Father's Little Deatheater

Hanging on

29th June

Snape is pacing in his office. He's on edge because we just told him we haven't figured out the cabinet yet. "Get it together, It needs to be done by tomorrow night." He groans in his slightly mad monotone voice. "No need to worry, I have the perfect idea." I grin pulling out the vial of "Liquid Luck" Draco smirks. "Be careful" Snape says before shooing us out. 

30th June

I give Draco the Felix Felicis the next afternoon and he gulps it down. He then starts skipping to the room of requirement. I follow him trying not to laugh. After only a few dead birds we succeed. The bird flies out of the cabinet, circling us and landing on Draco's head. He panics a little trying to shoo the bird off. "Here let me you spaz." I say, again trying not to laugh. I reach up grabbing the bird in my hands. "I want to release this bird outside." I speak up. "Whatever let's go then." Draco speaks like nothing happened. 

As we both leave the room of requirement we literally almost bump into Atti. "Asteria?" He blinks in surprise. My shocked expression most likely confusing him. I was thinking about what to say to him, then my eyes flicker up to Fawkes sitting on his shoulder. Draco stands beside me just staring. 

"Atticus Gaunt." He grins, walking over and slapping Atti on his other shoulder. "I like that better, better than Atticus Grey. Hey, is Stella a Grey, or is she a Gaunt now, too?" He asked curiously, barely taking time to breathe. "Are you high again?" Atti asks, raising his brow. Draco laughs. "No! I wish I were. Then tonight would be a lot easier!" He blurts before walking off down the hall. "What the Hell?" Atti mumbles, glancing back in my direction.

"Atticus," I mutter, stepping closer to him lowering my voice to an urgent whisper. "Make yourself scarce around midnight. Do not go to the Astronomy Tower." I tell him. "What? Why?" He questions. I glance around getting slightly worried. I shake my head before speaking again. "Just—don't ask questions. Just trust me."

Fawkes shifts on his shoulder letting out the softest noise. and for some reason, the sound making my gut feeling more intense. I suddenly walk away before I say anything I shouldn't. "Astra—" I hear him say, but I'm already disappearing down the dark corridor after Draco. The bird in my hands chirping ever so quietly.

***

We go back to the common room and act like things are normal. Talking with Blaise and Theo mostly. When everyone heads off to bed, Draco and I stay awake whispering on the couch, about how we hope this night will turn out.

When the time comes we make our way quietly up to the room of requirements to greet the Deatheater's who were entering from the twin cabinet from Borgin and burkes.

Draco pulls off the blanket covering the cabinet and we stand back, wind whistling through our hair. The locks on the cabinet door start making a ticking sound, the door slowly opens, my aunt Bellatrix, Fenrir Greyback and two other Deatheater's emerge from the black mist.

Not bothering to greet them. Draco and I make our way to the astronomy tower. "Good evening, Draco. Asteria? What brings you two here on this fine evening." Dumbledore greets us. "Who else is here? I heard you talking." Draco blurts. "I often talk aloud to myself. I find it extraordinarily useful. Have you been whispering to yourself, Draco?" He continues. "More like whispering to a ghost." I say, causing a glare from him. "Draco you are no assassin." Dumbledore tells him. "How do you know what I am? I've done things that would shock you" My brother berates. "Like cursing Katie Bell and hoping that in return she'd bear a cursed necklace to me? Like replacing a bottle of mead with one laced with poison? Forgive me Draco. I cannot help feeling these actions are so weak that your heart can't really have been in them. Like you Asteria in the graveyard, your heart wasn't in it either." Dumbledore says.

"He trusts us. We were chosen." Draco demands, pulling up his sleeve reveling his dark mark. I had mine wrapped up in a bandage, mainly because the night before I had tried to burn it off.

"Then I shall make it easy for you." Dumbledore raises his hands. "Expelliarmus" Draco immediately disarms him. Dumbledore's wand flies out of his hand and falls on the stone floor. Wait a minute. Was that the elder wand? Surely my brother realises what he has just done. He grips his wand tighter, making his knuckles pale.

"Very good. Very good," Dumbledore praises him. Then, a faint creak of a door opening echoes from below. Dumbledore's expression shifts slightly. "You're not alone," he murmurs, eyes flicking past Draco. "There are others... How?" "The vanishing cabinet in the Room of Requirement. We've been mending it." Dumbledore's eyes twinkle, as if he's proud?. "Ah... let me guess. It has a sister. A twin," he muses, almost sounding pleased. "In Borgin and Burkes. They form a passage," I add.

"Ingenious," Dumbledore praises, his voice calm, almost like he knows what's going to happen. "Draco... years ago, I knew a boy who made all the wrong choices. Please, let me help you." "I don't want your help!" Draco snaps, His breathing becoming uneven, his hands trembling. "Don't you understand? I have to do this," he whispers, voice cracking. "I have to kill you—"

"—Or he's going to kill us." I say, my voice shaking like my brothers.

The sound of approaching footsteps come closer up the staircase. Here they come. "Well, look what we have here," Bellatrix speaks, her voice drips' with her usual mocking tone. She walks toward Draco, leaning in to whispering into his ear. "Well done Draco." Dumbledore, ever so calmly greets her with a calm nod. "Good evening, Bellatrix. I think introductions are in order, don't you?"

"Love to, Albus, but I'm afraid we're all on a bit of a tight schedule." She retorts. Then, she turns back to Draco, eyes lit up with excitement. "Do it." She whispers. "He doesn't have the stomach, Just like his father." One of the other Deatheater speaks. "Let me finish him in my own way." He continues. "No, the Dark lord was clear, the boy has to do it." Bellatrix screeches. "This is your moment Draco. Do It" My brother looks frightened and scared. "DO IT DRACO NOW!!" She yells at the top of her lungs.

"No," Snape's voice echo's behind us, startling both of us. "Severus," Dumbledore exhales, For a brief moment, the entire room is silent. "Please—" Dumbledore's voice so quiet and calm.

"Avada Kedavra."

The words spill from Snape's lips like venom. My eyes start tearing as I grab Draco's hand. The room erupts in a flash of light, which I'm expecting it to be it's usual green. But It's blue. A bright, unnatural blue. The same blue that came out of my wand when I was forced to kill Cedric. It strikes Dumbledore in the chest, sending him hurtling backward. Off the balcony. My breath catches. He didn't mean it. The spell didn't kill Dumbledore. The fall will.

Without even thinking I fall to my knees. Tears streaming down my face. Draco kneels behind me grabbing my hand. I pull him into a hug and he immediately relaxes into my arms. "I will always be here for you" I grin. Draco had technically passed his trial. Snape grabs us, pulling us down the steps of the tower. Still at the top I hear my aunt scream as she casts the dark mark up in the sky, cackling like a maniac.

We follow Snape as he descends through the castle, with the other Deatheater's and the Carrow Siblings. My aunt prancing over the tables in the great hall smashing everything in her wake. still cackling. I realise were making our way down to the forbidden forest.

Bellatrix prancing around us, shooting daggers at me. "Helloo, Hagrid." She cackles as we wander up to the giants house. "Snape! He trusted you." Harry's voice comes bellowing in the distance. Bellatrix releases a non verbal spell towards Hagrid's hut setting the whole place ablaze. "Go on" Snape tells us. 

"Incarcerous." Harry yells. 

Snape blocking his spell with ease. "Fight back! You coward, fight back!" Harry yells again. Bellatrix sends a spell in his direction, knocking Harry back onto the ground. "No! He belongs to the Dark Lord." Snape tells her off. She moans grabbing my hand which is still held by Draco. She apparates us both back to the Malfoy Manor.