Disclaimers: See Chapter 1 for more info.

Frodo waited until he, Harry and Dumbledore were back under the starry sky before apparating. He closed his eyes and concentrated deeply on where he wanted to go. Hogsmeade. There was a heavy compression, and then the salty sea air was gone. He opened his eyes, stunned to find there were no more Inferi on sight.

There were buildings and the sign of Hog's Head inn standing just above his head. Harry and Dumbledore followed moments later. They were dripping wet by the time a light came on in the Three Broomsticks. Madam Rosmerta had found them.

"Oh, I'm glad I saw you." Madam Rosmerta walked outside. "What happened?"

"Dumbledore needs help." Harry insisted.

"Severus… I need Severus…" Dumbledore said, softly.

"Haven't you heard what happened at the school?" Madam Rosmerta asked, pointing to the sky. There was a skull and a snake slithering out of its mouth. Right above the castle. Next to the Dark Mark was Sauron's Calling Card: a giant ring in a green mist. The two marks stood side by side up in the stars, as if insisting this was a night of death.

"Oh no!" Frodo cried out in despair. Someone else had died. But where?

"We need broomsticks." Dumbledore said, making his way towards the Three Broomsticks.

"Yes. At once." Madam Rosmerta led them to the inn.

Harry waved his wand. "Accio Rosmerta's Brooms!"

There were three broomsticks that came towards them. Frodo held onto one and readied himself for the trip. They were set to go and now flying into the air. Under Dumbledore's command, Frodo made himself invisible. They were flying closer to the Astronomy tower. The Dark Marks were right above it. Had something happened there? Had the D.A. members been warned? Or had all their luck run out?

They entered the topmost part of the tower. No one was around. No deaths, no one around. It was just them. Frodo moved off his broomstick, setting it against the wall.

"Someone's coming!" Dumbledore said. "Do what you must not to be seen."

"Sir!" Harry cried.

"You promised to obey me." Dumbledore insisted. "Go!"

Frodo made his way over to the door. He stopped as Harry did. The doorknob turned, creaking its way to the other end. He readied his hand magic when Expelliarmus! Someone cast the spell. His body froze up, falling backwards against the wood paneling. How? That wasn't a freezing spell. He turned his gaze towards Dumbledore. The Headmaster's wand had been tossed away from his hand.

It made sense now. Dumbledore used a freezing spell on him and, given Harry's fall, his best friend had also been struck by the same spell. They were now forced to watch the scene unfold.

"Good evening, Draco. Lotho. I trust your arrival is well timed." Dumbledore said, calmly.

"Who else is with you?" Draco asked, warning.

"I've been talking to myself." Dumbledore said, encouraging him. "You should try it sometime."

"I got you this far." Lotho told Draco, pleased. "Arrived as promised to do the job we came here to do. Now do it, Draco!"

"Shut up!" Draco warned the hobbit.

"Well, I'll be!" Lotho folded his arms. "But I'll not leave until the job is done. That was the agreement Saruman gave to my mother, who politely accepted it. My part's done. I'm not needed here anymore."

"Yes you are!" Draco spat at him. "You're here to see this, just as you promised. It's why you protected me all this time." His voice shook. Frodo wondered what he would do to Dumbledore. Would he attack him? Would he even try?

"You're not here to kill me, Draco." Dumbledore told him.

"How do you know that?" Draco stammered on. "I have a job to do."

"Well, it seems like you want to wait for your friends to arrive." Dumbledore insisted. "Tell me how you brought them here, snuck them into the castle."

"The broken Vanishing Cabinet in the Room of Requirement." Draco said. "I've been mending it. Montague was trapped in it last year. Had to apparate himself out. It was a good story, but I was the only one who believed it. There's a twin at Borgin and Burkes."

"Fascinating. A pair, is it?" Dumbledore said, intrigued. "A clever, clever plan."

"Draco!" Lotho hissed. "We're wasting time. Do it!"

"What about the Dark Marks?" Dumbledore asked Malfoy. "I trust there are not just Death Eaters in the school."

"Sauron's followers came as well through the Vanishing Cabinet." Malfoy explained. "They put up the Dark Marks so you'd come here sooner, to see who'd been killed. It worked. There's one dead, one of your own. We don't know which one."

"Draco," Dumbledore spoke. "You must know that killing the innocent is not as easy as it looks."

"How do you know that?" Draco repeated. "I have to do this. He's going to kill me if I don't do it."

"Here they come." Dumbledore said, as the Death Eaters made their way into the tower. "Good evening, Amycus."

"We're wasting time here." The man said, entering the room.

"Indeed we are!" Lotho cringed. He shook his fist in the air. "Honestly, this is taking forever! We should just kill him now!"

"Easy!" said a man who reeked in dirt, sweat and fur.

"Is that you, Fenrir?" Dumbledore asked.

"Surprised to see me, Dumbledore?" Fenrir Greyback smiled.

"I can't say that I do." Dumbledore replied.

For a moment, Frodo wondered if there were any of Sauron's followers up here in the tower. Or were they just waiting for something to happen? All he could see were Death Eaters. Most unusual. Then again, his nostrils flared. A stronger odor entered the tower. There was an orc standing in the shadows. The moonlight revealed his grotesque features. He wore a brown, leather tunic and brown trousers. His teeth barred, ready to strike at the headmaster at any time.

"It seems you were right, Draco." Dumbledore said, glowing. "Sauron's army is here."

"We don't have time for this!" The orc grumbled. "Do it!"

"I will!" Snape entered the room, moving towards Dumbledore. There was a hushed silence. What was going to happen now? What was Snape doing? Surely Frodo could think of a thousand different ways for this night to end badly or well. Maybe the Death Eaters would leave. Maybe Sauron's followers would disband. Either option sounded good.

"Severus… please…" Dumbledore pleaded.

Snape waved his wand. "Avada Kedavra!"

Dumbledore fell backwards. His body moved slowly. He was falling, falling and not stopping. Not breathing. Frodo's breath left him. A huge lump increased in his throat. The headmaster was blasted backwards like a rag doll, over the battlements and out of sight.

Dumbledore was dead.

Thanks for reading. :)