Chapter One - "Run, Draco!"

Severus Snape had shouted, "Run, Draco!", and given him a great push towards the gates. Draco had stumbled under the push, but kept staggering forward. He reached the great pillar at the side of the gates and leaned against to catch his breath, and started to tremble violently all over. For a moment, he could do nothing else. He saw Dumbledore, blasted over the the battlements, falling downwards. He heard Amycus' voice again and again. "We've got a problem, Snape, the boy doesn't seem able -. Doesn't seem able. Doesn't seem able."

He heard a voice scream out, "No, Potter!", followed by a bang, and could not stop his head turning towards the noise, placing his cheek against the cool stone. A shadowy Snape was leaning over a prone figure, and there was more shouting, but Draco could not distinguish the words. He watched in silence as a great shadow with wings descended towards Snape, and saw Snape come sprinting towards him, his robes streaming behind him.

He was still leaning against the pillar when Snape arrived there. Snape grabbed his arm and pulled him through the gates. He took one look at Draco's face and tightened his grip. He Apparated away. Draco barely felt the cold, hard pressure of Apparation, but as soon as they arrived Snape released his arm and he fell to his knees, gasping for air, and feeling an immense pressure building behind his eyeballs. Snape pulled him up roughly, and snarled, "What are you doing, you stupid boy?"

Draco looked up at him wordlessly. He stuttered, "I ... I ..." But inside, all he could hear was Amycus. He doesn't seem able. The boy doesn't seem able.

Snape snarled at him and said, "You should have told me your plan, Draco. You should have told me your plan." When Draco said nothing, he continued, "So this was your help? Amycus and Alecto, and of all the damned choices, Fenrir Greyback? You chose Greyback over telling me. Do you have any idea what you've done?"

Draco blinked slowly, and Snape's lip curled. "Well, Draco, you've got what you wanted. You're playing with the big boys now. I'm sure that your father would be so proud."

Draco flinched at that, and then his face bunched up mutinously, and he opened his mouth. Before he could speak, Snape cut in. "Yes," he sneered, "your little plan may have worked, but rather in spite of yourself, don't you think, Draco? You've failed, just like your father, although at least he only ended up in Azkaban." Draco paled dramatically. "The Dark Lord is not forgiving of failure."

Draco started to tremble again, and whispered, "Mother..."

Snape said, "Well, you should have thought of that before you pointed your wand at old Dumbledore." He closed his eyes momentarily, and shook his head, before continuing in a lighter voice, "But you couldn't do it. Well, you will have to practice your Occlumency, and more active magic. The plan was rather ingenious, but execution is key, Draco."

He looked at Draco's face again, and saw the tears that were pooled there. "I have sworn to protect you, Draco. And I will help your mother too. Now, we must go see her and tell her what has happened immediately. Come, you will need to open the gates to Malfoy Manor."

Draco nodded, and tried to clear his mind. He reached for his wand, but it was not there. He froze, remembering holding it straight at Albus Dumbledore, and his hand shaking as the Death Eaters all appeared. Snape had grabbed him and dragged him down the hall. He had dropped his wand. He closed his eyes and sniffed as a wave of despair washed over him. "I dropped my wand, sir."

Snape whirled on him. Draco stepped back, convinced that his teacher was about to hit him. "You dropped your wand, Draco? You dropped your wand! The first rule of wizardry is never lose your wand. This is not a game." He leaned in closer, until Draco felt his breath on his face. Draco thought that he would never forget that taut face, fixed in a ugly grimace.

"Well, you cannot stay here while I retrieve your wand. If Minerva McGonagall is so minded, she will be able to follow our first Apparation eventually." He crossed his arms, thinking, before apparently reaching a decision. He grabbed Draco roughly by the shoulders and shook him. "Draco, luckily for you, I have a Portkey that will take you not too far from your home, maybe half an hour's walk. You should be able to find your way there safely. In all likelihood I will be there when you arrive. If I am not, tell your mother all that has happened, and that you must both go into hiding."

He stepped back, and looked at Draco almost fondly. "You must be careful, Draco. You must pay more attention than you have been doing, and you must think. Very carefully. Your mother made me swear an Unbreakable Vow to protect you, and if you die, I die. If I die because of you, be assured that your afterlife will not be pleasant." On that note, he rummaged around in a pocket, pulling out a smooth white stone wrapped in a green cloth. He handed it to Draco carefully, and said, "Touch the stone, Draco. All will be well."

Draco nodded, and firmed his shoulders, trying to look resolute. He unwrapped the stone, and touched it softly. He disappeared. Snape closed his eyes, and whispered, "Good luck."

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A few seconds later, Snape looked up. He reached up his sleeve and pulled out a wand that was not his own. He had seen the wand fall from Draco's nerveless fingers, and quickly snatched it. He ran his fingers down the length and flexed it gently, before putting it in a deep pocket. He hoped to return it to Draco Malfoy one day.

Taking his own wand, he Apparated away, this time to the gates of Malfoy Manor. He activated the knocking charm, and announced his presence. As expected, the gates opened quickly and he walked up the large driveway as quickly as he could. Narcissa Malfoy was already outside, running towards him. She met him, and stopped, suddenly looking unsure and child-like. "Severus. What has happened? Is Draco ..." She stopped speaking suddenly, and looked at him beseechingly.

Snape gently took her arm, and led her towards the warmth inside the Manor. "Don't worry, Narcissa. Draco is fine, at the moment."

"Did he ... kill Albus Dumbledore?" Snape doubted that even Narcissa knew what answer she wanted to hear.

Snape settled her in a chair, and poured them both a glass of whisky from the decanter on the table. "No, Narcissa, he couldn't do it, in the end. His plan worked perfectly, and he let the Death Eaters inside, and cornered Dumbledore without his wand. But then he hesitated." Snape's mouth twisted uncomfortably here. "The other Death Eaters were there when I arrived, but it was obvious that Draco had been there for longer. I stepped in and killed the old fool. Just as I promised you I would."

Narcissa started to wring her hands. "Just as you promised. You have always been such a good friend, Severus."

"After that, I grabbed Draco and we ran for the outside. I was delayed, fighting off some of the Order of the Phoenix, and Draco reached the gates before I. He apparated away, I presume to come here. I came as soon as I could."

Narcissa looked around wildly. "But he hasn't come home, Severus. Where is he? What's happened to my baby boy?"

Snape touched her shoulder and looked at her now tear-stained face. "He may have taken a longer route, to avoid being traced, or he may be scared to come home. The Aurors will come here, and quickly." Snape hesitated. "He may also wish to avoid the Dark Lord. Amycus will tell the Dark Lord that Draco failed to kill Dumbledore, and that I had to do it. Although Draco's plan worked excellently, the Dark Lord may not look kindly on one who had Dumbledore at his mercy and failed to act."

Narcissa burst into tears at this. "What do I do, Severus? What do I do?"

Snape looked away, uncomfortable with her obvious grief. He waited a few moments, out of respect, and then said, "Firstly, Narcissa, I will help you. I see two options. You can either come with me to the Dark Lord now. We will tell him all that he has happened, and try to persuade him that Draco has served him well. Then, we will try to find your son. The second option is for you to go into hiding. I will tell the Dark Lord nothing about my visit here. You must then search for Draco, and I will help as I can, after which the two of you will have to live in hiding." He paused. "I will help you, which ever way you choose."

Narcissa took a sip of whisky, and tried to calm herself. "I want Draco to be safe, Severus. More than anything. I wish Lucius were here." She bowed her head for a moment. "I am not strong, Severus. I cannot hide from the Aurors and from the Dark Lord. I will come with you Severus."

He nodded gravely, and took a sip of whisky as well, toasting her with his glass. "Well, we must be on our way. Can you put a mark on the Manor gates to warn Draco not to come in?"

After Narcissa's nod, he said, "Gather what you need, and all of the things that cannot be left. We must leave in no less than half an hour."

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Snape looked around the room at the circle of unmasked Death Eaters. The Dark Lord was seated in the place of honour, and Snape was at his right hand. It was a heady feeling, to be so close to such power. The other Death Eaters were all known, and beyond the pale in wizarding society. Snape smiled thinly at the thought. He had tuned out Fenrir Greyback, who was expounding on the 'great' battle of Hogwarts. Snape was tempted to point out that Greyback had fled like a dog with his tail between his legs.

The Dark Lord looked sideways briefly, and Snape thought he saw a quirk of the eyebrows and a small smile. His own smile broadened. He too might have fled like, well, like the soul of discretion, but at least he had accomplished something.

The Dark Lord clapped his hands. "Thank you, Fenrir. The story is indeed a most satisfying one. Know that I am immensely pleased that that old fool Dumbledore is dead." He stood up and started to pace. "The Ministry will now be in disarray, and the Order of the Phoenix is headless. Old Dumbledore was too stubborn to ever share his knowledge, and so they will be ineffective, at least in the short term."

"The key is Harry Potter, the 'last hope'. As soon as he is destroyed in suitably public fashion, there will be no more resistance. He must be encouraged into facing me before he is ready. We need to needle him, make him angry, make him careless."

The Dark Lord stopped, and gazed around his inner circle, looking for suggestions.

Greyback stood. "My Lord, the weak wolf, Lupin. We can rip him to shreds, on your word. He is the last connection the Potter boy has to his parents."

"And for that reason, he must stay alive, as a memory of what once was. But, if he strays with your pack again, chase him away. Disfigure him. Or make him wild. That would be better." Greyback bowed his head in acknowledgement and sat.

Bellatrix Lestrange stood swiftly, her eyes darting about. "He has friends, My Lord. The Lovegood girl, and Longbottom." Her voice lingered lovingly over the name, and she licked her lips. The other Death Eaters recoiled slightly. "The Weasley boy and girl, and the Mudblood." She paused for dramatic effect. "The Weasleys are protected. From what I have heard, Longbottom and Lovegood were mere fodder. Attack the Mudblood. Or rather, attack her family. If they were warded, the wards would have been set by Dumbledore. The Ministry has never concerned itself with Muggles. She will be distraught and lost to him, and he will blame himself, and hate you more." She sat down.

The Dark Lord smiled cruelly. "You redeem yourself, Bella. That is a fine plan. The only question is whether or not the wards on the family will have collapsed. Severus, were they keyed to Dumbledore, or to someone else?"

Snape looked at him. "I believe they were keyed to Dumbledore. He took on all of the responsibility within the Order."

"And will the Order have thought of it, and replaced the wards?"

Snape shrugged. "Perhaps they have, and perhaps not. They may not remember the Muggles. People forget them very easily. I would guess that they will be too wrapped in grief, and despair."

"Very well. That is the next attack. Bella, you take care of that please. I believe that Severus will have the address, and any pertinent information. In fact, Severus, why don't you go along. That would be for the best, I think."

He smiled, and then said cheerily, "And Bella, failure is not an option."