A/N: Thanks so much for all the reviews/favorites/follows! Here's the next chapter. Please let me know what you think!

Disclaimer: I don't own Harry Potter

Chapter 24: The Final Step

Draco let out a yelp of joy. He had fixed it! He raised his arms up to his head in relief and let out a sigh. He dropped to his knees so, so relieved. He felt as though all the weight had been lifted off of his shoulders. Almost all of it.

Now came the hard part. Draco knew that now he had to figure out how to corner Dumbledore and...kill him.

Until now, Draco had not realized how horrific the task of killing someone was. The thought made Draco's insides squirm. He stood silently for a moment in front of the Cabinet, staring at the apple that still rested within it. The light from the cathedral-like windows reflected off of the apple's smooth skin. He watched the light sparkle, then disappear as a cloud obscured the sun through the window. His worries disappeared as well. If he killed Dumbledore, he would be free. No longer burdened by the task. Or the duties of being a Death Eater, because his father would take over for him. Would he?

Draco ignored his doubts. He couldn't control his father. All he could do was protect his mother. Save her from having to take the Mark if he died.

Draco stood up and took the apple from the Cabinet. He dropped it into his pocket and pulled out his fake Galleon. He fingered it for a moment, trying to decide what to tell Rosmerta. Finally, he wrote:

NOTIFY ME IF DUMBLEDORE EVER LEAVES THE CASTLE ALONE.

Now that the Vanishing Cabinet had been fixed, he could communicate with Borgin directly, instead of having to go through Rosmerta. He pulled out a piece of parchment and a quill from his bag, which had been lying against a bookshelf beside the Cabinet. He spread the parchment out on a small desk near a window and sat down on the chair that had glided across the room in front of the desk.

Draco picked up the quill and rolled it in his fingers. He couldn't think. He chewed at the end of the quill and tried to think. How was he to lure Dumbledore to a single spot in the castle? How was he to control the Death Eaters once they entered the castle. They were all maniacs, each and every one of them. Well, some of them were just stupid. And scared.

Draco felt his mind wander. His thoughts drifted from the task to trivial things such as what time it was. eventually, he fell asleep, his head pressed against the hard surface of the desk in front of him.

The next day was a Saturday. A day Draco spent in the Room of Requirement, pacing, thinking, grumbling, and writing. He had filled up two rolls of parchments with diagrams and possible plans for the attack. Eventually, he just sent them to Borgin through the Cabinet, hoping Borgin would have some ideas as to what they should do.

An hour later, it seemed evident to Draco that Borgin still had no interest in helping him. Draco cursed loudly when the parchment returned to him with no additional writing on it.

On Sunday Draco remained in the Room, still trying to figure out what to do. He thought of some things, and with Borgin's reluctant aid, Draco obtained a packet of Peruvian Instant Darkness Powder, his Hand of Glory, and a message from his Aunt Bellatrix, which he glanced over and then threw away, for it only contained insults and taunts.

Over the course of the next week, Draco managed to get Borgin to pass messages on to all the Death Eaters who came into his store, requesting ideas. Many Draco found too morbid and gruesome for his taste, but some were good. One of them suggested that they set the Dark Mark over one of the towers and wait for Dumbledore's return.

Eventually, Draco had upon a roll of parchment a detailed plan for the attack. He no longer felt frightened about having to kill Dumbledore. Hearing all the Death Eaters' plans seemed to have caused some change inside of him, a dark change. He found himself staring at his Dark Mark one evening. Looking at it did not arouse disgust within him as it had before. Now, the Mark imposed upon him a feeling of determination. He wanted to do the task. He wanted to kill Dumbledore.

It was with this mindset that Draco went with to finally carry out his plan. When one evening, after a small run-in with Professor Trelawney that left his supply of Peruvian Instant Darkness Powder smaller than he would have liked it to be, a message from Rosmerta finally arrived.

PROFESSOR DUMBLEDORE HAS LEFT HOGWARTS AND IS HEADED TO THE HOG'S HEAD.

Draco snorted. Right, the Hog's Head. Draco could tell that Dumbledore was indeed leaving the castle to attend to whatever business he had been attending to all year.

Draco felt a rush of something as he dropped a note into the Cabinet signaling that the Death Eaters should head over as soon as they could. Draco watched as they filed out of the Cabinet, one by one, all ready to fight. Or eat children, in Fenrir Greyback's case. Draco was displeased to see the werewolf.

Bellatrix had entered the Room first, and approached Draco with outstretched arms.

"Ah, Draco," she purred as she embraced him. "So you did not fail. Congratulations. Now, let's see if you can finish the task." She shoved him forward so he was standing in front of the crowd of about twenty Death Eaters that was standing in the Room.

"Go on," Bellatrix prompted when Draco stood silently in front of the group.

Draco glanced over at her before clearing his throat and saying, "Alright. So Dumbledore just left the castle. We need to set the Dark Mark over the Astronomy Tower before he gets back and before anyone notices it. You-" Draco pointed at a small man in the middle of the group. "You do that. Head up there and set the Mark while everyone else fights off the Aurors."

"What Aurors?" One Death Eater asked.

Draco rolled his eyes. "The Aurors that are on guard in the school. Dumbledore sets up extra protection before he leaves the castle."

"Oh," the Death Eater grunted.

"Okay," Draco continued, "Let's go."

He picked up his Hand of Glory and fitted a candle into it, which he lit with his wand. Then, he headed for the door and opened it slowly. The hallway seemed to be empty. He stepped out of the Room, Bellatrix on his heel, when he spotted a flash of red hair. Immediately, he pulled out his Peruvian Instant Darkness Powder and threw it into the air. Everything went pitch black, except for the flame of the candle in the Hand. Draco held it aloft.

"Follow me," Draco said to the group of Death Eaters. He slowly instructed them through the corridor, wary of any sign of Ginny Weasley and whoever was with her through the darkness.

Finally, they reached the end of the corridor, at which point the Powder seemed to have worn off. He hurried down the next corridor, the Death Eaters all behind him. The one instructed to set the Mark had left the group and headed for the Astronomy Tower. The rest of them ran until a group of Aurors came hurtling at them from a corridor adjacent to the one they were passing through.

"Ah," Bellatrix said calmly. "Company." She whipped out her wand, and the rest of the Death Eaters mirrored her. Draco shoved the Hand into his pocket and pulled out his wand as well. Bellatrix shot a curse at the Aurors, and they retaliated. Lights flashed in the corridor and bounced off the wall as the attack commenced. Draco shot a few feeble spells into the crowd, but he was more concerned by the return of the Death Eater who was supposed to be in the Astronomy Tower. Finally, he ducked out of the corridor and began sprinting up to the tower.

He had almost reached when he heard footsteps coming behind him. He whipped around, wand at the ready, to see Hermione running toward him. He kept his wand pointed at her, but was surprised that she was not pointing her own wand at him.

When she finally reached him, she did not attack him. Instead, she grabbed his arm and pulled him toward the small window at the base of the staircase to the Astronomy Tower. Draco tried to pull away from her, but she held both his arms tightly.

"Draco, you-" she began.

"Get away from me!" Draco exclaimed, trying to loosen her grip.

"No," she said firmly. "Draco, listen to me." She stared him right in the eye. " I know you're too good to do this. You're too good a person to kill-"

"No, I'm not!" Draco snarled, struggling even more now. "Let go!"

"No!" Hermione retorted. "Draco, you can't do this. Please don't. I know that you've changed. You're not a Death Eater-"

"I am!" Draco said through clenched teeth. "You know that! I'm the one who almost killed Katie! I'm the one who almost killed Ron!"

Hermione continued staring at Draco, her honey-brown eyes directed at his own. A wave of emotions crossed her face like they had that night in the hospital wing. But this time, she did not leave. Instead, she looked at Draco for a moment, her eyes roving over his face. After a minute, she sighed.

"I know," she whispered. "But I don't care. I know you won't do this. I know that you've changed."

"I haven't," Draco growled.

"You have," Hermione said simply.

"How-"

"You haven't killed me yet. Or cursed me, or hexed me, or jinxed me," Hermione replied.

Draco was silent, curious to hear what she would say.

But she didn't say anything. Instead, she reached up and kissed him once, very gently.

"I love you," she whispered.

Draco felt his heart rate quicken and his face heat up. He wanted to love her too, but as he remembered what she had done to him, and how his mother would be killed...

"No you don't!" Draco spat at Hermione.

"I do," Hermione said, her eyes filled with tears and her voice pleading. She grabbed the front of his robes. "Draco, I really do."

Dracos nostrils flared. He didn't respond and just looked at her for a moment. He felt her stuff something into the pocket of his robes as he turned away from her. He strode up the stairs, not looking back at Hermione. When he heard the sounds of the battle filling the corridor, he began running. He burst into the room at the top of the tower to find Dumbledore waiting for him, apparently very weakened.

Promptly, Draco disarmed him and stood over the old wizard, his wand at the ready. He felt giddy with excitement. Everything was going perfectly.

But as he listened to Dumbledore asking him about his task, offering to help him, something inside him broke. He stared at Dumbledore and saw a man who was willing to forgive Draco for everything he had done. Like Hermione had done. He felt his wand drop as the rest of the Death Eaters barged into the room and stood in a clump near the door. Their words never seemed to reach his ears. All he could think about was how he couldn't kill Dumbledore, and how much he wished he had forgiven Hermione.

He couldn't kill anybody. Hermione was right. He just couldn't do it. So when Snape entered the room and raised his wand, Draco stepped aside, allowing Snape to finally help him like he had been offering to do all year. He watched Dumbledore's body fall from the tower, and a horrible feeling rose up inside him. All he wanted to do was get away from there. He ran behind Snape out of the castle and into the forest, wanting to leave, to get back home, and to save his mother.

He wanted to talk to Hermione as well.

But there was no turning back. Everything seemed like a blur as Snape lead Draco through the forest and Apparated him away. Draco landed firmly on the ground in front of Malfoy Manor.

When he finally got inside the house, he fell to the floor and began to cry.