Finally the entire school was gathered in the Great Hall. It was mostly quiet, except for the sniffling of the frightened children and the soothing words of those who tried to calm them. Outside the drums and horns of the Death Eater army pounded, shaking the walls of the castle. Dumbledore was grave, and his eyes had lost their friendly twinkle. With a sweep of his robes he stood up to address the hall. All eyes turned to him.
"My children. Today is the day of reckoning. We have been attacked by the army of Death Eaters led by Voldemort himself" (at this the entire hall gasped and some choked sobs broke the still air) "At this very moment the Ministry has sent a detachment of Aurors to protect us. They are on their way and will soon be here. Before the final battle begins, the Ministry has asked me to say a crucial announcement. For the safety of the school and all those here, I demand that all marked Deatheaters, both student and staff, stand up and show yourself. I recommend that you do not hide the truth, because I have the power to recognize you if you refuse to stand up. Now, rise."
The hall held it's breath in anticipation. Several beats after Dumbledore's announcement, a rustle spread through the hall as people began to get up. Finally, everyone who was a Deatheater had risen. This included Professor Snape, Professor M. Vuorinen, two sixth year Ravenclaws, one seventh year Gryffindor, and almost all of the seventh year Slytherins except...
... Draco Malfoy? When the school noticed this, whispers quickly began to spread.
"Malfoy is not a Deatheater"
"...but he's so obviously one"
"...do you think he's hiding"
"Zabini and Nemesie are both"
"...the professors"
"...can you believe it"
"...will they betray us"
"...how can the Headmaster"
"...the Head Boy and Girl"
"Malfoy is not a Deatheater?"
Even the Headmaster seemed surprised that Draco Malfoy was not a Deatheater. As he looked at the young man with narrowed eyes, Draco simply shook his head and shrugged.
"Thank you for not hiding." the Headmaster continued his speech. "Since you are all still here and not joining your fellows, I presume that you are all repented. Especially you students, I believe not one of you became a Death Eater willingly. The professors we can trust fully, because I was aware of their position when I hired them. They are perfectly safe, and I trust that both of you will do your best to protect the students from danger."
With those words Snape and Magnus solemnly nodded their heads and sat back down. Then Dumbledore turned back to the students.
"I understand that your position is now a very difficult one. Probably your parents are out there on the field, ready to fight. I know that you cannot fight against your own family, but I also know that you will not fight against your fellow students, that you will not kill your friends and classmates. Please, sit down. I beg of the other students to not change their attitude against your friends, just because of their parent's political alliance. In this time of woe, unity is our greatest weapon."
Sorry for the cliffie and for this chapter being so awfully short. I'm trying to work out how the battle is going to start, and I want to dedicate an entire chapter to it. So, I suppose I will update in a month or two.