Chapter 26

The Dark Mark Revealed

It was a few months since then, and I've been having increasing visions about a battle and strangely enough of Professor Dumbledore's death.

I've tried to warn him, but I was always with Professor Trelawney, so he turned my words of warning away for his continuing private lessons with Harry.

Draco had been acting increasingly odd. He was even skipping Potions class, his favourite subject! Come to think of it, he was skipping all his classes and whenever I was asleep with him, whenever I woke up, he was always gone, telling Crabbe, Nott, Goyle and Blaise (well, mostly the first two boys, the latter had no issues letting me alone.) to let me sleep and that he'd be right back.

I had a bad feeling that something bad was going to happen in the last month or so of school. I had a hunch that Scarlett was involved with a large battle.

It was the rare night when I slept in my own bed when I thought I felt someone kiss my forehead and mutter a hasty farewell before walking off.

I shook it off, half thinking that it was just me dreaming again.

My thoughts were wrong. Rose threw her Tobias Rieder autographed pillow in my face, waking me up.

"Hey!" I whispered, turning to my friend in the bed next to me "Ro, what the Skinner was that for?"

"Malfoy." Ro said, rolling her eyes "He was just in here, he kissed your forehead and said…he said 'Goodbye'. Weird, eh?"

I nodded, creasing my eyebrows together. Draco never had been in my dorm to kiss me goodbye before.

My thoughts were interrupted by a few shouts from outside.

"What was that?" I asked, grabbing my wand from the nightstand and my dagger from under my pillow. (in case someone barged in.)

"I don't know." Ro said, lying back down "Either way, I'm going back to bed. Wake me if you figure it out."

I sighed. "What, Ro? Dreaming about Toby?" I teased.

"Shut up, Potter! I don't tease you for your Jeff Skinner crush, don't bug me about Tobias!" Rose said before going back to sleep.

Suddenly, all my dorm mates jolted awake as the common room door blasted open.

"Oh, Merlin, what now?" Pansy shouted.

"HANNAH!" Ivy's voice shouted, growing louder as she ran up the stairs and threw the dorm door open. "Han, thank goodness you're not out of bed. There are Death Eaters in the school!"

I gaped "Death Eaters? As in, Voldemort supporter Death Eaters?"

"No, I'm talking about cannibalistic funeral embalmers. YES HIS SUPPORTERS YOU SKINNER LOVING MORON!" Ivy shouted. "They're in the school and they're all rampaging around, hexing the Aurors and everything!"

I gasped, getting out of bed and tucking my dagger and wand in their holster. "Let's go." I said, starting out, grabbing my leather jacket on my way.

"Han, wait! Harry said you needed to take your lucky potion!" Ivy shouted behind me.

I ran downstairs "No time for that! Let's just go!" I shouted, bursting from the common room door and running up the stairs, taking my wand out as I went.

Ivy was right. There was a battle going on between Death Eaters and Hogwarts students and staff alike. Flashes of light were blinding me and shouting of curses vibrated my eardrums.

I gasped when one Death Eater shouted "We ought to start finding that girl of Malfoy's!"

I paled. I was so screwed!

"Get under the Invisibility Cloak, Han!" Ivy ordered "NOW!"

I wrenched my Cloak from my jacket pocket and threw it on over myself, running along the side of the duels.

I saw Professor McGonagall duelling with Bellatrix Lestrange, conveniently, neither witch saw me.

In fact, my mother's Cloak proved useful at the most crucial of moments, no one saw hide or hair of me. Which was a good thing because Scarlett would have ratted me out the second she looked at me.

When I thought I was safe from any and all Death Eaters, I took my Cloak off and tucked it away.

"That was too close." I said, turning around to face Ivy. "V?"

Ivy was gone. She had gone off to fight a Death Eater that I had never seen before.

I took a step back, drawing my wand in case Ivy needed back up only to trip on something.

I looked down and screamed. It was a body.

And not just any body. It was the body of Ron's older brother, Bill. He was bloody and moaning and there was a bite mark on his shoulder blade.

I looked up and saw I was at the base of the Astronomy Tower. I didn't know what aided me to go, but I started climbing as I heard a crack up above me.

I took my Cloak and wrapped it around me just as I neared the door. I heard Dumbledore talking to someone, and Harry's voice respond that he'd get Pomfrey.

"No, Severus. I need Severus." Dumbledore said calmly.

"Fine, then, Snape." Harry said, me hearing footsteps right after.

Suddenly, I heard someone cast a spell.

"Expelliarmous!"

Then I heard a body hit the wall. I gasped. Who was the body? The caster's? Dumbledore's? Harry's?

I ruled out Dumbledore the moment I heard "Good evening, Draco."

I gasped, opening the door a crack to look onto the conversation.

I would have called Dumbledore a barmy old git if I hadn't seen Draco up in that Tower with him, his wand drawn and pointed at Dumbledore's chest.

"What brings you here on this fine spring evening?" Dumbledore asked.

"Who else is here? I heard you talking." Draco demanded.

"Why, I was talking to myself, I find it…extraordinarily useful. Have you been whispering to yourself, Draco?" Dumbledore asked kindly.

I creased my eyebrows together. What was he talking about?

"Draco," Dumbledore said after a minute. "you are no assassin."

"How d'you know what I am? I've done things that would shock you!" Draco snapped.

"You mean like sending me a cursed necklace that was bound to reach the wrong hands? Like poisoning mead there was only the slightest chance that I might drink? Forgive me Draco." Dumbledore said, sounding indifferent despite the fact he was accusing Draco of terrible things. "But your attempts were growing so weak, I was starting to doubt whether your heart's really been in it."

I gasped. Ivy was right. Draco had done all those things! He was the one that cursed Katie Bell and nearly killed Ron!

"My heart? What do you know about my heart! It has been in it!" Draco shouted, glaring at Dumbledore as I stood there in shock. "I've been working on it all year!

There was a sudden shout from down below.

"You're not alone. There are others." Dumbledore said, amazed "But…how?"

Draco took a deep breath "The Vanishing Cabinet in the Room of Requirement. I've been mending it."

"Genius. And it has a sister, I take it? A twin?" Dumbledore asked.

"Borgin and Burke's." Draco said uneasy, as if the words "sister" and "twin" caused him great physical pain. "They form a sort of passage and I thought I could connect them if I mended the broken one."

"Genius." Dumbledore said again. "Draco, let us discuss your options."

"My options?" Draco demanded "What options? I'm standing here with a wand, I'm about to kill you!"

"Draco, I implore you to see reason." Dumbledore sighed.

"What reason?" Draco demanded.

Dumbledore smiled. "You haven't told her, have you?"

"Told who what?" Draco snapped, his patience fraying obviously.

"You haven't told Miss Potter about your predicament." Dumbledore said smoothly.

Draco seemed to pale. "Why should she know? She'll be happier if she didn't!" he gasped.

Dumbledore's smile seemed to widen slightly "Because she's in this room right now, and she just heard everything you've just said."

I gasped, trying to run only when the door closed.

"Hannah, I know you're in here, show yourself now!" Draco ordered.

I huffed. Thanks a million, Professor. I thought before I unwillingly took my Invisibility Cloak off with a flourish.

"How'd you know I was here?" I asked, turning to the Headmaster.

Dumbledore smiled "I had a feeling that your Potter inquisitiveness would shine through this evening." he said.

I huffed "I knew that that trait of mine was going to get me into trouble eventually." I sighed.

Draco rounded on me and I paled. I had a serious hunch he was going to be furious.

But, when I looked him in the eye, I saw he was worried.

"Hannah, get out of here." Draco said, taking hold of my shoulders. "Go now, while you still have the chance."

"Tell her first." Dumbledore said.

"Tell her what?" Draco demanded.

"What you are." Dumbledore responded.

Draco sighed and turned to me, gripping the sleeve of his left arm "Hannah, there's something I haven't been truly honest with you about. I'd explain it…oh, to hell with it, I'm just going to show you." Draco said before lifting up his sleeve.

For a minute, I was thinking it was going to end anticlimactic, but then I saw it.

On Draco's forearm, instead of the expected pale skin, there was a large inky black brand of a skull and a snake intertwined. The Dark Mark.

I gasped, my eyes filling with tears as I ran out.

"Harry and Ivy were right!" I sobbed.

Draco. My Draco was a Death Eater.