Disclaimer: I do not own anything Harry Potter nor the lyrics I quote.

Chapter Sixteen

The Hammer's Coming Down

"Where will you be when the sky comes down,
And what would do if the strength was found,

The only sound you'll hear is the breath we're taking,
If there's one thing I can promise you,
We'll see the light again,

Once it's started,
There's no turning back,

Finding faith will always be the hardest,
When you're standing in the heart of darkness…"

The Hammer's Coming Down by Nickelback

Friday August 30th, 1996

Diagon Alley- Shopping for last minute things for school- Quarter past noon

With the swishing cool breeze, Blaise Zabini took a short glance upwards towards the cold grey sky and was almost knocked right on his arse by some rude younger boy who was running from what looked like an angry shopkeeper. Sharply looking towards the boy who shouted an apology as he rounded a corner, Blaise held his monotonous usual expression, then huffed gripping onto his the handle of his bag tightly and dove in an out of some rather dodgy looking witches and wizards.

Knockturn Alley was always crowded, bustling, a bit grimy as well he thought with a pointed scoff and eye roll as he then turned into a small teashop tucked behind a Dark Arts shop. Once inside, looked over the rather empty room before him while he attempted to ignore the ripe smells from the unwashed pub. Other than the bar man, there was basically no one here, as he huffed and then he spotted a familiar middle-aged woman dress in a pristine pressed black outfit that only one that came from money could afford to wear. Walking towards the woman, he pulled at his leather black gloves and made his way towards her table in the back as she sipped upon a small glass of tea.

"Pardon me, Missus, but were you per chance the one who sent me that owl to meet you here discreetly?" he asked quietly as she stiffened at his words while Blaise walked forward in order to see her face. The second he did, he stopped walking as he recognized her immediately, watching the Madam Malfoy herself in a place like this with dark bags hanging under her usually flawless face. "Madam Malfoy, what are you doing here? I mean, you're the one who wanted to meet with me. Does this have anything to do with Draco..., " his mind race while he watched her eyes darting around the room for a second as if she were telling him not to talk here.

With a somewhat jagged nod, he mumble his house before pulling out his wand as did she and apparited out of the shop in a quick and efficient manner. His body felt as if magic was yanking him in several directions angrily at the same time as a bout of nausea hit him like a bus while he landed unsteadily upon his two feet at the front door to his family manor. Although Blaise managed to apparite properly, he hated doing it every single time almost as much as he hated flying on broomsticks.

With a deep inhale, he listened to the distinct crackling sound that came from behind him signaling that Narcissa Malfoy arrived, turning around, he saw her in her signature statue like posture seemingly unfazed by the apparition. Pulling the door open for her, she walked inside his house, which he knew was less than half the size of the great Malfoy Manor. Once the door shut, he called for the family house elf, asking for her to prepare some tea for the both of them and then turned so they could talk in the parlor.

"Now that we have some privacy, what happened? Is Draco alright?" Blaise asked as he reached for her coat placing it upon the back of a chair where she sat down with a loud sigh of what he assumed was exasperation.

"Yes… No- Honestly, I don't know how he is doing… Mr. Zabini, I asked to meet with you regarding Draco, because I am worried for him. As you already know about his father, my husband, Lucius and his current predicament, it was expected that Draco were to take his place as one of the Dark Lord's followers if something were to happen. Now that it has, I am at a loss here. I know that it was rather difficult for Draco to make friends, but I am fairly sure out of the only one's he has, you are the only one I can really trust telling this to." She spoke clearly, as Blaise sat down in a chair beside his friends' mother who was obviously worried about Draco, as was he.

"I can't say that I am exactly following with what you are asking of me, or telling me. Are you saying that Draco is going to take his father's place as a death eater?" he inquired with a deep inhale followed by him shifting in his seat in order to listen to what she was saying to him.

"No, I'm telling you, that he already has taken his father's place, he took the mark earlier this week, and I am asking you, as his friend, to watch over him when you both return to Hogwarts in the next few days." She informed him as he reached up to rub his hand over his face while trying to process the newfound information about his best friend.

"He took- Bloody Hell, Ma'am… What do you want me to do, talk with Draco and let him know that he has friends that he can count on if needed?" he asked suddenly as worried as the woman before him looked while he watched her eyes widen and her head shaking.

"No, goodness no. He mustn't know that I've told you about this, all I want is for you to make sure that he doesn't stray too far from himself in order to complete whatever his task might be. Promise me that you won't tell him unless you're sure that it would make a difference when and if you do." She whispered avidly to Blaise, which made him feel a bit unsettled as he examined her worn features now that he was close enough to see them. For the first time in all his years of knowing Draco's mother, not once had he ever seen her this intensely worried, not once had he seen her facial features creased from stress, this broken.

"Yes, I promise, but may I ask why I am not allowed to tell Draco?" he wondered as a faint pop sounded beside them while Blaise watched his house elf Leeann placing a tray filled with the tea and some blueberry scones on the side. With a smile, she bowed her head waiting for her dismissal as Blaise thanked her promptly before taking his cup of tea in hand. After taking a sip, once he was alone with Narcissa he looked towards her as she sighed.

"Knowledge, Mr. Zabini, is power. Draco would not take it well if he were to know that his life was basically depending upon you keeping his rather dangerous secret. In addition, before you ask, I told you all of this because I need to know my boy has someone who truly cares watching over him. I have someone else helping, but this person does not care for Draco in the very least, and even if you do not, I know that you truly want nothing to do with the war that is coming therefore it is unlikely for you to speak to the Dark Lord about this." She said quickly before taking one last sip of her tea with a small smile and a delicate bob of her head she stood. He set down his glass upon the silver tray before standing to help her with her coat with a sigh.

"I'll watch over him, and you're right, I want nothing to do with this war, but I do care for Draco, he's like a brother I never had, and I couldn't just sit here watching him loose his way in order to please that sadist you and many others call the Dark Lord. You're right, by the way, one way or another, this war, the storm is coming fast, and when it hits- Well, let's just say that I want to make sure my friend is on the right side when it does." He spoke evenly looking towards Narcissa with his pure stoic expression knowing that whatever happened, he needed to make sure that Draco would make it though this, no matter what.

Friday October 11th, 1996

Back inside the Slytherin Dormitories- Quarter Past Four

Sitting upon his bed across from his friend, Blaise leaned forward so that his elbows were resting on the tops of his thighs as he laid his face into his hands with a hearty sigh caused by telling the memory he replayed in his mind, along with the news Draco had just shared with him. Another death eater at Hogwarts, Draco wasn't the only one on the inside working behind enemy territory and that was decisively a problem that could cause a whole lot of chaos.

Neither of them had received word or heard from Narcissa in a little bit which was rather worrisome to say the least, but Blaise hadn't sent her a letter in a while deciding after dinner, it would be best to send her an owl. Even after explaining himself, Draco refused to tell him what his task was exactly and that bothered Blaise greatly. Looking upwards towards his friend who was checking his pocket watch, he stood up to fix his robes before speaking.

"Well dinner will be starting in about fifteen minutes, we should get down there, and Dumbledore will want to give some sort of a talk to calm the students about the deaths down in Hogsmeade along with what happened to that Gryffindor." Blaise stated with a huff before he watched his friend nod almost mechanically following in suit as they both headed down the small set of stairs just outside their door. They walked in silence as Blaise thought about just who the other death eater could be, because in all honesty on the night of patrols, he knew that something had happened to Draco and Granger and he should have known what attacked them.

Turning down the hallway, Blaise walked towards a set of stairs leading downwards while Draco trailed beside him on the other side stopping when the staircase started to move with them standing on it. Once it stopped moving, he noticed upon the next set of stairs was none other than Ganger herself walking up them while looking at the ground just before she looked upwards to realize who was in front of her.

Blaise watched in amusement as her expression change from relaxed to a mix of shock and from what he could tell was embarrassment the second she looked up towards Draco whom stood just as stiff as her beside him. He watched her whip her head away from the two with what sounded like a gasp, and then slowly turn her head back towards him. Looking between the two, Blaise suddenly felt the tension coming off the two in waves as if something happened the last time they were together which was most likely a fight.

"Where are you going? All students are supposed to be at dinner right now." Draco spat through his teeth, which cause Blaise to raise a brow in curiosity wondering why in the world would Draco Malfoy care when someone was going anywhere. Looking back towards Granger, he watched her suddenly become annoyed and angry like her usual self when talking to or about Malfoy.

"Not that it's any of your business, Malfoy, I am looking for Ginny, because she isn't at the table. Now if you don't mind, move aside so that I can get past you." She growled taking a step up towards Draco causing Blaise to smirk slightly staring to understand just what was going on here.

"Not to stick my nose where it doesn't belong, from my point of view, this looks like some sort of lovers spat or quarrel which, don't get me wrong is rather entertaining, but we really should get to dinner and I feel as if I am intruding." Blaise quipped with a chuckle looking towards Draco who turned to look at his friend with a dangerous glint in his eye that basically confirmed his statement. Turning his head to look at Granger whose face was starting to burn a lovely shade of slightly heated mortification, he smiled widely taking a few steps down past her as she sputtered an explanation.

"I-it is not some lovers spat or quarrel, its bloody Malfoy being a sodding git who needs to j-just stay away from me." She barked pushing past Draco as fast as she could before he could even say a single word and Blaise couldn't help but feel slightly sorry for teasing the both of them because it seemed like he hit a nerve of some sort. The second she was gone he watched Draco look towards him with a venomous expression that caused Blaise to stop his small grin.

"Not one word Zabini, not one." He hissed before storming down the stairs past his friend without a second glance, which made Zabini chuckle a little before following him.

"This is the calm before the coming storm,
This is the red sky morning,
Without warning now,
This is the fight that we've been waiting for,
And there's no sense in running,
The hammer's coming down…"

Saturday October 12th, 1996

In the Hallways- Just after midnight

Other than the small echoing sound of Pansy's shoes meeting the stone floor of the corridor, it was silent, almost deafeningly so as she made her way down past the shadow blanketed halls of Hogwarts. Sure, it was far past the time she was supposed to be out and about, but she needed to get a note to Malfoy and after slipping it under the boys' door, she felt anxious. The note was telling him about how she made a mistake, how she had been the one to attack him and that stupid mudblood, which in all honesty, she hadn't meant for anyone to get hurt, only to scare them.

Scoffing under her breath, she sluggishly walked towards the row of stone columns leading down the hallway where she stopped to think. Attacking them was a stupid impulsive bout of jealousy from the way he looked at her, which was rather pathetic because there was no way that Draco would feel anything other than repulsion from Granger, or at she hoped that was all he felt.

Sighing softly she wrapped her arms around herself, feeling an abrupt cool swish of air while she rolled her eyes wondering how Draco would react to her note. Closing her eyes, she leaned her head back against the stone pillar, just breathing, enjoying the solitude she rarely got these days. A sudden swish of a cloak forced her eyes to snap open as she then found a warm hand clamp itself around her mouth in order to silence any noises she were to make while another hand yanked her backwards into the darkness behind the stone.

Reaching upwards, she tugged at the hand feeling as if fear itself was kicking at her in all directions, causing her to speak in panted breaths around the hand. Then she heard a chuckling familiar voice signaling that it was all just some joke.

"Pansy, relax alright. It's just me." The boy spoke as she took a deep breath before tearing away his hand and shoving him backwards slightly as a fit of anger rushed though her. Shaking her head in disbelief, she scoffed and then began to snap at the idiot before her.

"What in world is the matter with you! You asshole, you scared me… I could have screamed or bit you… Honestly Theo, grow up a little bit…" she hissed as he just chuckled stepping forward towards her into a strip of moon light from the windows across the hall. With a small grin, he took another so that he towered over her just before he leaned down to nip almost playfully at her neck while she rolled her eyes in order to stop her impending smile.

"Oh so I scare you do I?" he mumbled with a throaty laugh as he placed a small singular kiss against her neck before lifting his eyes to look into hers as she shook her head and looked away from him in a pouting manner causing him to sight. "Come on luv, it was a joke. No need to pout." She looked back towards him to give a half hearted glare while he smile in return before he was about to lean towards her to place a kiss upon her lips but was stopped when she looked away once more.

"I-I'm not in the mood tonight Theo…" she said quickly as she felt him pause with a loud sigh while she then looked back to see his face etched in irritation and a slight fire of annoyance. She knew that he was about once again complaining about how she always stopped him, and that it had to do with Draco, as always.

"Fine, whatever Pansy, it's not the real reason I wanted to talk to you tonight anyways, but for the record, he has already moved on with that mudblood partner of his, and face it, he dumped you last year." He said almost haughtily while she sneered at his attempt at making her feel guilty for shutting him down, while he then continued to talk. "I wanted to talk to you about something rather important actually, and it has to do with loyalties, more particularly where your lie at the moment, with or against the Dark Lord?" he spoke softly not blinking once which Pansy found rather odd as she hope that it was one of his many games that he plays.

"What in the world are you on about Theo? Asking me if I had would rather become a death eater or if I would side with mudbloods and blood traitors. Fine, I'll play along, with your stupid game… In all honesty, I choose the side that doesn't get me killed, there. Now if you don't mind I-" she was about to tell him that she was going to bed, but was stopped when he clicked his tongue twice before shaking his head.

"It's not a game anymore Pansy, I am asking you for real this time, would you become a death eater?" he asked more sternly, his voice was as cold as the cold breeze she felt from the window as she looked towards his, knowing that he was no longer joking around. Blinking a few times, she swallowed the lump in her throat before clearing it to respond.

"Death eaters are extremist that follow no rules but their own, and frankly, they die for something that shouldn't even be worth our time. I hate those scum mudbloods as much as the rest, but I want nothing to do with either side, it's a waste-" she stopped talking the more angry his expression became causing her to pause and for some reason, she was worried for where this topic was leading. "What is the matter with you, are you saying you want to be a death eater or something?" she asked as he grit his teeth together so roughly that she heard the soft grinding that sounded from his anger.

"Look around you Pansy, things are changing, and the time to stop fooling around has come, the time to choose a side is here. You're either with them, or against them. There is no middle, there is no grey, and it is only black and white here." He whispered it what looked like attempts to control his random and certainly unjustified fit anger, as he then reached for her wrist with his left hand, gripping it tightly causing her to wince from the pain.

She tugged away, trying to undo his grip while he just stood there, expressionless and statue like as she pulled harder, then tried to push away his hand with her other one. Then her hand slipped catching the white of his dress shirt as she watched the button fly away before clinking upon the floor almost in slow motion. Her eyes widened in fear as her shaky breath caught in her throat while she looked towards his forearm, the black snake slithering against his skin, as her heartbeat sped up wildly.

"No…no. Theo, you took the mark?" she said in a hushed voice feeling as if she were about to vomit from see the brand upon his skin, and all she could think about was how she hadn't seen it, or even thought about it before now. Tearing her eyes away from the moving scull and snake, she looked up to see his face, which was still hard and still unmoving as he stared down at her.

"Of course I did, the Dark Lord asked for me personally, and then he told me that I was vital to his fool proof plan. What, you thought I would join the side that accepts mudblood?" asked with a dark chuckle that made a shiver run through her body as she tugged at her hand again needing space, needing to get away. He looked down at her with a smirk that made her feel uneasy while he released his hold upon her before he continued talking. "What did you think? That Dumbledore, no, no, do you think that the great Harry Potter and his pathetic gang of followers are going to win the inevitable war, which is only a matter of time until it starts." The second he let go, she looked down at her wrist white from his grip sure to bruise from his grip.

"What? No- I don't understand why you're saying this, why you would take that- that thing, even after what you witness happen to your mother! She was killed by your father Theo, remember, you told me that! Then you go on and- and join him as if you're looking for his sick approval for some reason!" she shouted at him turning to leave because she truly wanted nothing to do with this, all she wanted was to be out of the way, away from him at the very least.

Pansy just wanted to be back in her bed away from him while she walked quickly down the hallway in the direction of the Slytherin common room, stopping to look over her shoulder she saw no one behind her. Turning all the way around she shook her head not wanting anything to do with his games she began walking again as a gust of freezing cold air hit her causing her hair to fly in all directions while she saw thick black swirls dance around her. With a snap of a cloak, she watched Theo land in front of her with a scowl before he shook his head in what seemed like disappointment.

"Pansy… What my father did, was prove that this world is a harsh and cold reality, that sometimes there's nothing you can do but watch things happen. He showed me that sometimes, things are out of your hand where all you can do, is wait, wait for shit to happen and wait for the fallout. Just wait…. You see right now is the calm…" he paused to take a few steps towards while he looked her up and down. "And I assure you, it's almost that time Luv." He said reaching in his pocket for something as she took a few steps backwards away from him to see him grabbing his wand. "So I'll ask one more time, Pansy… Where do your loyalties lie?" She started to take a step backwards, but realized that running was pointless as she thought about what he was about to do and why.