Hell Tastes Sweet

Chapter Twenty Four

Pansy kept running like if there was no tomorrow. This had just been the last straw. The thing that had surpassed her tolerance limit. Pansy had only trusted one person in this whole affair and this person had just told her she wasn't trustworthy enough for him.

What upset her more than anything is that she would have trusted Draco with her own life. She still did. Obviously, the blond Slytherin didn't feel the same way about her.

She even started seeing his presumed jealousy for what it really was. Draco wasn't jealous. He felt that one of his possessions was taken away from him and his was just the kind of reaction a little kid would have if one took his favourite toy away from him.

For that was what she was. A toy. Everyone had just played with her and Pansy, with all her cunningness had not been able to sense it.

She stopped running once she reached the entrance of the dungeons. She tried to get her breathing back to a normal rate so she could think properly. After a few moments, she decided to ignore her hiding plan and walked back to the Great Hall.

There she saw the D.A. gathered outside the Hall's door. Harry was already speaking to the D.A. members.

"They're here…and You-Know-Who is with them!!" Pansy said walking in interrupting the emergency meeting.

"We know that Parkinson…" Ron said looking at her with disdain, clearly he had stopped every pretence now that the battle was imminent.

"Oh yeah…I forgot your girlfriend can sneak into people's minds…" Pansy said looking at Hermoine quite viciously, at least she would enjoy the whole thing a tiny bit. Granger was looking positively guilty.

"She can only read weak minds such as yours…she only needed to mutter the incantation for it to work!!" Ron replied as offensively as he could trying to hide the shock he felt realising that the Slytherin knew the truth.

"Guys…we're missing the big picture here…" Harry said interrupting the exchange not really feeling they had time for petty fights. He looked as though as he wanted to say something else but then Dumbledore, followed by McGonagall and Snape arrived with what looked like a pretty important message.

"Harry…I've just received word from the Ministry…they've already attacked there…and, I'm afraid but It seems that Fudge is dead…"

Everyone gasped.

"We've got every one of our aurors fighting the Death Eaters' army there…unfortunately that means that we're left to defend Hogwarts on our own. I've already called a few of the Order to help, they will be here as soon as they can…"

Harry considered the whole thing briefly before saying, speaking to the whole group:

"Alright guys…you've heard Professor Dumbledore...we are on our own…whoever doesn't feel like fighting, you better go back to the Great Hall to join your classmates…as you know there will be enough teachers there to defend you…whoever stays, prepare yourselves to apply everything you've learnt so far…now, I say, who's with me?"

Everyone said in a single voice:

"ME!"

Pansy found herself pushed aside by the human wave formed by the members of the D.A. Hermoine stopped briefly by her side and said:

"I'm sorry…I had to do it…"

Pansy nodded. For some reason, she understood the Gryffindor's behaviour and tried not to blame her for it. The Slytherin felt even more upset seeing that Hermoine was truly as sorry as she said.

Meanwhile, Lucius and Draco and the Death Eaters had finally reached the castle main entrance. Lucius stopped there and, after making sure Voldemort had indeed stayed by the lake, said:

"It is now time…"

"Time for what Malfoy?" Avery asked.

"For you all to know that I have no intention whatsoever of following that madman's stupid pursue..." Lucius said almost casually.

"What do you mean?" another of the Death Eaters asked half confused half curious.

"Voldemort has lied to us all…he is a half blood…Potter was right, I've checked it out…his father was a muggle…the Dark Lord we've all followed is fraud…he's no better than any of the mudbloods…and does not care about the purity of the blood…the sacred duty that we all have…we must fight to keep the magic inside the magic families…Voldemort doesn't care about that…being a half blood himself…he must be eliminated…"

Lucius clearly had everyone's attention so he kept going.

"We'll let Potter and Dumbledore fight him, with a bit of luck they're going to kill one another…then, we must get rid of as many mudbloods as possible…we'll control Hogwarts as well as the Ministry, from there…we'll be able to change the way the government is managed…and magic will stay where it belongs…with us purebloods…"

The Death Eaters considered the whole thing for a few moments.

"I'm with you…" Avery said.

"Me too…I can't believe that scum is a halfblood…that's disgusting…" Crabbe said feeling utterly repulsed about the whole thing.

"Well…let's get on with the plan…today will be day where Slytherin's dream will come true…Hogwarts will become the kind of school he planned…and we'll rule the Ministry as it ought to be ruled…"

Lucius was ecstatic seeing every one Death Eaters present agreeing with his plan so quickly. He was so happy that he forgot to stay alert. Had he done so, he would have realised that they were being observed.

The group of Death Eaters walked to meet whichever resistance Dumbledore had prepared to fight them. It was only then that the figure that had stayed silent behind some bushes for quite some time finally emerged with a small smile.

He summoned all the courage he could muster and walked towards the lake where he was sure he would be welcomed.

"What are you doing here kid?" one of the Death Eaters that had stayed with the Dark Lord asked him as soon as he arrived.

"I need to speak to the Dark Lord…" the boy replied.

"And what does make you think his Lordship will want to speak to you?" the Death Eater replied clearly making fun of him.

"Because I know that Malfoy is planning to betray him…" the boy replied.

"What? What's your name boy?" The Death Eater asked shocked.

"My name is Blaise Zabini".

To be continued…