The house was still. Usually after an exciting day like a birthday, everyone is settled with satisfaction and glee, but not today. Today everyone had their heads low, eyes on the floor, and heads spinning-questions racing over and over again, searching-begging for answers they couldn't receive. The kids sat in the living room, gathered together as a single unit, while the parents merely stood by, trying to cope them into understanding. Hermione sat in Ron's arms while Ginny sat at the end of the couch near the standing twins. Harry sat completely away from them in a isolated chair, hands over his face and in the worst condition of them all.

"Was….anyone hurt?" The brunette finally spoke.

Arthur was the one to answer him. "Not severely… Just a few scratches and burns…" His voice trailed off as he covered his bandaged arm in his coat.

Harry shook his head and sat back in the chair. Hermione spoke next. "How did it happen?" She asked desperately. "I mean, who would want to-" She cut herself off at that question.

Of course it wasn't the who, but the why. And both questions were half answered. He would do something like that and He would do it because of Harry. That's where the questions popped up. Did he want to kill him? His friends? Just to get close to him? Or was it for fun? If that, then what could Harry do? If these were to become daily, what was he supposed to do to protect the others around him as well as himself?

The silence was interrupted by a knock at the door. Gentle and normal, but completely out of nowhere. Molly went to the door with Arthur close behind, wands ready just in case. When they opened the door, however, it was the last person they suspected. "Oh," Mrs. Weasley's voice drifted from the entry way. "Harry, uh… Come here…"

The others stood up with him and only followed him halfway. When Harry looked up, he was taken aback yet again. The old man was there for real this time, no glows or residue of a spell, just tall and wise in dull clothing. His hands were together behind his back and he had a solemn, straight face on. "Hello, Molly, Arthur…Harry."

"Dumbledore…" Harry wished he was as delighted to see him like all the times before, but he knew that by his real presence that there was trouble.

"I wish I was here on better terms, Harry… But we have a problem." Harry didn't respond, more like he couldn't respond. He only nodded at the old man's words and headed back into the living room. They all took a seat as Dumbledore stood before them like the proud mentor he was. "The attack you received yesterday… I hope no one was hurt." The sentence came as a question to which Arthur shook his head to. Dumbledore nodded slightly. "Good… Harry, I'm sure you already know of this, but that attack was Voldemort's doing."

Everyone grew tense at the name. Harry was the only one who grew bold and furious. "What does he want?" He asked tightly and straight up. "Why did he do it?"

"To warn you." Dumbledore said it bluntly, which surprised everyone. He then took a deep breath and explained, "I had some brave men and women track Voldemort down as much as they could over the years. The Order of the Phoenix was created to stop Tom's actions from ever arising again. We have been following him since he returned and it seems he has finally made his move." Dumbledore looked directly into Harry's eyes and said clearly, "He's coming after you, Harry."

Hermione looked desperately over to Harry who only sat there, trying to keep his cool. So he was being hunted down to be killed like some stupid animal. Perfect.

Hermione sat forward dramatically. "But why? W-Why does he have to kill him?"

"Only one can live successfully when the other is dead."

Harry cringed. Great, so not only was he being hunted, but it was unavoidable either way. He dropped his head and clenched his fists tighter on his lap.

Arthur asked steadily, "What have they found?"

"A lot of things," Dumbledore answered. "We determined that he is ten steps ahead of us. He has planned this out for years and is why he has taken so long to finally move. Also, he is growing weaker. If one of them doesn't die, they will both perish together."

"And that's because we share a soul…isn't it?" Harry asked coldly. He remembered the fact from a previous conversation with the old man some time ago. Dumbledore nodded and Harry tightened up. "So that's it then? One of us has to die."

"And he's making the first move." Ron said quietly.

"Yes, but this isn't a game. He has men. And lots of them. The Order has traced a lot of them down and we know who they are. As far as their whereabouts… Well, consider them like smoke, in one instant they are there and the next they're gone in the shadows. We can't get a definite location on them, but we know who they are." He went on, "They all serve Tom like servants, called Death Eaters. They only use Dark Magic and are very dangerous. If you are to come into contact with one, do not fight them. For the most part, they will be tracking you down, Harry, and they will be ruthless. Anyone in their way, they will show no mercy. They are also scattered across the state, staying hidden until a threat comes up."

"What are they protecting?" Mr. Weasley asked, taking part in the serious matter. "If they remain hidden in a specific location, they have to hiding something, correct?"

"Yes." He faced Harry and brought his hands in front of him. "Harry, your soul is in contact with Voldemort's. In order to keep that part away from others and have a better chance at being the soul to live, he split it. He not only has one soul, but seven. He even confided them into a magical object with a distinct way of destroying it and hid it all over the globe. They are called Horcruxes; vile, dark art magic. With these objects still thriving, Tom cannot die."

"So we have to destroy them?" Ron asked at which Dumbledore immediately answered.

"No. The Order has already tracked most of them down. Getting to them was easy, destroying them is the hard part. But… That's what we're taking care of. For you three, I want you to stay here, hidden and-"

"No!" Harry jumped to his feet. "He wants me, right? I won't just stand by while others fight for me."

"The last time you saw Voldemort, Harry, was when you were a newborn. You are not capable of-"

"I'm not a child anymore!" He snapped. "I watched Cedric Diggory die because of me! If it's a battle to the death, then I'm going to win."

Dumbledore dropped his eyes and Harry felt stricken with pain. If Dumbledore was so concerned as to be troubled by his words like that, then this was farther over his head than he thought. "You only had a glimpse, Harry. You may be angry. But there are others. We knew Tom like a friend and watched him turn to what he is now. He has hurt a lot of people. You may be involved, but right now, you're the victim. We can't let him get to you." He looked to Hermione, Ron, and the ginger parents standing close by. "I can trust you will keep him close."

"Of course," Molly said immediately. Harry looked away, defeated and past despicable anger.

Dumbledore nodded again and his beard swayed slightly on his chest. "You want to stay hidden, Harry, and you might have to move from this place soon. There are too many people after you to keep count. The Death Eaters will be everywhere. Luckily we know a majority of them."

"Who?" Harry asked quickly.

Dumbledore shook his head. "As far as you're concerned, the only people you want to trust are everyone in this room."

"What about others or teachers, like Hagrid? Or members of the Order?" Hermione suggested in an attempt of something positive.

Dumbledore shook his head. "Some of Tom's men know the Order members personally. They could easily take on their form or another of someone close to you or Harry and end it right there."

Harry lifted his eyes again and spoke coldly. "Who are they?"

Everyone gave him suspicious and concerned glances. Dumbledore looked at him straight on and understood his fearful boldness. "Some men you don't know. There are others you could know… Like Bellatrix LeStrange, the cousin of Serious Black… There are over a hundred Death Eaters out there, Harry. That's why trust who you know and stay close to them."

"In that case, we all stay together. We'll go to a location that we'll tell you and-"

"No," Dumbledore cut Molly off with a raise of a single finger. "You'll go where no one else knows about, not even other family members and hide there. We can't have any trace of finding you. We'll need a lot of strength. That's why it's fortunate the Weasley family is so large. We will use that to our advantage and…"

The voices faded from Harry. He was still stuck on the previous topic, of the who, and suddenly everything rushed to him. "You don't know what he has going on at home…" "Family problems…" "I can deal with my father…" The Death Eaters, the fire, Voldemort, suddenly all of it came rushing at him so fast he could hardly believe it.

"Malfoy…" He heard himself say with his eyes on the ground. Whoever he interrupted didn't seem to mind because suddenly all the attention was on him. He slowly lifted his gaze and asked, "Is the Malfoy family involved? The whole family?" When the silence came instinctively, hysteria bubbled up inside him and he practically shouted, "Tell me!"

Dumbledore gave everyone a compromising glance and let out a struggling breath. "Yes, all the members of the Malfoy family are involved. Lucius is right beside Tom and has been a large part of this plan." A painful tension rose into the air. It was as if something tangible and powerful ripped through the air, striking right through Harry. The others saw it even though Harry made no movement nor spoke. The way his body froze up and his eyes stayed dark and bold was clear signs that he was hurt beyond any means possible. "Lucius, Narcissa, and Bellatrix are the main enemies here, Harry." Dumbledore spoke calmly, "They are the ones mostly involved with Tom and his games. Draco, however, is on the sidelines. None of the members of the Order have seen any sign of him in the dangerous actions taking place."

Harry lowered his eyes to the floor and tried to control his queer heartbeat. It suddenly seemed like he couldn't breathe right and he could feel his chest tightening with every beat his heart skipped. When he found everyone staring at him it only made the pain worse. He whipped away and tried to gain control of himself. He was falling so fast, losing his temper, breath, and mind all at once that he didn't know what to do about it. "So that's it?" He said through tight lips, his voice shuddering on the words. "I just…hide out here with my friends while everyone else I know and love fights for me? Do you really expect me to do that?"

Dumbledore sighed. "Harry, we need you. You can't be at risk. You are the main key here. You will be put in the drawer for the time being… But the time will come when we will pull you out and use you at the most important time… Remember what I always told you about patience."

It was quiet for a long time. Everyone watched as Harry seemed to…give in. His body relaxed and suddenly he was calm. No, he was far being all right, but his body was put on Auto-pilot and he acted completely settled just like that. "Yeah," he said slowly. "Yeah, I know…"

The pain echoing off him almost brought tears to Hermione's eyes. She jumped to her feet, reaching for him in the process, but he was already moving. "Thanks, Dumbledore," the words came out bluntly as Harry left the room casually.

The room fell silent as everyone tried to accept exactly what just happened. Hermione followed the distant shadow to the hallway, but came up short. She watched the brunette leave, then faced the crowd desperately. They all sat still, understanding the pain, wanting to help, but knowing they couldn't.

"I did not lie to him," Dumbledore said smoothly. "We will need him… But for now, I'm trusting you will keep him safe." He turned for the door, his arms still politely behind his back and composure still tall and strong. "I will have messages sent to you somehow, so please be ready for anything-"

"Professor Dumbledore!" Ron was the one to shout. The old man stopped in his tracks as the ginger jumped at his back. He looked almost as worse as Harry, entirely uneasy and hurt. "Did … Did you lie about Draco?" The question was simple, but all the more important.

Dumbledore stood tall for amoment, then hung his head in disappointment. Slowly, he nodded and Ginny's gasp broke the silence. "He was present during the attack," he mumbled quietly.

"He helped?" Ron said tensely. Hermione grabbed his arm, but he pulled away, stepping closer to the old man. "He attacked us? He attacked Harry?"

"We're not sure." Dumbledore answered honestly. "He was just witnessed at the scene…" He went to say more, but Hermione butted in.

"But he was there… I mean, we invited him and he met with Harry. They talked outside alone for a while and…and…"

Ron slowly shook his head and said with a bold tone. "He wouldn't do it…" Hermione looked at him and he said again, "He wouldn't hurt Harry like that… Not on his own…"

Dumbledore finished firmly, "Facts are that shots were fired, Death eaters were there, and Harry's in danger. I'll talk to you again soon. For now…Keep him here. Keep him safe." He looked to the kids. "And don't tell him what I just told you… He doesn't need to know." With a thin smile and a nod, he said goodbye and left through the front door like any other day.

When things tried to return to normal, everything was still off. The twins were still goofy and joking around, but they hadn't pulled any pranks in hours. Ginny was still off to herself, helping her mother and father from time to time, but all three of them were tense and distant from their surroundings. Hermione sat by Ron most of the time since they thought it was best to leave Harry off by himself. They were in the process of discussing dinner and accepting spells in the house when a creak pierced the air. Only Ron noticed and he found the source at the silently closing back door. He peeked through the curtains and saw the brunette hair charging up the hill. When no one was looking, he slipped out after him.

Coming up on the hill, Harry was facing the large open fields, trying to see past the darkness and the secrets it held. He was surprised when Ron stopped beside him, but he didn't say anything. The red-head easily saw that Harry was having trouble by the shaky visible breaths in the air. Yet he didn't speak either, just stood beside him also examining the shadows rolling over the valley. The wind whipped at their thin clothes, giving them goose bumps and chills to no end, but both refused to leave. The silence settled over them for such a long time that they both expected the sun to rise at any moment.

"You all right?" Ron eventually muttered, his voice warm in the cold wind.

Harry didn't answer. He couldn't even lie to himself if he was okay or not. He stared at his feet for a while before even thinking about responding. "Do you think he did it?" He asked, his breath trembling and cold.

Ron sighed and ran his large fingers through his orange locks. "Ah, you already know my answer, mate."

Harry forced out a tiny, weak laugh. "Yeah… I know…" The fake face fell quickly and Ron finally turned to him.

"You can't sit through this, Harry," he began.

"I know," Harry repeated. "Hermione said the same thing."

"I don't care. You're gonna hear it from me, too. Look, mate, I… I don't know if Draco is involved as he seems to be… but if he is-"

"I know, Ron!" Harry snapped and quickly turned away. The pain was obvious in his voice and he tried to regain his breath again. "I know…"

"He could be innocent…" The words came out tight and Ron felt uneasy about them since they sounded weak coming from him. "He could… have nothing to do with it. You don't know-"

"Yeah, Ron, but what are the chances of that?" Harry spat harshly and groaning after them. "God damn it, I can't take this!" He clutched to his hair and slowly fell to his knees.

The silence wrapped around them again, taking over their hazy minds and blurry eyes. Ron just stood there until Harry's trembling body came to a stop and his hands slowly fell to the ground. The wind hissed around them as if mocking them somehow and neither boy could argue something back. It was unnerving, but both of them had calmed down.

Slowly, Ron stepped in front of his best friend and extended a hand. Harry stared at the hand then gently met Ron's gaze. The ginger smiled-and it was better than normal. It was one of those smiles they shared when everything was not falling apart, when they were laughing at Hogwarts together, or playing Quidditch together-it was honest. "I won't give up if you don't…"

It sounded so simple, but so hard at the same time. To watch others fight for you, to go into hiding until the fires ended, to put down your wand while others are picking them up; To try and believe in something that seemed so unlikely, to hold onto something when it goes to waste, to stand up and move on…

He silently took Ron's hand and his warmth made him smile. He helped him to his feet saying, "Screw standing around. That's bloody ridiculous. I'll help you fight Him, Harry…" Harry was starting to feel whole again until Ron shrugged and said a little shyly, "Well, unless He turns into a giant spider or something. Then I might have to leave you alone on the battlefield…"

By some miracle, Harry laughed. The innocent fear in his friend's face had never changed even if the years had made him taller and bolder. The cold was gone now, his body was used to it, and he felt better. Even if he couldn't jump back into the house and act merry with the others, he could still smile and mean it wholeheartedly. They stared for a minute, sharing the smile, then Ron put on a composed, solemn face. "He will come back… He will…"

The words took Harry by surprise so much that he got a shiver of goose bumps again. It was shocking and almost scary that Ron could believe in Draco when he despised him in such a way. Harry loved Draco and he was giving up before he could even think about it. "Don't leave me, okay?" The words echoed in his head. "Are you kidding?" "You're in my trap now…You're not ever getting out." Harry closed his eyes at the memory, remembering the sweet kiss he received after such words were said.

The silence returned and all he could see was Draco smirking at him, gently holding him, passionately kissing him. All the nights he spent in the Slytherin dorms, every time he snuck out of classes to see him. The way he kissed him, the way he teased him, everything he did… It seemed so whole-hearted. If it was just a game, someone as stubborn as Draco wouldn't drag a cruel joke on for that long. Echoing through his mind was the soft, extravagant voice whispering in his ear, "I love you, Harry…"

Suddenly flashes of someone flashed through his mind. That bastard that had caused all this trouble. The one who killed his parents. The one who shared a soul with him. The one that wanted him dead. Now that so called person was coming after him. Attacked his friends. His family. Now he was threatening the man he loved?

At that moment, Harry pulled himself together. It wasn't true. He wouldn't believe it unless he saw it with his own eyes and heard it from Draco directly. He was no longer hurt, but furious. He stood up straight and firmly faced Ron. After a long moment, he spoke clearly and strongly, "I want to kill him… Voldemort, I will kill him and stop everything."

…...

Draco sat as still as he could. The dark wood under his hands was cold and numbed the rest of his body. He sat with his head down, despite his father's orders. He couldn't look up. He couldn't face the others around him; the Death Eaters and Dark Followers of this man. He was sitting at the same table as them now. He was just as bad as them. Yet, he was the youngest. The son of Lucious Malfoy. They would look down at him like everyone else did. If he continued to act like a coward then they would treat him like one-or worse. They wouldn't even bother with him.

He raised his head and lost his breath. He recognized the evil faces who also sat still with fear. Others were bold and trying to be strong, like he was hoping to accomplish. He even saw Professor Snape, sitting down the left side of the long table, giving him numerous glances from time to time. All of them had killed people. All of them caused nightmares at night. All of them were vile and disgusting and not even worthy to be burned and brushed under a filthy mud blood's rug. And he was one of them.

A sharp elbow stabbed his ribs. His father glared down at him and motioned his head up. Draco did as he was ordered and sat up straight with his chin held high like his father's. He had to represent the Malfoy family as his father did. He wasn't a coward. Except his hands couldn't stop trembling. He squeezed them tight, but the tremors moved up to his shoulders, shaking his whole body. He sat on his hands and panted silently. To think he would be invited to one of the Dark Meetings with the Dark Lord himself. One mistake and he'd die. They wouldn't hesitate to kill him and his father probably wouldn't even bother to lift a finger to help him.

He closed his eyes to comfort himself, to calm down and breathe again, but all he saw was brown. The soft curls of the brunette's hair slipping between his fingers as he gently combed through his hair. He turned the head to the silver pools that gleamed beautifully at him from under the thin pieces of glass. The warmth flowed into his hand from the boy's flushed cheeks and it spread to his chest when he watched him smile. Leaning in to kiss him brought him so much happiness that he almost believed the vision was real until-

BANG! The door slapped open and Draco opened his eyes. He heard the awful hiss and a shiver went rolling up his back. The long green snake came slithering from the doorway and up the long table. It curled down the left side of the table, sliding past everyone until it reached the end. Draco watched it carefully as if it would just turn around and bite his head off, killing him before he had the chance to screw up. It reached the end, swirled around and came back the right side, examining everyone at the meeting. When it got close to Draco's seat, it slowed down and met his golden eyes. Draco froze immediately, going pale and holding in his breath. Nagini seemed to smile at him as if mocking him, then hissed and rolled on. Draco kept still, glaring at the snake as it left, feeling once again doubted. Suddenly the Killing Curse didn't seem so useless at this moment.

"Ah," the hoarse sigh echoed into the room and Draco froze again. Voldemort strolled in wearing that ragged robe and disgusting smug look on his face. "Welcome, all… My faithful servants…"

Draco had to look away from the man. He couldn't bare the sight of him now, knowing what was coming and what he was apart of. It made a sick feeling boil up in pit of his stomach, making him feel horrible and weak. His head was starting to spin and he had to close his eyes to gain back his focus. If only he could run out of there like everything else, just get up and run and not care who said what or how many people hated him. As long as he was away from this terrible feeling, nothing else would matter.

Draco heard the head chair at the very end of the table screech as it was pulled back. "You all know… why you are here," Voldemort began slowly while he sat down, his voice full of danger. "As you may recall… I share a soul with this…boy. He is not to be taken lightly… nor shall his helpers be…underestimated. Four of my Horcruxes have already… been destroyed." As he said this, his boney fingers slipped over Nagini's head in a light pat. "If I plan to…fully restore my position on this world… Harry Potter… has to die."

At that Draco opened his eyes. Of course the fact was obvious, but hearing it said out-loud as a mission was truly soul-shaking. He felt his core shiver and he had to shake off a tremor rising up within him.

"They're going to move him," a shaky voice said, a member of the Death Eaters.

"An ambush… at the hideout is too….boring. Even misplaced, if you will… He needs to be captured… and brought into my hands… so I… may be the one… to end his life."

Draco grabbed the end of the chair in an attempt of control. Harry, the boy he had jumped into a relationship with. Harry, the boy he kissed many times and held him at night numerous times after, the boy he loved-and here he was planning his death.

Professor Snape spoke next in that deep monotone of his. "On his travels, then. If we attack when they're vulnerable, Potter will be easy to capture."

Lucius spoke in a haughty tone. "That plan is shattered already. Albus will be at his side when he is being moved. An attack at his side will only result in failure."

"Then we'll kill him," Voldermort said it as if it were something like a game-nothing of any importance. "Albus has…overstayed his welcome… in my eyes."

Draco lifted his head in surprise. Professor Dumbledore… actually dead and gone? The leader of Hogwarts and Harry's second father? He was going to help kill him? He realized at such times like this that words were very fragile. One could say they were going to commit murder, but to actually stand up and do so was a completely different thing. But here, these people meant what they said. He knew; he listened and watched their actions follow their words. His father said they were going to crash the party and so it happened. They said they were going to kill Dumbledore, and so it will happen. Words were all the importance here. Especially in a place like this. If he were to live to see Harry again alive, he would have to watch his words very carefully.

"How?" Someone asked from down the table.

"Albus is to not be taken lightly…" Voldemort said, his voice lingering eerily in the air. "He probably… has already seen this coming… For Harry Potter's sake… he will not stop us."

Draco could believe that. Dumbledore dying for Harry's sake. He had been doing everything for the boy since he was born. But if he died… Harry would be left in the open. Wide open. He'd be so vulnerable that nothing would stop Voldemort from getting to him. Unless…

"His only protection would be the Order," Lucius said with a little smug look on his pale face.

However, Snape contradicted him. "And his friends."

"The Weaslys?" Lucius laughed. "Those filthy gingers are too weak to protect themselves. Potter is defenseless as long as Albus is out of the way."

Voldemort had the room silenced when Nagini gave the table a bone-chilling hiss. "The Order… is not a concern. Once Albus is out of the way… I will have Potter all for myself…" Suddenly his snake-like eyes turned on Draco and he felt his whole body freeze on the spot. "Draco…" he called and lifted a hand out to him merely to point him out. Draco lifted his chin high when all the eyes of the Death eaters looked at him, at least acting like he was prepared for this. "You will be the one…to lure Harry out to me."

He didn't explain the plan and he didn't have to. It was obvious. He wanted Draco to get Harry away from his friends so that he would able to kill him head-on right then and there. He could already see it-saw himself pulling Harry out into the middle of nowhere and stepping back. Then a blast of power and the brunette would be on the ground, smothered in blood. His father would pat him on the back, proud of him, and Voldemort would be standing behind him, laughing, mocking him. And Harry would lie there, bleeding, bleeding so much…

He must've jumped when he snapped out of the illusion because his father gave him a fierce kick in the shin. Without thinking, he cleared his throat and nodded, saying as clear as his tight throat would let him. "Yes, my Lord…"

"But…" Someone spoke up, but quickly died down when Voldemort gave him a sharp glare. He dropped his head and spoke slower, "My Lord… if we leave the Order to do as they wish… They might interfere."

"Then kill them," Voldemort spat and Nagini hissed as if laughing at the man. "Once Albus Dumbledore…is out of the way… Harry Potter will be mine."

He then went into a vile chuckle where he described how he would face Harry head-on and kill him in one shot. The Killing Curse. How delighted he would be to watch him suffer and die. Draco started to lose it. They were going to kill Dumbledore, push everyone aside, and Draco was going to hold Harry in place as Voldemort killed him. That would be even worse than watching him die-betraying him so deeply and so suddenly.

Everything was happening so fast now. Four men even stood up to go track Dumbledore down. Tomorrow they would move Harry and that's when they'd attack. He would have to help drag Harry away and set him up for his death sentence. Voldemort would stroll right in, proud and victorious-and so cruel. He would kill Dumbledore, Harry, and everyone around him, including his friends… his friends….

"Be prepared gentlemen…." Voldemort said slowly and almost anxiously. "Tomorrow night… I will kill Harry Potter…and suppress this world-"

"No!"

Draco didn't realize he had been the one who screamed until every single one of the men in the room quickly turned on him. They all stared at him as if he were insane and expected him to die in a few seconds. Even his father stared in utter shock and disbelief. Draco froze up again and pure fear swallowed him whole when the silence started to choke him. When he met Voldemort's eyes, the Dark Lord looked ready to kill him-not from anger, but from curiosity of why he suddenly defied him and just for spite. Even Nagini slithered over and parted his scalely mouth, showing off his fangs. His head started to crouch back, getting ready to strike for his throat when Voldemort gave him the word.

Draco was staring at the white fangs, such sharp points that would produce blood at the mere touch of them. He felt the air in his lungs vanish from him and his heart sank deep into his gut. Before the snake could kill him, or before Voldemort could say something, Draco heard himself talking.

"His friends…" The words didn't come out as strong as he wanted, so he took a deep breath and repeated them. "His friends. Attack his friends." Voldemort raised his eyebrows with a mocking, cold look in his eyes and rolled his hand at him to continue. Draco couldn't feel his knees, but he forced himself to stand anyway. Lucius tried to grab him and yank him back down, but Draco shook out of his grip. "I've seen Potter in action… and what he cares most for are the people around him. He has too many protectors as it is. Pushing them aside is easier said then done. If you attack his friends… Kill the only people he have left and you won't have to capture him. Kill Dumbledore… kill his friends… and Harry potter will come to you… My lord."

It was hard to believe that he had spoken so clearly and boldly considering his life was on the line. But he was suddenly full of rage so much that it made him stand up straight and he even looked Nagini in the eye and glared. The snake gave a low hiss and returned to Voldemort's side. The Dark lord, however, sat satisfied and convinced. A small, thin smile crawled onto his lips, obvious that the thought of Harry walking up to his death was far more enjoyable than hunting him down.

"That's it then…" Voldemort slowly climbed to his feet and left one hand on the table for Nagini to slither off of. "Snape, lead these men…into killing Albus… And slaughter his friends. This… Draco… I count you will not fail me on…"

Lucius stood up with a firm hand on his son's shoulder and answered for him. "Of course not, My lord."

Draco finally closed his eyes and relaxed. Instead of envisioning Harry on the floor, he saw Ron and Hermione being killed. Still a horrible thing to see, but to him it was better than watching the one he loved be killed by his hands.

Forgive me, Harry… He thought as he opened his eyes again. But I'm doing anything it takes to keep you alive…

I'm so sorry that it took me this long to update xP but whatever I typed it just didn't fit. I wanted this to be perfect so I could continue it correctly. Please forgive me! Review and tell me what you think, please and thank you. Till my next update!