Chapter 14

Harry Potter had insisted for weeks that Draco Malfoy was behind the poisoned necklace, but nobody believed him. Now he would get proof. The Marauder's Map showed him that Malfoy was out prowling the halls at midnight, heading up to the seventh floor.

There was Malfoy, a few feet away. As Harry crossed an intersecting corridor, there was a draft that caused him to clutch his invisibility cloak tightly around him. At that instant, Malfoy struck with a silent Petrificus Totalis. Harry was caught off guard, his wand-hand occupied.

"I've caught you twice with this spell, Potter," the person Harry took to be Malfoy said. "You must be getting tired of it. Ok, Room of Requirement: I need a place to hide Harry Potter."

Malfoy dragged Harry into the Room of Requirement and shut the door. He tugged off the invisibility cloak. "Now let's see if you have that useful person-plotting map on you. Yes, I know about the map. In fact, I counted on it to lead you into my trap. Aha, here it is."

Harry would have ground his teeth if he could. He had never hated Malfoy so much. How had Draco become so clever all of a sudden?

Malfoy placed Harry in an old book-cupboard with the shelves broken out of it. He left the door open a crack. "So you can witness my triumph," Malfoy said.

Malfoy took the invisibility cloak and left for a while. When he came back, Snape was with him.

"This had better be good," said Snape. "Much better than that fiasco of a plan with the poisoned necklace."

"That was too complicated and the delivery got botched," said Malfoy. "My new plan is much better. Look, the escape route is complete. I've repaired the broken Vanishing Cabinet."

Harry listened with amazement, but he realized Draco would never admit to so much in front of him unless he intended to kill him.

"Very good," said Snape. "You could also use this to bring a hit team of Death Eaters into the castle, you know."

"I could," said Malfoy, "But I'm supposed to do this myself. I also stole this map from Potter."

"I recognize that parchment!" said Snape. "That's the same one I once took from Potter -- signed by Prongs, Padfoot, Wormtail, and Moony. The Marauders: my worst enemies in my school days."

"It's great for tracking enemies," said Draco. "Look, it shows Albus Dumbledore on his way here."

"Here?" asked Snape in surprise. "Why is he coming here?"

"I lured him here with a message," said Draco. "I'm going to ambush him."

"You're going toe to toe with Dumbledore in a wizard's duel? That's your worst idea yet!" said Snape.

"I took the Felix Felicis you brewed for me," said Draco. "I can't lose."

"You most certainly can," said Snape. "You seem to have taken too much. One bit of luck you do have is that I've here to back you up."

Snape took cover behind a broken statue. Harry heard the door open and Dumbledore's step. He saw Draco put on his invisibility cloak and vanish. Harry wished he could shout a warning to Dumbledore, but he was helpless.

Dumbledore stopped not far from Harry's book cupboard and peered around. Suddenly a silent Expeliarmus caught him, and his wand went flying away.

"I've got you now," said Draco. "Prepare to die."

"Draco, you're not a killer," said Dumbledore.

"How do you know what I'm capable of?" Malfoy asked.

"I know you were behind the poisoned necklace," said Dumbledore. "That was a rather weak effort, Draco. So weak, that I believe your heart wasn't in it."

"I failed there, but now you're going to die!" said Draco. He pointed his wand at Dumbledore, but it shook.

"Murder is more difficult than the innocent think," said Dumbledore.

"Avad..." said Draco. Then his wand dropped. "I can't do it."

Snape emerged from behind the statue.

"Severus, thank heavens you're here," said Dumbledore. "Please..."

"Avadra Kedavra!" shouted Snape, his eyes glaring with loathing. The green beam struck Dumbledore in the chest and blasted him backward, so that he hit a tall stack of old schoolbooks and was buried under them when they fell.

Harry looked on in horrified shock. Snape had murdered Dumbledore!

Snape looked at Draco in disgust. "You took Felix Felicis and you still couldn't do it? I'm afraid you're not cut out to be a Death Eater. Come along, we'll escape through your Vanishing Cabinet."

Snape entered first, but came out a moment later. "One more thing. You told me earlier that this cabinet allows muggle technology to work. I've prepared something to wipe out the evidence, along with half of Hogwarts."

Snape moved to the far wall and came back with an large heavy object. "This is a muggle bomb. I'll plant it just inside the Cabinet. There, it's set to explode in twenty minutes. Come on, let's get out of here."

"Wait," said Draco. "We can't blow up Hogwarts. My friends will be killed, too!"

"Stay and try to warn them if you want," said Snape. "I'm going."

"But you vowed to protect me!" Draco protested.

"That vow was phrased such that I was only bound while you attempted to carry out the Dark Lord's wishes. Since I have carried out those wishes, the vow is complete. I still won't risk attacking you, but I can leave you in danger, Goodbye," said Snape, and he ducked back into the Cabinet,

"I've got to get help!" cried Draco, running from the room.

Harry sweated in the cupboard. The bomb was counting down. Would help arrive in time?

Draco came back with Professor McGonagall and a house elf.

"Mr. Malfoy, you told this house elf to elf-teleport to me. She told me it was an emergency and to come at once. What is going on? Explain yourself," said Professor McGonagall.

"Professor McGonagall, Snape left a bomb in that cabinet that he said could destroy half of Hogwarts," said Malfoy.

"I'll transfigure it into something harmless," said McGonagall, but a moment later she said, "It isn't working. It must be spell-protected."

"Here," said Draco, handing a tool kit to McGonagall. "I used this toolkit to work on the Vanishing Cabinet. It's all yours. I don't know anything about muggle bombs."

"Holly knows," said the elf. "Holly was trained to disarm bombs."

"An odd sort of training for an elf, but we don't have much time," said McGonagall, "Here are the tools... Oh, just a moment."

"What is it?" asked Draco.

"Mr. Malfoy, I happened to notice a pair of workman's gloves at the bottom of this toolkit. It's my habit to check for such things whenever I hand things to an elf. With Professor Dumbledore absent, I am acting Headmistress and I would have accidentally freed her."

"But the bomb!" said Draco. "We don't have time for this!"

"Quite right," said McGonagall. "Holly, what tools do you need?"

"Holly needs wire-cutters, Headmistress," said Holly.

Professor McGonagall took out a pair of wire cutters and handed them to Holly, who set to work clipping wires on the bomb.

Suddenly, she seemed to have cut the wrong wire, because the counter suddenly sped up. The elf heroically grabbed up the bomb and dived deeper into the Vanishing Cabinet. There was a bright flash and a loud explosive sound, and Harry blacked out.