Look at me! Three chapters in one day? Woo-hoo!

Chapter 3

Draco listened to Granger's offer of assistance and tried to ignore it. He really did. But when she had sighed and began to walk away from him, something inside of him screamed at him to not let this moment pass him by. No matter how much he had always disliked and antagonized the know-it-all little swot, even he could not deny that she had an absolutely magnificent mind. Maybe she could help him think of a way out of the impossible situation in which he currently found himself. Worst case, maybe she would just kill him swiftly, as opposed to the slow, tortuous death that awaited him at the hands of the Dark Lord when he inevitably failed.

He had reached out reflexively and gripped her wrist gently, stopping her from leaving, and when his eyes met her warm, chocolate brown ones he knew; the kindness and concern were genuine and if he had ever had a chance to get someone from the side of light in his corner, it would be with her. He could only hope that her offer of aid remained after he told her the truth. But in her eyes, he saw neither judgement nor pity, only sorrow at the circumstances she knew nothing about that had broken him so badly. He decided that it would be worth telling her everything on the slim chance that she would be willing to help him.

"Wait."

His voice was little more than a croak, and he cleared his throat to remove the evidence of the tears that had fallen earlier, and which were still choking him. Once again, he found himself hoping that she would still want to help him once she learned the full truth but, after a moment, he decided that he didn't care. He had already come to grips with the fact that he was going to die no matter what, and death at the hands of the Order was infinitely more preferable to death at the hands of the Dark Lord or, even worse, under the fangs of Nagini. Plus, Granger had become famous, or perhaps infamous, for her soft spot for lost causes. He knew his earlier thought of her killing him herself was absurd: she wouldn't kill anyone, no matter how well-deserved it was. Hopefully, if nothing else, she would be willing to work out a deal to save his mother as she was the only person he truly cared about at this point, anyway.

"This summer, after Father's trial, the Dark Lord was very upset with him…" Draco began.

And he told her everything. He told her how the Dark Lord had chosen to leave Lucius in Azkaban as punishment. He told her about the Dark Lord's ultimatum to him: take the Dark Mark, or watch his mother be tortured in front of him until he finally caved and took the Mark anyway. His mother hadn't wanted him to take the Mark, just as she had never wanted Lucius to take it, and she had begged him to refuse but he had been adamant that he would not watch her for either his father's mistakes or his own. He had taken the Mark and the pain had been beyond excruciating, although he did not share that nugget of truth with Granger.

Then he told her how the Dark Lord had come to him the week before school had begun and had informed him, a sick look of satisfaction gleaming in his red eyes, that he had a task for Draco to complete while he was at school. Draco had been wary, but it wasn't as if he'd had a choice. Whatever the Dark Lord wanted him to do, he would have to do.

"Your first task as one of my faithful Death Eaters, Draco," the Dark Lord had said in that whispering voice of his that never failed to cause Draco's skin to crawl, "is to kill Albus Dumbledore."

Draco heard Granger's sharp intake of breath at this, but she did not interrupt him, merely waited for him to continue. He understood her feelings well. At the time, he had felt like the earth had dropped from beneath his feet: the whirling, writhing feeling in his stomach had made him feel as though he might vomit right there at the Dark Lord's feet. He had remembered thinking at the time that killing the Headmaster would be a monumental task, but now? Now, he knew it was impossible beyond any shadow of a doubt: on top of that, he simply didn't want to do it.

He told Hermione about visiting Knockturn Alley with his mother just days before the start of the new term to visit Borgin and Burkes and how he had seen the Vanishing Cabinet there, the twin to the one at Hogwarts. He had thought that if he could mend the broken one at Hogwarts, he could get reinforcements in to help him complete his task. Unfortunately, he had made the mistake of mentioning this idea to his mother when his Aunt Bellatrix had been within earshot. Aunt Bella, thinking it a wonderful plan and seeking to elevate both herself and her nephew in her beloved master's eyes, had rushed to inform the Dark Lord all about her nephew's cunning idea. So now Draco had not one but two impossible tasks upon which his survival hinged.

Finally, he told her about Katie Bell. He told her about purchasing the cursed necklace from Borgin's collection and how he had lurked in the Three Broomsticks, in the hallway that led to the lavatory, until Katie had walked past. After Imperiousing her, he had directed her to take the necklace directly to Professor Dumbledore.

"But I never meant for her to get hurt," he whispered in a small voice, imploring Granger to believe him and unable in his shame to meet her eyes. "She wasn't supposed to touch it, she was just supposed to take it to him and leave and everything would have been fine. But now…"

His voice trailed off into silence. There was nothing more to be said, although plenty was left unspoken. So, he waited. He waited for Granger to rail at him in anger, or to leave the room in a whirlwind of righteous indignation, but she didn't, and that puzzled him. He looked up at her in confusion, meeting her eyes for the first time since he had begun telling her his story, and was stunned by the look of determination in her eyes. Then she opened her mouth and said the most shocking thing of all.

"Come on, Malfoy. I'm going to help you out of this."

She stood to her feet. He looked at her hand, extended out toward him and ready to help him up from his current seat on the lavatory floor. He couldn't believe it. He had hoped that she might be willing to help him, but he hadn't actually believed that she would. He especially hadn't expected it after everything he had told her. But here she was, ready to help him even though he had spent the past five years tormenting her and her friends and basically making her life miserable. Still not fully believing it, he took her small hand in his own, larger one and allowed her to help him to his fee anyway before quickly dropping her hand.

"So, what do I do now, Granger?"

"We're going to Professor Dumbledore. He can let the Order know that you are on our side. Then the three of us can figure out a solution together."

Draco felt his heart drop down to somewhere deep in his stomach at the thought of confessing to the Headmaster that he had spent nearly two months planning the man's murder, but he also knew that Granger was right. If there was any hope at all of his own survival through this, but more importantly his mother's survival, he would need the help of the Order. To get the Order's help, he would need the full backing of Dumbledore himself. So, he nodded, determined to see this through.

"Lead the way, Granger."

Song Inspiration: What I've Done – Linkin Park