Chapter 17
 In His Midnight Confession

Pain. I was in constant pain. So much pain. How could I go on? I had no idea that a heart could hurt so much and still manage to continue beating. I would rather be cleaning more loos—bare-handed with my toothbrush—than feel this way.

It seemed like every time I turned around they were there, snogging and giggling, hugging and caressing, acting foolish. I would flee or storm off only to find them again a short time later. Harry tried to comfort me but it was only slightly successful. I could feel his pain, too—the pain he felt seeing Ginny with Dean.

At this same time, Harry was also concerned with Slughorn. Harry and his accursed book were at the top of the Potions Class. He was Slughorn's prized student. I had never been second in a class of consequence. It added to my level of hurt. Even with this status, Harry was not making any progress on his mission of getting the memory for Dumbledore.

One day, Professor Slughorn handed out invitations to his annual Christmas party. Harry and I were invited, as were several other top-level students. We were expected to bring a date. Who would I invite? I only wanted Ron. However, he was certainly off the table. And what about Harry? He was in the same situation with Ginny.

Deep inside me, I still believed Ron had feelings for me. It was just a matter of finding a way to get at them. On a whim fueled by evil intentions, I invited Cormac McLaggen. I was certain it would irritate Ron more than any other possible candidate. And, as a bonus, I knew Professor Slughorn fancied him because of his family's status, even though Cormac was a mediocre, at best, student.

Later that day, I was in the library when I saw Harry returning some books.

"Hi, Harry," I said. "Have you asked anyone to Slughorn's party, yet?"

"No. I haven't, I—"

"Do you see that girl over by the windows?"

"Sure. She's a fourth year in our house—uh—Romilda something."

"Well. I heard a rumour that she is trying to slip you a love potion to get an invitation to Slughorn's party. And, she is not the only one."

"Really?" said Harry with a bit of a grin.

"Listen. They is only interested in you because she thinks you are The Chosen One."

"But I am The Chosen One."

" Gawd. How can you be so dim? " I thought as I hit him with a rolled up parchment like I was hitting a naughty dog with a newspaper.

"Sorry," said Harry, ducking and covering his head.

"Well, w have got to find you a proper date. I—"

"Yes," cut in Harry. "As I was trying to say before, since neither of us can go with who we want to, why don't we go together?"

I was dumbfounded. How could I have been so stupid? The obvious solution had been hidden right in front of my eyes all along. "I—uh—uh—I can't," I sputtered. "I—I already asked someone."

"Oh. Great. Who are you going with?"

"It is a—uh—surprise. You are the one who needs a date."

"Okay. Fine. I'll ask someone else—someone cool."

I was now confronted with having to go with Cormac. But for now, I could relax a little and help Harry figure out a way to get the memory.

Three days before the party, Ron was mean to me in class. He did a couple of stupid imitations of me by changing the color of his eyebrows. That made me cry. It was bad enough that I had to keep seeing him sucking face with Lavender. Why did he have to act this way?

Fortunately, Luna—she is such a kind, lovely person—was comforting me as I composed myself in the girls' lavatory. Once I settled down and regained my composure, we walked right out into Harry.

"Hello, Harry," we both said.

"Hi," he replied. "Uh—Luna. Can I ask you something?"

"Of course," she replied as I waited.

"I am wondering if you would like to go to Slughorn's Christmas party with me," he asked."

Luna's face lit up like never before. Most of the boys in the school avoided her. They called her 'Loony'. "Ooooh, yessss," she said in a happy, even for her, voice. "I would love to go with you."

Seeing this moment of joy made me feel better than I had in days. Luna, odd as she was, was a wonderful, kind-hearted person. Part of me could almost see her as an ideal match for Harry—a match equal to that of Ginny.

Harry and Luna would live in a quiet cottage by the sea. They would have twin girls, Liliana and Pandora, with Harry's unruly hair and Luna's big, wondrous eyes and imagination. They would love their little brother, James Xenophilius. Their home would be a fantastical wonderland with a garden full of weird plants and a pet Crumple-horned Snorkack. But I digress.

I knew that was not what was resting in Harry's heart waiting for its chance. I knew his heart was set as firmly on Ginny as mine was on Ron. Sometimes, reality is a cruel taskmaster.

It was now necessary for me to attend Slughorn's Christmas Party on the arm of Cormac. I got chills thinking about it. However, maybe it would be the event necessary to get Ron to step up when he was not unconscious.

That night, I looked great and felt horrible as I entered the party. I saw Harry almost immediately. He looked sharp in his bottle-green dress robe. And Luna. She looked spectacular. I had wondered what type of eccentric outfit she would wear. However, her hair was fixed in a fancy braid. She was wearing a blue and bronze dress that made her stand out in a good way in the room. I had never seen this side of Luna. I liked it.

Cormac was incorrigible. No matter how I moved to avoid his advances, he had a countermove—and all of them were aimed at directing me to the large sprig of mistletoe dangling precariously close to the punch bowl.

I finally got a chance to escape, if just for a few moments, when Mr. Filch entered the party dragging Draco Malfoy. I ducked behind a curtain, hoping to become invisible. Harry had apparently seen my move. He walked in behind me.

Harry told me that he had heard Draco talking with Professor Snape. Snape was offering his help to Draco on some kind of mission. He claimed to have made an Unbreakable Vow to help and protect him. He wanted to fulfill his promise. I wanted to hear more of the details, but I saw Cormac coming our way from over Harry's shoulder. I ducked away as he pulled back the curtain.

When I looked back, I saw Professor Snape approaching them. Snape said something, then left them. He walked over to Professor Slughorn and Draco. Draco was claiming to be gate-crushing. Snape took Draco by the arm and left. I used the chaos to also leave the party.

On the day before Christmas Eve, Mr. Weasley was on guard duty, as I would later learn, protecting the prophecy from the hands of Voldemort. He fell asleep and was attacked by Nagini. Harry saw the attack through his connection with Voldemort. Harry awakened and with the help of Ron, Professor McGonagall, and me, rushed to Professor Dumbledore. Dumbledore sent the portrait picture of former headmaster Everard to the rescue. They were successful, and Mr. Weasley was taken to St. Mungo's.

Mr. Weasley recovered and returned home on Christmas morning. That made it a double celebration. Shortly after noon, Percy showed up for the family feast with Rufus Scrimgeour, the Minister of Magic. After the meal, the Minister tried to get Harry's support for the Ministry. Harry declined, and the Minister left in a bit of a huff.

The best part of the Christmas Break was the absence of Lavender Brown. My stress level was back to normal. I was actually able to have a conversation and interaction with Ron. It almost made me not want to return to school. I also hung mistletoe in all of the archways. Ron proved very adept at avoiding it. The only person who caught him and kissed him was his mom.

Finally, school was set to resume tomorrow, 3 January. It was every bit as nauseating as I expected. Lavender was waiting for Ron on Platform 9. She literally inhaled him like she was sucking on Seamus' pipe. When Lavender pulled Ron into an empty compartment, I continued down the corridor until I found another empty compartment. I went inside, trying not to cry or vomit. I knew I was neglecting my prefect duties, but so was Ron.

Harry, Luna, Neville, and Ginny joined me a short while later. They distracted me and made the ride quite enjoyable.

Harry had his third lesson with Professor Dumbledore on Saturday. Like always, he could not share many details. However, he was quite adamant that he had to find a way to obtain the memory Dumbledore needed from Slughorn.

On 1 February, we had our first apparition lesson. Our instructor, a man from the Ministry named Wilkie Twycross. He was so thin and wispy that a light breeze stood a reasonable chance of blowing him away. He spent a considerable amount of time trying to ingrain his three Ds—Destination. Determination. Deliberation—into our heads. None of us managed to apparate by the end of the first hour, but Susan Bone got splinched.

When the class ended, Wilkie was upbeat despite the lack of success. He said, "Until next Saturday, and don't forget Destination. Determination. Deliberation."

Classes went on, as did our apparition lessons. However, my heart was not in them. I felt as unhappy as I had during my first year when no one liked me and I was treated like a leper. However, this time, it was all about Ron and Lavender. They were everywhere. I could not seem to escape them. I was crying and feeling nauseated much of the time.

When Ron's birthday arrived on the first of March, I wanted to give him a special present—anything to show him I liked him. This was birthday seventeen for him. It was an important birthday for young witches and wizards. The trace broke, and we would suddenly be free to do several things that were previously forbidden.

A group of us took Ron to the Three Broomsticks for butterbeers, dragon scales, and general revelry and frivolity. Lavender was not among the group. She claimed a prior commitment—I say Bollocks! She did not want to compete for Ron's attention, pure and simple.

Ron received a prodigious number of presents from the attendees. The wristwatch that Ginny brought him from his parents was especially nice—well above the normal present level at the Weasley household. I gave him a fancy, hand-tooled leather wand holster. He called it 'wicked'. I was hoping for a hug, maybe a kiss, as thanks. All I got was a big smile. Still, it made my heart flutter.

We made our way back up to the castle in time for dinner, although none of us were particularly hungry. Ron headed up to the dorms to put away his presents before eating. Most of the rest of us went straight to the dining hall.

Almost an hour later, Ron had not shown up. This was unusual for Ron, who was also known as the bottomless food pit by many of us. Harry took off to find him while Ginny, Luna, and I were eating slices of a wonderful treacle tart.

Fifteen minutes later, about when we expected Harry to show up with Ron, Seamus burst into the room and went directly to Ginny. "They're taking Ron to the infirmary," he blurted out. "They think he's been poisoned."

Ginny's feet hit the floor at full speed. She was out of the room by the time I closed my book and made it to my feet. When I entered the infirmary, Madame Pomfrey was tending to Ron as professors McGonagall and Snape looked on. Professor Dumbledore came in a couple of moments later. When Professor Slughorn finally chugged into the room, he was so winded I thought he was going to have a heart attack.

Ginny and I sat down on opposite sides of Ron as the professors talked.

"This mead is of exceptional quality," said Professor Dumbledore. "You do not find mead of this quality in the average household."

"But, as you can tell, headmaster," said Professor Snape. "It is laced with a poison that I am yet to identify."

"Of course, Severus. But who would do such a thing?" asked Dumbledore. "Tell me, Horace. Where did you come by this mead?"

"I can't remember where I got it," he responded. "However, I was saving it to give as a gift."

'A gift, you say. Who were you going to give it to?"

"You, headmaster."

Just then, the infirmary door crashed open, and a panic-stricken Lavender Brown charged in. "Won Won, I'm here! Where's my Won Won?" she cried out.

A moment later, she was standing at the foot of the bed as Ginny and I looked at her.

"I'm here Won Won. I'm here," she sobbed before pausing and looking at me. "And why are you here?"

"He happens to be my friend," I snapped in response to her condescending snipe.

"Friend? Don't make me laugh. You've barely spoken in weeks," she shouted.

It has been hard to speak with him, what with your face stuck to his like a suction cup from the giant squid. Besides, he has been poisoned, you daft dimbo," I yelled back.

Suddenly, Ron started to mumble and move. It seemed that our spat had stirred him.

"Mia…Mi…Mia…Mione…Hermione," he moaned.

The words " He said my name. MY NAME! Not hers. " jolted my brain. It was like an injection of Pepperup Potion right in my heart. I was alive. ALIVE!

Lavender squealed as tears exploded from her eyes. She turned and fled from the room.

Dumbledore said something about love's keen sting and summoned everyone away. Ginny said, "It's about time," as she departed.

I sat by Ron as Madame Pomfrey tended to other things. When she stepped out, I took the opportunity to kiss Ron. The first was on his forehead, then a peck on his lips, then a real kiss, and finally, a REAL kiss. My spirit was soaring like never before.

Madame Pomfrey finally sent me away so Ron could rest undisturbed. The mood in my dorm room was icy. It felt like I was a dementor, and Lavender was casting a patronus at me. I did my best to hide under my covers until sleep overtook me.

In the morning, Ron was at the breakfast table pigging out when I arrived. I sat with him, Harry, Ginny, and the normal group. Lavender sat a far distance away.

"Are you okay, Ron?" I asked, interrupting him from inhaling some French Toast. "Do you remember anything from last night?"

"I'm fine, now. All I remember is eating a chocolate cauldron in my room—"

"You ate half the box," laughed Harry.

Ron frowned at him. "Then I woke up in the infirmary", he finished.

"That's it?" I asked, hoping he would recall more of the events.

"There's a bit more, but it couldn't be. I was bloody boggled."

"Yeah. Boggled," I sighed as my spirit dropped.

The ice wall that had existed between Lavender and me since their kiss after the Quidditch match grew twice as tall and three times as thick. It created a lot of uncomfortable tension in our dorm room. However, I was seeing cracks in their relationship. She was noticeably less effusive with her hugs, kisses, and praise. Ron was looking less and less receptive to her worshipful behavior.

A week later, on 8 March, Gryffindor had a Quidditch match against Hufflepuff. Ron was not fully recovered from the poisoning. Cormac filled in as the keeper. He was terrible under the pressure of a real game. And, to make matters worse, he grabbed a beater bat and managed to crack Harry's skull with an erratic swing that landed him in the Hospital wing. Even with Luna's colorful, but pretty good commentary, it was a horrible match. Hufflepuff won by a score of 320-60.

Harry told us he was becoming increasingly suspicious of Draco. He knew he was up to something, especially after having overheard the conversation between Snape and him on the night of Slughorn's Christmas Party. He told Dobby and Kreacher to keep an eye on Draco and report back to him.

Two days later, Harry had his fourth lesson with Dumbledore. Luna had brought him the reminder for the class. Harry had not done his homework because of his head injury. Dumbledore was testy, according to Harry. He was getting increasingly insistent that Harry find a way to get the memory from Slughorn by whatever means necessary.

The following Saturday, Harry told us Dobby and Kreacher had discovered that Draco was using the Room of Requirement. Kreacher only said good things about Draco. However, Dobby said Draco's activities were very questionable. He said Draco was using other students to guard the entrance while he was inside.

The next day, Sunday, 6 April, there was an extra apparition class for all of the sixth years whose seventeenth birthdays fell on or before 21 April—the first testing day. Ron and I attended, as did Lavender. Harry, whose birthday was 31 July, did not.

Ron and I, along with a few others, successfully apparated from inside the Three Broomsticks to the street outside. Lavender was not successful. It obviously bothered her—both that we could and she could not. I felt her staring at me. Her eyes felt like those of the basilisk before I was petrified.

As the days passed, I could see the cracks in Ron's relationship with Lavender widening. Still, I kept my distance. I was trying to keep my name away from the situation. I am certain she had more than enough to say about me without my presence. I did not want to add any fuel to the fire.

On 20 April, we were informed that Hagrid's former pet spider died. He lived in a cave inside the forest. Hagrid removed the body to prevent Aragog's offspring from eating him. Harry, Ron, and I were asked to attend the funeral the next day. Ron begged off due to his fear of spiders. I did not attend for fear of being caught outside of the castle after dark. Harry was undecided until he drank a little bit of his Felix Felicis. He suddenly felt the overwhelming need to attend. He gave Ron and me the rest of the vial to use during the battle he felt was coming.

When Harry returned, he had convinced Slughorn to give up his memory, according to Ron. Harry took it straight to Professor Dumbledore, even though it was midnight.

In the morning, Harry told us that they watched the memory in the pensieve. Dumbledore was convinced that Tom Riddle had made six Horcruxes. Harry said Dumbledore agreed to let him help find the next one. I found this very disturbing and scary.

A few days later, Ginny broke up with Dean. I was expecting this to happen. It seemed like they were always fighting over something. It was inevitable. What I did not expect to happen was Lavender breaking up with Ron. As much as I could see the deterioration of their relationship happening, I always felt it would be Ron who would need to end things.

I was delighted to see Katie Bell come back into the dining hall two days before Gryffindor was set to play Ravenclaw for the House Cup. Harry immediately asked her if she remembered who hexed her. She said she did not. But Harry was staring daggers at Draco. Draco was looking nervous and headed out of the hall. Harry took off after him.

No one saw the confrontation in the boys' lavatory but Harry told us he had used a spell from his potions book called 'Sectumsempra'. He said it sliced Draco like a sword. Snape was furious after coming out of the lavatory with a tattered and shaken Draco. Harry received detention meaning he would miss the final game. As much as it was a devastating blow to the Gryffindor Quidditch team, it was probably a fair punishment for what Harry had done.

Ginny took over as seeker. In order to win the cup, Gryffindor needed to win the game by 300 points. Katie was on fire, scoring almost at will. When Ginny caught the snitch, the game ended with Gryffindor winning 460-140. The celebration in the common room was epic. Midway through the partying, Harry grabbed Ginny and gave her a big kiss. It was not as dramatic as the one between Ron and Lavender but it was the real thing.

Harry and Ginny started dating. Ron tried to ignore them as much as possible. They were nice together, but kind of boring. I did not think it had long-term possibilities. Of course, Ron also ignored me when it came to stepping up to the dating window. I wish there was a spell to get Ron to wake up and see me, however, he existed as the fifth principle of Gamp's Law behind not being able to conjure good food—You cannot make Ron Weasley ask Hermione Granger for a date.

A few days later, I was fortunate enough to be one of the few invited to a happy affair. Remus Lupin and Nymphadora Tonks were married in a quiet ceremony in a chapel created by the Room of Requirement. Remus, being a werewolf as well as exceptionally smart, caring, and kind was a very complicated person. Tonks was also a gifted witch, bold auror, and every bit a Hufflepuff. They were just what the other needed.

Harry had another meeting with Dumbledore. He learned that Snape had been the person who told Voldemort about the prophecy. This was not very surprising at the time. He also learned that Dumbledore had determined the location of another Horcrux. Harry was going to accompany him to retrieve it. This was exciting but frightening for all of us. We had all seen Dumbledore's injured hand. While Dumbledore never explained it to anyone, we were all worried that these Horcruxes were somehow involved in it.

We all felt, especially Harry, that other dark things were afoot. The disappearance of people had continued. Harry knew Draco was up to something involving the Room of Requirement. Tensions were rising.

On 30 June, days before the end of school, the dam was primed to burst. Harry and Dumbledore left Hogwarts to go in search of the aforementioned Horcrux. They needed to go somewhere off the grounds, such as Hogsmeade, in order to be able to apparate.

I received a note from Pansy while eating lunch. Ron and Ginny were going to spend the afternoon at the Quidditch pitch exorcising their tensions. A post-dinner tryst with Pansy sounded like a great way to release mine.

When dinner time arrived, I was already waiting at the table. I was finished by the time many of my housemates, including Ron, Ginny, and Katie, were just sitting down. I got up to leave for a trip to the library. As I exited, I saw Pansy following behind me.

I already had my suit and other things in my bag. I went straight to the bath. I stripped off my clothes and got into the water without even bothering with my suit. Pansy was surprised to see me when she entered the steamy room. It was the first time I had ever beaten her there.

"You're kind of overdressed," I giggled as she looked at me.

"I thought someone else was already here," she replied as she started removing her silver bathing suit. "You have never beaten me here in the past. "I was afraid our little thing was going to be a bust."

"Nope," I said with a smile as I stood up to meet her at the bottom of the steps. We embraced. My slippery, wet boobies slithered over her larger ones as we pulled together. Our lips met and our tongues snaked into each other's mouths.

"We are naughty girls," I said between kisses.

"Yes," replied Pansy as she rubbed her loins against mine. "But we know who we are. So it's alright."

I backed up, pulling her into our favorite spot. She sat down on the edge of the tub. I started kissing and sucking on her boobs. She moaned and tipped her head back. "I always love pie for dessert," I said in a nasty girl's voice as I helped her spread her legs. "Especially when it's hot and juicy."

"I brought something new," said Pansy as she started to lean back.

"What is it?" I asked as I swirled my tongue around inside her navel.

"I'll show you later," she replied. "I don't want to—uh—interrupt you."

"You don't want to interrupt me," I laughed.

I moved down and started to nibble and tongue her sweet pie. Within seconds, her hands were on the back of my head pushing deeper into her kitty. I ate her like I was starving. A minute later, she was bucking up and groaning as her body shook. She collapsed as I climbed up onto her and pushed my tongue into her panting mouth to give her a taste of her juices.

A couple of moments passed. Then, she rolled me over and started working her way down my body. I was quivering with anticipation as she neared my hot, juicy peach.

"Yessss," I hissed, using my hands to urge her downward. I needed her mouth on me. I wanted to feel her tongue inside my slit and on my clitoris. Then, just as she was about to do me, she stopped and climbed up on the deck.

"Noooo. Wha—what are you doing?" I whined. "Why did you stop?"

"It's time for your surprise," she said as she grabbed her towel. As she unrolled it, I saw a long, pink thing. It looked like her dildo but it had a dickhead on each end.

"What is that?"

"It's a double dildo," she replied. "We can do each other together. I heard about them from my cousin when I was home. I convinced her to buy me one."

"How do we use it?" I asked as I eyed it.

"We put one end in you, and the other end in me. Then we grind together and fuck each other at the same time."

Really? Oh my. Have you used it?"

"No. Of course not. I told you, I only do this stuff with you," she said as wiggled it. "Do you want to try it?"

"Uhhhh—sure. Okay," I squeezed out. "But I am a little nervous."

"Me too. But let's give it a go."

Pansy licked the ends of it as we stepped together. She pressed one end against her kitty. Her eyes popped open as it went into her.

"Take your end. Put it inside you."

I took my end and pushed it against my peach. It went in easier than I expected. Our movements made it move around inside both of us. We started kissing as we tried to press our loins together. Within a minute, we were grinding against each other as we moaned and groaned. It felt crazy good.

"I think if we lay down, it will be easier to fuck ourselves," said Pansy.

"Okay," I moaned.

It took some effort, but before long, we were on our backs with our legs scissored together. We started humping. Her thrusts pushed the dildo into me. Mine did the same to her. It took a moment, but we found our rhythm. We were both moaning deliriously, as we pushed it into ourselves deeper and deeper. Before long, we were bumping peaches. It was amazing.

"Oh—oh—ohhhh, Pansy," I bleated. "This is so good."

"Yessss, Hermie. Yes. I love this," she sobbed.

Suddenly, my climax crashed over me like a tsunami. My thrashing set off Pansy. We were a connected flurry of orgasmic energy.

We both ground to an end, laying there totally spent, unable to move. Anyone who walked in would find quite a scene.

Several minutes later, we separated. We soak for a few minutes to get off our sweat and finish recovering. Finally, we got dressed and prepared to leave.

"That was incredible," I said. "I never—uh—I never dreamed of anything like what we just did."

"Yes," agreed Pansy. "We need to do this again."

"We're getting near the end of the school year," I said. "We'll have exams. But I would like to find time to do this again."

As we walked toward the exit, I thought about Harry. I wondered if he was back. I wondered if they found the Horcrux. It was time to reenter the real world I had escaped from in here with Pansy.

I no more than pulled open the door when a pair of screaming girls streaked by. As we stepped out, a boy looked at us and yelled "RUN!" as he barely broke stride. Then, we heard the crack of spells flying, hitting, and deflecting. Shouting from the stairs leading up made it perfectly clear that a fight was happening.

Pansy and I looked at each other. We both had panic in our eyes. A Hufflepuff girl stopped for a second. "The Death Eaters. They're in the castle," she cried out as she grabbed our arms and pulled. All three of us started running.

Part of me wanted to turn back and fight. However, the smart part kept me running towards the stairs leading down. As we fled, the screams of fear started changing. They were sounding more like pain and anguish. When we made it to the ground floor entry hall, students were bent over, on the floor, hugging each other. They were wailing like the world was ending. "He's dead! He can't be dead! We're doomed!" were some of the sobbing cries coming from the others.

I pushed forward. I needed to see what had happened. I had to know who was dead. Harry's face was filling my mind. That is when I saw him on the ground, bent and broken like a marionette whose strings had been cut. Professor Dumbledore was dead. I nearly fainted.

Harry pushed passed me and collapsed beside his body. He was sobbing as he hugged the fallen body of his mentor. I started to go to him but Ginny rushed past me. She knelt and hugged Harry as her tears mixed with his falling on Dumbledore's robe.

Overhead, we could see the symbol of the Death Eaters coiling and hissing in the clouds. It was like what happened at the Quidditch World Cup. Then, Professor McGonagall raised her wand. The light shot upward and penetrated the symbol. More and more wands were raised. I raised mine. Our collective effort destroyed the writhing snake. Slowly, a calm fell over us and we started back inside as Ginny helped Harry to his feet.

Harry eventually regained his composure. He was still angry, furious, but he told Ron, Ginny, and me what had happened. He said Dumbledore and he had gone to a cave on the Irish coast. Inside, they had found a locket after Dumbledore drank a potion that nearly killed him, and they fought off an army of inferi that almost killed both of them. Then, they returned to the top of the Astronomy Tower by broom.

When they heard someone coming, Dumbledore had paralyzed him and hid him under his invisibility cloak. Draco appeared and threatened to kill Dumbledore. Dumbledore tried to talk Draco out of it, but Draco said he had to or Voldemort would kill his family. Then Dumbledore pulled out his wand and Draco disarmed him with Expelliarmus. Harry said it did not look like Dumbledore even tried to block it.

I asked Harry if that was when Draco killed him. He said 'No'. He said Draco could not summon the courage. First, a group of Death Eaters appeared and congratulated him for disarming Dumbledore. And that was when Snape appeared. Draco was lowering his wand as Dumbledore looked at Snape and said, 'Severus. Please'. That is when Snape used the Killing Curse to kill Dumbledore. That bastard, Snape, was the murderer.

Harry said that by the time he could move, Snape, Draco, and the others had fled. He chased them down the stairs. Bellatrix Lestrange destroyed the Great Hall with a Reductor Spell. By the time he caught up with Snape and the others outside of the castle, they were heading off of the grounds so they could apparate away.

Harry said, that someone used the Cruciatus Curse on him but Snape stopped him. I thought that was weird. Then, he said he tried cursing Snape, but Snape blocked all of his efforts. He even tried to use the Levicorpus Charm on Snape. After Snape blocked it, he walked up to him and yelled at him for trying the same spell his father liked to use to torture him. Then he told Harry that he was the Half-Blood Prince.

Harry said that he still wanted to fight. However, someone had set Hagrid's hut on fire. He had to help Hagrid save Fang and put out the fire while the others made good with their escape.

When he finished, Harry showed us the locket they had recovered. We opened it and looked at the note inside. The locket was a fake. It was not the real Horcrux. Dumbledore had died in vain.

Several people were injured in the skirmish, including Neville and Professor Flitwick. Bill Weasley was bitten by Fenrir Greyback but was in no danger because Greyback was not in his werewolf form. Fortunately, there were no deaths.

The next day, Professor McGonagall was named headmistress. Her first duty was planning the funeral for Dumbledore. She gathered professors Flitwick and Sprout, Hagrid, and Harry to arrange things. Four days later, witches and wizards from all over the world gathered for the saddest, most solemn affair imaginable. Dumbledore's body was laid to rest on the school grounds. This was an honor never before afforded a headmaster or mistress. Much has been written about the funeral ceremony, so I will leave it there.