A/N: Apparently I work best with bimonthly deadlines, so that's probably how I'm going to post new chapters from now on: twice a month (roughly once every two weeks, though I might have a day or a two day delay on occasion, depending on how long the chapter I'm working on is; and I'm afraid this chapter is even longer than the last - way longer! I'm sorry about that, but there really are so many scenes and events that I'm trying to cover, there's just no going around these long chapters).
This chapter is from Draco's point of view and it's about his fighting with two forces pulling him in different directions: wanting to join Hermione on the 'good' side of the war, while having to prove to Voldemort he was loyal, so that the Dark Lord wouldn't kill him and his parents. Will Draco break or will he find a way to survive...? Events start unfolding at a greater speed as the school year comes to a close.
Before I leave you to your reading, I want to mention one thing: in this chapter I make reference to a magical object called 'The Quill of Affinity'. It isn't canon, it's purely a creation of mine, so don't be surprised that you haven't read about it in the books or on a Harry Potter wiki or anything of the kind.
That being said, enjoy reading!
Chapter 10 – I wanted freedom bound and restricted
(Draco p.o.v.)
Draco was feeling hopeless. The school term was almost over and he still hadn't managed to make the Vanishing Cabinet function. He'd tried to take his mind off the direness of the situation by meeting with Granger - she was the only light in his sea of darkness. But even she couldn't save him from Voldemort if he failed his mission.
He'd given in to despair by hiding in a bathroom where he could let his terror seep out in the form of tears, but unfortunately Moaning Myrtle was there, and although Draco appreciated her genuine concern, it wasn't doing him any good.
"Tell me what's wrong… I can help you…", she crooned from one of the cubicles.
"No one can help me," he told her, his body shaking. "I can't do it… I can't… It won't work… and unless I do it soon… he says he'll kill me…"
That horrible reality made him give one last great shudder, then looked up into the cracked mirror above the sink he was leaning on, trying to find the will to go back to the Room of Hidden Things and fix the cabinet once and for all.
That's when he saw Potter staring at him over his shoulder - and the fact that he, of all people, was there to witness his misery and vulnerability made Draco react by wheeling around, drawing his wand and throwing a hex at 'the Chosen One'. It missed by inches, Draco being too shaken up to aim straight. He used 'Protego' to block whatever nonverbal spell Potter cast and he raised his wand to cast another one of his own, ignoring Myrtle's cry for them to stop.
Potter managed to avoid getting hit that time too, and cast the Leg-Locker Curse against him, but missed, the spell backfiring off the wall behind Draco and smashing the cistern beneath Moaning Myrtle, who screamed loudly.
Water was pouring everywhere and he saw Potter slip, which was the perfect chance to end this once and for all. His darkness took over, and Draco, his face contorted, started saying "Crucio" intending to hit Potter with the torture curse, which would have incapacitated him enough for Draco to make his escape.
He didn't get to finish speaking before Potter bellowed an incantation Draco hadn't heard before: "Sectumsempra!"
Pain like nothing Draco had ever felt before hit him hard, and blood spurted from his face and chest as though he had been slashed with an invisible sword. He staggered backwards and collapsed onto the waterlogged floor, his wand falling from his limp right hand as blackness engulfed him.
Draco had no idea how long he was out, but it couldn't have been long because he regained consciousness to Snape lifting him up from the bathroom floor and telling him "You need the hospital wing. There may be a certain amount of scarring, but if you take dittany immediately we might avoid even that… Come…"
Despite not getting along with Snape lately - because of his constant inquiries into Draco's business - Draco was grateful at the moment, because more than likely Snape had saved his life.
Madam Pomfrey was horrified when she saw him and she quickly ushered them to a hospital bed - as soon as Draco was horizontal and under the expert care of the school nurse, Snape left, and Draco imagined there were hard times ahead for Potter. But 'the Chosen One' deserved it for casting that curse, Draco thought, his mind still clouded by the pain despite the marginal easing of the hurt due to the dittany that Madam Pomfrey had given him. The murtlap essence she was applying to his wounds also helped, but Draco was still in considerable pain.
"It was a particularly nasty curse you were hit with, Mr. Malfoy, and it'll take you a while to recover completely, but with proper treatment you should be just fine, in time, and I'm quite sure there won't be any scarring left either. But you need to follow my instructions to the letter: for the following five days you must consume a spoon of raw dittany three times a day, apply dittany essence on your wounds in the morning and evenings and apply murtlap essence at noon. I'll only keep you here overnight, then you can be on your way, as long as you continue the treatment, do you understand?"
"I understand", he said in a less arrogant tone than he would have normally used. "Thank you", he added as an afterthought.
Just then the doors to the Hospital Wing doors burst open and Pansy came in, running. Blaise, Theo, Daphne, Crabbe and Goyle where behind her.
"No running!" admonished Madam Pomfrey. "And no more than six visitors at the same time!" she barked.
"We are six!" Daphne protested, as they approached his bed.
Madam Pomfrey quickly counted them and, satisfied that indeed, they didn't exceed the maximum number of visitors allowed, she let them talk, not before telling them: "No more than 10 minutes, then let Mr. Malfoy rest!"
"What happened, Draco?!" Pansy shrieked, grating on his nerves, and increasing his discomfort tenfold.
"You gave us a right scare, mate", said Blaise, sitting down at the end of Draco's bed.
"Moaning Myrtle was screaming murder all over the school bathrooms, and although I'm glad she was exaggerating, as usual, you do look deathly pale", observed Theo.
Crabbe and Goyle didn't say anything, just looked mildly concerned, but Draco supposed that was the best he could expect of them.
"Potter cursed me", said Draco, reluctantly, as he swatted away Pansy's hands, ending her efforts of fussing over him.
It was probably old news already, thanks to Myrtle, that Potter got the better of him. He could have strangled her if she weren't already dead - although Draco understood that she'd done it because she was worried that he'd been mortally injured.
"We already know that, but why? That's unexpected of him, isn't it?" Daphne mused.
"Yes, that's a rather strange occurrence - Gryffindors are usually less vicious", Blaise agreed.
"I hope Professor Snape expels Potter for this outrage!" said Pansy passionately. "Or just let Filch torture him!"
No one commented on her thirst for vengeance, least of all Draco, who wasn't too pleased that she acted as if the attack on him was a personal offense to her. Pansy should have accepted long ago that he didn't want anything to do with her anymore.
"What curse did he use?" asked Theo, his curiosity clear in his tone.
"Apparently not something very common", Draco evaded a straight answer.
"'The Chosen One' dabbling in dark magic - now that's scandalous, I bet Rita Skeeter would love to get wind of that!" Pansy said, and Draco could practically see the wheels in her head turning.
"I'd rather not make this common knowledge outside Hogwarts", he said firmly, before she could go blabbing to a three-knuts journalist.
"Oh...well, if that's the case... all right", she said, subdued.
"Look, it's not that I don't appreciate your concern, but it's getting late and I'm feeling rather light headed..." Draco said, ignoring Daphne's mumbled "blood loss tends to have that effect".
"So if you don't mind, I'd like to rest now. We'll talk more tomorrow - I'll be released from the Hospital Wing in the morning", he added.
"Well, our 10 minutes will be up any moment now in any case. See you in the morning, then! Take care, Draco!" Blaise said, as he and the rest of them, except Pansy, said their goodbyes.
Pansy hesitated, but Draco gave her a look that made her wave a hasty goodbye and then retreat.
Madam Pomfrey had apparently returned nearby because as soon as his fellow Slytherins were out the doors, she blew out the candles in the room and then left him to rest.
Draco's thoughts turned to how much he regretted losing his temper and trying to use the Cruciatus curse on Potter. Much as he loathed 'the Chosen One', he preferred hitting him with something fun, like the Leek Jinx or Pus Squirting Hex or something of that kind. He'd already used unforgivable curses by Imperiusing people earlier that year, he didn't want to 'upgrade' to the torture curse, especially since that would get him one step closer to the final unforgivable curse, 'Avada Kedavra', which would conveniently help him kill Dumbledore, thus completing Voldemort's mission - but at the cost of Draco's soul, something he wasn't willing to forfeit.
Although lost in thoughts, Draco still heard the Hospital Wings being slowly pushed open - the scratchy sound was pretty loud in the otherwise silent room.
He couldn't see much in the dim light coming from the fireplace, but the bushy hair was impossible not to recognize.
"Now here's someone I didn't expect to see", he drawled.
"I suppose I was worried", Granger said reluctantly, and even in the little light at his disposal, Draco saw that she was blushing. A good sign.
"Since you're here, I need to apply some dittany on the wounds, would you mind helping me?" he asked, playing the injured card. He could have applied the essence of dittany himself, but Draco knew how to exploit an opportunity when one presented itself.
"Uhm... all right", she agreed and Draco was only too glad to remove his shirt, although the movement didn't come without pain.
Granger sat down beside him on the bed and once his naked torso was on display, Draco handed her the jar of dittany essence, which she opened and then hesitated.
He sensed what her hesitation was about.
"Just use your fingers, Granger!"
She still looked around for an alternative, but finding none, she dipped her fingers in the dittany essence, and then carefully spread it over his wounds.
"Does it hurt much?" she asked, and the concern in her voice warmed his insides.
"Now not as much as it did when Potter cursed me."
Hermione winced, and the darkness inside him prompted him to say more.
"I hope you finally see that Potter isn't a saint after all - he might've killed me, if Snape hadn't happened to come by and help heal me".
"I'm obviously upset with Harry about using such a cruel spell, but Harry himself is very upset about doing something so awful, even to you..." she realized what she'd said and hastily added a mumbled "his words, not mine".
Draco could tell that much for himself, but it was good to get confirmation from her. Granger was too gracious for her own good sometimes.
"He was really stupid to try a spell that he had no idea what it might do… Still, is it true you tried to use the Cruciatus curse on him?!"
"I'm afraid so, Granger - but Potter started it, coming to spy on me. And where did he find out about that spell if the effects weren't even written...surely not a library book? Or did he go wandering in the Restricted Section?"
"Don't change the subject - just because Harry started it, as you've put it, it's no reason to use an unforgivable curse!" she raised her voice, and Draco quickly shushed her.
"Do you want Madam Pomfrey to come here? Keep it down! I'm supposed to be resting."
He noticed that she'd avoided answering where Potter had found out about the curse. But he wasn't that interesting in elucidating that particular mystery. Instead, he noticed that although Granger looked embarrassed about her raised tone, she still didn't let up. In a whisper, she continued: "What were you thinking, trying to cast Cruciatus on Harry?"
"I wasn't thinking much, I just got upset and I was casting the curse before I knew what I was doing", he admitted.
"Both of you were stupid, and it's a great relief Professor Snape was there so that a tragedy was averted!"
"It would have been a true tragedy if my body remained scarred for life", he joked, although his voice was a bit strained - feeling Granger's fingers all over his chest was having an incredibly erotic effect on him, despite the pain he still felt from the wounds. "But with the help of the dittany you're applying as well as the murtlap essence, any scarring will be gone - just in case you worried about my perfect body being marred."
"I'm more concerned about your wounds healing completely!"
"My wounds will be a distant memory soon... especially if you stop making such a fuss about it. How about we talk about something else, like what you reckon about Weaselbee breaking up with his girlfriend?"
Hermione's mouth snapped shut all of a sudden and Draco watched her carefully to try to read her expression. She didn't seem heartbroken, and he was very pleased about that.
"How do you know about that?"
"How does anyone find out about anything around Hogwarts? Students talk, ghosts talk, even the portraits talk, so it's all over the school. Now stop stalling and tell me your thoughts on the matter."
She removed her fingers from his chest, which Draco regretted, but he couldn't expect her to go on with her magical touch forever.
Granger closed the jar of dittany essence and drew a deep breath before finally speaking.
"I know you can make me tell you by using this infernal choker, so I won't let it get that far, because it's no secret: I'm glad the relationship between Ron and Lavender is over, but not because I harbor any feelings for Ron, as many might imagine. It's because his relationship was becoming an annoyance - towards the end he kept on evading her by hiding behind me, and Lavender herself confronted me one night in the Girls' dormitory, and despite my telling her that any romantic interest I might have had regarding Ron was a thing of the past, the discussion still took a bad turn - with Lavender, every little word is blown way out of proportion."
She sighed.
"I wonder why 'any romantic interest you might have had' for the Weasel is a thing of the past..."
Seeing as Granger was about to protest, he placed a finger over her lips, taking advantage of the fact that she was still sitting on his hospital bed, close to him.
"Thinking about it, I do believe it was our interactions during our meetings that made you not think about the ginger anymore, so you should be thanking me - see, it was not all bad after all!"
"I don't need you doing me any favors - and how conceited do you have to be to think my feelings for Ron have anything to do with you?!"
"Your feelings for Weaselbee, or the lack thereof", Draco said smirking, enjoying watching Granger go all red in the face with indignation.
"Just so you know, I have plenty of feelings for Ron - I love Ron, even if it's not the romantic type of love... Not that you understand romantic feelings in any case, all you know are twisted and... unnatural feelings!"
Draco felt her accusation hit home and his heart ached something terrible to hear the truth spoken out in the open. Yes, he was broken. For him, love was something twisted - perhaps the only pure love he knew was from his mother, who truly loved him unconditionally... On the other hand, his father had always made him feel like he didn't deserve to be loved if he wasn't the best at school, if he didn't look down on muggle-borns, if he didn't act like the pure blood royalty his father envisioned the Malfoys to be.
With Pansy he'd never had love, just a convenient way to have some fun, so how exactly was he supposed to know what a romantic relationship was supposed to be and how it was supposed to feel?
He had a lot of feelings for Granger, but they were mixed with darkness - and even if he could separate the two, if it turned out he really was in love with her, what good would it do? Contemplating his bleak future, it was better to keep away, nip whatever this was in the bud, before people other than himself got truly hurt.
Granger seemed to have read some of his anguish on his face, because in a small voice she said "I shouldn't have said it like that. I'm sorry."
Draco didn't want her to see him vulnerable, so he made an effort to switch back to his charming and confident self.
"No need to apologize, Granger, twisted is how I like it. Besides, I get the feeling that twisted is how you like it too. You say you don't, but your body told me a different story on several occasions!"
"You must be delusional!" she protested.
"If that's what you need to tell yourself, but denying the obvious truth only means you're the one who's delusional", he countered.
"I have trouble accepting that you see the truth more clearly than I do", Granger said. "You're clearly confused and have no idea what you, yourself, want, Malfoy! I mean, remember you didn't set up meetings with me for weeks on end and then you start back again - hot and cold much?"
"Just hot", Draco replied with a huge grin.
His overconfidence must have annoyed her a lot because Granger actually slapped his upper arm - there wasn't any real strength behind the slap, but the meaning was clear, she didn't approve.
Still, good thing she hit his arm and not his chest, which, despite all the dittany essence, still hurt considerably.
"Put your shirt back on!" she said ruefully. "You don't want to catch a cold on top of your injuries."
Draco did as he was told - not because her bossiness had any effect on him whatsoever, but because the castle was quite drafty and cold.
"In any case, Granger, guess what?" He took out his wand and chanted a spell he never thought he'd use, and the choker fell off of Granger's neck.
Her stunned expression was priceless.
Draco took the choker which was laying uselessly on her lap, and then murmured more spells to make it harmless, just an ordinary object.
"What...?" she asked dumbfounded. "How come you've taken it off?" she continued, her fingers tracing the skin of her neck which had previously been covered by the cursed choker.
"I might be confused about some things, but it's clear to me that I never really wanted to hurt you, nor would I ever do that. I guess I just wanted to exorcise some of my darkness using you, and I knew you wouldn't have met up with me of your own free will."
"We'll never know now, since you haven't even tried asking me first!"
Draco was shocked - was she implying she might have said yes, had he asked her? Unlikely!
"I'm used to taking what I want, not asking nicely. I wanted freedom bound and restricted where you're concerned", he admitted.
He handed the choker to her.
"It's harmless now, I've removed all spells from it so you can wear it - if you want - as a simple accessory."
Granger fingered the choker and said nothing for a while.
"I've gotten so used to it that my neck feels weird without it", she admitted while blushing. "I guess I'll wear it again from time to time - it is a lovely piece of jewelry!"
Draco was satisfied with that.
"Thank you for releasing me - although I suppose seeing as it was you who took my freedom in the first place, giving thanks might be inappropriate."
"Now who's being confused?" Draco teased.
"Oh, you can be so infuriating!" Granger exploded.
He shushed her again.
"I'd better go - it's gotten really late and I don't want to be caught out on the corridors at night!"
"Yes, better run along, we wouldn't want the perfect prefect to lose points for Gryffindor, or worse, get detention!"
She ignored him, getting up from the bed. "Take care, ok? Good night!"
"Good night!" Draco replied and watched her sneak out of the room.
With the choker off of Granger's neck, Draco felt like a weight had been lifted off his shoulders. He'd known all along that it was wrong to take away someone's free will and, in the end, what he really wanted was for Granger to willingly come to him.
He closed his eyes, knowing that no matter what the future brought, he'd corrected at least one thing, and perhaps the one dearest to his heart.
As expected, Draco's injuries were healed without any scarring in just a few days' time and he could redouble his efforts to fix the Vanishing Cabinet. That was his last chance, as he didn't plan on using the Imperius curse on anyone else in order to try to get to Dumbledore.
At the moment, the only person he still kept under his curse was Madam Rosmerta - he'd used the Imperius curse on her hoping that she might know about where Dumbledore was going when he left Hogwarts - something that had happened often during the current school term. Potter surely knew about it and he might have told Granger, but she hadn't given up any information. So far, Rosmerta hadn't yielded any real useful information either, but Draco wasn't ready to release her from the spell just yet.
Time went by and his efforts to fix the cabinet in the Room of Hidden Things were still in vain - he'd made some progress, if the results of his tests with the birds were to be trusted, but he was still missing a final piece of the puzzle that would make the magical contraption work flawlessly. During the last try, the bird had managed to go back and forth through the passage and make it out alive, but on return it had somehow lost all its feathers - sort of like he'd heard Weaselbee had done on his apparition test, leaving half an eye brow behind. Still, he couldn't risk the Death Eaters getting splinched while going through the cabinets' passage, so he needed to keep trying.
On the morning of the 5th of June, however, he began the day not by thinking about his unsolved puzzle of the Vanishing Cabinet, but by the fact that it was his birthday, which Draco decided then and there that it meant he could take a couple of hours to enjoy it, before he inevitably had to return to his 'labors'.
The first thing he did was to take the origami snake on his nightstand and send a message for Granger to meet him in the Room of Hidden things later on - might as well call her to his 'workplace', to save some time, because he would have to do some work eventually.
There was the big question of whether she would come or not. Draco had freed her from the power of the choker, so Granger was free to ignore his summons. But although he didn't quite dare to hope she might come of her free will, hope was a tricky thing, hard to avoid, and despite himself, Draco kind of expected her to show up. So confusing!
There was no point in thinking about it though - whether she'd come or not, he'd find out later on in the day. For now he was eager to see his presents.
He looked around the dormitory but there was not one present in sight.
Draco jumped out of bed and, frowning, he looked around the room one more time, with the same results.
Suddenly, a group of Slytherins burst through the door shouting "Happy Birthday, Draco!"
Draco grinned at his friends, which he'd thought was weird were no longer in bed despite the early hour.
Blaise patted him on the back, Theo shook his hand, while Crabbe and Goyle kept their distance and just nodded at him.
Even Daphne was there and she gave him a quick hug.
Pansy was the only one who hugged him AND kissed him - on the lips, but at least she had the decency not to use any tongue. This was one of the rare moments when Draco was pissed off at the Hogwarts Founders for letting girls enter boys' dormitories, despite the opposite not being allowed. He had no problem with Daphne, But Pansy was being too clingy.
"You're probably wondering why there are no presents", Blaise said, "and that's because they're all waiting for you in the Common Room - there's a big pile!"
"So you'd better get dressed, and come out to see them!" Theo added.
"Oh, I think Draco is fine just the way he is", Pansy said in what she probably wanted to sound seductively - although it had no effect whatsoever on Draco, except to make him feel slightly grossed out.
And apparently he wasn't the only one feeling that way, as Daphne responded to Pansy's comment: "He might be fine, but he can't spend the entire day in that state of undress, and we've got class just after breakfast. So chop chop!"
His friends exited the dormitory and Draco made quick work of dressing himself and then followed them into the Slytherin Common Room to open his presents.
He enjoyed everything he received, including the leather bracelet he got from Pansy, even if he thought the gift was a smidge too personal for his liking - but he couldn't refuse it either, it would be bad form to do so. However, what he considered the most inspired gift was the one he received from his mother: the Hand of Glory. Draco immediately made a mental note to place an order for Peruvian Instant Darkness Power, because the two combined would assure him a stealthy escape should he need one, and he expected he would need it before the school term was over.
He placed the order with his owl, which came to him at the Slytherin table in the Great Hall during breakfast to deliver some more presents.
The rest of the day flew by, busy with classes, and before Draco knew it, it was almost time to meet Granger in the Room of Hidden Things. Thinking that it wasn't sure that she would show up at all, Draco didn't want to waste time just waiting, so he continued his spell-work on the Vanishing Cabinet: he could feel he was very close to succeeding. He had no idea how much time had passed but, to Draco's utter surprise, the last bird he sent through the passage made it back in one piece, feathers and all. He couldn't quite believe it so he redid the test: the bird came back just the same as he'd sent it. He released the bird and whooped with happiness, feeling like now he finally had a chance to survive Voldemort's wrath, now that he finally had the means of getting the Death Eaters into Hogwarts.
A voice surprised him by calling 'Who's there?', a voice which wasn't Hermione Granger's. If he had to hazard a guess, he'd say it was that old nutter, Trelawney. He kept quiet and soon the professor exited the Room. Relieved, Draco quickly covered the Vanishing Cabinet with an old ratty piece of cloth for safe measure. Apparently you never knew who could enter the Room of Hiddn Things, even if he or someone else was already there! The Room was still a mystery to Draco.
He headed towards the entrance, hoping Granger would arrive at any moment and soon enough he heard her voice from some distance away.
"So I heed your calling and you're not even here to greet me?"
Draco had tried reigning in the hope that's she'd come because there was nothing forcing her to do so now, and the fact that she chose to come made him feel ecstatic.
"Oh, I'm here, don't worry!" he called out as he headed toward her. "I'm just surprised you showed up, seeing as you didn't have to anymore."
"It's your birthday, I figured I could grant you a favor today. Why have you been spending so much time in here this term, anyway? What have you been up to? As you know, Harry has been very curious about it, and I admit, I'm curious too!"
"Yes, well, you didn't tell me what Potter was up to with Dumbledore, so don't imagine I'm going to just give away information. Maybe I should have left that choker on you, to make you behave!" he teased.
Draco approached her, then traced a finger over the skin of her neck, enjoying the fact that she trembled at his touch.
"Then again", he mused aloud, "I do like it better like this after all."
She knocked his hand away.
"Cheeky!" Draco muttered.
"I got you this. Happy birthday!"
Granger handed him a long, thin parcel, prettily wrapped and tied with a green ribbon. Draco was speechless for a moment. So not only had she come to his summons, despite not having to do so anymore, but she'd also remembered it was his birthday and had gotten him a present too.
"I figure I owed you a birthday gift after that lie I told Borgin before the school term began, that I was looking for something to get you for your birthday."
Still at a loss for words, Draco figured the best way was to ask a question rather than say anything of meaning that might reveal more of his feelings than he wanted.
"You know, you never told me how you found out when my birthday is, Granger. Last time I asked you that, you evaded answering - care to do so now?"
"Why not? The truth is that I didn't go out of my way to find out, I just stumbled upon the information one day when I was on prefect patrol. This happened before we took the apparition test, and I was down in the dungeons when I heard a couple of Slytherin students commenting on who wouldn't be able to take the test due to age, and a girl - one of the 4th years I think it was, Astoria Greengrass - said your birthday was on June 5th so you were one of the few who wouldn't be able to test his apparition skills."
Draco was a little disappointed that she hadn't fished for the information, but he could still tease her about it.
"If that's your story, Granger, but I think you were down in the dungeons not in order to patrol, but because you were trying to get a glimpse of me. I totally understand it though - after all, I am irresistible" he said with a grin.
She rolled her eyes. "Get over yourself already!"
Draco simply smirked and unwrapped the gift. Inside the box there was an exquisite scarlet quill which gave off a faint glow.
"A phoenix quill?" he asked, not sure what he'd expected Granger to gift him - but thinking about it, books or quills were probably her presents of choice.
"Yes, but it's not a writing instrument per se. It is a replica of the Quill of Affinity."
"The what?!"
"Honestly, don't you read?" she asked but Draco ignored her and looked pointedly at her until she explained.
"The quill of affinity is a very powerful magical artefact that can determine how much potential for good and bad there is in each person. I read about it in a book named A Guide to Medieval Sorcery, in which it was said that Merlin created this artefact, enchanting it with spells like the ones the Hogwarts founders used to create the Sorting Hat. The original Quill of Affinity has never been discovered, although there are claims from several wizards and witches that they had seen it and a few accounts of some even using it. This replica is one of the few ever made, I think a dozen or so in total - and although they can't compare to the Quill of Affinity in terms of power, they are supposedly accurate enough about determining a person's affinity towards good and evil."
"Fascinating!" Draco exclaimed. "But it's no surprise that I didn't know about this Quill of Affinity. 'A Guide to Medieval Sorcery' isn't required for any of our classes."
"Oh, I often read library books before I go to sleep, despite them not being on the curriculum. I found out about this one from Harry - he consulted it before the second task of the Triwizard Tournament, hoping to find a way to breathe underwater, and although it didn't help him, I was intrigued. So I read it and then the Quill of Affinity caught my interest and I made it a point to try to find out more, and I found a couple of books who gave information about it, though sparingly. There really isn't any relevant information. Some say that Merlin was buried with not just his wand but this quill too, but given that his grave has never been discovered, it's no wonder the quill is missing."
Draco welcomed this new knowledge, but he was afraid of this gift... He understood what Granger was trying to do: she wanted him to use the quill and see that he had an affinity for good that outweighed the evil. But what if the quill revealed that he was actually rotten to the core, beyond saving?
He cleared his throat.
"And you'd risk me giving the quill a try? I mean, more than likely it's going to show what we've all known all along, that I'm evil and then we'd know that Trelawney's prophecy was bogus and that you have no chance of being my redemption."
"I think the risk is next to zero. I believe in you, in your potential for good, and I am sure that the quill will prove it!"
Draco was truly touched by her faith in him, it meant everything to him, and it also meant that even if the quill will yield a different result than Granger expected, she'd still stand by him.
"So how does it work? Is it enough that I touched it?"
"Not quite - you have to write down your name on a parchment, then release the quill and it will write down your affinities."
"I don't suppose..." he trailed off, because Granger was already removing a blank roll of parchment from the pocket of her robe.
"I'm sure we could have found a piece of parchment for you to write on in all this mess", Granger said, looking around at all the junk that had gathered from generations of Hogwarts students tossing objects in the Room, "but I like to be prepared."
Draco hesitated for a couple of seconds before he finally wrote down his name, then released the quill.
He noticed that Hermione was keeping her distance, probably wanting to give him privacy to see his results.
The quill hovered above the parchment for a few seconds, then it started writing.
The quill had written the following: "Good - 67%, Evil - 33%"
Draco was surprised, to say the least. So he was twice as good as he was evil?! It seemed too good to be true.
"Percentages! How very... numerical!" Draco observed drolly. He handed the parchment to Hermione, who was practically on her toes with impatience and curiosity.
She snatched the parchment and quickly read it.
"I knew it!" she exclaimed. "Now you finally have the proof that you have to fight against Voldemort, not with him!"
"Are you sure you didn't spell the quill yourself, so that it would show what you wanted it to?"
"I most certainly did not! That's what your Slytherin mind might tell you, but I assure you I did not tamper with it!"
"But Merlin was a Slytherin, so can we really trust the result?"
"This is a replica, remember? They said that the error margin was of maximum 7%, so there you have it!"
"Why don't you try it and then we can compare and see if it makes sense. Your result will probably be 100% Good, no evil whatsoever."
"I wish!" Granger said sheepishly. "I have my demons and my share of darkness, don't you worry. Anyway, you shouldn't be wasting the quill on me - its uses are limited to 10. You've already used one, so only 9 remain - it's all there on that piece of parchment."
Draco hadn't noticed that besides the quill, there was also some written parchment in the gift box, probably containing the information that Granger was telling him.
"It's my quill, so I decide who gets to use it. Or are you scared you're not a saint, like everyone thinks?", he said, deliberately trying to provoke her. He was curious about the percentages, but there was no question that she was mostly good, although he'd noticed some mischievousness in her on occasion.
"I've already said I'm no saint! But fine, I'll accept your challenge - give me the quill!"
Draco gave her the quill and after writing her name, the results on the page showed "Good - 87%, Evil - 13%".
"Not bad, Granger... also, how very predictable!"
She looked happy with her numbers so Draco took advantage of how distracted she was to kiss her, easily managing to slither his tongue to probe the sweetness of her mouth.
But that's not all he was probing for. Draco wanted to see how she'd react to him now, that she wasn't compelled in any way to submit to his will.
Granger dropped the parchment with their results and placed her hands on his chest, as if to push him away, but then she stopped. Instead, she let her hands roam, and Draco enjoyed her initiative immensely. He returned the favor, by placing his hands on her back, drawing her close and kissing her even deeper than before, until they were melting together.
"No more protests?" he asked when he reluctantly had to let her go so that they could both breathe.
"That was your reward for taking that choker off of me and actually giving me the choice to accept your kiss or not... but don't count on a repeat experience!"
"Oh, I think it's fairly sure that there will be many similar experiences in the future. We'll just have to let time decide who was right - I'm not in a mood to argue it with you now, it's been too good a birthday.'
"Then let's call it a day while we're still on good terms, shall we?"
Draco wasn't quite ready to let her go, but he didn't want to push his luck either.
"Off you go, then!"
"Happy birthday one more time!" Granger said and then left, leaving him looking longingly after her.
Days passed and Draco was still waiting for an opportunity to use the Vanishing Cabinet in order to get the Death Eaters into Hogwarts and therefore save his parents and himself from Voldemort's retribution. Keeping Rosmerta under the Imperius curse turned out to be a good call, because before long he got word from her (through enchanted coins that he used similarly to how he'd spelled the paper lion and snake, with a variation of the Protean Charm). Dumbledore had been out of the school again but now he was returning to Hogwarts and apparently the headmaster was weakened, so that was probably the best time to act. Even if it wasn't, the school term was almost over which meant Draco was out of time. It was now or never, all or nothing.
He didn't know what was going to happen between the Death Eaters and Dumbledore, not to mention that all the other professors and even the students that were at Hogwarts at the moment might get caught in the cross-spells. Draco didn't even know what he wanted to happen... What he did know was that he didn't want Dumbledore or anyone else dead, nor did he want to be the one to do the killing, but he had to keep up appearances if he wanted his life and the lives of his parents to be spared by Voldemort. So, hoping for the best, he went up to the seventh floor, entered the Room of Hidden Things, and used the Vanishing Cabinet to send a note to the Death Eaters who were on stand by.
Not a moment later, they emerged from the Vanishing Cabinet: Amycus and Alecto Carrow, Gibbon, Rowle and Yaxley, plus the werewolf Fenrir Greyback. Draco was relieved to see that his aunt, Bellatrix, hadn't come. She was deranged at best, and extremely dangerous, and if she'd been there, chances of tragedy occurring would have increased exponentially.
During the time that passed between the moment when Draco fixed the cabinet and the present, Draco had communicated with the Death Eaters, establishing the plan through notes sent back and forth through the Vanishing Cabinets. Although Draco hadn't known until now exactly which Death Eaters would take part in the attack, it was decided that they'd conjure the Dark Mark over the Astronomy Tower to attract Dumbledore there, while placing a barrier so that no one except a Death Eater could follow them up the stairs. After that, all that remained to be done was for Draco to kill the Headmaster, after which they'd retreat from the school - fighting their way through, most likely, but they didn't expect much resistance from professors and students, with Dumbledore dead.
Draco had no idea how he'd get out of that seemingly impossible situation, but Dumbledore was one of the most powerful wizards of their time, so hopefully even weakened, he wouldn't be so easily killed, especially not by him, who didn't really want to kill the old fool anyway.
"Lead the way, boy!" Yaxley said and Draco was just about to exit the Room when he noticed there were people outside the door. Probably Potter's doing, as the 'Chosen One' had been spying on him throughout the year and had mostly figured out something was going to take place.
Draco was prepared for such an occasion, and he quickly removed the Peruvian Instant Darkness Powder and the Hand of Glory from the pockets of his robe. He used the powder to make sure they wouldn't be seen, and then guided the Death Eaters through the ensuing dark with the help of the Hand of Glory.
It was the best course of action given that this way there were no casualties... not that Draco cared particularly about Weaselbee and his relatives and friends, but he didn't want to have any deaths or maiming on his conscience.
They advanced towards the Astronomy Tower, and once the Cursed barrier was cast at the Tower's only entrance, and Gibbon cast the Dark Mark, Draco was ready to lead the way up the stairs when spells were suddenly flying all around: apparently Potter's friends weren't the only ones present that evening: Aurors had also come. Draco had to dodge spells but he didn't want to get involved in the fighting so he continued going up, stepping over a body as he did so... Victims already, that was horrible! Well, he couldn't be sure the fellow was dead, but it sure looked like it. With a bit of luck, the Aurors would take care of all of the the Death Eaters, it was the best possible outcome. He had to intercept Dumbledore and stall for time though.
Draco burst through the Tower door shouting: "Expelliarmus!" He knew that disarming Dumbledore was his best chance of obtaining the much needed time.
The Headmaster's wand flew out of his hand which surprised Draco, because Dumbledore, of all people, should have been quick to defend against such a basic spell, but perhaps he was too weakened: Dumbledore's face was as white as chalk, although otherwise he looked as calm and collected as ever.
"Good evening, Draco."
Draco stepped forward, looking around quickly to check that there was no one else there. He noticed two brooms, which was suspicious.
"Who else is here?" he asked Dumbledore.
"A question I might ask you. Or are you acting alone?"
"No, I've got back-up. There are Death Eaters here in your school tonight."
"Well, well," said Dumbledore, sounding impressed. "Very good indeed. You found a way to let them in, did you?"
"Yeah, right under your nose and you never realized!" Draco felt proud that his efforts to fix the Vanishing Cabinet had paid off, but the idea of using Vanishing Cabinets was what he was most proud of.
"Ingenious," said Dumbledore. "Yet… forgive me… where are they now? You seem unsupported."
"They met some of your guard. They're having a fight down below. They won't be long… I came on ahead. I - I've got a job to do." A horrible job that he didn't want to do, but he needed to keep talking and to keep Dumbledore talking. It was a good sign that the Headmaster wasn't performing any wandless magic, it meant he wanted to negotiate and negotiation took time... or maybe he was too weak, but Dumbledore was so powerful that even weak, he could probably perform extraordinary magic.
"Well, then, you must get on and do it, my dear boy," said Dumbledore softly.
Draco wished the old man wouldn't be so cavalier about the matter of his own death. As if to confuse him further, Dumbledore smiled.
"Draco, Draco, you are not a killer."
"How do you know?" Draco shot back. He wished he had the Headmaster's faith in him, or Granger's, for that matter... but when push came to shove, he didn't know how far he was willing to go to protect himself and his family.
Still, he realized how childish his words had sounded, and despite not wanting to, he could feel himself flushing.
"You don't know what I'm capable of, you don't know what I've done!" His guilty conscience was making him want to confess things that were better left unsaid.
"Oh, yes, I do," said Dumbledore mildly. "You almost killed Katie Bell and Ronald Weasley. You have been trying, with increasing desperation, to kill me all year. Forgive me, Draco, but they have been feeble attempts… so feeble, to be honest, that I wonder whether your heart has been really in it…"
It was true, he never really wanted to kill the Headmaster, but he couldn't admit to that.
"It has been in it!" Draco denied vehemently. There were lives at stake if he failed to convince Voldemort of his loyalty. "I've been working on it all year, and tonight..."
He stopped abruptly when he heard a muffled yell coming from downstairs.
"Somebody is putting up a good fight," said Dumbledore. "But you were saying… yes, you have managed to introduce Death Eaters into my school which, I admit, I thought impossible… how did you do it?"
Draco barely heard the Headmaster... He was worried about what was going on with the fight between the Death Eaters and Dumbledore's supporters... Hermione was probably there too, and that yell might have been hers. The thought practically paralyzed him.
"Perhaps you ought to get on with the job alone," suggested Dumbledore. "What if your backup has been thwarted by my guard? As you have perhaps realized, there are members of the Order of the Phoenix here tonight, too. And after all, you don't really need help… I have no wand at the moment… I cannot defend myself."
Draco stared at him, knowing that if anyone could practice wandless magic, surely it was Albus Dumbledore. The Headmaster kept up his pretense though, and it worked to Draco's advantage. Soon enough, one side should emerge victorious, and he could only hope it would not be the Death Eaters.
"I see," said Dumbledore kindly. "You are afraid to act until they join you."
"I'm not afraid!" Draco snapped, not knowing what game the Headmaster was playing at. "It's you who should be scared!"
"But why? I don't think you will kill me, Draco. Killing is not nearly as easy as the innocent believe… so tell me, while we wait for your friends… how did you smuggle them in here? It seems to have taken you a long time to work out how to do it."
Finally, the chance to talk at length. He gulped and took several deep breaths, before glaring at Dumbledore, who continued to look completely unconcerned about his impending death. "I had to mend that broken Vanishing Cabinet that no one's used for years. The one Montague got lost in last year." It was from the Montague incident caused by the tweasels that Draco had gotten the idea of using the pair of Vanishing Cabinets.
"Aaah." Dumbledore's half sighed/half groaned. He closed his eyes for a moment. "That was clever… there is a pair, I take it?"
"The other's in Borgin and Burkes," Draco explained, "and they make a kind of passage between them. Montague told me that when he was stuck in the Hogwarts one, he was trapped in limbo but sometimes he could hear what was going on at school, and sometimes what was going on in the shop, as if the Cabinet was traveling between them, but he couldn't make anyone hear him… in the end he managed to Apparate out, even though he'd never passed his test. He nearly died doing it. Everyone thought it was a really good story, but I was the only one who realized what it meant — even Borgin didn't know — I was the one who realized there could be a way into Hogwarts through the Cabinets if I fixed the broken one."
"Very good," Dumbledore said quietly. "So the Death Eaters were able to pass from Borgin and Burkes into the school to help you… a clever plan, a very clever plan… and, as you say, right under my nose…"
"Yeah," Draco said proudly. "Yeah, it was!"
"But there were times," Dumbledore went on, "weren't there, when you were not sure you would succeed in mending the Cabinet? And you resorted to crude and badly judged measures such as sending me a cursed necklace that was bound to reach the wrong hands… poisoning mead there was only the slightest chance I might drink…"
"Yeah, well, you still didn't realize who was behind that stuff, did you?" Draco said with a sneer. Dumbledore was so enchanted with Potter, 'the Chosen One', that he appeared no to have eyes for anyone else, so Draco was happy to finally prove him wrong.
"As a matter of fact, I did," said Dumbledore. "I was sure it was you."
"Why didn't you stop me, then?" Draco demanded, shocked that Dumbledore had known and done nothing about it. Then again, the Headmaster had also known he was going to have his way with Granger, and he let that happen too. It was amazing what you could justify if you argued that it was for the greater good.
"I tried, Draco. Professor Snape has been keeping watch over you on my orders..."
"He hasn't been doing your orders", Draco objected, "he promised my mother..."
"Of course that is what he would tell you, Draco, but..."
"He's a double-agent, you stupid old man, he isn't working for you, you just think he is!" For all the things Dumbledore saw, regarding certain subjects he was as blind as a bat, and it irritated Draco to no end.
"We must agree to differ on that, Draco. It so happens that I trust Professor Snape..."
"Well, you're losing your grip, then! He's been offering me plenty of help — wanting all the glory for himself — wanting a bit of the action — 'What are you doing? Did you do the necklace, that was stupid, it could have blown everything —' But I haven't told him what I've been doing in the Room of Requirement, he's going to wake up tomorrow and it'll all be over."
"You must have had an accomplice, all the same… someone in Hogsmeade, someone who was able to slip Katie the - the - aaaah" Dumbledore closed his eyes again and nodded, as if he was about to fall asleep. "… of course… Rosmerta. How long has she been under the Imperius Curse?"
"Got there at last, have you?" Draco taunted him.
There was another yell from below, rather louder than the last. Draco hoped against all hopes that Hermione was OK, and he also hoped that the rest of her fellow fighters weren't seriously harmed or dead... But that was wishful thinking on his part. There was no way this could end without any other victims.
Dumbledore continued his reasoning.
"So poor Rosmerta was forced to lurk in her own bathroom and pass that necklace to any Hogwarts student who entered the room unaccompanied? And the poisoned mead… well, naturally, Rosmerta was able to poison it for you before she sent the bottle to Slughorn, believing that it was to be my Christmas present… yes, very neat… very neat… poor Mr. Filch would not, of course, think to check a bottle of Rosmerta's… tell me, how have you been communicating with Rosmerta? I thought we had all methods of communication in and out of the school monitored."
"Enchanted coins," Draco said, trying his best to sound calm. Thinking of Hermione who might be hurt... or worse... his wand hand was shaking badly, and he felt like he was on the verge of collapsing, just like Dumbledore. "I had one and she had the other and I could send her messages —"
"Isn't that the secret method of communication the group that called themselves Dumbledore's Army used last year?" asked Dumbledore, and Draco watched as he slipped an inch lower down the wall as he said it.
"Yeah, I got the idea from them. I got the idea of poisoning the mead from the Mudblood Granger, as well, I heard her talking in the library about Filch not recognizing potions…"
"Please do not use that offensive word in front of me," said Dumbledore.
"You care about me saying 'Mudblood' when I'm about to kill you?"
Draco hated using that word, especially about Hermione, but he had to keep up the act, to convince the Headmaster that he was about to kill him. Draco would have wanted to tell Dumbledore about his predicament and how he didn't really mean to kill, but if the Death Eaters got wind of it, Draco would be killed, and his parents would be as good as dead too. He needed to keep acting.
"Yes, I do," said Dumbledore, visibly struggling to remain upright. "But as for being about to kill me, Draco, you have had several long minutes now. We are quite alone. I am more defenseless than you can have dreamed of finding me, and still you have not acted…"
Draco pursed his lips, not having any valid argument. Dumbledore was probably catching on that he had no real intention of killing him.
"Now, about tonight," Dumbledore went on, "I am a little puzzled about how it happened… you knew that I had left the school? But of course," he answered his own question, "Rosmerta saw me leaving, she tipped you off using your ingenious coins, I'm sure…"
"That's right, but she said you were just going for a drink, you'd be back…"
"Well, I certainly did have a drink… and I came back… after a fashion," mumbled Dumbledore. "So you decided to spring a trap for me?"
"We decided to put the Dark Mark over the Tower and get you to hurry up here, to see who'd been killed," Draco said. "And it worked!"
"Well… yes and no…" said Dumbledore. "But am I to take it, then, that nobody has been murdered?"
"Someone's dead," Draco admitted, his voice seemed going up an octave as he said it. He wondered whether whoever it was lying on the floor was really dead, but either way, if he told Dumbledore about a death, perhaps the Headmaster would take things more seriously." One of your people… I don't know who, it was dark… I stepped over the body… I was supposed to be waiting up here when you got back, only your Phoenix lot got in the way…"
"Yes, they do that," said Dumbledore.
There was a bang and shouts from below, louder than ever, and it sounded as if the fight was moving up, on the actual spiral staircase that led to where he and Dumbledore were.
"There is little time, one way or another," said Dumbledore. "So let us discuss your options, Draco."
"My options!" Draco was incredulous. Apparently nothing could get through to Dumbledore. "I'm standing here with a wand — I'm about to kill you —"
"My dear boy, let us have no more pretense about that. If you were going to kill me, you would have done it when you first disarmed me, you would not have stopped for this pleasant chat about ways and means."
"I haven't got any options!" Draco protested, feeling the blood draining from his face. "I've got to do it! He'll kill me! He'll kill my whole family!"
"I appreciate the difficulty of your position," said Dumbledore. "Why else do you think I have not confronted you before now? Because I knew that you would have been murdered if Lord Voldemort realized that I suspected you. I did not dare speak to you of the mission with which I knew you had been entrusted, in case he used Legilimency against you," continued Dumbledore. "But now at last we can speak plainly to each other… no harm has been done, you have hurt nobody, though you are very lucky that your unintentional victims survived… I can help you, Draco."
"No, you can't," said Draco, his wand hand shaking worse than before. "Nobody can. He told me to do it or he'll kill me. I've got no choice."
His choice was to hope the Death Eaters would all be neutralized, and then he could finally talk to Dumbledore and tell him of his true intentions. He couldn't tip his hand sooner though, because if even one Death Eater escaped and told Voldemort about Draco's defection, his parents would be killed.
"Come over to the right side, Draco, and we can hide you more completely than you can possibly imagine. What is more, I can send members of the Order to your mother tonight to hide her likewise. Your father is safe at the moment in Azkaban… when the time comes we can protect him too… come over to the right side, Draco… you are not a killer…"
Draco stared at Dumbledore, amazed that the Headmaster had offered asylum, for him and his family, which was what Draco wanted. But he couldn't take him up on the offer. Not yet... He continued with his act.
"But I got this far, didn't I?" he said slowly. "They thought I'd die in the attempt, but I'm here… and you're in my power… I'm the one with the wand… you're at my mercy…"
"No, Draco," said Dumbledore quietly. "It is my mercy, and not yours, that matters now."
Draco wondered whether he'd been too convincing and Dumbledore was preparing to cast some debilitating wandless spell, but then his attention focused to the footsteps that were suddenly were up the stairs. A second later, he was pushed aside by... Death Eaters, Draco observed with dread: it seemed it was they who had won the fight below, not the Order of the Phoenix.
For Draco, all hopes of salvation were destroyed in an instant.
"Dumbledore cornered! Dumbledore wandless, Dumbledore alone! Well done, Draco, well done!" Amycus said, but Draco could care less about his praise. He and his sister, who was grinning eagerly at the moment, were as repulsive as they were cruel.
"Good evening, Amycus," Dumbledore said as calmly as ever, as if he were a gracious host receiving his guests. "And you've brought Alecto too… charming…"
"Think your little jokes'll help you on your death bed, then?" she jeered.
"Jokes? No, no, these are manners," replied Dumbledore.
"Do it," urged Fenrir in his rasping bark of a voice.
"Is that you, Fenrir?" asked Dumbledore.
"That's right. Pleased to see me, Dumbledore?"
"No, I cannot say that I am…"
The werewolf grinned, showing his pointed teeth. Blood was trickling down his chin and he licked his lips slowly, which made Draco shiver with repulsion and horror. What if that was Hermione's blood?
That horrifying idea consumed his thoughts. He just couldn't bear the thought that by bringing Greyback into the school, he might have caused Hermione harm... maybe even her death. Unthinkable!
Although his attention was divided, Draco noticed the werewolf did not mention whose blood it was that was dripping off his chin. His attention was drawn back to Greyback's conversation with Dumbledore when the werewolf said "I could do you for afters, Dumbledore…"
"No," Yaxley said. "We've got orders. Draco's got to do it. Now, Draco, and quickly."
Draco dreaded this moment, although he'd known there was a good chance that it would come to this. He felt terrified as he stared into Dumbledore's face, hoping that the Headmaster might come up with a solution to his predicament. Unfortunately, Dumbledore looked even paler than before, and he had slid so further down the rampart wall.
"He's not long for this world anyway, if you ask me!" commented Amycus, as Alecto giggled wheezingly. "Look at him — what's happened to you, then, Dumby?"
"Oh, weaker resistance, slower reflexes, Amycus," said Dumbledore. "Old age, in short… one day, perhaps, it will happen to you… if you are lucky…"
"What's that mean, then, what's that mean?" yelled Amycus.
"Always the same, weren't yeh, Dumby, talking and doing nothing, nothing, I don't even know why the Dark Lord's bothering to kill yeh! Come on, Draco, do it!"
Just as Draco thought it was all over for him, given that he couldn't possibly kill Dumbledore, there were renewed sounds of scuffling from below and a voice shouted, "They've blocked the stairs - Reducto! REDUCTO!"
Apparently help was coming, he just had to hold on a little longer.
"Now, Draco, quickly!" urged Yaxley.
Draco couldn't have done it even if he'd tried, his wand hand was shaking too badly.
"I'll do it," snarled Greyback, moving towards Dumbledore with his hands outstretched, his teeth bared.
"I said no!" Yaxley insisted, and this time he cast a spell towards Greyback, blasting him out of the way.
"Draco, do it, or stand aside so one of us..." Alecto screeched, but at that precise moment the door burst open once more and Snape entered the Astronomy Tower, his wand in hand, his eyes wandering all around as he took in the scene.
"We've got a problem, Snape," said Amycus, "the boy doesn't seem able..."
Draco was shocked about what happened next: ignoring the others, Dumbledore pleaded with Snape. All the Headmaster said was his name, "Severus…", but there was no mistaking the imploration in his voice.
Snape didn't say anything, instead he walked forward, pushing Draco roughly out of the way. Draco didn't utter a word in protest, neither did the other Death Eaters and Greyback, as they fell back without a word.
Draco watched Snape looking at Dumbledore with a mix of revulsion and hatred in his expression and he guessed what would happen next.
"Severus… please…" Dumbledore pleaded again.
But just like Draco anticipated, Snape ignored the pleas, raising his wand and pointing it directly at Dumbledore.
"Avada Kedabra!"
A jet of green light shot from Snape's wand, hitting Dumbledore squarely in the chest, blasting him into the air as he fell slowly backwards over the battlements and out of sight. And although Draco hadn't been the one to do it, he knew it was still his fault, for letting the Death Eaters in. He'd probably saved himself and his parents, but at what cost?