I stared down at the letter in my hand. No, they can't want me to do this. It's a mistake. I reread it until each word was blazed into my mind.

"Kill Albus Dumbledore. End him, and your family will be safe. The Dark Lord asks this task of you. Do not fail him.

-Lucius Malfoy"

He didn't sign it "Dad." He didn't plead with me to keep them safe, simply stated their potential deaths as an afterthought. My hand started shaking. I knew that I was focusing on minute things. But I couldn't wrap my head around what I had to do. Kill Dumbledore? Of course, he is a prick, but kill him? He was Potter's father figure; I couldn't do that to him. "End him, and your family will be safe." Those were my two options: destroy Potter or watch my parents go up in flames. How could you-

I felt my eyes widen as I realized what I was doing. I tried to take it back, but that isn't how it works, is it? I felt the mark burn across my arm. My breath was torn from my throat, my knees collapsing from under me. I couldn't see: the world was spinning too fast. I gripped onto the cold stone floor, trying to hold on, not to get flung off the edge. I couldn't breathe-

"Malfoy?"

I heard a voice as if a league away, just a whisper above the roar in my ears.

"Malfoy? Are you okay? What're you doing on the ground?"

Oh, Merlin, it was Potter. I was in a heap in the hall and Harry fucking Potter was standing over me like a dark angel in glasses. And the world slowed as he kneeled next to me.

"Draco? Can you hear me?"

His forehead was creased with worry. He had called me Draco. Merlin's beard, I'm a Hufflepuff. Then the world fell away.

•

I caught Malfoy's head just before it hit the stone tiles. His silver eyes had slid shut, and his hands were clenched into fists that now slackened. Something was seriously wrong. I leaned down to pick him up, as a piece of paper fell out of his left hand. Hardly noticing it, I pocketed it and lifted the blond boy into my arms. I was surprised at how solid he felt. Many minutes and a few curses later, I finally got him to the med wing.

"Madam Pomfrey!"

She came bustling in and quickly levitated Malfoy away from me and onto a bed. "What did you do now, Potter?"

"Nothing! I was just walking the hall and saw him fall on the ground. He fainted and I got him here. I had nothing to do with it!"

The med witch looked at me, annoyed. "Yes, well. He's here now. You may go back to your classes- "

"Potter."

I started, looking to Malfoy's bed. Draco was sitting up and staring at me, absolute horror filling his eyes. Out of the corner of my eye, I could see Madame Pomfrey preform some checkup spells and frown.

"Uh, hullo, Malfoy. You fainted in the corridor, so I carried you to Madame Pomfrey." I flinched, waiting for the buggar to sneer at my ineloquence.

Instead, his face decided to have a war: turn fuchsia or ghost white. "I feinted?!" He groaned and buried his face in his hands. That made me grin.

"Yes, Draco. Do you want me to fetch the smelling salts? Or perhaps loosen your corset, you dainty little- "

"That is enough, Mr. Potter!" I turned in surprise to see Madame Pomfrey with an expression I had never seen cross her face before. She had lost all rosiness and turned an ashy gray, her eyes wide.

"Madame Pomfrey, are you alrigh- "

"I am perfectly fine," she snapped. Now, get back to your classes. Mr. Malfoy needs his rest." While this phrase was familiar to me, it seemed more automatic than heartfelt. I decided to take that as an excuse to stay and tried to sit on the bed opposite of Malfoy. Only it was no longer there, and I landed solidly on my bum. "I do believe I just told you to leave, Mr. Potter. Now."

There was no arguing with her. I got off the floor and started to walk out, but I stopped in the doorway. "You'll make sure he's alright?"

"Of course, I will, Potter! What do you think I do?!" She was almost hysterical, so I took that as a definite sign it was time to go.

•

I heard the heavy wooden door close behind Potter and chanced to look up. I don't know what I was expecting to see, but it certainly wasn't a furious Madame Pomfrey lording over me. "Expecto Patronum!" That was the first spell. If I was surprised by that one, I certainly wasn't prepared for the second one. "Stupify!"

For the second time in the hour, my eyes rolled to the back of my head, and I collapsed into the bedsheets.

"What do you mean you already knew? How could you hide something like this? Do you understand-?"

"Madame Pomfrey, we are perfectly aware of how dire this situation is, but if you will please let Severus and I take care of it, we would- "

"Take care of it?! He's a Death Eater, Albus! He is not to be trusted!"

"I would prefer that if you are to insult me, you would speak to me directly, Poppy."

That voice. I knew that voice.

"Severus? I can't see." Well, that's what I tried to say. It ended up coming out more like, "Seeeeuh? I an ee."

I heard an alarmed squeal and "Stupi- "

"Stop! He's been through enough. Let him wake, Madame Pomfrey."

My vision was starting to return. I could see fuzzy figures that soon turned into the forms of Severus, Madame Pomfrey, and Dumbledore. The first was staring coldly, the second alarmed as if I would explode at any second, the last as if I was a new discovery and he was still trying to decide how he felt about finding me.

"Mr. Malfoy, how are you feeling?" I looked at Dumbledore suspiciously.

"What do all of you need to take care of," I asked, avoiding the question.

Dumbledore turned to Snape, who walked over to me, and gestured for me to give him my left arm. I gazed at him, incredulous. He can't possibly want to show them-oh. I suddenly realized what all of this was about. "You found out. How?"

"Madame Pomfrey revealed it while performing some checkup spells. I must say, I am slightly disappointed, Mr. Malfoy." I flinched at my godfather's words.

"Right then. So, off to Azkaban, am I?" I was surprised at how calmly I was taking this. Maybe I was relieved. At least the Dark Lord can't get to me there.

"We are still deciding how it is best to proceed with this, Mr. Malfoy. For the time being, you will stay in the med wing. A fellow student will bring you your classwork and the house elves will bring your meals." Dumbledore's voice was dry and tired and quickly interrupted by Madame Pomfrey's shrill one.

"You can't possibly expect me to keep him here! He's a Death Eater, and- "

"Poppy, he is a sixteen-year-old boy. He's not going to murder you in your sleep."

At that, Pomfrey squeaked, glanced at me, and finally muttered out her consent.

"However," she proclaimed. "If he makes one foul move, I will send straight for the Ministry, regardless of your wishes, Albus."

Dumbledore smiled grimly. "I have no doubt in my mind of this, Madame Pomfrey. Now if you'll excuse me, I must get back to work." And if that, he drifted out of the room, as if the old man wasn't even touching the floor.

"Madame Pomfrey, you wouldn't mind if I had a word with Mr. Malfoy?" My head snapped up to look at Severus; I had almost forgotten he was there. Madame Pomfrey proceeded to make herself scarce.

Severus paced the floor, looking more agitated than I had ever seen him. Finally, I just couldn't stand the silence. "What's going to happen now?" I asked, my voice less steady than I would have liked.

Severus sighed and faced me, his hands behind his back. "I don't know. Albus is a good man, and he has kept my secret for decades. However, he knew that I was a spy-yes, Draco, I am a spy-and he knows that you are working willingly for the Dark Lord." He raised his hand to silence my protest. "I am aware, Draco, of the Dark Lord holding your family's lives over your head, and so is Albus. Hopefully, that along with your age will keep you safe."

I fell back against the metal backboard of the infirmary bed. "Dad sent me a card." I relayed the contents of the letter Severus. When I looked back up at him, he didn't seem surprised.

"Thank you for telling me this, but I already knew. It's a test that the Dark Lord has made for you, to see where your loyalty lies. Your aunt Beatriz knew of this test as well and had me perform an oath that I would kill Albus if you could not. That way, you won't be punished- "

I interrupted him by sitting bolt-right-up in the bed and exploding. "You took an oath to WHAT? Now he'll die no matter what I do! You've just taken away my choice!"

My godfather looked at me sadly. "Draco, you never had a choice to begin with."