In The Shadows² ★ Draco Malfoy

*The Attack

When Hermione and Ron called Briar and Ginny down to the common room, they didn't know what to expect, but it certainly wasn't the news that Dumbledore and Harry were out of the school tonight and that Malfoy was going to be using this to carry out a task given to him by Voldemort

So they quickly spread the news throughout the old members of the D.A. to prepare themselves, while Hermione used the Gryffindor common room to contact the Order

Briar and Ginny stationed themselves by the entrance to the dungeons, and when they heard a loud rumble coming from somewhere above in the castle, they knew Hogwarts was under attack. Footsteps nearby began to get louder, so Briar pulled her friend behind a wall with her and waited until the steps were mere metres away

"Petrificus Totalus!" she cried, pointing her wand at the incomer, who fell to the floor frozen, and given his black robes they knew this was a Death Eater

"Briar!" Her dad's voice called and he came running into the entrance hall with his wand raised "You girls need to leave! The Death Eaters-"

"We know" she replied firmly "And we're fighting"

"Briar-"

"My godfather died for this fight, dad!" she cried "I'm not letting his death be for nothing! I can't let Lily and James's deaths be in vain either!" So her and Ginny sprinted past her dad and up to the rest of the castle to join the fighting

From the astronomy tower where Dumbledore, Harry, and Draco remained the fighting below continued to get louder and louder and Dumbledore's heart sank at the thought of his students being in danger

"There is little time, one way or another," said Dumbledore gravely "So let us discuss your options, Draco." 

"My options!" said Malfoy loudly. "I'm standing here witha wand - I'm about to kill you -" 

"My dear boy, let us have no more pretence about that. Ifyou were going to kill me, you would have done it when youfirst disarmed me, you would not have stopped for thispleasant chat about ways and means."

"I haven't got any options!" said Malfoy, and he wassuddenly white as Dumbledore. "I've got to do it! He'll killme! He'll kill my whole family!" 

"I appreciate the difficulty of your position," saidDumbledore. "Why else do you think I have not confrontedyou before now? Because I knew that you would have beenmurdered if Lord Voldemort realised that I suspected you."Malfoy winced at the sound of the name. "I did not dare speak to you of the mission with which Iknew you had been entrusted, in case he used Legilimencyagainst you," continued Dumbledore. "But now at last we canspeak plainly to each other...No harm has been done, youhave hurt nobody, though you are very lucky that yourunintentional victims survived...I can help you, Draco." 

"No, you can't," said Malfoy, his wand hand shaking verybadly indeed. "Nobody can. He told me to do it or he'll killme. I've got no choice." And then he added softly as if it was hard to say: "He'll kill her"

"Ah," Dumbledore sighed "Ms Lupin I assume?" Draco's silence was enough of an answer and Harry's heart dropped at the idea of her being in danger? But why was she even involved "I know all that goes on in my school and I know of your...affection towards her. That is why I asked her to get close to you in the hope that you might join the right side"

"It's too late," Draco said and there was a loud scream from below, making him grimace "He'll kill her if I fail" And then came another scream and this one was all too familiar to him

"NO!" Briar screamed "Ascendio!" Greyback was sent flying off of Bill, who lay motionless on the floor, but Greyback quickly got to his feet and growled at Briar