The walk to the hidden entrance of Dumbledore’s office felt very long. She didn’t know how she was going to tell him what had happened without breaking down again. She had barely been able to keep the tears from taking over in front of Draco.
“Fizzing Whizbees,” she said to the stone gargoyle. It leapt aside immediately, to reveal the revolving spiral staircase leading to Dumbledore’s office. She arrived at the large wooden door and knocked.
“Come in,” came the familiar, and characteristically calm voice of Albus Dumbledore.
She entered, and noticed the headmaster leaning over his pensive.
“Ah, Ms. Granger, what a pleasant surprise.” He greeted her with that characteristic twinkle in his eyes. “Have a seat.”
Hermione sat down in a chair in front of Dumbledore’s desk, while Dumbledore himself went around his desk to sit facing her.
“Pardon me for asking, but where is Mr. Malfoy? I believe it is your night to be patrolling the corridors.”
Looking down at the floor, Hermione answered in an uncharacteristically small voice.
“That is what I came to see you about Professor.”
There was a pause. Hermione continued to look down at her feet, and Dumbledore sat patiently waiting for whatever it was she had to tell him.
“Draco Malfoy is a Death Eater, and He-who-must-not…I mean, Voldemort, has given him the task of,” Hermione looked up at the headmaster, whose gaze had turned very serious. “He is supposed to kill you, sir.”
*~*~*~*~
Draco lay in the bed unable to move. The only thing he could think about was the look on Hermione’s face when she had seen the Dark Mark on his arm.
‘I wonder how long it will take the Dark Lord to kill me,’ he mused to himself. Suddenly, Draco went pale. ‘When Dumbledore gets here, I have to make him listen to me. He has to protect Hermione. The Dark Lord will kill her, just to get back at me for betraying him.’
At that moment, the door to the room that Hermione had left him in opened, and Dumbledore, accompanied by a teary eyed Hermione, entered.
“No one else knows that you brought him here?”
“No, Professor,” said Hermione in barely a whisper.
“Good, good. Now then,” Dumbledore took out his wand from the inside of his robes, and pointed it at Draco. Instantly, Draco felt himself released from the full body bind that Hermione had placed him in.
“And, I believe we can give this back to you now.” Dumbledore pointed his wand in the direction that Hermione had thrown Draco’s wand earlier, and it flew in the air towards him where he caught it, and handed it back to Draco.
Hermione stood open mouthed and shocked.
“Pro-Professor,” she stuttered. “He’s a Death Eater, and you are giving him back his wand!”
Dumbledore looked at Hermione’s indignation at his current actions and merely gave a brief nod. “I think Ms. Granger, that Mr. Malfoy here deserves the benefit of the doubt and to be heard.”
“Benefit of the doubt! I SAW HIS DARK MARK!”
“Now, now Ms. Granger, there is no need to shout.” He turned to Draco and looked sternly into his pleading eyes. “Mr. Malfoy, I have been told some distressing news, and I would like to ask you to please show me the inside of your left arm.”
Draco sat up and swallowed. He glanced at Hermione, but she was refusing to look at him, and was instead focused on the floor at her feet. He looked back at Dumbledore and slowly, he rolled up his left sleeve to reveal a very vivid Dark Mark.
Silence settled once again in the room, though this time it was even worse than before. Draco never felt bad about any of the things he did. Picking on first years, Gryffindors in particular, messing with Harry and his gang, and until very recently making fun of Hermione. He had begun to see how horrible he had been to her, and was sorry that he ever acted that way, but now seeing the look of disappointment in Dumbledore’s eyes, Draco had never felt more ashamed about anything in his life.
“Draco,” Dumbledore began. “Is it then true that you have been ordered by Voldemort to murder me?”
Again silence followed. Draco tried glancing at Hermione once more, but she was still determined to not make eye contact with him.
“Yes sir,” he answered feebly.
“Then why, if you will allow me to pry into your personal affairs, have you not done so in the five minutes that passed since I gave you back your wand?”
At this, Hermione looked up.
“Professor! You are asking him to follow through with his orders to kill you!?”
Truth be told, that is what Draco thought Dumbledore to be asking as well. Dumbledore merely gave a weak knowing smile at Hermione.
Dumbledore turned to look back at Draco, who was now sitting with a baffled and confused look on his face, and waited. He didn’t move or say anything else; he was waiting to see given the chance, what Draco would do.
“Sir, I,” Draco began. “I can’t.” He looked away from both of his questioners.
“Well my boy, I know very well that you can’t. Forgive my modesty, but a sixth year student, even one as gifted as yourself Mr. Malfoy, would not be able to kill me in your weakened state.”
“Then wh -”
“The question is not whether or not you can kill me, but whether or not you want to kill me.”
“No, I don’t want to,” Draco said this very shakily, as tears began to form in his eyes. Finally someone was going to listen to him.
“Good. Now that that is settled,” Dumbledore turned to look at Hermione. “Ms. Granger, I need you to go and get your friends Mr. Potter and Mr. Weasley, and bring them here.”
Hermione’s attention had apparently been elsewhere, because she started when Professor Dumbledore spoke to her. “Ha-Harry and Ron? But Professor, why do they need to be here?”
Dumbledore smiled at Hermione. “That will all be explained as soon as the three of you return.”
Hermione stared at Dumbledore for a few more seconds, then without another word left to go get Harry and Ron.
Your Eyes: The Beginning by GryffindorsHeir
Chapter Notes: these next few chapters might be a little short, but i promise/hope that you like them