CHAPTER TWELVE

Tonight was the night. The Death Eaters were already in the castle. Draco had to go to the astronomy tower soon. Hermione was worried about him. She watched him leave the Room of Requirement and walk down the hall. He stopped when he saw her. He ran up to her and hugged her tightly.

"I've been thinking about it, Hermione. Your offer. I feel like if you don't do it I won't be able to go through with it." she understood. When she pulled out her wand he stopped her.

"Wait. I want to hold you one more time." they embraced each other and he kissed her for the last time. He closed his eyes and stood before her. "Well? What are you waiting for? Go on." She pulled her wand out again.

"I wish I didn't have to do this but I'm glad you understand the consequences if I don't." she held her want to his temple. He opened his eyes.

"I guess I never should've loved you." a tear streamed down his face.

"I will love you forever because you loved me." she finally said it back. She waited a few moments before casting the spell.

He felt his vision fade to black as every memory he had of them vanished from his head. Every conversation. All the times they spent in the library together were gone. She cried as she watched the spell take over. The last memory that left was the night of the Christmas party. The song they danced to played as it slowly faded away.

He opened his eyes and saw Hermione standing in front of him.

"What the hell are you doing here Granger?" the spell worked. "Get out of here before you get into trouble!"

Hermione walked away trembling. She knew what was going to happen next. She hid behind the columns and sobbed. The pain she felt was overwhelming. She lost him as soon as he lost his memory.

Draco walked up the stairs of the tower and got out his wand. He saw the man he was about to murder and raised it. He was terrified but relieved they were the only ones there. Dumbledore talked to him with that wise voice he always had. He made Draco lower his wand but not stand down. He felt weaker and weaker the more the Professor ridiculed him. Dumbledore rose his wand.

"Expelliarmus." Draco disarmed the gray wizard not knowing what that meant for him.

Dumbledore interrogated him about his scheme. He seemed impressed with him.

"You don't understand. I have to kill you.." Dracos eyes welled up with tears. All he wanted was to get out of there. He knew he was a coward. "Or he's going to kill me." he began to cry.

The other Death Eaters arrived and began to encourage him to do it. He couldn't bring himself to. He never performed that spell before and he didn't want to. He stood there frozen. Snape came forward unexpectedly. Draco lowered his wand out of surprise.

"Avada Kedavra," Snape spoke, sending Dumbledore falling off the tower. Draco stood there in shock. He couldn't quite comprehend what had happened. They all left the tower, Draco still crying. It was over. He followed the Death Eaters to the Great Hall but let them leave.

***

Hermione followed a bunch of students outside where there had been a lot of commotion. She knew what happened. She felt almost proud of Draco for going through with it. It meant he was still alive. Then she saw it. Dumbledore's lifeless body. All she heard were screams and all she felt was pain. She was devastated but couldn't bring herself to cry.

All of the students began to raise their wands. She did too, out of respect. She felt her soul leave her body as the end of her wand lit up. They stood there forever in silence before any of them left. She feared that was the end of Hogwarts and that whatever would happen next would be more dangerous than anything she's been through before.

The professors dismissed the students to get their things. It was time for them to leave for the year. Hermione went with Harry and Ron to the Astrology tower to talk to him about what had happened. She questioned him about Draco. Harry told her that he wasn't the one who did it and that it was Snape. A part of her knew he wouldn't do it. After getting to know Draco the way she did, he would never do something like that.

"We better get our things and go. I can't stand to be here another second." Harry was far more upset than she was. He didn't know the whole truth. They headed back to the corridors to pack.

"I left some things in the library,

I'll catch up with you guys later." She made her way down. She took this opportunity to take a few library books home with her for the summer. Ones she couldn't get anywhere else.

Draco knew he had to get out of Hogwarts. The task was done but the war had only just begun. He knew that Voldemort wasn't done with him yet. He ran down the hallways but something made him slow down. He stopped in the library doorway and saw Hermione stacking up books. He thought it was funny seeing her in the library at a time like this but he wasn't surprised. She was always there.