A Serpent's Heart

Chapter 10. Family Issues and Explainations.

The Death Eaters were in the Great Hall. I didn't dare to go inside, so I hid behind the stairs. I heard the sound of broken glass and excessive laughter. Suddenly, I heard footsteps. I peeked around the stairs and saw the Death Eaters exit the Great Hall. Professor Snape was guiding them to the exit. I didn't see Draco. Instead, I saw Harry coming from behind a wall and going after them. I wanted to follow him, because maybe I had missed Draco and he was outside already. When I came from behind the stairs, however, I saw Draco coming out of the Great Hall.

I pointed my wand at him and shouted: "You pretender! I thought you were not like them, but I was wrong! You're their bloody assassin!"

Malfoy stared at me, looking even paler than usual. "I understand you're angry with me, but let me explain," he said.

I did not want his stupid explainations, he had plotted to kill someone and that thought made me sick. "You were going to kill Dumbledore," I cried.

"I didn't do it," Draco said, stepping closer to me.

"Impedimenta!" Draco stumbled backwards.

"He was going to kill my family and me included," Draco said, he was crying now.

"You could have come up with some excuse,  but you didn't. You know what? You're a coward," I said.

"I thought you'd understand," Draco mumbled. He suddenly looked at me defiantly.

"Why, because I'm a Ravenclaw, and therefore I should just understand everything?" I shouted.

"No, not because you're a Ravenclaw. I looked up your family, you see," he replied.

"There is nothing to say about my family," I said curtly.

"When you told me you were a pure-blood, I looked up your family. And guess what I found?" taunted Draco, his expression threatening yet strangely calm. "I found your father's name on a list of supporters of the Dark Lord."

"That was many years ago. He has discarded his ideas now, and besides, he never was a Death Eater," I said furiously.

"Maybe your father changed, but mine did not," Draco pointed out. "You have no idea what he's like. Now he's in Azkaban I had to do his dirty work."

"And you didn't protest," I said, still pointing my wand at him and ready to fire a spell any moment now.

"The Dark Lord would have killed me..." He looked at me desperately.

I lowered my wand. The genuine despair in his eyes broke my heart. "At least you could have told me. Maybe I could have helped you," I said.

"You would've tried to stop me. I didn't want to put you in danger," Draco said, and I thought that was very touching yet stupid. I wasn't mad at him anymore, in fact, I did understand him.

"When I found out you were a Death Eater, all the memories of my father came up. When I was little, he was indeed a supporter of the Dark Lord. I was raised with those ideas. Eventually my mother could convince my father to distance himself from that ideology, and yet I always fear there still is some of that inside me. In the way I think. When I saw that Dark Mark on your wrist, I was afraid you'd bring up that side of me again," I said.

A little smile appeared on Draco's face. "I knew you weren't so innocent. You'd make a fine Slytherin!" he said.

We smiled. "If it weren't for my mother, I would probably be a Slytherin," I laughed. I stepped closer to him.

"Just imagine, Tacendi the Swiss Slytherin princess," Draco laughed.

"That does sound tempting," I said. We looked at each other, our faces wet from crying but our eyes twinkling with joy now. We embraced each other.

"Keira, I wish we could-" he broke off. In the distance we could hear Snape. "Malfoy! Where are you?" Draco let go of me and said: "I let Death Eaters into the castle. That's a crime. I probably won't be able to come here anymore."

"But Dumbledore can-" I broke off, because I realized Dumbledore wouldn't be able to make any arrangements, since he was dead.

"I must go now. I'll write to you," Draco said.

"Don't let them turn you into something you're not," I said, another tear glistening in the corner of my eye. Draco nodded and followed Snape out of the castle.

Before I could process what had just happened, the halls were filled with teachers and students. They were all talking about the recents events and fights, though none of them seemed to know exactly what had happened. I found Emma and Luna in the crowd. "Thank God you're safe!" Emma said when she saw me. She hugged me and I teared up again.

Without realizing it, the entire crowd slowly walked to the exit. The teachers wanted to check if the Death Eaters were gone, but all the students came along.

It didn't take long before the body of Dumbledore was discovered at the base of the Astronomy Tower. People clustered around him, and professor McGonagall lifted her wand to pay respect to the deceased headmaster. We all followed her example. If Draco had been there, I bet he would have done the same. Maybe not for all to see: he'd stand in the back, ashamed of his actions.

Before Draco had explained it all, I was afraid Draco was going to kill Dumbledore to prove himself. To gain the confidence of Voldemort. That our contact had all been a show and that he was as depraved as his father. But by refusing to kill Dumbledore in the end, he had proven he was better than that. If only the others could see that.