Options, Revisited

MakalaniAstral

Typed up August 22, 2005

Challenge and contest from Behind the Veil.

Specs: Write a one shot! Post the LINK here, NOT the story! DO NOT use an old entry!
Characters:Harry, Hermione, Ron, Ginny, Draco, and any others you would like to add.
Topic: Heading back to Hogwarts - Harry, Hermione, Ron, Ginny, Draco (And whomever else you have) are heading back to Hogwarts, but NOT for schoolwork.
Must Have: -The Reason they're going back -Someone dies while there -Ships ALLOWED

"….start story…."

During the summer the Death Eaters had managed to overtake Hogwarts. The professors had barely managed to escape with their lives. Now the castle was the headquarters to Voldemort.

Harry, Ron, Hermione and Ginny snuck down the street. They had flooed into the Hog's Head, nodding to Aberforth, then pulled on their black cloaks and slid from one shadow to another racing for Honeyduke's. They didn't even need the invisibility cloak to slip unnoticed through the back door. Honeyduke had fled Hogsmeade when the professors abandoned from the castle.

"Come on!" Harry hissed to his friends.

"I don't like this at all. I understand if we were going for Gryffindor's sword or the basilisk fang or even a book in the library but not this! I don't believe he won't kill us or turn against us." Ron hissed back, taking up the rear behind his sister and girlfriend.

At the bottom of the stairs, Harry turned, eyes glistening, "I told you! I'm giving him the option he was given before it was taken from him. We can't get to Snape. How would we get his information? I need my own spy and Malfoy's perfect, plus I'll have leverage over him. Not help me lift the trap door."

Hermione and Ginny were already shifting boxes around for greater access to the secret passage when Ron and Harry lifted the heavy door. One by one, ever so reminiscent of their first year jumping to escape Fluffy and then again in second year to get to the Chamber of Secrets, they jumped.

"Lumos!" Ginny lit up the passage from behind Harry.

They crept along as quickly as they could. Finally they reached the humpbacked witch.

"I solemnly swear I'm up to no good!" The map blazed to life to reveal there was no one near and Malfoy was alone in the old History of Magic classroom. They slipped the invisibility cloak around them after putting on disillusionment charms so they all could go. Harry kept the map open.

Creeping down darkened hallways, Hermione was thankful they had so many late night adventures that they knew the castle like the back of their hands.

Malfoy's dot was still showing he was alone and Harry was starting to worry. Maybe he was actually being punished there and they would trip alarms? He and Hermione would have to check before opening the door.

"Ostendo!" Hermione whispered at the door. When nothing happened and there was still no one else nearby. Harry reached for the door and opened it as quietly as he could.

They all slipped in to see Malfoy curled up in a window overlooking the darkened grounds. He was so deeply in thought he didn't hear the door open or close. Harry passed the map to Ron.

Harry crept up behind him, wand out. "Silencio." Malfoy whipped around, wand out, startled.

"Just listen to me and then I'll leave. We were never friends for a number of reasons and now's not the time to get into them. I'm sorry about that spell this year. I truly didn't know what it would do but I did know what the cruciatus would do to me and how it feels. But that's neither here nor there. I was there in the tower with you and Dumbledore. I apparated us back to Hogsmeade, ask Rosemerta, we used her brooms to fly back to the castle. I was there under my invisibility cloak and he hit me with a freezing charm so I wouldn't get myself killed for him. I heard the offer he gave you. You were about to take it. I want to offer it to you myself. Be my spy and I'll protect your mother. Your father's out of the way and lucky to be so."

Harry stopped for a breath while Malfoy swished his wand at himself.

"Are you stupid, Potter? I could yell or send up sparks right now and you'd die. Actually, handing you over will put me in better graces with my Lord."

Malfoy hopped out of the window and started walking towards the door.

"Go ahead. I can always tell him what I came for."

"You wouldn't dare!"

"Try me Malfoy. I was supposed to be sorted into your house but I begged the hat to put me into Gryffindor instead. Back to what I was saying. I knew what you were trying to do. Nice work with the Polyjuice Potion on Crabbe and Goyle although they're not very comfortable as girls are they? Some hard thought made me realize you were about to take Dumbledore up on his offer. You want your mother safe and who wouldn't. It shocks me 'your Lord' pfft! even gave you the ultimatum and didn't just kill you for your father's failure and it shocks me still that he didn't kill you for not fulfilling it. However, that tells me that he still has use for you. That means you have use to me. I can have your mother protected while you get me the information I need. Hopefully in a year this will all be done with."

"Got a wedding planned, Potter? Don't want my Lord to interfere with it?" the blonde sneered at him not realizing that there were others in the room who his back was turned on.

"No, I just think that I know the keys to his downfall and I hope to have them all destroyed in that time frame so it's just him and me in a duel to the death. If I die and he wins, just tell him we captured your mother but if we win, I keep you out of Azkaban. It's a simple bargain. And a slytherin will want to weigh his options. I'll go. Send your mother with her things to your cousin Nymphadora Tonks and I'll know you agree."

"Didn't Dumbledore have any spies?"

"Yes but it's hard to get that spy's information these days. Any interaction with a Death Eater should either mean my death or theirs. Since the spy and I are on the same side, that won't be happening, and anything else would look suspicious."

"And just how do you plan on protecting my mother? You're always in danger, Potter. Her being with you won't help any." Malfoy crossed his arms over his chest but was still holding his wand in one hand.

"Fidelius Charm on a house in Europe with me as the Secret Keeper."

Malfoy nodded. It was a good idea, he had to admit. No one would get Potter's secrets if he didn't want them to.

"So how am I supposed to get you this information?"

"I have my ways that I'll tell you, should you agree."

The door opened before Harry reached it and closed right after him, leaving Malfoy to ponder his options.

Sneaking back down the hallway, Ron suddenly stopped.

"What?" Ginny hissed at her brother's back that she'd slammed into.

"Dolohov. He's near the humpback witch. He's walking towards us."

Hermione pulled her hair band off, checked to make sure there wasn't any hair on it, she transfigured it into a dart portkey. "Portus to Hagrid's Hut. Now how do we get it on him?"

"Gin, hit him with a silencing charm. Hermione, get his wand. Ron, throw the dart and I'll take care of the rest."

"Snape! Is that you? Stop skulking in the shadows!" Dolohov had heard voices. He took out his wand, just in case.

The group rounded the corner to stand in a few yards invisibly in front of Dolohov. Flashbacks of the Deparment of Mysteries quaked Hermione causing her to jump the gun. "Expelliarmus!"

Dolohov pulled out a dagger from his robes to throw at his unseen attacker with his non-wand hand.

The remaining three acted quickly. Ron threw the dart. While it was flying through the air, Ginny switched tactics and petrified the Death Eater.

Furious that he'd not foreseen the Death Eater having any other weapons, Harry cast the charm that would make sure his best friend wasn't troubled any more by this particular piece of scum. "Sectumsempra!"

Ginny was already pulling Hermione and Ron through the open witch's hump. "Accio blood." Harry called as he stepped through the entrance. Turning he watched the bleeding Dolohov disappear to a place his compatriots wouldn't find him for awhile.. "Evanesco." The blood disappeared just as it's owner had. Hermione pushed past Harry to close the passage. They didn't talk on their way back to Honeyduke's. They disapparated directly from the basement.

"….next scene…."

Three days later, Aberforth flooed Molly Weasley at the Burrow.

"Saw flames and smoke above the trees on Hogwarts grounds this morning. Someone ventured towards the gate to see what they were doing. Seems they've lit Hagrid's hut up for some reason. Thought you might know why."

"No, I don't know why. But I'll pass on the information. Thanks Aberforth."

Harry looked up from his breakfast to his friends. He didn't need to say it out loud, but they all expected Malfoy's answer soon.

"….next scene…."

That afternoon, the floo to Godric's Hollow lit up with Tonk's head.

"Nice of Dumbledore to fix this place up for you as a surprise, Harry! Anyway, you know how my dear Aunt Narcissa's been such a problem these days? It's been taken care of."

"Thanks Tonks! Do me one last favor? Drop this unbreakable message mirror off to Aberforth. He'll know who to get it to."