Vagary

Chapter 23 It is Time To Go Ophelia

Blaise's voice trembled with a mix of disbelief and concern, his eyes widening in alarm as they stepped into the boy's desolate dormitory. "Ophelia, this is absolutely insane! You can't possibly go through with it! You promised me you wouldn't!" his words echoed through the empty common room, filled with a sense of urgency and desperation.

"Things changed..." Ophelia said, her tone empty.

"Ophelia..." Pansy whispered.

Ophelia glanced at the watch around her wrist and took a deep breath. "Go to Hogsmeade and Disapparate. Go home. I don't want any of you being here when things go down," she said quickly. "You're parents probably already by now. They might not even be there but you stay there, understood. Don't come back no matter what. I'll find you when it's all over."

"Ophelia, we could help--"

"No!" Ophelia shouted at Theodore. "I don't want any of you getting hurt. Go now! Before it's too late!"

They stood there for a moment until Pansy broke into a sob, she rushed forward and enveloped Ophelia in a tight, heartfelt embrace, her sobs echoing through the air.

"Be careful, you bimbo," she blubbered.

"Don't worry, I will, airhead," Ophelia chuckled lightly, patting Pansy on the back as she glanced up at Theodore, who gave her a tight smile and pulled Pansy away leaving just Ophelia and Blaise in the room.

"Ophelia--"

"Blaise, I know what you're going to say," Ophelia sighed. "I know what you think I'm doing comes from bitterness toward Harry but it's also for Draco. If he doesn't complete this task--if I don't--" she paused. "...Voldemort will kill him and maybe my entire family. This task isn't... there isn't a way to trick him. It has to be done."

Blaise's gaze lingered on Ophelia, his eyes heavy with a profound sense of sorrow and understanding. It was as if he carried the weight of the world on his shoulders, knowing all too well that it would ultimately be Ophelia who would bear the burden of taking Dumbledore's life.

With a heavy heart and a sense of impending loss, Blaise wordlessly drew Ophelia into his arms, holding her tightly as if he wished to etch this moment into his very soul. The embrace spoke volumes, conveying a bittersweet mixture of love, fear, and an unspoken realization that this could potentially be their final embrace. And perhaps it would be...

Ophelia discovered Crabbe and Goyle stationed as sentries outside the Room of Requirement. Inside, Draco awaited her, his expression filled with terror as he stared at the opened cabinet.

"Blaise, Pansy, and Theo--"

"I sent them to Hogsmeade," Ophelia said at once, her eyes fixated on the Vanishing Cabinet. "They should be home by now."

"You sent them home. Good. They'll be safe," Draco said nervously. His eyes raced around the room.

Ophelia grabbed his shoulders firmly. "Draco, calm down. We got this," she said firmly. "The Dark Lord will be pleased."

Draco's nod was accompanied by a deep, steadying breath, as if he were summoning every ounce of courage within him. With a deliberate motion, he closed the cabinet door, the sound reverberating through the room, amplifying the tension that hung in the air. Time seemed to stretch as they stood there, their hearts pounding in unison, their gazes locked on the cabinet. Doubt crept into Ophelia's mind, a nagging fear that their efforts had been in vain, that they had failed to mend the Vanishing Cabinet. But then, in a moment that felt suspended in time, the cabinet cracked open...