Where Your Loyalties Lie

Chapter Fifty-Three: Secrets Revealed and New Secrets to Keep

Around one month after I found out about Snape's Death Eater status, Draco and I were on prefect duty in the dungeons just like any other night. "We've patrolled the halls twice already. Maybe we can move on to doing something else..."

"You know we can't," I scolded, although a smile crept onto my face.

"Oh come on. You know you want to," Draco whispered seductively in my ear. I shook my head. "Please?"

"No. We can't!"

"I love you."

I giggled, "Stop-"

"I love you. I love you. I love-" He stopped and stared ahead of us. Snape was walking toward us. I dropped the smile I was wearing and turned around to start walking away. "Katie, wait!" Draco pleaded. Shaking my head, I started running and didn't stop until I collapsed on the floor of the Astronomy Tower.

The waterfall of tears started falling down my face and it was hard to control my breathing. I looked up towards the railing by the edge. Getting up, I walked over to it. The tower was probably over a mile above the ground. If someone were to jump, they would die on impact. Shaking, I slowly walked over to the part of the tower with no railing. I don't know why there was no railing there, but I didn't spend time thinking about it. My hand gripped onto the end of the railing so tightly that my knuckles were turning white.

I could end all my pain right here, right now. Footsteps sounded on the staircase. Turning around, I watched Draco come up the stairs and look around. "Katie?" He called. We locked eyes and he hurried over to me, picking me up and carrying me back to the middle of the tower, safely away from the edge. The tears started up again.

"Shh. It's okay. Don't scare me like that ever again. I'd be lost without you," Draco cooed.

"It's not fair! How come I have to be the one with all the problems? I didn't know my real dad for the first twelve years of my life and when I finally met him he hides the fact that he's a death eater from me. On top of that, my boyfriend's a death eater against his will and is forced to kill Dumbledore or be killed himself," I sobbed.

"The toughest battles are given to the strongest soldiers. You're stronger than you think. You'll get through this," Draco comforted me. It took a while, but Draco managed to get me to calm down. We stood up and walked hand in hand back to the common room where we parted to our dorms for the night.

~~~~~

The next day at breakfast, Claire gave me a note from Dumbledore telling me to report to his office immediately after I was finished eating. The door swung open for me just as I was about to knock and it revealed who else was in the office besides Dumbledore, Professor Snape. "What's he doing here?" I growled.

"I think that it's time you and your father make amends. I'll be right outside, preventing you from leaving until you two make up."

I took a calming breath before saying, "I seriously doubt that this will work, but I won't stop you from trying. Do you mind if I put a silencing charm on the door?"

"Not at all," Dumbledore said as he walked past me through the door and shut it behind him.

I took one glance at Snape before sitting down with my arms crossed, refusing to talk. "Well, are you going to tell me what's been upsetting you?" Snape asked. I shook my head. "Come on Katie, talk to me."

"You're a Death Eater," I stated softly. He remained silence. "How could you not tell me? Don't you trust me?"

"I didn't want you to think badly of me."

"You don't get it. I don't care that you're a Death Eater. I care that you lied to me. Draco told me that he was a Death Eater as soon as he could. He told me everything that was going on with him, and I didn't get mad at him because he told me the truth. He didn't try to hide it, like you did. Don't you have anything to say for yourself?"

He stood there silently, not trying to explain himself any further, just taking all of it. "Forget it. I can't have a father who, on top of not telling me he was my father for twelve years, hides something this serious from me."

I got up and walked out of the room only to be stopped by Dumbledore. "Don't leave so fast Miss Brown. Perhaps you ought to take a look at something." He led me back into his office to his pensieve that was over in the corner. "Severus if you would please. She has to see the truth." I watched as Snape drew his wand and took a string of memories out of his mind and put them into the pensieve. "If you would please, Miss Brown."

I took a deep breath and dipped my head into the pensieve. The memories started before Snape even went to Hogwarts. It showed him befriending Lily Evans and being bullied by James and, with a sinking feeling in my stomach, Sirius. I saw him placed into Slytherin house and Lily into Gryffindor, crushing him. In fifth year after O.W.L. exams, Snape was picked on again by the Marauders. He called Lily a mudblood. She never forgave him.

Years past and Snape stood outside a door, eavesdropping on the prophecy given to Dumbledore inside. He reported back to Voldemort what he heard and Voldemort planned to kill little Harry Potter. Concerned for Lily's safety, Snape asked him to spare her but didn't believe him when he said he would. Desperate to prevent her death, Snape went to Dumbledore to ask him to hide the Potters. In exchange, he turned spy for Dumbledore. Tragedy struck and Lily was killed along with her husband, Dad couldn't believe it. Dad went to the house to see it for himself. He fell to the floor when he saw her body. Crying, he held her close.

Dad went to Dumbledore and said, "You said you would keep her safe!" Dumbledore told him that his son survived and had her eyes. Dad agreed to protect him, as long as nobody knew about it. When he met Harry, he grew to hate him, seeing as he was so much like James. The years past and Dumbledore injured his hand by killing something called a horcrux. Dad regretfully told him that the curse will spread and that he only had a year to live.

They discussed about Draco being ordered to kill Dumbledore. "When he fails, you must be the one to kill me Severus." Next they discussed something Dad had to tell Harry when the time comes. A piece of Voldemort lives inside of Harry. In order to kill Voldemort, Harry must die. I wrenched my head out of the memories and sat down. "I didn't know."

"Of course you didn't," Dad said hoarsely.

"I'm sorry for being so ignorant, cruel, and just a plain, excuse my language, bitch. Can you forgive me?"

"You're my daughter, of course I can." I walked over to him and hugged him.

"Sit back down please, Katie. We have some things to discuss," Dumbledore ordered.

"I want to help. I want to be a spy like Dad," I stated immediately. Dad looked taken aback, but Dumbledore just looked amused.

"I've always admired your spirit."

"I'm sorry, Sir, but I have to object. Katie, this is a very dangerous thing."

"You don't think I realize that? I'm aware of the dangers and still want to do it. I want him dead," I insisted. "I can help. I can keep you informed on what Draco is doing to try to assassinate you, Sir," I said to Dumbledore.

"Very well then." I sat back in my chair in victory. "This must be kept a secret. Nobody can know." I nodded in understanding. "The only time it can be revealed is when Voldemort is at his weakest, after Voldemort has been killed, or if you are on your own death bed."

"OK. Just one question, can you please explain to me what a horcrux is?"

"A horcrux is an object in which someone keeps part of their soul in, therefore becoming immortal. Voldemort has seven of them, but two have been destroyed."

"Do you know what the other five are?"

"I have guesses, which are usually right, but I only know one for sure."

"Harry."

"Correct. If that is all your questions, then I believe we are done here."

"Thank you, Sir," I told him before getting up and leaving.