?" I asked him.
"The seventh horcrux is Harry Potter." He said quietly. Draco and I were both silent. There were no words. Even though we weren't the biggest Potter fans, we had trouble letting the information sink in.
"Are you sure?" Draco asked.
"Yes, Dumbledore told me himself. Part of the Dark Lord's soul broke off and latched itself onto Harry on the night he tried to kill him as a baby," Snape explained.
"It has to be tonight then," I said with finality. "They will be coming back from their trip, and we will be waiting for them. We kill them both."
"Aemilia," Draco said it like a question, like he couldn't believe what I had said.
"We know that Potter is planning on hunting all of these horcruxes anyways. You know he would sacrifice his life for this cause. We are just saving him from the decision," I knew I sounded heartless, but this was no time for weak spirits.
"She is right, I was supposed to tell him when the time was right," Snape admitted.
"Ok, Professor will you write us excuse notes for classes today? We need to prepare," Draco said, and with notes in hand we left his office, unsure of what the next twenty four hours would bring.
We spent the morning writing letters to people we loved. I noticed with sadness that my stack was substantially larger than Draco's stack. I had written to all my best friends, the only one left was my parents. The blank parchment in front of me was daunting, but I finally decided that I would just say everything, and then I would worry later about whether it was the perfect words.
Dear Mom and Dad,
First, I love you, more than anything in the world. Thank you for raising me to know that ambition can coexist with good moral values. I have always considered you both to be role models and I have strived to live up to the example that you set for me. Second, I want you to know that I love Draco Malfoy. I know his family has a dark history, but he is a good person. Draco and I will be doing something dangerous tonight, and no matter what you hear about us, I want you to know that we did it for the right reasons. If we survive, I promise to tell you the whole story, if we do not…well try to remember me as the girl you raised, not as they will talk about us in the Prophet. I hope to be home with you soon.
With All the Love in My Heart,
Aemilia
I folded up the letter and sent it with my owl, Vici. Draco had also sent notes to his family, but only to inform them that it was time to put the plan into motion tonight. I knew Draco would have liked to say goodbye to his mother, but he couldn't risk giving us away. We had to maintain our secret.
At lunch, Draco managed to eat a green apple. I wolfed down an entire three course meal of my favorites. If I was going to die tonight, I wanted to enjoy my favorites.
By midafternoon, Snape sent us a note that simply said, "It is done". After that, Draco and I wasted time in the courtyard waiting for Potter to pass by on his way to Dumbledore's office.
"Are you scared, Aemilia?" he asked me. He had a snitch in his hands from a match he had won against Hufflepuff. He was twirling it around his long fingers, releasing it and catching it.
"No," I lied. I was terrified, but I wasn't willing to tell him that. We needed to be brave tonight, and I was planning on lying to myself all night about not being scared. The phrase, fake it till you make it, came to my mind. "Are you scared," I asked him.
"Yes," he replied simply, choosing not to elaborate. I wasn't going to push him. He was braver than I was just for being honest. I pulled a vial from my pocket.
"If there ever was a time to use this, it is now," I told him. Pressing it into his hands. He nodded and tipped it back, swallowing the contents. The protection potion was untested, but I hoped it would keep him safe. We remained quiet for the rest of the afternoon. Neither of us sure what to say, especially when the silence was more comfortable that conversation.
Finally, Potter walked by in the direction of Dumbledore's office. Granger and Weasley following along behind him. A few moments later and the Golden Couple went back the way they came. Draco took my hand and led me to the common room to wait for night to fall.
Just before midnight, he kissed me deeply at the base of the astronomy tower. There was no turning back at this point. The death eaters would be right behind us. We started up the steps, Draco continued to the top, and I hid underneath the platform. There was the distinctive pop of apparition and I heard Dumbledore's voice. I couldn't make out what he was saying, but Potter came down the steps. I quietly stupefied him, then bound him with an incarcerous. I felt a tear fall from my eye as the reality of what we were doing sunk in. The death eaters rushed by me. Snape walked by, signaling me to be quiet. I could hear Draco talking to Dumbledore.
Draco raised his voice, "I have to do this!" he cried. Silence. Then they came running down the stairs triumphantly. Bellatrix was dragging a rather shocked looking Draco by the collar. She stopped when she saw me standing over Potter.
"Dumbledore and Potter in one night!?" she exclaimed. "The Dark Lord will be so please with both of you."
I eyed Draco questioningly and he nodded weakly. I glanced down and saw the two wands in his hand. I held back the tears that were now threatening to give me away. I took a deep breath and levitated Potter down the stairs, following the others on our way out of the castle. Bellatrix was determined to use her time to wreak chaos by destroying windows and blasting statues. I lost control and cried when she set Hagrid's hut on fire. I hardly noticed when someone grabbed me and Potter and apparated us away from the edge of the Forbidden Forest.
I was dropped unceremoniously at the edge of the Malfoy property. The wards prevented them from apparating us directly in. Draco was next to me, he took my hand and led the way. The Dark Lord was waiting for us in the ballroom. He was sitting in a high backed chair, with his followers gathered around him.
I stepped forward, levitating Potter in front of me. "I've brought Potter for you, my Lord," I announced.
He rose from his seat. "Well done, my child. You have done what others have failed, and Dumbledore?" he asked, turning to look at Draco.
"It is done, as you commanded, Sir," he answered, keeping his head lowered in submission.
Voldemort took out his wand, pointing it at Potter, "Inervate," he said to wake Potter from the spell I had cast. His green eyes flew open, looking around in panic. "Hello again, Mr. Potter. Crucio!" he said menacingly. Potter writhed on the floor in pain. I looked down and closed my eyes. Draco squeezed my hand tightly. "Avada Kedavra!" Voldemort shouted. The beam of green light shot from the tip of his wand and hit Potter in the chest. He went limp. Dead.
Those gathered in the room cheered. Voldemort swept about the room in victory, relishing the attention as his followers bowed to him. I had a firm grasp on my wand, and my other hand moved to the long dagger concealed in my robes. Nagini slithered along behind the Dark Lord, I waited till she was passing by me, and without hesitation I brought the dagger down through her head, pinning her to the floor. Before anyone had time to react, I shouted, "Incendio," and watched as her body burned. Voldemort fell to the ground, clutching his chest.
"Now, Draco," I whispered fiercely. He raised Dumbledore's wand at Voldemort, but he was back on his feet. A bolt of green light hit me, just as a matching light left from Draco's direction. The last thing I saw as I fell to my knees was Voldemort collapsing in on himself and disintegrating into a million tiny pieces of ash. Then the spells started to fly, all across the room. I saw Draco surrounded in a halo of light, as spells bounced off harmlessly. Then, darkness.
-Epilogue-
Aemilia Buchanan died a war hero. Draco had flown into a fit of rage upon seeing her lying dead on his ballroom floor. Snape, Lucius, Draco, and Narcissa had quickly subdued the death eaters who fought back after Voldemort fell. Harry had revived just in time to see the whole thing. As it turned out, Voldemort only killed his own piece of soul, allowing Harry to return unharmed. His testimony and the arrest of the remaining death eaters, had redeemed the Malfoy family and Snape.
Draco had expanded the Malfoy potion company. He had made sure that Aemilia was given credit for her creation of the protection potion. She was buried with full honors at the Buchanan estate, and Draco visited her on her birthday every year.
Eight years later, Draco married Astoria, who had never given up on loving him. She had been his sole comfort in the dark days that followed Aemilia's death. They named their first son, Scorpius, and their eldest daughter was rightfully named Aemilia Malfoy.