It was a beautiful Saturday morning- much too beautiful to waste inside. Ginny (my best friend now) and I were taking a walk down by the lake together since Harry was shut up in detention.
"I'm surprised that Harry even lets you hang out with me anymore," I commented lightly. Ginny scoffed.
"Harry doesn't dictate what I do. Just because we're dating now doesn't mean that he runs my life," she said firmly. I grinned. That sure was the Ginny I'd always known.
"True, sorry," I replied. "Ginny... I hope you know that I truly am happy for you." Ginny gave me a soft smile.
"I know Mia. I'm sorry about... well, the way he's acting towards you because of Malfoy."
I shrugged my shoulders as if I didn't care. The truth was... I cared very much.
My relationship with Draco had cost me my friendships with Harry, Ron, Hermione, and Katie. Even Anna, once my best friend in the world, was uncomfortable around me. I could feel her fading away, especially since she was spending her time now with Neville, who I'm sure hates Draco. I never really got to see Elisabeth anymore, so I had no idea where she stood. Personally I felt that Fred and George would stick by me no matter what, but that was little help since they weren't at the school.
Ginny was the only one of my close friends who had stuck with me, whose loyalty to me had never wavered. She was my absolute best friend through the whole ordeal. Even after she and Harry got together after our Quidditch victory, she never abandoned me. She stuck to her own principles. I love that about her.
"Yeah, me too," I agreed. "I suppose I understand though. I mean, I used to hate Draco too. I just hope that things get better over time." Ginny stared at me for a moment.
"It doesn't sound like you actually have much hope of that happening," she commented. I grimaced. How was she so perceptive? Maybe I'm just bad at hiding my thoughts. I should learn that Occlumency thing.
"It's Draco," I admitted. I paused for a moment, searching her face to see if the subject would make her uncomfortable. Ginny stared back at me with a very open, expectant expression. I smiled happily, so thankful that I had at least one person that I could talk to openly. "He's been getting odd lately. He keeps hinting that something bad is going to happen, but he won't tell me what or when. I'm scared."
Ginny gave me a sympathetic hug.
"I understand. All will come out in due time I suppose. We'll just have to keep a look out." I nodded my agreement.
No more than a week later, it happened. I was already abed when Ginny came rushing in, shaking me forcefully. Luckily I had not yet fallen asleep else I may have accidentally hit her in the face out of instinct when she shook me.
"I think it's happening now," she said, rather calm in spite of the fear I'm sure she was feeling.
"What is?" I mumbled, not connecting the dots in my drowsy state.
"Dumbledore and Harry have left the castle. Harry feared something might happen so he left the remains of his Liquid Luck for us all to share. He wants us to keep watch on Snape and well, Malfoy. Just in case-... well just in case Malfoy tries something." Ginny had grown hesitant at the end, and she stepped back a bit as I rose from my bed.
"I'm not going to snap at you or anything," I assured her. "I agree that Draco's up to something. Of course we should help Harry."
Ginny looked rather confused, but I didn't bother to take the time to explain myself to her. Instead we made our way down to the common room where Ron, Hermione, Neville, and Luna were all waiting for us. As soon as they saw me, the first three mentioned (especially Ron and Hermione) visibly stiffened.
"Ginny, what are you doing?" demanded Hermione.
"She's on our side Hermione!" answered Ginny. "We need all the help we can get."
Shooting me a dangerous glare, Hermione dragged Ginny aside and whispered something to her. Shaking off Hermione's arm, Ginny did not bother to keep her voice down as she responded.
"She's not going to go warn Malfoy! If you're so worried about it though, just make sure one of us is with her at all times. But this shouldn't even be a problem. You should have more faith in your friends Hermione."
"Ginny, this is a lil bit diff'rent," said Ron cautiously. Unlike Hermione, Ron's gaze at me was not entirely hateful and distrusting. Ron seemed more accepting of me, although he seemed to agree with the opinion that I would merely turn them over to Draco. I could see Ginny getting more aggravated as her brother seemed to turn on her also.
"It's ok Ginny," I soothed. Turning to Ron and Hermione, I inhaled deeply. It had been a while since I'd bothered to deal with them on good terms, but I would need to do so now. "I understand your reservations about me, truly I do, but please just trust me. We've been friends for six years; doesn't that count for anything? I won't sneak off. I'll stay in your sight. I want to help. Draco knows that I don't support whatever it is he's doing. This is where I belong. If Harry thinks that there will be trouble, then I of course want to pitch in to help."
"Shouldn't we be checking on Snape and Malfoy like Harry said?" chimed in Luna's bright voice, cutting through the tension with her sweetness. Slowly everyone turned to her and agreed. Ron pulled out the Marauder's Map and we all crowded around to take a look.
Snape was in his chambers, but Draco... Draco was nowhere to be found.
"Room of Requirements," I said aloud.
"Alright," said Ron, taking charge. I admit, I was rather impressed. I always felt that Hermione was more of a take charge person, while Ron was a bit meeker, but he really stepped up to the plate here. "We'll split up- half of us to watch the Room of Requirements and half of us to watch Snape's chambers."
"Mia and I can watch Snape's chambers," said Hermione immediately. The air became a bit tense again, but no one argued.
"Alright," said Ron. "Luna, you go with them. Ginny, Neville and I will watch the Room of Requirements."
Soon our little band broke up to our respective places, after we each took a tiny drink of Liquid Luck. We had no idea how long the effects would last, but there was nothing more we could do.
Draco POV:
Running past the other Death Eaters, I dashed up the stairs. As I reached the top I began to hear the clamor of battle behind me. I whirled around quickly and observed the fray for little more than a second before I resumed my flight up the steps, making my way to the top of the Astronomy tower where I knew Dumbledore was.
Slamming the door open, I immediately spotted Dumbledore across from me.
"Expelliarmus!" I yelled. Dumbledore's wand went flying. My mouth twitched as if to smirk at how slow Dumbledore's reflexes had become, but my lips couldn't make it all the way there. My heart was hammering, palms sweating. I was sick to the stomach, and I felt almost like crying for how shot my nerves were. Standing there, pointing my wand at my Headmaster... it was almost unreal. It was unnatural.
"Good evening, Draco," said Dumbledore simply. My jaw clenched. Was he mocking me with that?
Then I spotted something rather odd. There was not one but two brooms lying on the ground by Dumbledore's feet. Glancing around nervously, I said,
"Who else is here?"
"A question I might ask you. Or are you acting alone?"
Now that I stopped to think about it, I found that I didn't so much mind Dumbledore's conversational tone. A conversation might be nice right now in fact... something, anything to distract me from the horror that I was about to commit.
So I responded, allowing a brief moment of conversation to spring up between us.
"...I came on ahead," I told him, "I've got a job to do."
"Well then, you must get on and do it, my dear boy."
My wand was still pointed at him. My hand was trembling slightly, and I found my eyes fixating on that weak hand. I stared at my wand. I knew that all I needed to do was say one spell, just one spell, and it would all be over. Besides, I had no choice.
Finish it Draco, I demanded of myself. But though I seemed to stare at my wand for several long minutes, nothing happened.
Now, Draco. Now! I shouted at myself. It was no use.
"Draco, Draco, you are not a killer."
I knew he was right. I wasn't cut out for this. I couldn't do it. As much as I despised the old man, I didn't want to kill anyone. Especially not him. He truly was the most brilliant wizard of the time, I knew that. He was also the best chance of beating Lord Voldemort.
No! I thought fearfully. Don't think that way Draco. They'll see your thoughts. Don't think it. Kill him! It's the only way.
"You... have no idea what I'm capable of," I vaguely heard myself protesting weakly. Dumbledore merely smiled at me and assured me that quite the opposite was true. All this time, the whole year, Dumbledore had known exactly what I'd been up to.
As Dumbledore talked to me, I felt as if in a daze, almost as if time had ceased to exist, leaving Dumbledore and I in a reality of our own. There was no murder here. There was no rush, no hurry. No Death Eaters on their way up a staircase. Just myself and a wise old professor conversing on how my school year had been thus far. That's all it was. That's all.
But that wasn't true of course, as I was forcibly reminded when I heard loud bangs and shouts from down the staircase. My head snapped up and I remembered my true purpose here. It wasn't to tell Dumbledore how I'd gotten the Death Eaters in. It wasn't about discussing Snape's loyalties.
It wasn't about that. It was about killing the man in front of me... Easy. Easy.
"There is little time, one way or another," said Dumbledore, calm as ever. "So let us discuss your options, Draco."
"Options?" I responded automatically. My heart sparked with hope. Could he truly offer me something else?
No! Don't get sucked in! The Dark Lord will kill me.
"No, there are no options. I'm about to kill you-"
"My dear boy, let us have no more pretense about that. If you were going to kill me, you would have done it when you first disarmed me, you would not have stopped for this pleasant chat about ways and means."
Damn know-it-all.
"I haven't got any options!" I pleaded, wishing him to understand. Wishing for Mia to understand- Wait, no. That's not what this was about either. Focus Draco! "I've got to do it! He'll kill me! He'll kill my whole family!"
"I appreciate the difficulty of your position. Why else do you think I have not confronted you before now? Because I knew that you would have been murdered if Lord Voldemort realized that I suspected you. I did not dare speak to you of the mission with which I knew you had been entrusted, in case he used Legilimency against you. But now at last we can speak plainly to each other. No harm has been done; you have hurt nobody, though you are very lucky that your unintentional victims survived... I can help you Draco," said Dumbledore.
"No, you can't," I disagreed, "Nobody can. He told me to do it or he'll kill me. I've got no choice."
"He cannot kill you if you are already dead. Come over to the right side Draco, and we can hide you more completely than you can possibly imagine."
I listened to my Headmaster, entranced. Could he truly hide me, and my mother too? Would we be safe? And my father? But what about Mia? How would I ever see her again? What would she think of me? Would she know the truth?
Could Dumbledore truly outwit the Dark Lord?
My heartbeat echoed thunderously throughout my entire body. So loud...
Can he hear it? I wondered vaguely, starting to crack mentally from the pressure. My hands clenched and unclenched, my eyes darted about inconsequentially as I thought about everything that Dumbledore had offered to me.
But time was up.
Four figures suddenly appeared around me: four of my Death Eaters. Realizing that my wand arm had relaxed, I straightened up once more, nerves on red alert. I couldn't fail. I couldn't fail in front of them. I'd known that Dumbledore was no good. He hadn't managed to protect me after all. Damn that old man! Giving me false hope, then doing nothing. What happened next was his own fault, and he would deserve it!
