Charming

Chapter Four – The Lightning-Struck Tower All Over Again

Disclaimer: I don't own the Potterverse or anything like it... but neither do you (unless you're JKR in which case you obviously do) ...anyway you know the drill; on with the story. :)

~oOo~

Dumbledore spoke. "Go and wake Severus." His voice sounded faint. "Tell him what has happened and bring him to me. Do nothing else, speak to nobody else and do not remove your Cloak. I shall wait here."

Hermione knew he was talking to Harry, who was hidden underneath the Invisibility Cloak; then she heard him speak.

"But –"

"You swore to obey me, Harry – go!"

She heard Harry running toward the door that led to the spiral staircase – but then there was a louder set of footsteps on the other side of the door, and a second later it burst open as someone cried, "Expelliarmus!"

Hermione knew what had happened – Harry had told her and Ron, as he told them almost everything. Dumbledore had wordlessly immobilised Harry just before he himself had been disarmed, leaving Harry invisible and frozen, unable to do anything rash – but also unable to help in any way.

And there was Malfoy again, stepping forward as Dumbledore said calmly, "Good evening, Draco."

Hermione knew what was going to happen, thanks to Harry. Dumbledore and Malfoy would talk, the former trying to convince the latter to come over to the right side, the latter trying to work up the courage to kill the former. Then the other Death Eaters would come, and then Snape, who would kill Dumbledore.

Yes, Hermione now knew that he'd only done so on Dumbledore's orders, but she nevertheless had no desire to see the old Headmaster's death. Hearing about it from Harry and seeing Dumbledore's broken form at the bottom of the Astronomy Tower had been more than enough.

I've got to get out of here, she thought. But how?

Trying to ignore what was going on around her, she walked towards the door Malfoy had just come from, intending to escape from the scene and hide out in a different part of the memory-castle. She reached for the doorknob and started when her hand passed straight through it. Damn. She took a deep breath, closed her eyes, and walked forward, intending to go through the door. She took a few steps but felt nothing, and so carefully opened her eyes.

She was still standing in front of the door. "What?" she said aloud. She tried walking forwards again, but although she was definitely walking, she just wasn't going anywhere – and she couldn't feel the wall she was trying to walk through, either. She broke into a run, but she may as well have been on a treadmill for all the progress she was making. Hermione stopped and sighed in frustration. For some reason, that clearly isn't going to work, she thought, and turned back around.

"We are quite alone," Dumbledore was saying. "I am more defenceless than you could have dreamed of finding me, and still you have not acted..."

Standing almost beside Malfoy, Hermione saw the involuntary pained expression that flitted over his fair features then – another rare show of emotion through that mask. But perhaps emotion from Malfoy isn't as rare as it seems to be...

Shaking her head to clear it, Hermione looked for another route of escape. There are no other doors... She went to the edge of the tower and looked over the side, expecting to see the ground far beneath, but her eyes were met with only darkness. No matter how much she squinted and blinked, she couldn't see anything in or beyond it.

It must be the edges of the memory or something, she thought. I'm not going to get out by just walking out. What now?

Now standing beside Dumbledore, she saw how pale and pained he looked as he said, "I can help you, Draco..."

"No, you can't," said Malfoy, his voice and the hand that pointed his wand at the Headmaster shaking. "Nobody can. He told me to do it or he'll kill me. I've got no choice." He seemed to be bordering on tears.

Hermione took an involuntary step towards him, almost wanting to reach out and tell him he wouldn't have to do it, that he'd be okay, before stopping herself. He's a memory here! Nothing more. Enough of this feeling sorry for him!

"...Draco, we can hide you more completely than you can imagine. What is more, I can send members of the Order to your mother tonight to hide her likewise. Your father is safe for 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..."

Malfoy stared at Dumbledore, seeming disbelieving. "But I got this far, didn't I?" he said slowly, as if trying to convince himself that the old man was wrong. "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," came the quiet response. "It is my mercy, and not yours, that matters now."

Malfoy was silent. His mouth hung open; his wand hand was still trembling. Hermione thought she saw it drop, just a little bit...

Suddenly four black shapes burst through the door, pushing him out of the way. The Death Eaters.

Hermione began to panic, just a little bit. I don't want to see Dumbledore die! How do I get out? She closed her eyes and tried hopelessly to wish her way out; anything to escape – just as a hand came down on her shoulder. She spun around, realising it couldn't be a memory-person...

"Harry!" she cried.

"Hello, Hermione," he said, reasonably cheerfully. "What are you doing in my memories?"

At that moment Snape came through the doorway as well.

"I'm sorry, it was an accident – but please can you get us out of here? I really don't want to watch Dumbledore being killed."

"Right—" he said, just as Snape pushed past Malfoy and the other Death Eaters.

Harry gripped Hermione's arm, hard, and the world dissolved into swooping blackness around them, the memory lost from sight.

Quite suddenly, Hermione found herself back in Harry's room. Feeling lightheaded, she stumbled away from the Pensieve and sat down abruptly on the bed.

"How long were you in there, Hermione? What'd you see?" Harry asked. He didn't appear to be angry, only concerned for her.

"I'm not sure how long," she answered truthfully. "I went looking for you and Ron after you left the library, but I couldn't find you anywhere—"

"So you decided to search for us in my Pensieve?" interrupted Harry with a smile.

She gave him a playfully scathing look. "No. Your door was unlocked and I just kind of... fell in. It was an accident – I didn't mean to pry or anything."

"I believe you," said Harry simply. "I hope you didn't see anything terribly scarring," he added with a grin.

"Unless seeing you almost kill D— Malfoy with a spell you knew nothing about is considered scarring, no, not really."

"I'm sorry you had to see that, but the slimy git deserved what he got, since he was trying to kill Dumbledore. I can't believe they let a Death Eater like him back here after everything he's done."

Hermione grew stony-faced. "You really don't think he could've changed? That he wouldn't regret what he's done?"

"To quote Ron, poisonous toadstools don't change their spots, Hermione."

"I could've sworn he was thinking about it at the top of the tower in your memory."

"Well, he never acted on that, did he? This is Malfoy we're talking about. He'll always be the smirking Slytherin Death Eater he is."

"Ex-Death Eater, Harry."

"Yeah, whatever. Hey, I'm hungry – Ron'll be at lunch already. You coming?" Hermione nodded and they left Harry's room, side by side.

Neither of them noticed the quiet figure who saw them go, appraising them from the end of the corridor with stormy grey eyes.

~oOo~

Author's Note: I referenced most of chapter 27, 'The Lightning-Struck Tower', from Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince (UK children's edition) in writing this chapter... no copyright infringement intended.

And thanks to everyone who's been reviewing – I really love hearing which parts you liked and so on. Keep 'em coming – hit that green button down there, you know you want to... :D