DARK SOULS ☽ 𝚍𝚛𝚊𝚌𝚘 𝚖𝚊𝚕𝚏𝚘𝚢

𝔩 | sixth year

"Expelliarmus!" Aurora disarms Dumbledore quickly, laughing as she does. A door opens and I hear footsteps. I draw my wand, my hands shaking.

"There are others with you," Dumbledore says in a hushed voice, "How?"

Draco speaks up for the first time, "The vanishing cabinet in the Room of Requirement. We've been mending it."

"Let me guess," Dumbledore says passively, "It has a sister. A twin, perhaps. Do they form a passage into our school. Ingenious." Auroras eyes narrow into slits, shoving her wand closer to Dumbledore, obviously angry at his tone that makes him seem like he doesn't even care, "Draco, listen to me, years ago I knew a boy who made all the wrong choices. Please let me help you." Dumbledore seems to have no hope for Aurora.

Aurora's voice screeches against the night, "He doesn't want your help!" From my angle it looks like a tear escaped from Draco's eye, but I might be wrong, "Don't you understand, you old man, what we're going to do!"

Draco's voice shakes, "We have to do this... I have to kill you... or he's going to kill me." Aurora looks at her partner angrily, as if she's telling him to get it together.

Suddenly, the footsteps around me grow louder, and I sneak behind a pillar as I hear people rushing up the stairs. I run into someone's body as I try to hide. A man, with a strange face smiles back at me with pointed teeth. I recognize him, he's all over the Prophet for being wanted dead or alive. Fenrir Greyback, a werewolf that serves Voldemort.

He grabs me in his arms and forces me up the stairs with him, holding his wand to my neck as we approach the other figures, cloaked in black, "Found this one lurking down below. A friend of yours, Petrym?"

Aurora spits at my feet, "Laughable." Draco's expression seems to waver for a millisecond when he sees me, but he tries to keep a straight face, staring at Dumbledore. I look around me, some of the Death Eaters I recognize from the battle in the Department of Mysteries. Bellatrix Lestrange is here.

"Oh my!" She exclaims, "I remember this little birdie. She was so quick and easy to put under the Imperius Curse." She lifts my chin with her wand, "Do you remember?" I shut my eyes, trying to escape, but it's no use. I'm stuck here.

"Do it, Draco!" Aurora yells at him, "Or I'll do it myself!"

Fenrir laughs, "He doesn't have the stomach, just like his father," He pauses, looking to Aurora, "The Petrym girl is the only one we can trust. Aurora, end him."

"No!" Bellatrix exclaims, "The Dark Lord was clear, it must be the boy!" It has to be Draco. This must be the Malfoy family's final payment to Voldemort. Their son, "Go on, Draco! Now!"

"No." The drawl of a voice rings clear in my ears. Snape. He walks slowly out of the staircase, his wand raised, and dressed in his ordinary black robes.

"Severus, please." Dumbledore whispers to the man.

Without even realizing it, a tear drops down my cheek. "Avada Kedavra!" Snape says forcefully, the strand of green light spinning its way out of his wand to connect to Dumbledore's chest. I try to let out a scream but no sound is there. My eyes meet Draco's. His own well with tears.

Dumbledore falls and I cry, my breathing heavy. Bellatrix laughs at my tears, "Aurora, kill the girl." Bellatrix says as she launches the Dark Mark into the sky, screaming a cheer of victory.

Dumbledore is dead.

Aurora draws her wand at me, no regret in her eyes. Just pure hatred. "Avada-"

"No!" Draco screams, pushing Aurora back, "She's not worth it. Just erase her memory." I can sense the turmoil in his body, not knowing what to do, "I'll do it."

"Hurry! Follow us afterwards." Bellatrix says, descending the stairs and laughing to herself. Aurora casts me an awful stare, before joining the rest of the Death Eaters as they leave, cheering. They leave me and Draco alone.

"Please don't do it. I won't say anything," He takes me into his arms, "I know this isn't you, Draco." He presses his lips softly against mine, one of his fingers brushing against my cheek to rub away a tear. Even as our bodies interlace, I can feel his wand against my temple, pulling the memories of tonight out of my head. They begin to slowly disappear and as I scream in protest, "Please, Draco!"

He hesitates, my screams racking his body. I feel my memory return, "I'm sorry," is all he says, cupping my face in his hands, and then he is gone.

There is nothing more I can do. I escape with my memories, running back to my dormitory. I make it there, the fear of tonight coursing through my body. I scream, "Wake up!" I rush into my room, where Daphne and Cassandra lie asleep, "Wake up!"

The rest of Slytherin follows me to the courtyard, where other students and teachers already stand, mourning the crumpled body in front of us. A few cry, a few sob, a few are in shock. I don't know how to react.

Harry pushes through the crowd to Dumbledore's body, closing his eyes with his fingertips and grabbing a strange locket from his pocket, tears trailing down his face. Ginny approaches him, holding the crying boy in her arms.

McGonagall holds her want in the air, mourning. People begin to slowly follow, and I do as well, mourning Dumbledore's death, mourning Snape's betrayal, mourning Harry's loss, and lastly... mourning Draco. The light from our wands removes the Dark Mark from the sky.

Tears fall faster down my face and my breaths come sharply.

We all leave the next day, parents rushing to Hogwarts to pick up their children. Daphne is taken home in the morning and I am left alone, wandering the halls as if I'm lost. My parents come that afternoon.

I still feel lost, even when I'm home. Mum holds me at night, when I have nightmares, but I still feel lost.

I still wish I could go back to last winter.