It had been easy to slip away from the group of Dumbledore’s Army. They had all split into small groups to patrol the corridors, Ginny insisting she, Luna, and Hermione patrol the seventh floor “just in case”.

“There you are,” Draco sighed in relief as she entered the room of requirement, pulling her into his arms.

He was dressed in his Death Eater robes, sans mask, and she gripped him tightly, pressing a kiss to his cheek.

“Sorry, love. There was a leak – Dumbledore knows something’s to happen tonight,” she said brightly.

Draco blinked at her while Theo appeared from deeper within the room.

“Merlin, Mione…” Theo said, looking at her dilated pupils. “Are you… high?”

She laughed.

“I suppose so… Harry gave us his lucky potion.”

Both boys cursed with delight.

“Oh, they are so fucked,” Theo said, shaking Draco in excitement.

“Ginny and Luna are outside watching for any other members of the DA. Harry and Dumbledore left the castle, but they’ll be arriving via the Astronomy Tower.” She looked over Draco’s shoulder at Blaise who was coming towards them, tugging on the hood of his robe. “Blaise, you’ll go and send up the Dark Mark – that way if they come back somewhere else, they’ll go to the tower.”

Blaise nodded, giving her a small salute as he headed off towards the doors of the room casting a strong disillusionment charm on himself.

“I’ll be the welcoming committee, shall I?” Theo said, eyes turning back toward the cabinet.

“What do you want to do, love?” Hermione asked, the potion nudging her not to order Draco.

He looked at her and she was startled to see there was panic in his eyes. All his calm confidence from when he’d first received the mission from the Dark Lord had evaporated long ago and though, at first it had left a cold resolve, it appeared that now all that remained was fear. She could almost hear the thoughts circling his mind.

Can I kill him?

Am I a killer?

“It will be fine, I promise,” she soothed him, stepping to place a hand on his cheek.

“You’ll be there with me?” he asked, covering her hand with his own.

She nodded, smiling.

“I’ll be there. We’ll do this together.”

Draco’s smile echoed her own as he leant forward to press a chaste kiss to her lips.

“Then I’ll go to the tower to wait for him.”

She squeezed his hand.

“I’ll be close behind. I love you.”

“I love you,” Draco replied, kissing her once more before running out the door after Blaise.

…

It was chaos.

A mass of spells and debris flying in all directions. Screams and shouting of incantations, curses whizzing over her head as she ran through the corridor to make it to the Astronomy Tower.

The moment she left the room of requirement Ginny grabbed her, pulling her down another dark hallway before circling back the way they came until they were face to face with Ron, Seamus, Dean, and Neville. If Ginny had not grabbed her right then, the boys would have caught her exiting.

But the moment they came together, the hallway exploded in a riot of curses. Theo, accompanied by four other Death Eaters, burst through the doors of the room. Bellatrix appeared to be the main culprit for the pandemonium judging by her blood curdling cackle. Before they could even lift their wands to retaliate, Lupin, Mad-Eye and Kingsley had all appeared – jumping into the fray.

There was a small pocket of space that the potion highlighted for her, encouraging her to duck under Theo’s arm who was dueling Kingsley and run as fast as she could. The fight seemed to follow her as she ran, until silence swallowed her up as her feet hit the uneven steps of the tower.

She slowed as she made it to the top, disillusioning herself as she crept through the small landing. Harry stood close by, she could hear his frantic breathing beneath the cloak, and she relied on the felix felicis to guide her wand as she cast a stunning spell.

Frowning, she stepped forward – knowing the spell had hit based upon the small grunt she had heard. Blindly she reached out in front of her, grasping at air until her fingertips found the cloak and pulled it from Harry’s body. He was out and though his body was still upright, his chin slumped against his chest. But she was out of time to investigate further, throwing the cloak back over him before creeping up the stairs.

She released her disillusionment but did not summon her robes.

There stood Dumbledore, the picture of calm as Draco trained his wand on him. They appeared to be at some sort of impasse from the tight look on Draco’s face and the soft smile that did not reach Dumbledore’s eyes.

“Ah, it seems we have company,” Dumbledore said brightly as if this was a pleasant surprise. “Hello, Miss Granger.”

“They’re coming,” she whispered to Draco, pressing her hand to his back and leaning her weight into him for comfort.

“What brings you both here on this fine evening?” Dumbledore asked, his blue eyes flicking between the two of them. “Surely it is not for a romantic night among the stars.”

“No, Professor, I can’t say it is,” Hermione answered when Draco did not.

Dumbledore stared at her for a long moment, there was only a small flicker of surprise that crossed his face.

“Hermione…” he said softly. “You are no assassin.”

Her laugh was hollow as she pointed her wand beside Draco’s – her hand was steady, unlike his.

“Oh, Professor. I have done things that would make even your insides curl,” she said in an even voice. “ Expelliarmus .”

Dumbledore’s wand flew through the air. Draco, with the skill of a seeker, caught it mid-air before sliding it into his robes.

“You do not need to do this. I can help you – the Order can help you.”

This time it was Draco that laughed.

“You can’t help us. No one can help us. We don’t need your help.”

With a smooth movement, Draco pulled up the sleeve of his left arm – the Dark Mark slithering against his pale skin. A look of sadness crossed the old man’s face, though Hermione recognized again that the feeling did not reach his eyes. In many ways it reminded her of the emotions of Tom Riddle inside the Dark Lord’s mind – merely an approximation.

“There is still time, both of you. Still an opportunity for redemption.”

“Redemption?” Hermione asked. “What about your redemption? Where is your remorse ?”

She stalked closer to him; her wand still raised.

“Remorse? Whatever for, Miss Granger?” Dumbledore asked pleasantly.

“Oh, I don’t know, sir. Perhaps for the manipulation of children towards your goal of power? Or maybe your fight for the greater good. Or perhaps for the years of suffering and torture you submitted Harry to?”

Dumbledore chucked, smoothing a hand down his long beard.

“You do not understand, Miss Granger. You are mistaken – you have been manipulated by the Malfoys. Come with me, I can protect you from them.” He gestured over his shoulder to Draco. “You are merely a girl caught up in a fantasy.”

“Harry means nothing to you,” she continued, ignoring his words. “He’s a body upon an altar, a sacrifice for your greater good – isn’t he?”

Dumbledore did not deny it, just merely looked at her. His face was cold, calculating – the characteristic twinkle in his eye gone. As Hermione looked at him, she could not help but think:

Now this is the true face of Albus Dumbledore .

“You see, sir,” she said calmly. “There is very little difference between you and the Dark Lord when you think about it. You are both powerful wizards with a purpose – a plan – for this world. You are both willing to sacrifice others for the sake of the world you want to create.”

Hermione stepped closer, watching a pale blush begin to creep up Dumbledore’s cheeks as she compared him to his enemy.

“The biggest difference between the two of you, sir…” she said as her voice dropped into a menacing timber. “Is that you underestimate a muggleborn witch.”

With a wave of her wand, she summoned her robes, relishing the feeling of their heavy weight against her skin.

“I do not believe you have been acquainted, headmaster,” Draco drawled from behind her. “Allow me to introduce Couteau, the Dark Lord’s protégé and second in command.”

For the first time, she watched true surprise pass over the headmaster’s face as he gaped at her.

“I… I do not understand. You are a muggleborn, Miss Granger.”

She smiled, though she knew he couldn’t see it beneath her mask. Close by sounds of the fight echoed through the tower – a sign that the Order and Death Eaters had made their way to them. There was a rumble of a door opening, the sounds of fighting growing louder for a moment before they quieted.

“That is the root of all your problems, Albus,” she said, taking a step back from him as Theo, Blaise, Snape, and the four other Death Eaters swarmed into the tower.

“And what might that be?” he asked as if they were in class.

“Your surprise at my blood status,” she said, before flourishing her wand. “ Avada Kedavra .”

Green light reflected across the stone walls as the curse hit the headmaster square in the chest. He stumbled back, falling against the railing before his body tipped and disappeared into the shadow of the night.

She stood there for a long moment, feeling the dark magic crawl beneath her skin, staring at the place Dumbledore had just been standing. Her breath was slow, even, as she stared, as her mind moved like thick mud. It was as if all sound had been sucked from the world.

Hands gripped her upper arms, spinning her away from the railing. But she couldn’t feel it. Couldn’t feel anything, just the dark magic curling beneath her skin.

“You need to get out of here,” Draco said quickly. “Before anyone sees.”

She blinked, the world moving back into focus under his touch.

“I’m coming with you,” she said, gripping his arms back.

He shook his head, hair falling into his face.

“You can’t… you know you can’t.”

Tears burned her eyes. She knew this was coming – knew that this was part of the plan. But somehow this moment felt harder than even the murder she had just committed.

“You’ve done so well love – he’ll be so pleased with us, with you . But you have to stay, you’re safest here.”

There was a commotion behind her. The cackling laughter of Bellatrix jumping up and down celebrating Dumbledore’s death. Theo and Blaise clapping each other on the back before making their way towards them.

“Hermione, you need to go now ,” Blaise said.

She swallowed, moving to vanish her robes but Theo caught her wrist.

“Not yet, wait until you’re downstairs and out of sight. That way you can slip back into the fight unnoticed.”

She nodded, vanishing her mask to press her mouth to Draco. At the connection, the spread of the darkness through her veins seemed to lessen, to hesitate.

“I love you,” she said.

He cupped her face, thumb tenderly stroking her cheek.

“I love you,” he answered. “I’ll see you soon. Remember – if you run into trouble use your bracelet. It will bring you back to us.”

“I know, I promise.”

He waved his wand over her face, summoning her mask and pushing her towards the exit. As she passed, Bellatrix stopped her cheering, merely staring at Hermione until she was out of sight.

At the stairs, she watched the stirring form of Harry beneath half of the cloak so only his head and shoulders were exposed. Whatever spell Dumbledore had used to keep him out of sight had stopped the moment her curse hit him and more than likely canceled her stupefy as well.

But she didn’t stop to watch him, running down the stairs and into the destroyed corridor. There was a mass of people fighting – so many more Death Eaters were there than she could have anticipated – all of them squaring off against the Order. She ducked into a small alcove away from the fray and vanished her robes.

As she stepped out, a flash of blonde hair ran past her.

“Daphne!” she cried, trying to grab her friend’s arm. “What are you doing? It’s not safe!”

“I’m not staying behind!” Daphne yelled. “Blaise is out there and I won’t let him fight alone!”

Hermione shook her head, trying to grab a hold of her again as they ran down the hallway.

The hallway was a mess of crumbled stone, torches, and bodies. On the opposite end she saw Tonks fighting a masked Death Eater while Bill, Charlie, and Kingsley had their wands trained on the exit of the Tower.

At that moment she saw Blaise run down the stairs right into the onslaught of curses from the Order members. He barely got a shield up in time before the curses hit, forcing them to rebound off the shield and go whizzing into the corridor.

Bill’s disarming spell hit a nearby window, shattering it.

Kingsley’s body bind curse hit the back of the Death Eater dueling Tonks.

Charlie’s sectumsempra spell repelled right into Daphne.

Hermione saw the moment the curse hit her friend. It was as if time slowed down. Daphne’s body jolted to a stop, her arms swung out wide as she toppled backwards right into Hermione’s arms.

“ NO!” Blaise screamed, his eyes wide behind his mask.

Before Hermione even caught her, Daphne’s blood was already pouring onto the ground, staining her blonde hair red. So much blood. Too much blood. She gave off a strange gurgling sound that Hermione could not understand as she tried to carefully lower her to the ground – already trying to heal the wounds.

“Daphne… it’s going to be okay,” Hermione was saying between the incantation, her voice catching as she tried to grip her wand in her hands – slippery with Daphne’s blood. She could barely hear her own voice over the fighting and Blaise’s screams.

When she finally was able to maneuver her friend to see the damage, her face paled.

There were deep gouges around Daphne’s torso and arms that Hermione knew she could heal quickly with Vulnera Sanentur – the counter spell Snape had taught her in the hospital wing. But as she looked over Daphne, the blood thick and viscous pooling around her, she saw the source of it all.

A deep, jagged wound across her throat.

Hermione started chanting the counter spell once more, her wand moving over the wounds. She could hear Blaise’s screams continue as he fought off the three Order members, but she couldn’t look up. Not even when a flash of green burst from close by. But no matter how much she chanted, the wounds wouldn’t heal.

The logical part of her mind was trying to tell her what that meant, but Hermione refused to listen to it.

Daphne’s blue eyes were already dull and though her fingers held Hermione’s arm, she could feel the grip slackening.

“No… no… ” Hermione cried, starting to chant once more, moving her wand across the wounds.

Can’t you see? Daphne’s voice echoed through her head from after Hermione had taken the mark. You are what holds us together.

I have to hold them together, Hermione thought. I can fix this; I can heal her. We’re all supposed to make it out.

But the wounds still would not close and slowly, Daphne’s hand fell from Hermione’s arm.