The trio and me are in the Gryffindor common room, waiting for Harry to drink the Felix Felicis. Once he does, he just stares at us.
"Well, how do you feel?" Hermione asks.
"Excellent. Really excellent" Harry says with a smile, standing up.
We do the same.
"Remember, Slughorn usually leaves early, takes a walk, and then returns to his office" Hermione recaps.
"Right. I'm going down to Hagrid's" Harry says, completely ignoring the plan.
"What? No, Harry, you've got to go to speak to Slughorn. We have a plan" Hermione says.
"I know but I've got a really good feeling about Hagrid's. I feel it's... It's the place to be tonight. Do you know what I mean?" Harry asks.
"No" Hermione and Ron say.
"Yes" I say right after
"Well, trust me. I know what I'm doing. Or Felix does" Harry reassures then leaves.
I sigh heavily, then make my way to my own common room, going to my dormitory to see a note.
'looking so gorgeous,
wish I could see you
in it in person,
Fred- your handsome
boyfriend'
I chuckle at the note, then put it on my bedside table, writing a note to George about a name for a Weasley Product he and Fred need naming.
I sit on my bed and wait for Malekith to come back from him flying around the castle, just daydreaming.
~~~~~
Mal perches himself on my window sill, and I tie the note to his leg.
"I need this given to George Weasley" I say to Mal, who then flies off.
I make my way to the Astronomy Tower, silently walking up the stairs.
I jump when someone grabs my waist, covering my mouth with their hand and turning me to face them.
Harry.
I'm about to say something, but Harry put a finger over his mouth to shush me.
"Have you been whispering to yourself, Draco?" Dumbledore asks, so I look up and see Draco with his wand aimed at Dumbledore, and Dumbledore just standing there "Draco... you are no assassin"
"How do you know what I am? I've done things that would shock you" Draco says, breathing heavily.
"Like cursing Katie Bell and hoping that in return, she'd bear a cursed necklace to me? Like replacing a bottle of mead with one laced with poison? Forgive me, Draco... I cannot help feeling these actions are so weak that you- your heart can't really have been in them"
"He trusts me. I was chosen" Draco says, then pulls back his sleeve.
Given the angle, I can't really see what's on his arm, but given the circumstances, I now realise Harry was right. About everything.
Draco had become a Death Eater at Borgin and Burkes.
Snape did make an unbreakable vow.
Draco is working with Voldemort and I trusted him.
Harry takes out his wand, and I do the same, holding it up towards Draco.
"Then I shall make it easy for you" Dumbledore says, taking out his wand.
"Expelliarmus" Draco casts, knocking Dumbledore's wand out of his hand.
"Very good, very good" Dumbledore says, but the door opens, then closes "You're not alone. There are others. How?" Dumbledore asks.
"The Vanishing Cabinet in the Room of Requirement. I've been mending it"
"Let me guess. It has a sister. A twin"
"Borgin and Burkes. They form a passage"
"Ingenious. Draco, years ago, I knew a boy who made all the wrong choices. Please let me help you"
"I don't want your help! Don't you understand?! I have to do this. I have to kill you. Or he's gonna kill me" Draco says, sounding like he's going to cry.
People rush up the stairs and stop at the top.
Bellatrix.
"Well, look what we have here" she says, then all of them go to Draco "Well done Draco"
"Good evening Bellatrix. I remember when I took young Y/N to see her father for the first time, and you wouldn't have known who she was"
"Well, that girl's got heart. But she's got too much emotion"
"Well, I think introductions are in order, don't you?" Dumbledore says.
"Love to, Albus, but I'm afraid we're on a bit of a tight schedule. Do it!"
"He doesn't have the stomach, just like his father" Greyback. Draco looks to his right, then back at Dumbledore "Let me finish him in my own way"
I turn to see Snape with his wand pointed to us.
"No! The Dark Lord was clear the boy is to do it. This is your moment, do it"
Harry turns to see Snape as well, and Snape puts a finger to his lips, then leaves
"Go on, Draco. NOW!" Bellatrix pressures.
"No" Snape says, walking to where Draco was as Draco moves to the side.
"Severus" Dumbledore calls "Please"
"Avada Kedavra" Snape shoots, a blue light hitting Dumbledore.
I step forwards and cover my mouth watching Dumbledore fall, dead.
Bellatrix yells and shoots a spell into the sky as I watch everything in horror, my blood running cold.
The Death Eaters almost run down the stairs of the tower, but me and Harry follow after them, outside the castle and into the forest, all of them stopping outside Hagrid's hut.
"Hagrid? Hello!" Bellatrix calls.
"Snape! He trusted you!"
"Draco!" I yell, running forwards, but Snape shoots me back onto the floor.
Bellatrix sets Hagrid's hut on fire, and Draco begins running.
"Draco! I defended you! I cared for you and I loved you!"
"Incarcerous" Harry casts, but Snape blocks it "Fight back! You coward, fight back!"
Bellatrix shoots Harry back, him landing on the floor.
"No! He belongs to the Dark Lord" Snape says as Bellatrix is laughing and cackling like a psycho.
"Don't forget the girl" Bellatrix says, staring at me.
She leaves with the other Death Eaters. Harry pants heavily, but gets up, pointing his wand at Snape.
"Sectumsempra!" he yells, but Snape shoots him back, walking towards him.
"You dare use my own spells against me, Potter?" Snape asks, standing over him "Yes. I'm the Half-Blood Prince"
Snape kicks Harry's wand out of his hand, then turns to me.
I point my wand at him.
"Legilimens"
"We need the girl. She's a strong-hearted Slytherin. We need more of that. And she's a pure-blood" Bellatrix says.
"Y/N lost her father because of you, do you really think she'll join us?" Snape asks.
"He's right, you know" Lucius says "She won't join us. What do you think, Draco?"
"She won't. She may be a Slytherin, but she's got a pure heart. She's kind and fair. She knows us. We're family, but she won't join" Draco says, looking down "I don't want her to" he mutters.
"If we take her then control her, she'll do whatever we want, it's simple. Only if she doesn't join" Bellatrix says.
"I don't want to kidnap her, she's been through enough" Snape says.
I get out of his mind as a tear runs down my cheek.
Snape stares at me, goes to grab me, but stops himself, then walks off.
I release the breath I'm not aware I'm holding, quickly wiping away my tear.
I turn to Harry and help him up, giving him his wand and tucking mine away, both of us walking to the castle.
We walk past the crowd in the courtyard and see him laying there, lifeless, still, gone.
Ginny goes to Harry and takes him in her arms, while McGonagall pulls her and up, a light escaping her wand.
Everyone slowly follows behind her, wave of lights flashing through the crowd and shining through the clouds, dispersing the Dark Mark sign in the sky.
~~~~~
"Do you think he would have done it? Draco" Hermione asks.
I look down at his name.
I don't feel anything anymore. I don't feel like I can continue on with how I've been betrayed, how I've been manipulated, and how I always thought things would get better in the end. But it never will.
"Don't say his name so loud" Harry says "She hasn't gotten over it" Harry whispers.
"No. No, he was lowering his wand. In the end, it was Snape. It was always Snape. We did nothing" I say.
Harry hands Hermione a locket, a Horcrux.
"It’s fake. Open it"
Hermione opens it.
"'To the Dark Lord: I know I will be dead long before you read this but I want you to know that it was I who discovered your secret. I have stolen the real Horcrux and intend to destroy it as soon as I can. I face death in the hope that when you meet your match, you will be mortal once more. R.A.B.' R.A.B?" Hermione asks.
"Don't know. But whoever they are, they have the real Horcrux. It means it was all a waste. All of it" Harry says.
"R.A.B?" I ask, thinking about my uncle Regulus.
It can't be, surely.
"Ron's okay with you, you know. You and Ginny. If I were you when he's around, I'd keep snogging to a minimum" Hermione says, pulling my thoughts back.
"I'm not coming back, Hermione. I got to finish whatever Dumbledore started. And I don't know where that'll leave me, but I'll let you all know where I am when I can" Harry says.
"I've always admired your courage, Harry. But sometimes, you can be really thick. You don't really think you're going to be able to find all those Horcruxes by yourself, do you? You need us, Harry" Hermione says.
"It's true. You need us" I say, smiling weakly.
"I never realised how beautiful this place was" Harry says.
I stand and look out to the view, seeing Fawkes flying away.