Hello! A chapter extra fast for you since it's the end of Part 2!

Warning: switching POV

Chapter 16- To be Hated

Bellatrix was the worst of them, cackling from the moment she came through the cabinet as if she had just arrived at the Quidditch World Cup. She patted Draco on the shoulder as if she hadn't carved a knife along his forearm and ran along the room of requirement.

Greyback was next. He didn't care the havoc he caused. At least Bellatrix was loyal to the Dark Lord, Greyback was only loyal to whoever let him rip the most throats. And Draco hated him.

There were two more after that, random Death Eaters that Draco had seen before but hadn't bothered to remember the name of. They nodded to him, their smiles twisted as if Draco had wanted to let them into the school.

He didn't bother to correct them.

He led them out of the room of requirement, watching as Greyback disappeared down the hall with a feral snarl and the two Death Eaters smirked after him, brandishing their wands as they went. He almost followed, but Bellatrix was right behind him, her breath hot against the back of his neck, and he was very aware of the feebleness of his position.

He wasn't a Death Eater. He had betrayed them first, had done everything in his power to escape helping them at all. She could very easily kill him without fear of retribution.

"Bella," Severus' voice echoed down the corridor, and he was suddenly there, black robes sweeping behind him as he came up to them. "I see you've made it into the school, then."

"We did," Bellatrix answered. "All thanks to Draco here," her hand landed on his shoulder, squeezing hard enough to hurt. He didn't bother to move. "I told you he had his uses, didn't I, Severus?" she sneered.

"Indeed," Severus answered, eyes flicking down to meet Draco's. And they were cold and dark and emotionless and for a long, terrifying second Draco was sure Severus had managed to fool all of them. He had managed to convince even Dumbledore that his true loyalty wasn't to Voldemort and now he would tell Bellatrix the truth, and Draco would die. Painfully.

And then Severus turned away, his robes billowing as he did.

"Unfortunately, Headmaster Dumbledore is not in the school at this time."

"What?" Bellatrix snarled, releasing Draco in favor of clenching her wand. "Well, where is he?"

"I'm sure I don't know," Severus answered. "As you're delighted to know, there are some things that Dumbledore does not tell even me."

"Why you!" And then she was whipping around, her wand flashing as it pointed at Draco, the curse flying before he even had a chance to register the words. And he was screaming as the pain hit him. Though he didn't hit the ground. He'd managed to perfect his ability to receive the cruciatus curse over the summer. "You knew; you warned him!" He gasped, muscles clenched and tight as she continued to screech at him.

When the pain stopped, it was because Severus had thrown her arm to the side, his face impassive and disapproving as he stared at her.

"The boy could not have warned him," Severus said, and it was almost amusing how Bellatrix twirled her wand like a pouting child, obviously convinced. "Dumbledore left over an hour ago, while you have arrived not ten minutes ago."

Because Draco had warned Dumbledore. He had warned Dumbledore and Severus both, just like Dumbledore had told him to when Draco had first come to him for help over the summer.

"Professor!" and Nott was running down the corridor toward them, looking entirely too pleased with himself, flushed and completely comfortable in the presence of two known deatheaters. "There's a broom flying toward the Astronomy Tower from Hogsmeade!"

"Looks like Dumblydore is back after all," Bellatrix said, her smile wide and maniacal.

Bellatrix rushed passed, Nott right behind her as she went, leaving Draco and Severus standing in the corridor, staring at each other. And Draco knew he didn't imagine the tightening around Severus' eyes at the news. Because as much as Draco hated Dumbledore for what he'd made him do, he hated him more for what he was about to make Severus do.

Harry was… He didn't know what to do. He was still covered by his invisibility cloak as they landed on top of the Astronomy tower, just managing to let Madame Rosmerta's broom slip out of his numb fingers as Dumbledore ordered him to go and find Snape. Snape of all people.

The dark mark was hovering over the school, and Dumbledore was swaying and looking as if he was about the fall down, and he was asking Harry to go and find Snape. And Harry just... he didn't…

"But-," he started, and Dumbledore fixed his blue eyes on him, looking as serious as he ever did.

"Harry, you swore to obey me," he said, but Harry didn't have any time to say anything before the door to the Astronomy tower was being shoved open and someone was rushing inside, and Harry only saw the tip of a wand, and he was raising his own, prepared to defend himself, when suddenly his limbs clamped together, his body becoming rigid as Dumbledore's wand flicked toward him.

And Draco came into the light, his wand pointed straight at Dumbledore's chest, a horrible twisted snarl of anger and pain across his face.

And Harry didn't-couldn't understand as Draco's eyes landed on the broom Harry had just abandoned by the edge of the tower and his eyes hardened. He flicked his wand easily, almost casually at Dumbledore, a whispered 'Expelliarmus,' sounding brutally hard in the quiet air of the Astronomy tower. Dumbledore's wand went flying, landing and rolling across the ground, where Draco kicked it harshly away from him, still glaring with silver-grey eyes flashing in the moonlight.

Harry stared between them, still locked in Dumbledore's body-bind, stuck watching as Draco spoke, completely not understanding what was going on. Hadn't Draco come to help... Why was he...

"Who's with you?" Draco asked, nodding jerkily toward the second broom.

"I might as you the same question?" Dumbledore answered, smiling slightly as if the two of them were sharing an easy joke, and Draco's eyes narrowed, his hand tightening on his wand as if he was resisting the temptation to curse him. And Harry knew Draco didn't like Dumbledore, but he had never looked at him like that before. "How many Death Eaters did you manage to sneak in, Draco?"

Harry stared at them. He had to be misunderstanding something. He had to be. Draco hadn't let Death Eaters into Hogwarts… He… And if Dumbledore had known, why had he let him? There was something he was missing, some code between them or-

"Me?" Draco answered, and Harry felt something in him shatter as Draco continued speaking, only shrugging and looking nowhere near remorseful. "Only a few; Bellatrix let the rest in."

"And where are they now?" Dumbledore asked, still sounding terribly polite, and if Harry could have moved, he would have thrown himself between the two of them, though he had not the slightest idea who he would have been protecting.

Whether he should even want to protect Draco anymore.

"Down below. Somehow word got out that there were Death Eaters in Hogwarts and the Order arrived to stop them," Draco shrugged, lowering his wand down to his side as if he couldn't be bothered to keep Dumbledore in check. And Harry didn't miss the way he said them. Not us. Them. As if he wasn't a Death Eater. And Harry remembered that Draco didn't have a dark mark on his arm, and he shouldn't have cared so much about that tiny distinction in Draco's speech, but he couldn't help it. "They'll be up in a minute."

"Oh, and you've been ordered to hold me here, have you?" Dumbledore asked, and his words seemed to snap something in Draco, who snarled and stepped forward, glaring at Dumbledore as if he'd morally offended him.

"Don't speak to me about orders," he said, his voice twisting over the words. "Don't stand there and judge me for what you-," and Draco snapped his mouth shut, turning his face away abruptly, his face cold and hard and-hurt

And Harry remembered how terrified Draco had looked yesterday when he had gripped his forearm, fingernails digging into the scar that he knew Draco didn't deserve and begged him for the truth. The tears on his neck when Draco had said he was trying to protect his mother, that he was trying to protect Harry.

He wished he had the power to move. He wished he had the power to do anything, because maybe if he could say something, anything to Draco that would make him stop what he was doing.

"Draco," Dumbledore answered, his voice soft, eyes full of pity as he watched Draco, and Draco was staring back at him, his wand held in white knuckles resting by his thigh, silver-grey eyes impossibly hard. "I appreciate the difficulty of the choices you've had to make; however, there-."

"Choices?" Draco interrupted with a loud startled scoff, and then he jerked as a loud shout sounded from the stairs behind them, a scream, clattering footsteps, and Draco turned back to Dumbledore with wide eyes and a defiant expression that Harry couldn't understand. "Tell me Harry isn't here," he said, his voice so soft Harry almost missed it.

"Of course, Harry isn't here, Draco," Dumbledore said, and Draco swallowed, his head half bowing, his wand hand trembling at his side, and Harry desperately wanted to go to him, but couldn't, didn't even know if he should.

"I could never tell when you were lying," Draco whispered.

And then the door was thrown open as black robed Death Eaters came rushing through, almost shoving Draco out of the way as they took up the space of the Astronomy Tower. And suddenly there were two wands pointed straight at Dumbledore as he leaned heavily against the wall, looking pale and horribly weak. Harry struggled against his body bind and wished again he could do anything.

"Well done, Draco," Bellatrix Lestrange said, stepping forward to brush her hand along Draco's shoulder. He didn't move, didn't say anything as she continued to stare at Dumbledore, her wand pointed straight at his chest. "The Dark Lord will be so pleased with you after tonight."

"Sure," another one of the Death Eaters said, his own wand pointed at Dumbledore with a cruel excitement. "Why don't you end it for us now, hmm, Draco?" he said, his smile widening as Draco finally moved, turning to stare at him. And the man lowered his wand, gesturing easily at Dumbledore as if he were bestowing an honor upon Draco.

And Draco didn't move for a long minute, his wand so tightly in his hand, Harry was afraid he was going to lose feeling in his fingers. But he didn't move.

And Harry felt the hope blaze through him so hot is hurt that much more when it was stamped out.

Another one of the Death Eaters was stepping forward, and Draco looked up at him, grey eyes shinning. It took Harry an embarrassingly long moment to recognize the new face as Severus Snape. And then he was shoving Draco out of the way, stepping toward Dumbledore, the hard lines of hate and disgust even more defined than Draco's had been.

"Severus…" Dumbledore whispered, his voice rough and pleading and Harry wanted to scream, would have screamed if he had been capable.

Because he suddenly knew what was about to happen with a deadly certainty that he should have known from the second that Draco had stepped into the room.

"Please…" Dumbledore muttered, but Snape was already raising his wand, half a second pause before the words came out of his mouth.

"Avada Kadavra," and the life seemed to leave Dumbledore slower than it should have as he stumbled back to the edge of the Astronomy tower, his feet finding the edge as he tumbled off. And the pained scream stuck in Harry's throat where there should have been something, anything coming out.

And then Dumbledore was gone, in a flash of white hair and a tumble of blue robes, leaving only the dark mark hanging horribly in the sky beyond.

Severus had Draco by the back of his robes, dragging him away from the combat lingering behind them. Ginny Weasley was fighting a Death Eater, one of the more horrible of them, and she scowled as they passed, barely moving to dodge a Crucio. Blaise gaped at him, stopping in his tracks, and he hesitated as Longbottom ran into his back; Professor McGonagall right there, and where were they going anyway?

But Severus shoved him forward, hissing in his ear to keep moving, and Draco knew he couldn't stay. He knew he'd already made his choice. He'd already betrayed them all. Him and Severus.

Even if they had only been doing what Dumbledore had asked them to.

And Severus kept shoving him until they were outside of the castle walls moving away, away, away, and he didn't realize how close they were to Hagrid's hut until the half-giant was coming out, heading toward the Death Eater right in front of them, and Draco wanted to close his eyes and wish himself away from-

"Impedimenta!" Harry's voice shouted from behind them, and the Death Eater on their heels dropped, landing and taking out the one right beside him.

Severus turned, shoving Draco behind him, which was more than Draco could have managed, since he just stood there and stared at Harry.

"How could you!" Harry shouted, and Draco wasn't sure who he was talking to. Maybe it didn't matter. It didn't feel like it did. "You killed him! You…"

"Harry…" Draco said, talking before he knew what he was going to say, moving forward with his hand outstretched as if that would somehow make everything alright, as if that would make Harry forgive him when he knew there was no forgiveness left for him.

"Draco," Severus muttered, his hand tight on the back of Draco's robes, a warning that he shouldn't have needed.

"He's dead…" Harry said, and Draco made himself move away, made himself turn up his chin, made himself clear his face, his mind. Because he hadn't care about Dumbledore. He'd hated him.

"He had it coming," Draco told Harry, and listened to the loud cackling laugher of Bellatrix behind him, watched as Harry's face crumbled in front of him, because somehow, Harry was apparently capable of more pain.

"Incendio!" Bellatrix shouted, and Hagrid's hut went up in flames, beating down Draco's back, and the half-giant was shouting something Draco couldn't hear, couldn't process. His mind had seemed to narrow exclusively to Harry. To the pain that was now twisting to rage.

"Sectum Sectr-," Harry shouted, his voice rippling with anger and hurt, and Severus blocked the spell, his own wand flicking forward, sending Harry spiraling to the ground.

He stepped forward, toward… something, only to be wrenched back by Severus, dark eyes on his face with coldness Draco knew wasn't real but still hurt, and he was so numb, and it hurt so much.

And then there was one last cackle from Bellatrix, and Hagrid was on the ground as she and the last Death Eater with them Apparated away. And Harry was rolling to his knees, still clutching his wand, already raising it to point it at them.

"Cruc-," he shouted, but Severus blocked it, his hand tightening on Draco's arm as they too Apparated away.

They landed in the middle of Malfoy Manor's drawing room, Draco collapsing to the ground, heaving and coughing and gagging as Severus stood above him. If he'd had anything in his stomach, it would have been on the ground. But that was nothing compared to the pain in his chest.

"He was trying to kill me," he managed to cough out. "He would have cast an unforgivable straight at me."

Severus said nothing. There was nothing for him to say.

"He hates me, Severus," Draco said. "He hates me."

"You knew he would."

"I didn't know it would feel like this."

"Yes," Severus sighed. "You did."

Harry stood on top of the Astronomy tower. He didn't know which emotion was stronger, his fury or his hurt. He was afraid of what would happen when one of them won out.

Dumbledore was dead. Severus had killed him. Draco had helped. Not only helped but let the Death Eaters into Hogwarts knowing what would happen.

Dumbledore was dead. Bill had been bitten by Fenrir, leaving no one sure if he was to become a Werewolf or not. Because Draco had let Fenrir into Hogwarts.

Even the Horcrux Harry and Dumbledore had gone to retrieve had been fake with only a note addressed from an RAB. Though he supposed he couldn't blame Draco for that one.

They'd had to pull him off Dumbledore, several people trying unsuccessfully before Ginny managed to gently pry him off and let him sob onto her shoulder like a child. He still wasn't sure if he was crying because Dumbledore was dead or because it was Draco's fault. Draco, who should have told him what was going on. Draco, who'd had every chance to come clean. Draco.

Probably both.

Definitely both.

He bowed his head, feeling the breeze move over him as he lean on the edge of the railing. It should never have come to this. He should have pushed harder. He should have insisted more. He should have made Dumbledore talk to Draco, though he suspected now that Dumbledore had talked to him, it just hadn't mattered.

Draco had made his choice, and it had been the wrong one.

"Harry?" Ginny's voice sounded behind him, but he didn't bother to turn as her footsteps approached, stopping right beside him, leaning against the railing next to him. He could tell she was staring at him, but he still refused to look at her. "I'm sorry about Dumbledore, and about… you know, Malfoy."

"Yeah," Harry muttered, and she was still staring, watching him, and he knew what she was waiting for. Maybe he wouldn't have before Draco, but he knew now. He sighed, looking down at the ground. The ground where Dumbledore had fallen to his death not twenty feet to the right.

And he was so tempted to say yes to her. Not because he particularly wanted her or loved her. He wasn't even sure if he was capable of loving anyone but Draco at this point, but because she would be easy. He would be able to breathe when he was around her. There would be no upcoming betrayal he would have to watch out for, and he wanted-if only for a second-to be able forget how much he hurt.

The problem was that he didn't know how.

"I still love him, Ginny," he said. "Maybe I shouldn't, but I do." he didn't bother to tell her that he also hated him. He didn't bother to tell her that he would never trust Draco again. He didn't bother to say that he might just kill him when he got the chance.

She didn't need to know that for him to turn her down.

"I figured," she said, her hand reaching out, covering one of his own with hers, squeezing before drawing away. "But then I thought it was worth a shot."

"Yeah," he nodded, and listened to her retreating footsteps as she left the tower. He listened to her greeting as she passed what must have been Hermione and Ron on their way up to him. And then they were standing at his shoulders, looking over the Hogwarts ground with him. Hermione took his hand, leaning her head on his shoulder and sniffed.

"I'll miss him," she said, and Harry didn't bother to answer.

"Yeah," Ron said. "He was starting to be less annoying to be around."

"You'll always have us, Harry," Hermione said, and Harry squeezed her hand, because somehow that would have to be enough.

"Yeah, mate," Ron answered, and Harry could feel his eyes on his face. Could feel both of them staring at him. "We'll be here for you as long as you need it."

And that's the end. Who guessed Draco wasn't actually betraying Harry? Everyone, no one? ;) Obviously, not Harry...

There will not be another update this week, since I'll be sorting out and beginning to plan part 3. However, the first part of Part 3 should be up on Saturday the 29th.

Thanks to everyone who has Favorited, Followed, and reviewed. You are all awesomesause!