The Mark of a Death Eater

Plans

The next day felt like torment. It took ages to get Madam Pomfrey to allow me to leave the hospital wing. My scratchy voice probably didn't help things. "I'm fine, really! I'm going to miss classes for no reason at all." She finally agreed,on the condition that I'm not left alone most likely because 1). I was still dizzy and 2). She didn't trust me to not have another breakdown. Early in the morning, Malfoy came to speak to me. "My motherthought it would be better to tell people that we're dating," he said flatly. I considered what he was saying. We'd be spending alot of time together after all. It would be easier for all to think that. Daphne, I knew, would be especially suspicious and wouldn't accerp a 'just-suddenly-clos-friends' explanation. "Sure, I understand."

Malfoy and I sat together in all our classes. Pansy kept glaring at us. Daphne simply cornered me at lunch and asked me if I was going out with him. "No-," I started to say, but remembered what he told me so I sighed and said, "yes." She crossed her arms and looked so hurt that I actually felt like hugging her. "And you didn't tell me?" she asked. "I was going to, Daph, but with all that went on, I was just looking for the right time." "All that was going on." She shook her head. "I don't even know what's going on, Emma. Don't you trust me?" she asked. I freaked when I saw her tearing. "Oh Daphne! I do, I swear. But this is just a few family problems and I'll have them sorted, ok?" Then I did hug her.

Malfoy and I worked together during every free time that we had, which was difficult, since I had a rather busy schedule. At night, we sat up late in the common room, talking in hushed voices. He already had a plan, he'd told me. "D'you remember last year, when Umbridge was here, the Weasley's pushed Graham Montague into a vanishing cabinet?" he asked. I nodded. "Well, while he was in it, he was trapped in a sort of limbo, between here and the shop, Borgin and Burkes. I thought that there must have been a connection, and I was right. When I went to the shop, I realised there was another cabinet. The two act as a passage between places." I sucked in a breath as I processed what that meant. "There's a way into Hogwarts!" I breathed. "You... that was smart of you, to figure it out." He only nodded. "What we have to do is mend the cabinet. I...we, have to kill Dumbledore, but I can't do it alone. Dumbledore has his guard and-" "We'll need back-up," I finished. "Yes." "How are you going to mens it?" I asked. He looked away. "I've been threatening Mr Borgin to help me repair it. He's not sure of how to either, but he has to help me. He's been sending me instructions  and working on it from his side." I swallowed. "But you don't know it will work," I said. "No," he replied. "That's why you had Katie get that necklace. She was going to hand it to Dumbledore, wasn't she?" I asked. He didn't reply. "Wasn't she?" I prompted. "How did you get it to her anyway? Her friend, Leanne, she said someone gave it to her in the bathroom. Who?" "Madam Rosmerta, the bartender." "She's under the imperius curse," we both said at the same time. I stopped speaking then. Partly because I was trying to digest this, and partly because I was horrified that Draco Malfoy would do something so terrible. 

"We can't tell Snape our plan," he said suddenly. I frowned. "What? Why not?" "It's difficult to explain. My family's always admired him. I have too. But now, with my father in prison, he's trying to take my fathers place. He thinks he'll be the favourite, and He, You-Know-Who, he'll punish us. Me, my mum, my father, all of us. That's why I have to keep it from him." "But can he punishment really be worse than this?" I asked, not intending him to hear. He kept silent for a moment. "He'll kill your family too, Emma. Remember, it's not me now, it's we."