Aevumiter

20: Pensieve

Harry walked over to the pensieve. He closed his eyes and focused, setting a couple fingertips to his temple. When he drew them away, a silver thread fell from them, and into the pensieve.

"Come on." Harry said softly.

Draco walked over, and they looked into the pensieve.

The Dark Mark glittered green in the sky above the astronomy tower, and sixth year Harry dismounted from the broom just after Dumbledore.

"What does it mean?" Memory Harry asked, looking up at the mark. "Is it the real mark? Has someone definitely been- Professor?"

"Go and wake Severus," Dumbledore said, clutching the cursed hand to his chest. "Tell him what has happened and bring him to me. Do nothing else, speak to nobody else, and do not remove your cloak. I shall wait here."

"But-"

"You swore to obey me, Harry. Go!"

Memory Harry hurried over to the door of the spiral staircase.

"I'm under an invisibility cloak." Harry explained to Draco. "You can kind of see, since it's my memory."

They heard footsteps at the other side of the door, and Dumbledore gestured for memory Harry to retreat. The door burst open, and from here, the two could see Draco Malfoy with his wand raised. "Expelliarmus!"

Dumbledore's wand went flying in an arc over the ramparts he stood against, his face pale white, though showing no sign of panic or distress. "Good evening, Draco."

Malfoy stepped forward, glancing around quickly to check that he and Dumbledore were alone. His eyes fell upon the second broom. "Who else is here?"

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

Malfoy's pale eyes shifted back to Dumbledore. "No," He said. "I've got backup. There are Death Eaters here in your school tonight."

Draco shifted uncomfortably beside Harry.

"Well, well." Dumbledore said, like Malfoy was showing him an ambitious homework project. "Very good indeed. You found a way to let them in, did you?"

"Yeah," Malfoy said, breathing hard. "Right under your nose and you never realized!"

"Ingenious." Dumbledore said. "Yet... Forgive me, where are they now? You seem unsupported."

"They met some of your guards. They're having a fight down below. They won't be long... I came on ahead. I- I've got a job to do."

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

There was silence within the memory. In the pause, Draco spoke. "Harry. What is this?"

"Just a moment more." Harry told him.

Malfoy stared at Dumbledore, who smiled, even as they heard sounds of a distant fight.

"Draco, Draco... You are no assassin." Dumbledore said.

Understanding dawned on Draco, and he sucked in a breath.

"How do you know what I am?" Malfoy snapped. "You don't know what I'm capable of. You don't know what I've done!"

"Oh yes, I do," Dumbledore said. "You almost killed Katie Bell and Ronald Weasley. You have been trying, with increasing desperation, to kill me all year. Forgive me, Draco, but they have been feeble attempts... So feeble, to be honest, that I wonder whether your heart has been really in it."

Draco's head snapped to look at Harry. He was met with a somber, understanding... and nearly kind expression.

"It has been in it!" Malfoy said vehemently. "I've been working on it all year, and tonight-"