"We need to get you to madam Pomfrey sir!" Harry exclaimed as he and Dumbledore dismounted their brooms at the top of the astronomy tower.
"No," Dumbledore wheezed, "no… I need Severus Harry… Severus."
"Alright, Snape then." Harry agreed, although he resented the thought of going to Snape for assistance.
"Rosmerta said the dark mark was cast over this very tower," Dumbledore muttered aloud, "Quickly Harry. Fetch Severus for me!"
Harry put on the invisibility cloak, and was about to turn and run down the stairs in search of Snape, when he heard a door clank shut at the bottom of the tower. Then, there were hasty footsteps.
Harry felt himself seize up, suddenly. He could no longer move. His body teetered before it fell back, only to lean against the astronomy tower walls. And from behind the staircase came that unmistakable head of white blond hair.
"EXPELLIARMUS!" Malfoy cried. Harry watched as Dumbledore's wand, which had been pointed at Harry, flew from his grip. Harry then understood. Dumbledore had frozen Harry so he would not give himself away. He had given up his only chance to defend himself.
"Good evening Draco!" Dumbledore cried cheerfully, "And what brings you here this fine summer evening?"
"Who were you talking to?" Draco asked stiffly, his wand still jammed in Dumbledore's direction. "I heard voices!"
"Oh, I often talk aloud to myself. It helps me think." Dumbledore said easily.
There was another sound from the bottom of the tower. Screams, and another door shutting. Harry's heartbeat quickened. Somehow, Draco had gotten Death Eaters into the school, just as Harry had suspected all along. But how?
Dumbledore seemed to be thinking along these lines as well.
"There are more." He pondered, "How?"
Behind Draco's fearful expression, Harry saw a glimmer of pride.
"The vanishing cabinet in the Room of Requirment." He said, "I've been mending it all year, right under your nose, and you didn't even know it."
"Ah. I'm assuming it has a twin?" Dumbledore asked.
"The one in Borgin & Burkes. They form a passage."
"Well done," Dumbledore exclaimed as if Draco was a model student that had done well on a test. "And all without getting caught."
"Yah," said Draco, looking proud. Then, his eyes flickered back to his own wand, which was shaking violently.
Dumbledore saw this. "Draco. You are not a killer."
Draco's eyes widened at the words.
"How do you know what I am? I've got you disarmed and cornered! I could kill you any second now!" Draco yelled.
"Oh, I think if you really intended to kill me, you would have done so by now." Dumbledore admitted casually.
The footsteps and cries below became much louder. Harry struggled to move against the magical binds that kept him there, but it was no use.
"Draco," Dumbledore continued, "you don't have to do this."
"I do!" Draco retaliated, "I have to! I have to kill you! Don't you understand? Or he'll… he'll kill me!"
Finally, the footsteps reached the top of the stairs, and around the corner came a handful of people draped in thick black cloaks. Both Draco and Dumbledore turned to look at them. The one in the front lowered their hood.
It was Bellatrix Lestrange.
"Well, well. Look what we have here." She crooned. "Dumbledore alone and wandless. Well done Draco."
Draco took a shaky breath and turned back to Dumbledore, who had raised both hands in the air.
"Good Evening Bellatrix," Dumbledore greeted. "I think introductions are in order, don't you?"
"Sorry Albus, but I'm afraid we're on a bit of a tight schedule." Bellatrix replied. She then looked at Malfoy expectantly.
"Do it!" She hissed.
"He doesn't have the guts. Just like his father." Said another death eater. "I'll do it."
"No."
Harry peered out of the corner of his eyes to see Snape, his cloak billowing around his ankles, his black eyes staring at Dumbledore with the utmost resent.
"Severus." Dumbledore began. His tone had changed drastically to one that almost sounded like begging. This scared Harry more than Death Eaters. Was Dumbledore giving up?
"Severus… Please."
There was the smallest moment of silence. Then…
"AVADA KEDAVERA!" Snape cried. With a blinding flash of green, Harry just barely saw the body of Albus Dumbledore tumble over the end of the astronomy tower.
His scream was stuck in his throat.
Harry felt the freezing charm lift off his person as the brigade of Death Eaters exited the tower. He threw off the cloak and ran to the edge, where he peered over. Dumbledore couldn't have died… It was impossible. Dumbledore just… couldn't be. There had to be some other explanation… a plan he didn't know about…
Putting the cloak on again, Harry tripped and stumbled his way down the stairs, groping around on the railing and walls for support. His legs were shaking so violently that it was a miracle that he stayed upright.
Then, before he could reach the door handle and fling it open, he heard the Death Eaters voices from behind the wood. Blood boiled and he felt angry enough to kill. He didn't care anymore about who lived or died. He wished he was dead.
However, something kept him rooted to the spot as he listened to the voices, clenching his fists and biting his tongue so hard it produced blood.
"We're not done yet." Bellatrix sneered. "The Dark Lord insisted that she be brought to him. I will find her myself."
"That was not part of the Dark Lord's plan!" Harry heard Snape exclaim loudly, not bothering to whisper. "The girl is to be left alone until we can find better means of obtaining her!"
"What better an opportunity than this? She's here! In the castle somewhere! We'll get her at last, and I shall remain the dark lord's most trusted-"
"Quit the talk, and let's just find her!" Harry heard another voice say that he knew belonged to Fenir Greyback. "We're wasting time!"
"WAIT! THIS WASN'T PART OF THE PLAN!" Snape cried, but Harry heard a series of footsteps indicating that the group had run off. Then, Snape began after them.
Harry's insides were squirming aggressively as he opened the door with sweaty palms. Dumbledore dead… it seemed impossible…
And now they were going to ambush his apprentice.
He ran down the hall under his cloak. He had to find her before they did. He just had to… because Dumbledore couldn't. Dumbledore was her best defense. Dumbledore kept her safe.
And now he was dead, leaving them all vulnerable.
As Harry ran, he passed many faces that he recognized from the Order. They were fighting. All of them. Flashes and streaks of color danced around the room, between bodies. Chaos reigned as spells were shouted and collided with their targets. Harry felt another odd pain in his chest as he saw his friends battling for their lives. He almost threw off the cloak to go and help them, but then he remembered that they had taken the lucky potion that evening before he left to go Horcrux hunting. Emily was in more danger then they were… he had to think of her…
Finally, he reached the doors that lead onto the grounds and flung them open, sprinting into the night. He could hear the group of Death Eater's laughter not far from him.
Harry felt his head spin, and become clouded with rage. Emily was pushed to the back of his mind as anger took over. He flung off the cloak as he began to run towards the sound.
"SNAPE!" he yelled into the blackness. "HE TRUSTED YOU!"
He rounded one of the hills and there they were, turned towards him.
"EXPELLIARMUS!"
His own spell bounced off the shield Snape created almost instantly, and hit Harry in the chest. He was flung backwards onto the ground. He back hit the turf with a crunch and he groaned loudly.
Then, white, hot pain, slithered down his spine and spread throughout his bones. He began to scream as he withered around madly, trying to fling off the fire that was inside him.
"NO!" Snape shouted to Bellatrix, who was laughing at Harry's pain, "He belongs to the Dark Lord!"
The Cruciatus curse was lifted and the pain instantly left, leaving Harry weaker than ever.
"Just having a bit of fun!" Bellatrix teased.
"Stay away from him you filthy, horrid, bitch!" cried another voice that clearly didn't belong to a death eater. Harry hoisted himself onto his elbows and turned around. Behind him stood Emily, shimmering in the light of the moon, wand aimed at the lot of them.
"Well look at that! We were just looking for you!" Bellatrix cackled.
"The deed is done Bella." Emily hissed menacingly, "Leave these grounds while I still permit it."
This sent all the death eaters, except for Snape and Malfoy, into howls of laughter.
"While you permit it? Look at this! Thinks she's all high-and-mighty now! What are you going to do about it sweetie?"
Emily scowled and it made her look so terrifying that Harry shriveled away from her in fear.
"I might just have to kill you." She snapped. Then, as Harry watched her, he could have sworn he saw her pupils fluctuate a little. They became thin and snake-like.
They looked like Voldemort's.
Before Harry could even be sure of what he saw, Emily jammed her wand upwards and a jet of water flew from the tip. It grew to the size of a massive wave in a fraction of a second and towered over the hill they all stood on. It then crashed with a force so strong that Harry flew backwards into a tree and slammed his head into the bark. He saw stars and the edges of his vision turned black.
The entire yard had become a raging ocean that slammed down on each on of the death eaters the moment one of them tried to come up for air. Finally, after what seemed like many minutes of this, Emily slashed her wand in a downwards motion, and the water parted. It then evaporated in billows of steam, rising off the grass. All of the Death Eaters lay stunned and barely breathing on the ground before her feet. With a crazed rage glimmering in her eyes, Emily walked over to Bellatrix, who lying on her side gasping for air, and grabbed her by her collar. She then proceeded to hold her up above her head. Emily must have been much stronger than she looked, because she held up Bellatrix like she hardly weighed a pound.
"I hate being underestimated." Emily snapped harshly. "Now get out or I will kill you. And believe me; I will make sure it is a very slow and painful death."
She then dropped Bellatrix carelessly, and turned on them all. The death eaters began to sit up, holding their heads and looking dazed. Bellatrix looked scarier, and more livid than ever, but she said nothing as she stood and disapparated.
As they awoke, one by one, they ran off into the woods and vanished with a crack. Soon, the only one remaining was Snape. Harry was itching to curse him… to make him hurt. He tried to reach for his wand, but he felt a shooting pain in this arm, so he shouted angrily instead.
"COWARD!" Harry yelled at Snape viciously. He thought he saw anger flicker across Snape's composed face, but in another moment, he had vanished.