Chapter Twenty-Four

When your time comes to die, be not like those whose hearts are filled with fear of death, so that when their time comes they weep and pray for a little more time to live their lives over again in a different way. Sing your death song, and die like a hero going home.
—Tecumseh

I was sitting in the dining hall, enjoying what I knew to be one of my last glasses of pumpkin juice. Above, the ceiling was bewitched to look like the spring day that it was outside. The sun was shining and I found myself thinking about how great it would be to take a ride on my broom later, to feel the wind rush through my hair once more and stare down at the tiny people far below. I'd always loved heights. It felt as if the farther I got from the ground, the farther away my problems were.

I glanced around the dining hall, knowing that if I could, I would ask Ginny to come along. I couldn't, of course, but what I wouldn't do to fly around, high above to castle with her and watch as the wind tangled with her beautiful red hair. She would tell me I looked just like a dragon soaring through the air, something she'd taken to calling me. I had to admit, I took to Dragon more than I took to any of her other horrible nicknames. I bet she looks great while flying. She wasn't at breakfast yet. I frowned and turned back to my table to see Crabbe and Goyle just sitting down.

"I bet Potter's sitting vigil by his bedside." Crabbe was muttering through a biscuit that he'd somehow already eaten more than half of.

Goyle gave an ugly snort and I found myself sneering in disgust.

"By whose bedside, Crabbe?" I asked.

Crabbe smirked, pleased to know something before me. I briefly wrestled with the idea of leaping across the table and strangling him. It would be nice to rid the world of him before my death.

"Weasley's, of course." Crabbe drawled.

That got my attention; he was clearly talking about Ron, not Gin, but her brother's injury would explain Ginny's absence from breakfast. "And why would he be doing that?"

"Because they're in love, obviously."

I once again restrained myself from stabbing him with the fork I clutched in my hand. "No, you fucking squib. What happened to the weasel?"

Crabbe's mouth fell open at my insult and Goyle answered in his place, snorting again, "He isn't in the hospital, but he was almost poisoned last night."

In one movement, I stood, scraping the bench across the marble floor. I swept through the doors of the Great Hall, ignoring the pain in my torso where I was still healing from Potter's curse, and grabbed Blaise and Pansy by their arms when I found them outside and dragged them backwards to the dungeons.

"Draco! What the hell are you doing? We haven't eaten yet!" Pansy screeched.

Blaise spoke up, drawling, "Oh, shut up, Pansy. You could do to skip a few meals any way."

I smirked, whispered the password, kicked open the door to the common room, throwing both of them on the couch as I began to nervously pace in front of them.

"Mate, what's wrong?" Blaise asked, his typically scattered mind focusing for a moment on my problems.

I stopped pacing, turning to face them. I grabbed tufts of my hair in my fists. I felt like screaming; this must be how Blaise feels all the fucking time. But instead of screaming, my voice was a hoarse whispered when I spoke. "Ginny. We poisoned her brother. She poisoned her brother."

The room was silent for a moment. Blaise shattered it with a mumbled "Shit."

Pansy immediately began thinking of ways to shift the blame. "She isn't the one who made the poison. You are."

I rolled my eyes, "She isn't going to see it that way. She's the one who sold it to Slughorn. God! Why the fuck didn't the old Slug check the fucking mead? He was supposed to check it for poison! He's a fucking potions teacher, for god's sake!" I was nearly screaming at the end of the sentence. Pansy and Blaise cast concerned looks around the room, afraid someone would hear, but it was breakfast time. Slytherins never missed the most important meal of the day. How else would we have the energy for all this scheming and murdering?

"Someone go find Ginny. She's probably losing her goddamn mind. Bring her to the Room of Requirement."

Pansy headed off, apparently already having figured out where to go. I didn't care. I slumped beside Blaise on the couch and rested my head in my hands.

When she walked into the room, I could already see the panic and anger in her big, brown eyes. Seeing that fear there sent a shock through my body, much like it had during out fight with Slughorn. She stumbled into the Room of Requirement, tears running down her face, and crossed her arms.

"What do you want?" She demanded, her voice cold. I'd never heard her speak that way and for a moment I was lost for words.

"What do you think I want? I wanted to see how you're doing." I crossed my arms to mirror her.

"Fucking great. I'm fan-fucking-tastic. I'm only responsible for almost murdering multiple people in this fucking castle, one of which is related to me!"

For a brief second, I thought about pointing out that her brother's death wouldn't have been any real loss to the wizarding world, but though better of it. She wouldn't see it that way. She was a sentimental Gryffindor. She thought every person had worth.

I cast a glare at Pansy and Blaise, who stood at the edges of the room watching our exchange. "Out. Get out."

"But, Draco—" Pansy started.

"Leave!" I yelled at her, losing my patience.

As the door closed and their footsteps faded, I sank to my knees in front of Ginny, taking her hands in mine and pressing them to my face. "Ginny," I murmured. "I am so sorry. This is all my fault. I'm so sorry for all the pain I've caused you."

I heard her sniffle and looked into her face. Her tears had stopped falling, but her lip still trembled. I continued speaking softly, "This isn't your fault. None of this happened because of you. These were all my plans that had gone wrong. You didn't hurt anyone. Okay?"

She nodded slowly and I stood, cupping her face in my hands and wiping away the tears that stained her skin. "That was the last time anyone else will get hurt. This will all be over soon, Red. I promise."

At that, her lip began to wobble again and her face broke into the most painful look I've ever seen. But this time, she didn't cry. I watched as she pushed the sadness from her face, swallowing it down to save for a later time, when she was alone. She nodded again, but this time whispered, "I don't want you to leave me here."

I held her tightly against my chest and fought the lump I felt rising in my throat. "I know, Gin. But it isn't your time yet. You're going to live a long life. And marry some great bloke and have lots of babies. And you're going to be so happy, Gin."

She pushed at my chest and when she looked at me, her eyes were angry. "It isn't your time either, Draco!"

I made a sad face at her, my frown tugging at the corners of my mouth, where wrinkles would grow if I lived long enough. "There isn't any way for me to live, Gin. It is my time."

She rolled her eyes at me, "Didn't you hear, Draco? Dragons live forever."

I gave a half-hearted smile at her attempt to lighten the mood and kissed her.

She clutched my body to hers, her fingertips digging into my shoulder blades, and whispered in my ear, so softly I wasn't sure I was meant to hear, "I don't stand a chance without you."

As I shook him awake, Blaise's golden eyes flew open and his wand tip poked into my neck in nearly the exact same instance. He scowled at me, "I was having a good dream, Drake. What do you want?"

I took a brief moment to wonder what Blaise considered to be a good dream before shaking my head and whispering, "Tonight's the night. It's about to start. I need you to listen to me very carefully. I want you, Pansy, and Ginny to go to the Room of Requirement after I've finished using it and lock yourselves in there. And if you have to, I completely give you permission to knock Ginny unconscious and drag her into the Room. She'll probably resist."

Blaise nodded solemnly.

"And, Blaise, one more thing. When I'm gone, I need you to look out for Ginny. You two can take care of one another. Get the hell out of here. I don't want either of you fighting in any wars. Get out and go find a small house in the country and live there. Take care of her, Blaise. And let her take care of you. Tell her it's my dying wish."

He nodded again, his mouth curled into a frown. He looked at me with sad eyes, "Good luck, mate. Thanks for everything."

I wasn't sure Blaise could feel love, but I knew it was what I felt for him. He'd been like a brother to me my entire life. "I love you, Blaise."

We ran down from the dormitory together and went separate ways—Blaise to wake up Pansy while I walked slowly to Dumbledore's office.

A statue outside asked me for the password. I told it that I didn't have the fucking time to guess every goddamn candy in the entire wizarding world. It told me what I could do with my terrible manners. Frustrated, I picked the statue up—it was only a bust of some long-forgotten and unimportant wizard—and threatened to smash it into a million little stubborn, idiotic, smart-ass pieces.

"He's not even here!" The statue yelled.

Of course he fucking wasn't. I hadn't planned this very well. Or maybe I hadn't really tried to.

I considered smashing the bust out of pure irritation, but took a deep breath and placed it back on its stand. It gave me a superior look.

I snapped and shoved it off its resting place, smirking at the loud crack of marble on marble, and stalked to the Room of Requirement.

Every footstep sounded like the beat of a dirge, the pounding of my heart like a death march, and the blood rushing through my veins felt as warm as a funeral pyre.

This was it.

It's strange; you never really envision what it will feel like when you die. I thought I knew how it would feel, walking to my literal death, I'd thought about it a lot in the few weeks before. But I didn't expect the heavy weight that would sit in my chest, the feeling that my heart was speeding up just to get as many beats in as possible before it was silenced forever. My eyes took in every possible detail of the halls I had roamed so many times before, seeing them as if for the first time. And all was quiet in my head, yet it was so loud at the same time as Ginny's final sentence repeated in my head like a prayer, a plead.

I don't stand a chance without you.

When I summoned the Room of Requirement, I did so slowly, as if trying to drag out all the time between standing outside of the hidden room on the third floor and opening the cupboard that I'd hidden inside to help an army of Death Eaters infiltrate the castle.

It wasn't long enough.

In just a few minutes, I was walking through the halls with my fellow Death Eaters, the mark on my right arm burning to remind me that I was branded as one of them, that I'd let them into the castle.

My psychotic aunt cackled beside me, knocking a small decorative vase off its display and smiling as it shattered, a malicious gleam in her eye, "Come, Draco!" She announced, grabbing my hands and twirling about, "Let's make some trouble!" She said the words playfully, as if she was suggesting pranking a first-year, not murdering the Headmaster.

I tried not to gag as she rubbed her hand lovingly against my face and led me around the castle, "Now, where is Dumbledore?" She asked, the excitement clear in her voice.

I hesitated for the briefest of moments. It was clear I would have to lead them somewhere and try to kill as many of them as possible before they killed me. After all, Dumbledore wasn't in the castle. I didn't really have a choice.

I said the first location that came to my head, "The Astronomy Tower."

Bellatrix clapped her hands and led the rest of the group—including Rookwood, Yaxley, and Donovan—toward the tower. Getting a look at all the Death Eaters, I noticed they were some of the most dangerous of Voldemort's followers.

Oh god, I am for sure dying tonight, I thought to myself.

Reaching the entrance to the tower, I could hear voices.

You've got to be fucking kidding me.

Dumbledore sat in the tower, watching as we approached. He looked as if he'd been expecting us. He probably had.

His light blue eyes focused on me, "You don't have to do this, Draco."

I held up my wand, turning around to face the group of Death Eaters at my back. This was it. My only chance to take any of them down before they killed me.

I saw my aunt's face contort into a mask of mentally unhinged rage. They'd seen me turn towards them. They knew what I was doing.

A cold voice at the back of the group said those two deadly words, rushing them as if he wanted to get it over with, "Avada Kedavra."

There was a nanosecond of pain, my entire body prickling in anticipation, as if every fiber of my being was suddenly, painfully aware that I was about to die.

I saw a green light.