Your Grief is My Grief [DM] sequel to Beauty and the Beast

Chapter Thirty-Two

Draco's POV:

My feet led me through the castle, somehow knowing exactly where to go. I knew what I was to do. I knew exactly how to lure Dumbledore into my trap.

The clicking of my shoes on the stone stairs echoed through the corridor, my wand clenched tightly in my hand. I was about to do the unforgivable and my head hurt thinking about it, but I could justify it by telling myself that I was doing it so Lizzie didn't have to.

At the top of the stairs, I walked to the railing and looked out into the night sky. My eyes automatically found my constellation. Draco, the dragon, snaked across the sky. "I'm sorry," I said to no one in particular before lifting my wand and pointing it to the sky. "Morsmordre." Once this new snake began to snake its way across the sky, I took a deep breath and walked down a few steps, just out of view.

I knew Dumbledore wasn't in the castle. Everyone knew. He had taken Potter out somewhere. And once he saw the Dark Mark above the astronomy tower, he would apparate here in a heartbeat. Right into my trap.

It was a few minutes before I heard the tell tale crack of apparation and two pairs of feet on the stones of the ground above me.

"What does it mean?" a familiar voice asked. "Is it the real Mark? Has someone definitely been - Professor?" I cursed under my breath. I should have seen it coming. Dumbledore had taken Potter out. I should have known Dumbledore would have brought Potter here.

I heard Dumbledore mutter something and Harry begin to argue before Dumbledore cut him off. Potter's light footsteps walked towards the stairs and I began to panic. I stomped on the stair I was standing on, making it seem as if I was running up the stairs before throwing the door open and shouting "Expelliarmus!", my wand pointed at Dumbledore. His wand flew over the side of the astronomy tower, plummeting to the ground below.

The old man was standing alone under the stars, leaning against the rampart railing, white in the face as if whatever he and Potter had done tonight had almost killed him. "Good evening, Draco," he mumbled from the corner of his mouth. He winced from this simple task.

I took a step forward towards the man, my wand not wavering from its target. I looked around the two of us. Potter was nowhere to be seen, but I was sure I had heard his voice. "Who else is here?"

"A question I might ask you," the old man countered easily and calmly, avoiding my question. "Or are you acting alone?" I clenched my jaw. I wouldn't let him know of Lizzie. She was not going to take this fall.

"No," I answered. "There are others. Death eaters are here in your castle tonight." I shifted my grasp on my wand, my knuckles stiff from my tight grip.

"Well, well," the old man drawled. He seemed pained. "Very good indeed. You found a way to let them in, did you?"

"Yeah," I panted. "Right under your nose and you never realized." My heart was going a million miles a minute.

"Ingenious. Yet... Forgive me... Where are they now? You seem unsupported."

"I'd imagine they met some of your guard. They're having a battle below. Can't you hear it?" I paused to allow the sounds of the battle I had only just realized was raging at the bottom of the stairs to reach our ears. "They won't be long. I came on ahead. We have a job to do."

"We?" Dumbledore questioned cautiously. I cursed myself.

"I. I have a job to do." The old man raised an eyebrow but didn't press any further.

"Well then. You must go on and do it, my dear boy."

I did nothing but stare at the old man. He knew what I was to do. I didn't know how he knew but he did, and here he was, inviting me to kill him.