Harry led the group forward. As soon as the Death Eaters were eradicated to the best of their ability, he vowed to meet Draco at the astronomy tower. You know, just in case.
"Mate, I don't know if you'll need it. But we brought your cloak." Ron pulled the folded fabric from the back of his pants, where it'd been safely tucked until this moment. Harry grinned with renowned excitement.
"Ron! You guys are the greatest!" He retrieved the cloak and placed it in the fold of his own pants. He wasn't sure when or how he might use it, but damn, if this wasn't the occasion to have one.
The crowd pressed onward, turning down an additional corridor that branched from the main hallway. Some of them were unsure if they'd ever seen this part of the castle, but it seemed like the perfect place for wayward Death Eaters to congregate. The hall was lined with doors on either side that Harry speculated to be former classrooms.
There were a number of alcoves and pillars aligning the corridor as well, providing a safe haven for both the enemy and themselves.
This portion of the 7th floor was eerily quiet, and Harry subconsciously wondered when they'd be ambushed. Senses alert, he peered side to side with each step defensively.
A few silent moments later, and their first distraction appeared from an alcove behind them. The masked man jumped out, ruthlessly firing curses at the group.
The Hufflepuffs stood ground, throwing shield charms through the wind impressively while Cho Chang ran for cover in a nearby passage. Harry intended whole heartedly to charge forward, throwing hexes and jinxes and whatever else he could at the opposition, but there was a tug on his robes as he was pulled violently in another direction.
Pansy was able to stand her ground, but not by much. Her legs were shaking. Hell, everything was shaking in an earthquake that threatened to lodge her deep into the pits of hell. She'd made her father proud, for once in her goddamned life. Why did she feel so shitty? So absolutely horrified at what was happening? So positively sick to her stomach?
She hid in a discreet alcove that extended from the 7th floor and waited. Something told her she'd run into Potter soon enough. What she wasn't sure about, however, was what the hell she was going to when she did.
Yanking Potter by the robes and dragging him into a closed classroom near the alcove where she waited turned out to be surprisingly easy. She immediately warded the door so that no bystanders could barge in and followed it with a few silencing spells. Eavesdroppers were not welcome.
As her victim straightened and began gathering in his surroundings, Pansy happened to notice his glasses had become crooked upon the bridge of his nose. They were quite askew, abandoning his right eye completely and barely covering the left. Before fixing them, he stared directly at her in an attempt to unveil his personal perpetrator.
And that's when she saw it. The most beautiful shade of emerald contrasted boldly against the white of Potter's eyes. Never had she seen a pair of irises so vibrant, so bold, so outstandingly unique. Her own brown eyes became clouded with dilation, pupils widening at the sudden knowledge she'd become armed with.
Emerald. The color of his eyes. Raven. The color of his hair. Holy fucking God... Her prophecies didn't lie. The Sight didn't lie. And right here before her, straightening out his robes and staring at her confusedly... was Draco's destiny. His future. His everything that she'd predicted.
It wasn't her. It was never... her. Her mouth dropped, and she'd completely forgotten why the fuck she'd brought him in here. She expected to feel enraged, betrayed even at this discovery, but a knot seemed to loosen in her stomach. And she wasn't sure why.
"Parkinson? What are you doing here? Why did you pull me in here? My friends are in danger!"
His voice was calm but bothered, and Pansy knew that he was completely unaware of her betrayal towards him.
"It was me. I let them in." What the fuck? Was there a reason she felt the need to pour her heart out to the Boy Who Fucking Lived?
"Parkinson-Pansy- why? Why would you do such a thing!?"
She swallowed, tears reaching the surface. "Because I thought it was the right thing to do." Her voice was choked and cracking with each syllable.
"I know he loves you." Her next confession was even more subtle, barely spoken.
Harry's eyes bore into her without a word. She felt them piercing right through her, reaching into the depths of her soul.
"Potter, I... my own family would turn me to the Dark Lord if he told them to. My own... father."
"Yes. He would. Voldemort, he brainwashes people. Death Eaters are no more than pawns in his sick and twisted game. And you just allowed them into our one safe place, Pansy. If they hurt Dumbledore, or even so much as lay a hand on Draco-"
"Stupefy!" She cried, interrupting Harry's threat and blasting him to the wall behind. Immediately upon contact, Pansy heard the thump of his head against the stone that caused his ultimate unconsciousness.
Unmoving, his body slid to the floor. Pansy shuffled to him, kneeling closely to observe the pattern of his breathing.
"You'll be alright when you wake up," she concluded, coming to a stand.
She undid the warding and stepped out into a now empty corridor. Before she closed the door behind her, she turned to take one more glance at Potter's motionless figure.
"I'm sorry." She whispered truthfully, and then she was gone.
"Has anyone seen Harry?" Hermione asked after they'd taken down their most recent threat.
"Where the fuck did he go? He was just here!" Seamus glanced back and forth, eyes scanning the hall that was dimly lit by his wand.
"Did someone take him?" Cho said nervously, glancing at the others.
"Well if they did, it's not like you would've stopped them!" Seamus snapped, and Dean placed a hand around his waist to stop him from approaching her. "You left Hannah, Ernie, and Susan to rot!"
"It's ok, Cho, we really can handle ourselves," Hannah interjected sweetly, but she knew Seamus was right.
"Guys! Now is not the time for bickering! We are all Dumbledore's Army, and we are all here to fight!" Hermione spoke from the back of the group, and Ron beamed at her proudly. "What we need to do is find Harry!"
They searched the immediate area, but Pansy had charmed the door to blend flawlessly into the wall around it. There was no chance of them finding Harry until the magic faded slightly.
"Do you think he headed to the astronomy tower? That's where Draco was..."
Luna didn't have to finish her sentence. Somehow, everyone knew that Harry would inevitably follow Draco, and vice versa. They'd been drawn to each other, it seemed, since the beginning. First anger, and then friendship, and, well... one could speculate the rest.
Hermione nodded. "Come on! Let's get to it."
And they turned down another corridor, ready to face the perils of the 7th floor while on the trail to saving their friends.
"Yes, yes, in the Room of Requirement! I overheard a snarky one from Slytherin talking about a plan... a plan for He Who Must Not Be Named! Tonight! We must check!"
"It is not our business as House elves to mutter in such things, Dobby! We must trust Dumbledore to take care!" The house elf Winky eyed him with contempt.
"If Dumbledore is in trouble, who will save him? We owe it to him! After all he's done for us!"
The debacle was settled by a third house elf appearing next to Dobby at their spot in the kitchens.
"Death Eaters! There are Death Eaters in the castle!" Dobby knew this elf to be known as Blinkey, and he'd never seen her so distraught.
It was common knowledge that Death Eaters didn't take kindly to freed House elves. Hell, they didn't take kindly to their own servants.
Winky blinked at Dobby, astonished. "You were right, Dobby! What should we do!?"
"We head to the Room of Requirement, of course. For Dumbledore!"
"For Dumbledore." The other two agreed in unison. And then, with an ability unique to House elves alone, they apparated to the 7th floor.
The room appeared utterly vacant. The trio of elves stepped forward, observing the likes of a mess none of them had the opportunity to clean. Winky shuttered.
"Have students always been throwing their trash here?"
Dobby turned to her, eyes wide with appreciation for the Room. "Not trash, Winky! Treasures!"
They approached the Cabinet, which was still hung open from the earlier entrance of the opposition.
"My, that is a special kind of magic. I can sense it." Blinkey cocked his head contemplatively.
"This is how they got in." Dobby slid a hand down the surface of the cherry wood. The three were silent for a moment, allowing the moment to sink in.
And then... there was tapping. It was a soft, gentle sound that echoed against the mounds of student relics.
The elves, with their exceptionally keen sense of hearing, turned toward the noise. It stopped for a few seconds, and they glanced at each other nervously.
And then it began again.
Dobby ran forward urgently, bypassing a dusty old couch and what appeared to be several ancient racing brooms.
There, behind a mountain of rubbish, was an extremely focused Blaise Zabini.
With just enough concentration, he'd managed to free his left ankle of Pansy's spell. Forcibly he flexed it up and down, butting it against the floor in a way much less violent than he'd intended.
Dobby gasped. "I've seen you, sir! You are a friend of Mr. Malfoy's!"
Blaise tried to nod to no avail.
"Let me help you, dear sir!" Dobby placed a hand on his shoulder, using his exquisite elf magic to reverse the effects of the spell wordlessly.
Immediately, Blaise jolted upward. His chest heaved as he battled a fit of coughing brought about by the near immobilization of his lungs for so long.
Dobby waited patiently while Blaise revitalized. As his breathing slowed, he extended a hand to Dobby.
"Nice to meet you formally, sir." He introduced, and Dobby broke into a wide grin as he shook his hand eagerly.
"Any friend of Mr. Malfoy is a friend of ours!" He helped Blaise to a standing position, and he smiled at the elf's politeness.
"Thank you for your help. Speaking of Draco, he's in trouble."
When Narcissa and Dumbledore arrived at the astronomy tower, they were unsure of what to expect.
The darkness hung like a bad omen suspended in sheets around them. Dumbledore took the first step, hastily ascending the spiral stairway in an effort to face the opposition.
Narcissa trailed behind him, clutching the silk of her dress as she all but ran up the path. The higher they traveled, the tighter her guts seemed to twist into a sinking pretzel. She knew who she was about to face, even if she lacked proof of his presence. Would she be able to?
When Dumbledore's foot hit the last step, he came to a screeching halt.
It seemed as if their company had been expecting them.
In the shape of an arc stood several Death Eaters, all of which had their wands drawn with the exception of the man in the very center. All of them bore masks, again, with the exception of the leader.
Narcissa nervously entered the ambush, becoming quickly aware that this was all planned. They'd been drawn to the tower for a reason. And now, she was a traitor, standing amongst wolves. The hair became evident on her posterior arms, standing rigid at the sight of her husband.
Dumbledore stood idly, wand still fastened in his robes. Narcissa followed his lead.
"Narcissa Black." Lucius Malfoy's voice was harsh, cold, and dripping with contempt. Silver eyes dug deep within her being, frozen with a lack of the love that they'd once shared.
She didn't say a word.
"We are done." He claimed, and with a wave of his hand Narcissa was thrown against the wall.
Her back slammed forcefully against stone, cracking against the surface before she fell to the ground. There was a series of cackles from across the room, skull masks bobbing maliciously.
Dumbledore kept his focus on the men at hand, still refraining from grabbing his wand.
"Why, Lucius? Why has Tom decided to invade tonight?"
"Don't you know, Albus? You, after all, have been harboring the traitor." His lip peeled back to reveal a sharp smirk.
"I don't know what you're talking about."
At this, There was another round of laughter. Lucius lifted his chin in amusement.
"But of course you do. My wife has surely informed you of what we know. Of how my son has abandoned everything he was raised to do. And now, you have the audacity to try and protect him. Well, Albus, let me warn you... your little charade ends now."
Dumbledore reached for his wand, but Lucius Malfoy's right hand man was quicker. "Expelliarmus!"
Dumbledore's wand flew to the side and rolled several meters away.
"Cassius Parkinson, I know that is you. And I know that you've brainwashed your poor daughter into believing that Voldemort is the only way."
"My poor daughter!?" Cassius threw off his mask. "Pansy is the reason we're here tonight. She has YET to disappoint me."
Lucius placed a hand on the front of Parkinson's chest, blocking him from attacking Dumbledore further.
"Enough, Cassius. His time is coming. He will die tonight. But not before my son."
"How can you do this to him!?" The cries of Narcissa Malfoy echoed against the silence that befell the Death Eaters. "He's just a boy!"
Lucius turned to her with an unforgiving stare. At that point, he raised his wand, pointed it solidly at his wife, and spoke.
"Crucio."
His voice was even-tempered and lacked any trace of remorse. Immediately, her hands were shaking against the stone as she attempted to brace herself through the pain. Her fingernails dug into the floor; toes curled; stomach flipped with nausea. There was nothing that could compare to the sensation of hot coals being pressed on every part of her body.
This... was how it felt. For all of the muggleborns. For everyone He Who Must Not Be Named had a distaste for. She pressed onward, enduring the pain with a bravery that even a Gryffindor couldn't touch.
It lasted for an eternity, even if that eternity was mere seconds. Her body was dripping with sweat. Dumbledore stood defenseless, preparing himself for a wandless spell that would distract them all.
The Death Eaters remained armed and ready. Narcissa's teeth were grinding, bearing through the fire that was the Cruciatus curse. And Lucius Malfoy smiled cruelly at her misfortune.
"Expelliarmus! Stupefy! Incarcerous!"
The voice came from the shadows, causing Lucius to abruptly lose concentration of his spell. He remained armed, but the men around him were a different story.
Cassius Parkinson was bound. The men on his left were thrown backward. Another was disarmed completely.
Lucius pointed his wand at the nothingness from which the voice came confusedly. Apparently the darkness had inconveniently slowed both sides.
Meanwhile, Dumbledore grabbed his wand and took out the remaining Death Eaters. All that remained was Lucius.
Narcissa was unconscious as her savior stepped from the shadows.
Lucius Malfoy's expression turned from bemusement to an utterly sickening pleased one. His lips turned upward into a devilish smirk.
"Draco."