Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter nor do I claim to.
Summary: What if Draco wasn't the only Death Eater at Hogwarts? One-Shot of the events at the end of Half-Blood Prince.
Author's Note: This is a one-shot of my OC put into the Harry Potter universe. I don't know if I'm going to keep this posted or not since it might not make sense as I have yet to post any back story for Skylar... I just want to see how people like it and depending on the feedback I get I might write more with this OC or I might not. If I do it won't all be the exact same as in the books.
Skylar hesitated at the door. She knew what she would find on the other side and she wasn't sure if she was ready to face that or not… but it was the reason she had followed Draco from the Slytherin Common room without even bothering to pull on her robes so that her Dark Mark was covered. It was time. Now or never. Draco Malfoy was going to kill Dumbledore. If he failed then it was him would die and Skylar couldn't live with herself if Draco died. He may not care if she died or was hurt (heck he had hurt her more than anyone else ever could) but she cared about him even when she tried her best not to… even when he had nearly killed her to save Claire's life.
So, with every ounce of her courage and feelings for the boy who would never care for her, she gently pushed the heavy wooden door open and slid as quietly as she could into the room. She didn't want anyone to know she was there before she was ready for them to know. She could hear voices as she slowly made her way through the shadows.
"I've got a job to do." Draco's voice rang causing Skylar to stop. Even though he was trying to hide it, it was obvious (to her at least) that Draco was scared.
"Well, then, you must get on and do it, my dear boy." Dumbledore replied softly. Skylar raised an eyebrow. Was the old man stupid? Didn't he know why Draco was there? Weather Draco did it or she did, Dumbledore was going to die that night.
When Draco didn't reply Skylar felt she should make herself known and started to move, but Dumbledore spoke up again. "Draco, Draco, you are not a killer." He said softly.
"How do you know?" Draco's posh voice answered at once. "You don't know what I'm capable of. You don't know what I've done!"
"He may not know," Skylar started as she stepped into the light before Dumbledore got the chance to reply to Draco, "but I do." She held her wand firmly in her left hand like always, ready to make her move as both sets of eyes landed on her. Dumbledore looked a bit surprised as he took her in and saw her exposed mark. Draco on the other hand looked panicked.
"What are you doing here Darlington?" He hissed as he turned his attention back to Dumbledore in case he thought of fleeing.
Skylar laughed humorlessly. "Look at yourself Draco. Dumbledore's right you know. You aren't a killer and you never will be."
"Shut up!" Draco snapped keeping his eyes fixed on the old man, "No one asked you to be here so why don't you go back to torturing Muggles?!"
Skylar visibly winced and bit her bottom lip to keep from retaliating with a nasty comeback. It was true and she deserved every ounce of pain that she felt when she thought back on what she had done after Fred had left her heartbroken and alone. She had made such a mess out of her life in the last year that not even her own mother wanted anything to do with her.
She took a calming breath and raised her wand so it was pointed at the blonde boy she had lost to her sister, "Much like you, I have a job to do so I suggest you lower your wand." True Skylar had no intention of keeping to her orders, but Draco didn't know that.
With shock, Draco averted all of his attention to Skylar, only vaguely keeping his wand pointed at Dumbledore, "What are you doing Darlington? If you stop me you know what will happen…"
Skylar shook her head and stepped closer to him, "You are not a killer Draco." She repeated Dumbledore's words, chancing a glance at the old man who looked so feeble and defenseless. Quickly she made up her mind and moved to stand next to Draco with her wand pointed at Hogwarts Headmaster. "But I am." She said darkly.
Suddenly there was a muffled yell from the castle below drawing both the young Death Eater's attention to the still closed door.
"I do not think that either of you are killers." Dumbledore said conversationally. "If you were then I would have been dead long before now."
Skylar smirked, drawing on the darkness inside of her rather than fighting it away, "Well, you would have been dead months ago if I had my way." She said in an oddly cheerful voice. She knew what would happen if she continued to draw her darkness out, but she also knew that she wouldn't be able to do what had to be done if she didn't. "But I had my orders to follow."
"Ah yes, the battle below. I'm guessing that you are responsible for the Death Eaters in Hogwarts then? Tell me, how did you do it?" There was some astonishment to the elderly man's voice that clearly said he was impressed that someone could have pulled off something he had thought impossible.
"She had nothing to do with them!" Draco snapped, "I brought them here!"
Dumbledore turned his gaze to the young man and smiled pleasantly, "Did you? Well that is quite impressive. Even so, perhaps you had ought to get on with the job without them. 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."
Both Draco and Skylar simply stared at the old man as Skylar continued to struggle with herself. She didn't want Draco to die, but wasn't sure if she could bring herself to murder someone either… even with all of the darkness that was inside of her.
"I see," Dumbledore started again when he got no reaction from either of the children in front of him. "You are afraid to act until they join you."
"I'm not afraid!" Draco snarled looking more like he was taunting Harry Potter rather than preparing for murder. Skylar didn't move… she couldn't deny that what Dumbledore had said was true for her. "It's you who should be scared!" Malfoy added.
"But why? I don't think you will kill me, Draco. Killing is not nearly as easy as the innocent believe… Is it young Miss Darlington?"
Skylar bit the inside of her cheek and averted her eyes from the man she had admired as a role model before finding Tom Riddle's diary years before. "I…" she started softly but suddenly felt a burst of courage and looked back at Dumbledore with a smile, "Oh, it's easier than you would think. All I have to do is say two little words and poof your dead." She said even though she had never once killed a person.
Dumbledore didn't look convinced, "Then why am I not already dead?" he asked and before Skylar could answer, turned to Draco, "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."
Draco took several calming breaths and was about to reply when Skylar stepped forward so that she was closer to Dumbledore, "Enough talking! You think I can't see what you're doing old man? Stalling in the hopes that your precious Order will come through that door and stop your inevitable death."
Dumbledore raised an eyebrow at the young brunette, "Not at all. I have given you each plenty of time to kill me. It is true that I am going to die, but I don't think either of you will be the cause. 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's mouth contorted involuntarily, as though he had tasted something very bitter while Skylar lowered her wand by just a fraction. Both were stunned by what Dumbledore was saying and neither could deny the truth in it.
"Am I to take it then, that all of this has been a trap for me? The Dark Mark over the tower I mean. No one has been murdered?"
"Someone's dead." Draco said and even Skylar could hear the fear in his voice. "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." Dumbledore answered.
"Shut up Draco." Skylar said as there was a loud bang and several shouts from the stairway outside of the door.
Draco looked ready to retaliate but Dumbledore spoke first. "There is little time, one way or another. So let us discuss your options, Draco, Skylar."
"Our options?" Skylar answered loudly her voice shaking slightly.
"We're standing here with wands – I'm about to kill you –" Draco added though it was clear he wouldn't be killing anyone… not with the way his wand hand was shaking.
"My dear children, let us have no more pretense about that. If you were going to kill me, Draco, you would have done it when you first disarmed me and you, Skylar, would have the second you walked into this room. Neither of you would have stopped to chat."
"We haven't got any options!" Draco yelled, and he was suddenly was white as the old man. "I've got to do it! He'll kill me! He'll kill our families!"
"Enough! It doesn't matter who does it as long as he dies!" Skylar snapped as she once again started pulling on the darkness that was inside of her. She raised her wand back to Dumbledore's heart and had the words on the tip of her tongue when Dumbledore tilted his head curiously.
"I notice that Draco did not mention Lord Voldemort killing you if he should fail in killing me. So then, that begs the question of what exactly you role is in all of this."
"It doesn't matter." Skylar replied, still ready to say the two words she had never been able to say.
"Ahh, but I think it does. You've been a Death Eater longer than Draco has, so what have you been doing all of this time? Do you even know?"
"I know more than you. Professor Snape may have told you I was a Death Eater, but he couldn't tell you everything because he doesn't know. No one does." Skylar replied holding her ground even though she herself had no idea why The Dark Lord had chosen her to be a Death Eater.
"Yes well, there is still time to make things right. Come over to the right side, both of you, and we can hide you more completely than you can possibly imagine. What is more, I can send members of the Oder to your families tonight to hide them likewise. Come over to the right side… neither of you are killers…"
Skylar stepped back. She was greatly tempted by the old man's offer. Besides the only reason she did anything Lord Voldemort asked her to do was to protect her family.
"But I got this far, didn't I?" Draco said slowly, looking just as tempted as Skylar felt. "They thought I'd die in the attempt, but I'm here… and you're in our power… We're the ones with wands… you're at our mercy…"
Dumbledore looked grim, "No, Draco. It is my mercy, and not yours, that matters now."
Neither Draco nor Skylar got the chance to reply as four people in black robes burst through the door onto the ramparts. Skylar recognized one of them right away. It was Fenrir Greyback, the werewolf who The Dark Lord had let nearly kill her when she refused to murder a Muggle woman. She could still remember how it felt to have his long yellow fingernails digging into her skin and was thankful it wasn't a full moon that night or this night.
Quickly she ducked into the shadows as one of the Death Eaters she didn't recognize spoke, "Dumbledore cornered! Dumbledore wandless, Dumbledore alone! Well done, Draco, well done!"
Dumbledore gave a reply and while the group spoke, Skylar moved through the shadow towards the door. She paused briefly as Fenrir smiled and blood trickled from his mouth. She had a brief flashback of when it was her blood covering his hands and lips but didn't dwell on it as she started moving again. There was just one small problem… she ran into someone else who was hiding in the shadow… Not just someone.
Harry Potter looked panicked and appeared to be struggling to move away from her but unable to. Quickly she put a finger to her lips afraid that his struggling would attract Fenrir's attention and they would kill him too.
"You can't sneak away that easily girl." Came Fenrir's unmistakable raspy voice that made Skylar and Harry freeze. He was moving across the room closer to where Skylar was standing next to Harry and if he found out that she wasn't the only one hiding in the shadows then they might both be dead.
Skylar acted quickly and moved back in the direction she had come before moving out of the shadow with any hope that Fenrir wouldn't see Harry. She didn't look him in the eyes or say anything. She knew better than to do that, but even so she could imagine his dark smile.
"There you are." He rasped before grabbing Skylar's arm and dragging her back to the others. "You see that look Dumbledore?" He asked the old man while gently brushing some of Skylar's hair from her face making her try and pull away. "That's the way you should be feeling. Afraid. This one has good reason though. I've tasted her blood before." He looked at Dumbledore still smiling, "Shocks you that, does it, Dumbledore? Frightens you?"
"Well, I cannot pretend it does not disgust me a little," The old man replied softly, almost looking shocked at the way the werewolf was treating Skylar, "And, yes, I am a little shocked that Draco here invited you, of all people, into the school where his friends live…"
"I didn't," Breathed Draco looking between Skylar and Dumbledore. He was clearly afraid of what the monster would do to the brunette. "I didn't know he was going to come –"
Fenrir let out a humorless laugh as he wrapped an arm around Skylar's shoulders. "I wouldn't want to miss a trip to Hogwarts, Dumbledore. Not when there are throats to be ripped out…" Slowly he ran the tips of his fingernails across Skylar's neck causing her to let out a soft whimper. She could already feel red whelps rising in the path left behind Fenrir's fingernails. "Delicious, delicious…" He added as he eyed the young girl's neck.
Skylar was frozen in fear that the werewolf was going to torture her again. She had even forgotten about her wand that was clutched tightly in her left hand as Fenrir moved his hand to pick at his teeth. Not that she was even remotely strong enough to go against him.
The monster leered at Dumbledore. "I could do you for afters, Dumbledore." He said darkly.
"No. We've got orders. Draco's got to do it. Now, Draco, and quickly." Another one of the Death Eaters Skylar didn't recognize said.
Skylar chanced a look at Draco to find he looked like he had lost all of his resolve. He was terrified and Skylar wished she could do something, anything. However, Skylar had her own problems to deal with.
Fenrir was holding her tight enough for his nails to dig into her skin and cause blood to trickle down her arms. He watched in amusement as he wiggled them to cause more pain, but Skylar was resolved that she wouldn't let any sign of pain show and that took all the concentration she had.
"He's not long for this world anyway, if you ask me!" the first man said as the girl next to him giggled. "Look at him – what's happened to you, then, Dumby?"
While Dumbledore replied Fenrir lowered his head so that his mouth was next to Skylar's ear and raised his now bloody fingernails to his mouth. "So good." He whispered as he sucked his fingernails clean of the red liquid. "Perhaps, if I ask nicely enough, The Dark Lord will allow me to spend some time torturing you again. I hadn't had that much fun in years."
Before Skylar could react more sounds of fighting came from below and a voice shouted, "They've blocked the stairs – Reducto! REDUCTO!"
"Now, Draco, quickly!"
It was still obvious that Draco would not be killing Dumbledore as his hand was shaking so badly that he could barely aim.
Fenrir pushed Skylar aside. "I'll do it." He snarled as he moved toward Dumbledore with his hands outstretched and his teeth bared.
"I said no!" One of the men shouted before throwing the werewolf across the room with his wand. This was not good... Fenrir looked furious as he got to his feet and stalked back to the group. He grabbed Skylar harshly and pulled her close to him, holding her throat with a silent threat. H wanted to hurt someone and if Skylar dared to move that someone would be her.
"Draco, do it or stand aside so one of us –" the woman was cut off as the door busted open to reveal a dangerous looking Snape.
"We've got a problem, Snape, the boy doesn't seem able –" Again the Death Eater was cut off as someone else had spoken Snape's name, quite softly.
"Severus…" It was the weak and pleading voice of Dumbledore who was watching his professor closely.
Snape said nothing, but walked forward and pushed Draco roughly out of the way. Instantly all of the Death Eaters fell back without a word. Fenrir even dragged Skylar back and released her throat.
"Severus… Please…" Dumbledore pleaded again before Snape raised his wand and pointed it directly at the old man.
"Avada Kedavra!" The greasy haired man yelled without hesitation. The trademark green light shot from the end of his wand and hit the elder man causing him to fly up and over the battlements.
"Out of here, quickly." Snape said as he seized Draco by the scruff of the neck and forced him through the door ahead of everyone else. Fenrir Greyback went next dragging Skylar by the arm beside him.
Seconds later Skylar could hear Harry yell a curse, but Fenrir didn't stop to see what had happened. No one did. They moved quickly down the spiral staircase with their wands at the ready since they were entering a battle. Skylar tried her best to maneuver out of the werewolf's grip, but it was to no avail. She was dragged through the battle behind Draco and Snape.
"It's over, time to go!" Snape ordered as he turned down another corridor, giving Fenrir a silent order.
The werewolf smiled and pushed Skylar forward after her professor and housemate. "Get out." He ordered before turning on Harry who was forcing himself through the battle.
Skylar hesitated a moment but quickly followed after Snape and Draco. She ran after them, expecting them to head for the Room of Requirement but Snape turned the wrong way down the next corridor… they were headed outside and they were met with little resistance but a few straggling professors and students that Snape immobilized. This gave Skylar enough time to catch up with them completely.
The bulk of the resistance the trios of Death Eaters (who were now being followed by more of the Dark Lord's followers) faced came when the oak doors leading to the grounds would not open. Granted there were several students around, but when the caught sight of Snape and Skylar's Dark Mark they took to cowering against the walls.
Skylar rested her hand on the flagstones as Snape tried to unblock the door. The blood from where Fenrir had cut her dripped lightly onto the rock but she ignored it.
"We have to blast through." Snape said and all three raised their wands casting the hex that busted the door open.
Before they could flee, one of the students got a rise of courage and threw a hex at them. Skylar was the only one paying attention, but the hex was weak and she easily blocked it. "Impedmenta!" She shot back hitting the student in the chest and slamming him back against the wall just as another hex came at her from behind and hit the giant Gryffindor hourglass.
Skylar turned around to find Snape and Draco gone and Harry moving quickly down the stairs. "Petrificus Totalus!" She shot to the student who tried to hex her from behind before running through the doors after the two male Death Eaters.
Another Death Eater was at her heel, but Skylar was quicker. She had to be with all the hours spent training for Quidditch and easily caught up to Snape and Draco while the large, blonde Death Eater lagged behind.
They had reached Hagrid's hut when the door busted open to reveal the large man. Snape sent a hex at him but he easily dodged. Skylar hesitated, she had no problem with Hagrid, but at the moment he was standing between her and freedom so she too sent a hex at him causing him to yell out and send his own hexes back.
"Impedimenta!" Skylar heard someone yell from behind her, but didn't chance a look back as Hagrid continued throwing hexes at them.
"Go!" The large Death Eater that was behind Skylar called as he started hitting Hagrid with curse after curse giving Snape, Draco, and Skylar time to get back on track.
They were close to the gates when a flash of red light soared past them. "Run, Draco!" Snape shouted as both he and Skylar turned to Harry Potter and raised their wands.
"Cruc –" Harry started, but Snape parried the curse which knocked Harry off of his feet.
"Go." He ordered as the large Death Eater set fire to Hagrid's hut.
"But what if –" Skylar started to protest as Hagrid yelled at the Death Eater.
"GO!" Snape commanded again as he blocked another of Harry's spells. Skylar didn't hesitate again and quickly turned and ran after her blonde friend. "No Unforgivable Curses from you, Potter!" She heard Snape shout causing her to stop and watch the scene curiously. "You Haven't got the nerve or the ability –"
"Incarc –" Again Snape deflected Harry's spell causing the young boy to become upset. "Fight back!" Harry screamed at Snape. "Fight back, you cowardly –"
"Coward, did you call me, Potter?" Oh no… he had done it now… "Your father would never attack me unless it was four on one, what would you call him, I wonder?"
Skylar thought this was the best time to leave since Snape was no doubt in the foulest mood she had ever seen him in. Quickly she turned and ran for the gates. Draco was waiting just on the other side for someone who could apparate him away.
"What's going on?" The blonde asked as he looked back at Hogwarts.
"Snape's fighting Potter." Skylar answered simply. She didn't feel much like talking. All she wanted was to get back to wherever they were going (Malfoy Manner more than likely) and pass out.
Three Death Eaters came running through the gates as Snape could be heard shouting "DON'T CALL ME COWARD!" Yep. Snape was in about the foulest mood he could be in.
"Let's go!" The girl who had been in the room with Dumbledore called before grabbing Skylar's hand and apparating away before the brunette had time to realize what was going on.
It felt as though Skylar was being pulled at a hundred kilometers per hour though the world before finally stopping and landing harshly on a familiar drive. The young girl's legs gave out under her and she fell flat on the rock covered ground while her stomach felt as though it was going to empty itself. She was only vaguely aware that there were others around her and still more people joining them.
"Skylar?" She heard a familiar voice say, but she couldn't place it.
"Stand up girl." A darker and malice filled voice said. Skylar instantly knew who this was and struggled to her feet only for her brown eyes to meet crimson, snake like ones. The Dark Lord stood before her looking rather pleased. "Get her inside." He ordered to someone standing next to him, but all Skylar could make out was a dark shadow. It seemed the last hour was finally catching up to her as the shadow moved to her side and led her into the large mansion she had become so familiar with over the past year.