the girl with all of the choices

e i g h t y

5367 words

june twenty-seventh- time is running out

~ Draco ~

Time was running out. The hourglass was almost empty.

Earlier this morning, I went to go check on the Cabinet. Routine maintenance. Just to make sure that it was still working.

It was. 

I decided to use a piece of parchment as my test. I folded it into a paper crane, the same pattern I had followed when sending Potter my brilliant drawing of him being struck by lightning in a Quidditch match in third year. It was one of my best moments.

It took longer than usual for it to come back, which initially scared me. 

But once I saw why, it all made sense.

The crane had been unfolded so that it was a regular piece of crumpled parchment, except there were words on it.

In handwriting that I recognized.

~

Draco,

The Dark Lord has been informed that you have completed half of your task. The Vanishing Cabinet has been restored to active duty. He is delighted by this news (and I am too! That's my nephew!). The mission to get rid of Dumbledore has officially started. He is in the process of briefing those of us who will be joining you at Hogwarts so that we may be able to arrive promptly at seven pm on Monday, the thirtieth of June. He wishes that we wait to take care of him until this time so that students will return home immediately following, given that term officially ends on the first of July. We will need you to go to the Room of Requirement and unlock the Cabinet punctually at half six. Following that, you will go to the Astronomy Tower and wait for Dumbledore to return via apparition. Once he returns, make sure he is alone before completing your task. You will leave with us as we apparate back to the Manor from the Forbidden Forest. If you have things you need to have brought home, give them to the Nott boy. He will bring them home to his father, who will be able to get them to you. Speaking of the Nott boy, keep him down in the dungeons while this happens. His father's request. Anyone else you should want to keep out of the way, should an altercation occur, should reside there as well.

See you soon, you will make your family proud,
Aunt Bella x

~

Aunt Bella. She never was one for grammar or proper paragraph notation. 

Upon finding the letter, I let myself have a good cry in the Room, my impending doom allowing itself to seep into my bones. I never thought of it as real, not tangible, at least. But now, it was knocking on my front door.

Time was running out. 

The next thing I did was run back to my dormitory. I needed to get to Theo. I needed him to read the letter, to try to reason with me before I pushed myself off of the ledge. 

Unfortunately, he wasn't much help, as I was finding out now.

"Monday? As in this Monday?" he asked incredulously.

"That would be what it says, you tosser."

"Well sorry, I'm in shock-"

"You don't think I'm in shock too? I'm the one who has to kill a man! One of the most talented and powerful wizards in the entire world and I get to murder him! Go me!"