Soon, it was May. Draco and I were almost done with the Vanishing cabinet, but Voldemort has been pushing us to finish as soon as possible. It's taken way too long.
However, Draco wasn't handling the stress very well. One morning, after breakfast I followed him into the girls' bathroom, the one where Moaning Myrtle usually stays.
This wasn't the first time he had come in here. He would often run in here and cry, but wouldn't admit it so that he doesn't appear weak. He and Myrtle had actually become some sort of friends.
Normally, she would come out and try to cheer him up. She didn't today, though, which was weird. I was almost worried for her.
I hugged Draco as he started crying, feeling mixed emotions. I felt lucky that he trusted me enough to cry in front of me, but also sad that he was suffering like this.
I heard footsteps, and quickly stood in front of Draco, wand at the ready.
Of course, Harry Potter entered the bathroom and immediately shot a spell at me.
"What the hell, Potter?"
"I know you two are Death Eaters! Admit it!"
"We're not Death Eaters!" I shot a spell back at him. "Leave us alone!"
Draco joined in and we all started shooting verbal and non-verbal spells at each other. Potter broke a sink when I dodged a spell, and water began spilling everywhere.
"Crucio!" Draco said, aiming his wand at Harry.
"Sectumsempra!" Harry shouted as he dodged Draco's spell.
Draco flew backwards. I couldn't see what happened because I were hiding behind a stall, but I heard a few gasps and weak cries.
I ran towards Draco, and to my horror, saw Draco lying there on the wet floor, his chest and face gashed open.
Snape rushed in behind us and up to Draco. Potter began leaving. I kneeled next to Draco, worry filling my every thought.
"Don't move, Potter."
Potter walked back into the bathroom. We watched as Snape began healing Draco.
He knelt over Draco, drew his wand and traced it over the deep wounds Potter's curse had made, muttering an incantation that sounded almost like a song. The flow of blood seemed to ease; Snape wiped the residue from Draco's face and repeated his spell. Now the wounds seemed to be knitting.
"Vulnera Sanentur," Snape whispered.
Once Draco's wounds were fully healed, Snape had me take him to Madam Pomfrey's, just in case.
"Madam Pomfrey! Draco was hit with a spell. Professor Snape healed him mostly, but he wanted you to make sure Draco's actually okay."
"Merlin's beard—yes, bring him here."
I helped him over to one of the infirmary beds and he laid down. Madam Pomfrey immediately began taking care of him.
"He's going to be okay, he'll just have a nasty scar. Professor Snape knows his healing spells."
"Oh, thank Merlin. Thank you, Madam."
"Of course, L/n."
~~~
"Draco, are you sure about this?"
"Of course. Even if I wasn't, it's not like we have much of a choice."
I nodded, knowing he was completely right, We don''t have a choice anymore. We're Death Eaters, and we have to do anything the Dark Lord says, even if it means putting all of our friends and schoolmates in danger.
I took a deep breath and kissed Draco on the cheek. "If I don't come back, fix the cabinet and stay away from You-Know-Who."
"You're going to be okay, Y/n."
I gulped air and stepped into the Vanishing Cabinet. I held my breath as Draco closed the door, and after a few seconds and a popping sound, the door opened again. The first person I saw was Bellatrix, who started laughing like the maniac she is.
"It works!" she screeched excitedly. "We can attack Hogwarts!" Her laughed sound crazed, and I would have been scared if I were't used to it.
"Dumbledore is on his way back. We have to hurry," Rodolphus said, pulling me out of the cabinet and walking in. After he was in Hogwarts, Bellatrix followed, then Greyback, then Rowle, and then the Carrows. More Death Eaters slowly filed in, waiting for the next person to enter Hogwarts.
Finally, I was able to go back through the cabinet. When I got through, I was greeted by Draco and a room full of Death Eaters walking around and looking at the things hidden in here. The Room of Requirements was currently being used as some sort of storage room.
"Listen up!" Draco yelled. "You are all very excited, but we have to wait for Dumbledore and Potter to return to the school. There, Y/n and I will meet them, and kill Dumbledore. When we leave this room, you are free to find the guards and attack them. Once Snape joins you, the fight will commence."
Nods and grunts of approval came from the crowd of Death Eaters.
Draco looked at his watch. "Dumbledore and Potter are back. We are going up to the Astronomy tower."
The two of us left the room and started walking quickly in the direction of the tower.
"Are we actually going to do this?" Draco asked, worry in his voice.
"We don't have a choice. If you can't do it, I guess I'll have to kill him, but I'll do that for you."
"Thank you, Y/n."
We started climbing the stairs to the tower.
"Expelliarmus!" I yelled as we burst through the door. I watched Dumbledore's wand fly over the railing. He was leaning against the same railing, looking sick and weak. A sudden wave of guilt overcame me.
However, Dumbledore didn't look worried at all. "Good evening, Y/n and Draco."
Draco stepped forward, and I looked around to see if anyone else was in here. I saw two brooms on the floor.
I pointed to them, and Draco said, "Who else is here?"
"A question I might ask you. Or are you two acting alone?"
A green Dark Mark glowed above us, making Draco and Dumbledore appear slightly green.
"No," I said, speaking up. "We've got backup. There are Death Eaters here in your school tonight."
"Well, well. Very good indeed. You found a way to let them in, did you?" Dumbledore's voice was full of humour.
"Yeah, right under your nose and you never realised!"
"Ingenious. Yet, forgive me, where are they now? You two seem unsupported."
"They met some of your guards. They're having a fight down below. They won't be long. We came on ahead. We—I've got a job to do," Draco said, looking at me.
"Well, then, you mist get on and do it, my dear boy."
Nobody said anything. I readied my wand.
"Draco, Y/n, you are not killers."
"How do you know?" Draco and I accidentally spoke at the same time, surprising each other.
"You don't know what I'm capable of! You don't know what I've done!" Draco said forcefully.
"Oh, yes, I do. You almost killed Katie Bell and Ronald Weasley. You have been trying, with increasing desperation, to kill me all year. Forgive me, Draco, but they have been feeble attempts. So feeble, to be honest, that I wonder whether your heart has been really in it."
I looked at Draco. I didn't know about Katie Bell or Ronald Weasley.
"It has been in it!" He sounded like he was going to cry. "I've been working in it all year, and tonight—"
A yell sounded from somewhere down bellow, distracting me while Dumbledore and Draco seemed to argue. I didn't realise how much I had missed by watching the fighting down below until Greyback and Snape appeared in the tower. The Carrows were there, too.
"Severus, please. . . ."
"No!" Draco screamed. "I have to do it! If I don't, He'll kill me, my family, everyone I care about!"
"Get on with it then!" Bellatrix shrieked.
Tears threatened to spill from Draco's eyes again.
Snape stepped around me and Draco. I gripped Draco's arm and pulled him to me as he started crying into my shoulder.
"Avada Kedavra!" Snape yelled.
With those two words, Dumbledore was dead, and it was time for Draco and I to join the fight outside of the tower.