Harry stared down at the piece of parchment which the third year Hufflepuff had just delivered.

Come now. Your presence is required urgently. It is time.

It was unusual for Dumbledore to summon him with zero notice. It meant that this was not another lesson. It meant he was ready to begin the adventure.

If only Harry was in the mood though. It had been a week since he and Draya had parted ways. He missed her in a way that made him feel physically wounded. He longed to touch her, to hold her in his arms.

More than anything, he just longed to see her beautiful smile. The smile that made him feel happier than he'd ever thought possible, happier even than when he discovered Hogwarts existed.

But, to his dismay, she hid herself away, never showing up to mealtimes, once again skipping classes. When he did occasionally spy her in the corridor, he had been shocked at her appearance. Her eyes dead and faraway, her frame emancipated beneath her robes.

Did she miss him too? Or was it something else? Something Voldemort related.

He sighed, tiredly rubbing his hand over his face. If it was Voldemort, then he, Harry Potter, had to do his best to put an end to him. If she wouldn't save herself, then perhaps he could somehow do that for her?

Making a decision, he left Ron and Hermione with his map and Liquid Luck. They would need it more than him. He would, after all, be with Dumbledore.

The most untouchable wizard in history.

*****

Somehow the room seemed colder than usual. I shivered and wrapped my arms around myself, my dress offering me little warmth.

The last time I'd worn this black dress was the night I became a Death Eater. It would be appropriate, my mother had advised in her last letter.

Personally, I thought it was nothing but inappropriate. I needed to wear something I could run the fuck away in. Because there would be running tonight, no doubt about that.

I knew that in the morning I would not be waking up in Hogwarts - if I were to wake up at all, that was. Well... someone wasn't going to see the light of another day, that was for sure.

I shivered again, suddenly overcome with fear. I wanted to turn and run, to run all the way to Harry and tell him that I choose him. I wanted him to hold me and reassure me that I was safe. Because he had made me feel safe. In that short time we'd been together, I felt the safest I had in ever.

But at what cost? The cost of my family - my family who admittedly were not the best people in the world, but I loved them, and I couldn't live with myself if my mother died because of me.

So, here I was: a small, lonely figure standing before a grand, looming, dark cabinet, getting ready to unleash hell.

I thought about my friends, who would all no doubt hate me come morning; about Pansy, Daphne, Millie and Tracy all tucked away fast asleep in the dormitory I rarely slept in.

I thought about Crabbe and Goyle, about Theo and Blaise, my heart twisting slightly as my mind settled on the latter.

I'd hurt Blaise by getting with Harry. Once, there might have been something between us, but nothing ever developed beyond friendship - not whilst Harry Potter was around, forever stealing my attention.

Harry. My chest ached just thinking about him. What would he think of me tomorrow? No doubt he would hate me too.

As he said that day on the train, looking me straight in the eye: he can tell the wrong sort for himself.

Taking a deep, regretful breath, I shakily raised my wand.

And on the night of Monday, June 30, 1997, I proved Harry Potter right.

******

Those fucking meddling kids! I had to throw some Peruvian Instant Darkness Powder in their faces in order for me to get the Death Eaters past them.

But they'd obviously called in for reinforcements because before we could reach the Astronomy Tower, we were set upon by some Aurors. Gibbon managed to escape up to the top of the Tower to set the Mark off, but when he came back down to rejoin the fight, he got in the way of a Killing Curse, the useless twat.

Luckily, no one was aiming for me, so I walked through the fight with ease and made my way towards the Astronomy Tower to wait for Dumbledore. But before I reached the top of the stairs, I could just about make out voices on the other side of the door.

Fuck. He was already there. And he wasn't alone.

Wand at the ready, I took a deep breath, thought of my mother, and kicked open the door with brute force.

"Expelliarmus!" I leapt through onto the Tower, shouting my Harry Special.

"Good evening, Draya." My headmaster said calmly as he remained stood against the ramparts, now disarmed thanks to my efforts.

I stepped forwards, glancing around quickly at the otherwise empty tower, confused. I could have sworn I heard talking. "Who else is here?"

"A question I might ask you. Or are you acting alone?"

I shifted my gaze back to Dumbledore, his pale face looked green beneath the glow of the Dark Mark.

"No," I said, trying to keep my voice steady despite the furious pounding of my heart. "I've got back-up. There are Death Eaters here in your school tonight."

"Well, well," Dumbledore said, as though I were simply showing him an ambitious homework project. "Very good indeed. You found a way to let them in, did you?"

"Yeah," I said, my voice panting with adrenalin and fear. "Right under your nose and you never realised!"

"Ingenious," Dumbledore praised. "Yet... forgive me... where are they now? You seem unsupported."

I raised my wand a little higher, glaring at the old man before me. "I came on ahead. I- I've got a job to do."

"Well, then, you must get on and do it, my dear girl," Dumbledore said softly.

There was silence. My arm began to shake - almost violently so - as I tried to bring myself to conjure up the Killing Curse. But I couldn't do it. I couldn't say the words even though I knew it would mean my death if I didn't. Dumbledore smiled at me.

"Draya, Draya, you are not a killer."

He was right, of course. And I knew, in that moment, that I would be too much of a coward to go through with it. And Dumbledore knew this too which is why he were acting as though we were simply up the top of the tower to do a bit of star gazing.

The bangs and shouts below grew louder. I could feel the panic inside me threatening to burst. I was trapped, and I had no idea what was going to happen next.

Dumbledore looked at me, waiting patiently.

"I have to do this." I whispered, my voice betraying my fear. "I have to kill you. Or he'll kill me-" I choked on the last word as a sob escaped my lips.

"Draya," Dumbledore said gently, "let me help you. Come over to the right side and we can hide you more completely than you can possibly imagine. What is more, I can send members of the Order to your mother tonight to hide her likewise. Your father is safe in Azkaban... when the time comes we can protect him too... come over to the right side, Draya... you are not a killer."

I swallowed, allowing Dumbledore's words to sink in. I realised at this point that I should have listened to Harry, that I should have just gone to Dumbledore in the first place. For I believed him when he said he could protect me and my parents.

I experienced a flood of relief as I began to lower my wand. But just then the door flew back open and my aunt skipped through, clapping her hands with glee.

"Draya! Oooo such a proud aunt moment here!" She trilled as the others trooped through behind her. "My niece, ready for her first kill! Well come on, you've got your little audience now."

I felt despair rush over me. It was too late - my wand was already lowered and I had no intention of raising it again.

"I knew it," Greyback scoffed. "Coward, just like her father."

I shrank away as he stepped up next to me, his smell literally making me recoil. I could see blood glistening around his lips and I thought I would gag.

"Let me finish him off," Greyback said greedily, picking out bits of meat from his teeth with a long, gnarly fingernail. "I could go for a second course."

"No! It has to be Draya!" Bellatrix shrieked angrily, stepping up to my other side. "You heard the Dark Lord's orders."

I thought I was going to faint. Or at least throw up. So you can imagine my relief when Snape flew up to the Tower, his black robes billowing around him.

"Out of my way!" He barked to the gathered, shouldering his way through until he was face to face with a patiently waiting Dumbledore.

"Severus," Dumbledore whispered. "Please..."

A flick and a swish later, and the headmaster was dead. Holy crap. I'd been trying all year to off him, and Snape does it without a single thought or hesitation.

Chaos ensued all around. My fellow Death Eaters began to disperse and I was only half aware at Snape yelling at me to run. But I didn't, I was frozen, staring in horror at the space where just seconds before, Dumbledore had been stood.

And then, out of nowhere, Harry appeared, his face twisted in fury.

"Harry?" I gasped, finding my voice. I knew someone else had been up there.

"You murdering bastard!" Harry bellowed, eyes apoplectic as he glared at Snape.

Ignoring him, Snape once again grabbed my arm and began to drag me forcefully from the tower. "Come on, Draya. We must get out of here at once."

I glanced back at Harry just as Snape wrangled me through the door. His gaze locked on mine, and I didn't miss the unmistakable flash of pity in his eyes as I tried to convey how sorry I was in one look.

I skidded and tripped down the stairs, my feet struggling to catch up with the speed Snape was dragging me. The noise from the fight was deafening, the flash of wand lights blinding.

My heart was in my throat as Snape and I ran through unscathed. No one was aiming for the teacher. No one was aiming for the student.

I caught snatches of Harry's voice behind us, bellowing out Snape's name. The race was on, and I was running away from him, running away from it all.

Once we were outside, running across the grounds, I dared look back at the castle. Small, pale faces stared out from shattered stain glassed windows, eyes wide with shock upon seeing me running away with Death Eaters.

I'd betrayed them all.

"SNAPE! GET BACK HERE AND FACE WHAT YOU DID!"

Harry. He was relentless, I'd give him that. A part of me was hurt that it was Snape he was after. A part of me wanted him to be screaming and running after me.

I did not want his pity. I wanted his fury, his anger, for his adrenalin to be coursing through his veins because of me.

We ran harder through the night, with Bellatrix cackling and dancing alongside us, acting like a kid at a birthday party. I tried to hide my horror when she blew up Hagrid's hut. My aunt was a complete nutter.

Every time I glanced over my shoulder, Harry was that little bit closer, his face red and determined as he glared after Snape.

But we were so near to the edge of the castle's enchantments, it seemed impossible that he would reach us in time. So it was to my great surprise when Snape came to a sudden halt and declared that I should go on and Apparate back to the Manor ahead of him.

"But- Professor-"

"NOW, DRAYA!" Snape snapped, his face hard and stern. "No arguments."

I watched as he strode towards Harry. I didn't want to go, I wanted to see what was going to happen. So I simply stood there, my chest rising and falling heavily in my breathless state.

To give Harry his due, he really went for Snape, firing Unforgivable Curse after Unforgivable Curse. But Snape was too good, parrying Harry's spells away with ease as he closed the gap between them, eventually knocking Harry to the ground with a flick of his wand.

"Turn around, Potter," Snape drawled, standing over a defeated Harry, "turn around and go back to your little friends and mourn the death of the Great Dumbledore."

I went to go towards them, desperate to see if Harry was alright. But then something grabbed my arm, jolting me back, and by the time I glanced back to see Bellatrix's manic face, she'd Apparated us back  to the Manor, leaving Hogwarts and Harry behind.

******