Mass Collision

21. Dumbledore is dead

Draco was in the hospital wing for quite some time. Natalia kept thinking about what had happened. She didn't blame Harry, but something told her to, that she should attack him– but he did it to protect himself. Draco shot the cruciatus curse at him, what else was he supposed to do.

She didn't want to do any actual harm to him, but the two of them– they were ready to kill.

Just when Draco was released, he only wanted to do one thing; go to the Room of Requirement. Natalia had been making a lot of progress. She had gotten the apple back perfectly and then started with smaller animals. She started putting birds in there and only some made it back and it didn't always look pretty.

"No look out this time?" Natalia questioned and Draco shook his head.

"Don't need one, we're finishing this, now," he said, determined. When they entered the room Draco marched over to the cabinet and started doing every spell he knew on how to fix it. Natalia grabbed a bird out of the cage and Draco opened the door for her. She bent down, placing the bird in and closed the door.

It glowed and the cabinet shook violently. "Do you think–" Draco cut her off by opening the door to see it gone. He closed it once more and it glowed for a few seconds before they could hear chirping. Natalia sighed in relief and laughed as Draco cheered in success.

"Who's there?" A voice asked and Natalia's eyes widened. It was Professor Treylawney. Quickly she pointed her wand at the professor and was pushed out of the room.

She turned to Draco, "now what?" He took a deep breath.

"Now, I go through and I send the signal to my Aunt, when I come back through, get ready for the attack," Draco instructed and Natalia nodded. He entered the cabinet and a second later he was gone.

Something in her heart felt like this was wrong, like she should tell someone, like she should destroy the cabinet as quickly as possibly, but she stayed firmly rooted where she was.

Her mind told her something different. That this was how it was supposed to be– that Albus Dumbledore was going to die tonight and Hogwarts was going to burn with him.

Moments later Draco had stepped back through. "They're coming," he told her and she nodded. A few seconds later, the cabinet moved again and Bellatrix, Greyback, and two other Death Eaters in masks stepped through. Bellatrix smiled wickedly and danced around kicking things.

Draco grabbed Natalia's arm and they ran out of the Room of Requirement. "Send a patronus to the others, tell them it's happening." Natalia nodded and pointed her wand out, saying the spell.

A beautiful blue and silver crow flew around her, "Find Pansy Parkinson," she instructed. "Tell her that the Death Eaters are coming, it's happening." It started to fly away and to the direction of the dungeons. They had prepared for this, it was the day they finally pledged allegiance to the Dark Lord and fought with the Death Eaters.

A few minutes later a gang of Death Eaters had joined Natalia in the corridors. "Send the mark, Draco," Bellatrix ordered and he nodded as the Death Eaters started to split up around the castle.

"Please, don't hurt the younger ones," Natalia whispered to herself. She grabbed her wand out and followed Draco who had just finished the spell. The dark mark was now hanging above the astronomy like a calling signal. "Here we go," she told him and he almost looked guilty.

Draco was walking through the castle towards the astronomy tower. He wanted Dumbledore to come back to school and think there had been a murder in the astronomy tower.

A large group of Death Eaters headed through the castle with them, hexing anyone in their way. It was horrible, outside there were children fighting Death Eaters. She could see the Weasleys plain and easily. It seemed the entire family had come to join them.

Natalia took a deep breath and tightened her hold on her wand. She walked through the halls with a group of Death Eaters and started dueling several people. She was quick and agile, shooting spells at everyone near her.

She locked eyes with Remus and he hesitated to hurt her and she shot a leg-locker curse at him, making him fall to the ground. She casted a stunner at Tonks and elbowed a person dueling behind her, making them fall to the ground.

There were so many people around her and she got pissed. "Bombarda," she whispered and the floor exploded, sending several people flying and the ceramic flooring soaring through the air. She heard Bellatrix's sinister laugh and smiled.

She saw Draco and Snape rushing up to the seventh floor and Natalia knew that the job was done, Dumbledore was dead. Next, Harry was running after them. She knew that couldn't mean anything good. She ran after the 'chosen one' as he fell over Neville and hurriedly got up and kept running with Natalia catching up to him.

She ran through the corridors and Neville gave her a sympathetic look as she ran past. Someone shot a spell at her and she sent a stunning spell back at them.

She ran past two Hufflepuffs that had their wands pointed at her, "Expelliarmus," she shouted and both of their wands went flying to the ground behind them. Natalia hurried up the stairs and passed by the great hall where the windows were shattered and the hourglasses with the house points were now broken on the ground.

Natalia ran outside, letting the cold air hit her. Another flash, shouts, retaliatory jets of light; Hagrid had emerged from his cabin and was trying to stop the Death Eaters escaping.

Natalia was getting closer to Harry. "POTTER!" She shouted. He didn't stop and didn't stop running. She glanced behind her and the Carrow twins were right behind her.

Just then, Harry turned around. Natalia ducked, "Impedimenta!" he yelled as he rolled over again, crouching close to the dark ground, and miraculously his jinx hit one of the twins, who stumbled and fell, tripping up the other; Harry leapt to his feet and sprinted on after Snape.

Natalia was right after him, running even faster that they were going down hill. She shot a spell at the ground and the end of his jeans caught fire, but quickly went out with how fast he was running.

And now she saw the vast outline of Hagrid, illuminated by the light of the crescent moon revealed suddenly behind clouds; the blond Death Eater was aiming curse after curse at the gamekeeper; but Hagrid's immense strength and the toughened skin he had inherited from his giantess mother seemed to be protecting him. Snape and Draco, however, were still running; they would soon be beyond the gates, able to Disapparate —

Harry tore past Hagrid and his opponent, took aim at Snape's back, and yelled, "Stupefy!"

He missed; the jet of red light soared past Snape's head; Snape shouted, "Run, Draco!" and turned. Twenty yards apart, he and Harry looked at each other before raising their wands simultaneously.

Natalia shot a jinx at Harry, scraping the side of his face as she ran past him and straight to Draco. She grabbed his hand and pulled him faster to the gates. "We have to go!" She shouted at him and he ran faster, his lungs burning. As soon as they got past the gates– Natalia had never apparted before, but she closed her eyes and thought of Malfoy Manor before she felt herself, not twisting like what it felt like with Dumbledore, but being consumed by something.

She opened her eyes, breathing heavily and they both came to a sharp stop, at the gates in front of Malfoy Manor. Draco looked at her shocked. "How di–"

"No time, is he dead?" Natalia questioned. Draco nodded quickly, but the tears on his face told a different story. "What happened?"

"Snape did it," he revealed and he looked like he was having a panic attack. "He's going to kill me."

Natalia shook her head, "no, you made the plan, you got them there, you handed Snape everything he needed to kill him, you just didn't pull the trigger. You. Will. Be. Fine. Understand?" Draco nodded. The gates then opened and his mother came running out.

"Oh, Draco," she cried, pulling him into a large hug.