My Father's Only Rule

Chapter Twenty-Two: All Greats Fall

June 1997 - Hogwarts

We were silent on the night he knew it had to be done. Soft thunder echoed over the hills as he showed me what he had been doing all year in the room of requirement. He pulled a sheet off of a cabinet.

"It's a vanishing cabinet," he said. "It has a twin. In Borgin and Burkes." He turned the key, unlocking the cabinet. "They'll be here any minute now. I'd rather us not be here when they arrive."

"Do you want me to come with you?" I said. "When you do it?"

"I don't want you to see. You'll never be able to forget."

"Don't worry about me," I said. "I'll hide. But I'll be there. If you want me to. Do you want me to?" he nodded slowly as I hugged him. "Alright," I whispered. "Let's go."

We made our way to the Astronomy tower. Draco and I hid beneath the main floor waiting for him. I didn't know what to say to him to ease his mind. Could anything be said?

Draco was about to kill Dumbledore.

Was I ok with it? Was I going to stop him in the heat of the moment? Could I? What would happen if I did? And then it hit me that Dumbledore knew. Dumbledore had told me multiple times that Draco was under a lot of pressure. Was he going to just let it happen?

My pondering was interrupted by the sound of an apparition and then Harry's voice. He said something about Madam Pomfrey. Then I heard Dumbledore's frail voice. Draco stiffened up and prepared himself to walk up the stairs.

"Severus," Dumbledore said. "Severus is who I need. Wake him. Tell him what happened. Speak to no one else. Severus, Harry." Harry started walking away, but then Draco started walking up the stairs, and Harry froze at the sound of his footsteps. He looked back at Dumbledore. I knew that a fight would break out if Harry saw Draco, so I grabbed his arm, stopping him from going up any farther. But I was much more mentally present than Draco was, and I don't think Draco even picked up that Harry was there at all.

"Hide yourself below, Harry. Don't speak or be seen by anybody without my permission. Whatever happens, it's imperative that you stay below. Do as I say, Harry...Trust me."

Oh, shit. Harry was coming down. Draco went up one set of stairs as Harry came down the other. And he came face to face with me.

"Grace?" he whispered.

"Harry," I said back, trying to figure out what was appropriate to say back to him.

"What's going on?"

"I," I stuttered.

"Good evening, Draco," we heard Dumbledore say from above.

"Oh, god," I whispered, fully grasping what was happening above me.

"What brings you here on this fine spring evening?"

"Who else is here?" Draco demanded. "I heard you talking."

"I often talk aloud to myself," Dumbledore answered. "I find it extraordinarily useful." Harry wandered around to a place where he could look above and see what was happening through the holes in the floorboards. Reluctantly, I followed him.

"Harry, I don't think you'll want to see-"

"Shh," he said, interrupting me.

"Have you been whispering to yourself Draco?" Dumbledore asked. He got no response. I could see Draco through the floorboards. He looked terrified. Harry was putting together what was happening, but he didn't want to admit it. "Draco," Dumbledore said. "You are no assassin."

"How do you know what I am?" Draco snapped. "I've done things that would shock you."

"Like cursing Katie Bell and hoping in return she'd deliver a cursed necklace to me?" Dumbledore said back. "Like replacing a bottle of mead with one laced with poison? Forgive me. I cannot help feeling that these actions are so weak that your heart can't really have been in them."

"He trusts me," Draco said. "I was chosen." I heard him pull his sleeve up, revealing his dark mark. Then I saw Harry's eyes widen at the sight of it.

"Then I shall make it easy for you," Dumbledore said.

"Expelliarmus!" Draco hissed, knocking Dumbldeore's wand to the floor. Instinctively, Harry drew his wand and pointed it at Draco through the floorboards. I could see Draco. His whole body was shaking as he winced, knowing what he had to do.

"Very good," Dumbledore whispered. "Very good." Suddenly we heard doors open and footsteps. "There are others. How?"

"The vanishing cabinet in the room of requirement. I've been mending it."

"Let me guess," Dumbledore said. "It has a sister. A twin." Harry started backing up, trying to leave, I assume to get involved.

"Borgin and Burkes," Draco said. "They form a passage."

"Ingenious," Dumbledore said. "Draco, years ago I knew a boy who made all the wrong choices. Please let me help you."

"I don't want your help!" Draco protested. "Don't you understand? I have to do this. I have to kill you. Or he's gonna kill me." I heard footsteps running up the stairs, but I didn't realize who it was until we heard the psychotic voice. Bellatrix was followed by a small entourage of death eaters.

"Well look what we have here," she said. "Well done, Draco."

"Good evening, Bellatrix," Dumbledore said. "I think introductions are in order. Don't you?"

"Love to, Albus," she said. "But I'm afraid we're on a bit of a tight schedule." Harry continued to walk around beneath the floorboards. I don't know what he was thinking of doing. "Do it," Bellatrix hissed at Draco.

"He doesn't have the stomach," one of the death eaters said. "Just like his father." I could see Draco's annoyed face. I know he hated being talked down to. And I know he hated being compared to his father. "Let me finish him in my own way."

"No!" Bellatrix snapped. "The dark lord was clear that the boy is to do it."

Harry had his wand raised again. I wanted to try to stop him, but I felt like it was useless. Then we both seemed to sense the same presence behind us and turned around to see...

My father.

"Go on, Draco! Now!" Bellatrix screamed.

"No," my father's voice said as he emerged from the stairs, standing directly across from Dumbledore as Draco lowered his wand. Silence filled the room as I watched closely, trying to analyze the situation. What was my father doing? Who was he with? Dumbledore, right? Dumbledore insisted that he trusted my dad with his life. So there's nothing my dad could do at this moment to betray that trust. Right?

"Severus," Dumbledore said. "Please."

Please what? What was he asking for?

But then I realized what was happening only a split second before it happened.

"Wait, stop!"

"Avada Kedavra."

That dreaded electric green shock shot out of my father's wand and latched onto Dumbledore as he plummeted off the astronomy tower.

I didn't know what to do.

I wanted to find Draco, but the death eaters whisked him away to rampage the castle. I wanted to find my dad but how could I? Still in shock, I dragged myself to the only person I could think of. I walked into the Slytherin Common room as practically everyone in Slytherin house flooded out of it. On my way in, I ran into Jane, who was among the last of those to leave.

"Hey," she said.

"What's going on?" I asked.

"I'm not sure," she said. "We saw Hagrid's Hut light on fire from the window and we've been hearing a bunch of ruckus echoing throughout the castle. So I guess people are going to see what's going on. Oh, and a bunch of people claimed they saw someone fall out of the Astronomy tower. Where have you been?" I stared at her, my emotions slowly taking over my face. And then I just sobbed. I fell into her arms and I just sobbed.