Meet Me In The Broom Cupboard

Chapter Nine: Sixth Year, June

Hermione knew something was wrong, as if she could feel it in the air as she hurried up the stairs to the 7th floor. She hadn't seen Draco in days and the sinking feeling in her stomach told her that this is why he insisted she stay away from him. Half way up the stairs she saw him running down towards her, a terrified look in his eyes, and hid herself in the third floor corridor. He rushed down the stairs and she followed him all the way to the bottom of the Astronomy Tower.

Before she could call his name he whipped round and pushed her against the wall, his wand at her throat.

'I told you to keep your distance.' He hissed, tears in his eyes and his hands shaking as he held her chest against the stone.

'I'm worried about you.' She said, trying not to cry at the broken look on his face.

'Don't be. I need you to get out of here. Now.' He insisted.

'Draco.' She said, a tear slipping down her cheek. 'Is this the beginning?'

His face crumpled, understanding exactly what she was asking, and feeling the weight of the upcoming war crushing his chest.

'Go. Now.' He whispered as he let go of her and turned to enter the Astronomy Tower. She gave him one last look, tears clouding her vision.

'When the war is over.' She said quietly, forcing him to turn back and look at her. 'Meet me in the broom cupboard.'

Tears spilled down her cheeks as she gave him a half smile and watched as his face crumpled.

'Goodbye, Granger.' He whispered before disappearing up the stairs.

She turned to go but faltered as she heard footsteps running towards her. She slipped through the open door and quietly made her way up the tower steps until she found a hiding spot. She wasn't sure what made her hide, but the sinking feeling in her stomach returned and she willed herself not to make a sound.

She could hear Draco talking at the top of the tower and a calmer voice responding. The last thing she heard before the running drowned out the noise was "I have to do this, or he's going to kill me too". She clamped a hand over her mouth when she realised it was Draco speaking, silent sobs wracking her body. It didn't take a genius, let alone the brightest witch of her age, to figure out who was going to kill Draco but she had no idea who he needed to kill in order to stay alive.

She didn't want Draco to become a murderer, but the smallest part of her screamed for him to do it so that he wouldn't have to die too.

The running footsteps had stopped and she strained to hear the conversation above. Draco wasn't talking anymore so when the Killing Curse was spoken it shocked her to the core, but it wasn't his voice. It was Snape's.

She wrenched herself from her hiding spot and cast a Silencing charm on her shoes as she fled the tower, hurtling out onto the courtyard to suck in the fresh air so that she wouldn't throw up. Doubled over, her arms clutching at her waist, she barely noticed a crowd begin to form until gasps rippled through the crowd. Her feet carried her to the front, desperate to find out what was happening, and cried harder when she saw the lifeless body of the headmaster on the ground.

Dumbledore was the one Draco had been talking to. Draco had been ordered to kill Dumbledore by Voldemort. Dumbledore had been killed by Snape. The one thing that kept her upright was the fact that Draco would be safe, his hands clean of murder.