Dinner that night was a solemn affair. Lucius had bags under his eyes; no doubt from stress and Draco and Bella both had eyes red from obvious weeping. Cissy looked at each member of her family in worry. She tried to make small talk but still the aura of an overhanging burden was strong.

Bella excused herself before desert, saying she was 'just tired and out of sorts,' giving her sister the ghost of her old smile, before leaving for her bedroom. Draco kept pushing food around his plate, looking pensive.

Lucius ate quickly, getting up to get his coat. He leaned over to kiss Cissy on the cheek. "I'll be back in the morning. Death Eater business."

Cissy frowned. "At this hour?"

Once Draco would have made a snide comment about his mother's obviously wavering loyalty, but now he wished he'd never heard of the Dark Lord and his grand plans for a pure wizarding world. Lucius was murmuring something in Cissy's ear and now he was apparating.

Silence descended on the dinner table again. "I need to talk to you," Cissy's voice was like a whiplash through the silence.

Draco raised his eyebrows. "Mother?"

Cissy's blue eyes sparked. "Don't 'mother' me. I'm intelligent enough to know when my son's upset."

Draco shrugged, willing his mother to stop asking questions.

"What have you said to Bella? Or what has she said to you? You two always get along. Sometimes I think you two are like peas in a pod, but tonight both of you have been crying. Don't try and tell me you two didn't make the other upset."

Draco sighed. His mother was many things, but stupid was not one of them. Cissy's blue eyes studied him astutely. "Was she angry?" She looked uncomfortable, "because you needed Snape's help to kill Dumbledore?"

Unwittingly, Cissy had given him the perfect excuse. He nodded, trying not to look ashamed.

"But what in the world did you say to make Bella cry. My sister hasn't cried like that since…"

"She was married off to Rodolphus," said Draco quietly.

His mother stared at him in shock, her voice barely above a whisper, "but how did you know?"

He could scarcely say Bella had told him. Suddenly he remembered the Dark Lord's snide reference to Snape, and everyone knew Draco was Snape's favourite student.

"Snape told me," he said shortly, "she mocked me, so I threw her marriage in her face."

Cissy's face was like a thundercloud. "Draco that was needlessly cruel! I thought I'd raised you better."

Draco stared at his still full plate saying nothing. "You'd best apologise to my sister. You know how angry she gets." Oh, yes, Draco did, more than his mother could ever know. "Just a suggestion," she continued lightly. "Perhaps you don't understand just how hard marrying Rodophus was for her." His mother's voice was cold again. "She gave up everything for the Dark Lord and he threw it all back in her face…" She snapped at the expression on Draco's face. "You would hate him too, if you could have seen just how much he changed her. Go apologise! What do you know of her sacrifice?"

Draco did his best to hide his surprise as he nodded dutifully. So that was why Cissy had always resented the Malfoy's involvement with the Death Eater's… because of the heartache of her sister.

It was funny how love worked.

It was another couple of days before Bella and Draco were by themselves again. Bella looked aged and weary as she asked agonised, "what can we do?"

Draco sighed. What possible solution was there? "One of us has to die… or at least be tortured beyond recognition, unless we find a way to run."

Bella shook her head. "We both know that won't work." She ran a hand through her unruly hair, smiling suddenly. "Do you know Draco, this may just be the single most unselfish, loving thing I've ever suggested."

"What?" laughed Draco.

Her eyes were calm, voice steady. "You kill me of course, and take the glory. The Dark Lord will reward you and Lucius will be protected after his ministry cock up."

Draco couldn't help but laugh. This time it wasn't a laugh of mirth, but rather one bordering on hysteria, bubbling over.

Bella slapped his face. "Stop it! We have to do something, and sooner rather than later."

"What a ridiculous suggestion, Aunty. I couldn't even kill Dumbledore, whom I hated, let alone kill my own beloved Aunt."

"You have to do it," hissed Bella. "You have your whole life before you."

"If I was going to kill you, I'd need to use muggle weapons. I couldn't use an unforgiveable and mean it."

Bella swallowed; this would be hard for her, brought up as she was on all things Anti-muggle.

"But it doesn't matter," continued Draco. "I won't do it. I hated Dumbledore. I thought he was weak and a muggle lover to boot. I didn't understand him I guess. I didn't understand sacrifice. Perhaps now I do. Perhaps now I know he had the right of it; goodness, decency, morality…are they really such poor qualities to aspire to?"

Bella said nothing, her pink lips parted in surprise. "You see, even if I killed you, I don't trust the Dark Lord to spare me. No doubt I'd still be punished, because that's the way he works Bella, with fear and hatred and despair and I'm tired of him, Bella. I want out. You, you're better at dealing with him and you still love him. Now I understand sacrifice I'll make a choice."

Bella put a hand out beseechingly, "don't…"

Draco's voice was flat. "Kill me Bella, torture me. It's time for you to make a choice. Let us die together at the hands of the Dark Lord. I know there's still honour and decency left in you, it's there every time you look at me, and at your sister, these past few days… I've seen the real you, now choose."

She would have chosen to die with him, Draco could see it in her brown eyes, but that was without the influence of the necklace. It began to whisper, hiss commands at Bella as her pupils widened, dilated in shock and fear. The brown eyes lost their compassion with the commands of the Dark Lord and soon she was just Bellatrix Lestrange again; mad killer who enjoyed torture.

"I tried," Draco thought silently as she drew out her wand, now laughing wildly, wickedly.

"Is poor itty, bitty Draco fwightened?" she asked in her horrible mock baby voice.

He stared back at her unflinchingly. This isn't my real Aunty, he thought fiercely, this is His work, not hers, and I will not die afraid.

The cackling filled his ears as the Dark Lord's lifelong punishment began.

"Crucio, Crucio, Crucio!"

Sorry to anyone who wanted a happy ending… but I do so love sad ones… and let me tell you, this finale is gonna be drama central .It was fun making Draco the hero.