she isn't what she says

Chapter 9: Dumbledore

Valencia couldn't wait to see her mother again, and to kill one of the greatest wizards of all time. So she could barely sleep. 

"What are you doing.. Draco?" Valencia asked as she rubbed her eyes. "Me, your mother, Snape and Fenir Greyback are going to assassinate Dumbledore, you coming?"

Valencia then shot out of bed, trying to not wake Pansy and Millicent up. "Of course, let me get changed" Valencia said pointing at her nightie. A couple of minutes later, Valencia returned in a simple plain black dress, that your mother bought her so they could be matching. "I want to look cute when I kill Dumbledore" She said which made Draco burst out into a fit of laughter.

Valencia and Draco made their way through the empty corridors in the early hours of the morning, trying to not get caught by Filch who was on his daily patrol. She finally reached the Room of Requirements, where Valencia opened the vanishing cabinet which allowed the Death Eaters to enter the castle without being caught. Once the other Death Eaters had got through the cabinet, Valencia pulled her mother into a deep hug. 

"You ready my darling?" She whispered in her daughter's ear. "I've been ready for my whole life!" Valencia whispered back. Surprisingly she felt a slight sense of regret and worry, even though she hadn't committed the act.

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Draco was about to have a panic attack. "Good evening, Draco. What brings you out on such a fine Spring evening? Or is it summer?" Albus Dumbledore stood in front of him, alone, on top of the Astronomy Tower. Draco was supposed to kill him.

"Who else is here? I heard you talking." The old wizard was babbling about nonsense, trying to distract him, but Draco was having none of his bullshit.

"You are not an assassin, Draco."

"How do you know what I am? I've done things that would shock you." Draco took a step forward, and Dumbledore drew his wand, instantly making Malfoy raise his own even higher, pointing it at the old man's hand.

"Expelliarmus!" The other's wand flew in the air and fell with a soft thud on the floor between them. Draco was feeling a mixture of fear and amazement, he'd disarmed the most powerful wizard of all times with no effort at all. But now, what was he supposed to do?

"Well done, Draco. But I warn you, killing is not nearly as easy."

All this was making Draco's head feel overcrowded, like it was about to explode. What was Dumbledore trying to achieve? He was letting Draco do what he wanted. He wasn't even trying to fight. "I once knew a boy, years ago, who made all the wrong choices. Let me help you, Draco" The old man whispered, looking at the boy with such pity that it made Draco's mouth curl downwards.

His pity disgusted him, he didn't deserve it. "I don't want your help! Don't you see?" Draco was starting to cry, and he couldn't let that happen. Not now. Not when he was supposed to be brave. "I have to do it! I have to!" His voice lowered to a whisper.

"I have to kill you. Or he'll kill me." Tears were falling on his cheeks, and since he couldn't stop them, he decided to ignore them completely.

Bellatrix. Valencia. Greyback. Other people Draco recognized. They were all around him, dark shadows smothering him and yelling at him. Yelling to do it, to kill the man, to kill him NOW.

They were just making it more difficult to say the spell.

Draco didn't know what to do.

"He doesn't have the stomach. Like his father." Greyback barked, making Draco shudder. He couldn't disagree with him, he knew his dad was a coward. Maybe he was a coward himself. But could not being able to kill somebody really be called cowardice? He knew it was wrong, and he didn't want to do it.

Draco's hand was trembling, and he couldn't concentrate. He almost wished Greyback would do it for him, because he couldn't kill the man. He just couldn't. "No!" Bellatrix screamed, "The Dark Lord was clear. The boy's to do it. Go on Draco, NOW!" He looked around, desperately searching for somebody, anybody, who could help him.

"No."

Draco turned around immediately, recognising the person who just spoke. Valencia Lestrange stood next to him, her face completely void of any emotion. He was pushed aside by his cousin, who looked him in the eyes as if to say 'Let me handle this', and Draco was happy to comply. Well, not happy, but at least he wouldn't have to do this alone.

"Valenica..." Dumbledore spoke softly, his eyes almost pleading.

"Valencia... please." It was like he was giving her permission to go ahead and kill him, and that's just what Valencia did. "Avada Kedavra!" The old wizard was hit by the curse, and fell backwards, out of the balcony of the Astronomy Tower.

Draco watched his lifeless body falling as if it were in slow motion, he couldn't bring himself to look away, but he was jerked back to reality when somebody gripped his arm and dragged him away from the rooftops, down the stairs and away from the scene of the crime.

He was running, and he didn't even know why. He wanted to run away, but he couldn't snag his arm free from the firm grip of whoever was dragging him along. All he wanted was to hide somewhere and cry.

He finally got his arm free from Snape's grip and stood back, letting the others lead him to the Great Hall. Bellatrix and Valencia was on top of one of the tables, and  was kicking and screaming like a madman, throwing everything to the ground and destroying everything they saw.

He looked around, a panicked look on his face, and turned towards the windows abruptly when he heard the loudest noise he thought possible. Shards of glass were flying everywhere, and he could feel some of them hitting him in the face and cutting his skin. The windows had exploded because of Bellatrix's spell, and she started laughing hysterically, admiring what she'd done.

Together with the Great Hall, his memories were being destroyed. They were pulverizing his house, his whole life, with the castle. Bellatrix and the others had set the Hut ablaze, and flames were colouring the grass orange, the fire illuminating the whole park in the dark night.

He turned around, and when he saw Harry running, he didn't know what to do.

Draco was scared. He stood paralyzed.

"Crucio!" Harry yelled the curse, and for a second Draco thought that it was aimed at him, but then he saw Valencia raising his wand. He parried the curse with no effort, and Potter started casting every spell he knew to fight the girl who'd killed Dumbledore.

"Incarcerata! Impedimenta!" Harry knew it was useless, but he kept screaming and yelling curses at the murderer in front of him. "Fight back, you coward!" Valencia turned to look at the boy, when suddenly a jet of red light sent him crashing into the ground, heaving and crying in pain. Bellatrix had cast a Cruciatus curse on him.

"No! He belongs to the Dark Lord!" Snape screamed to make her stop.

Draco watched from afar as Snape took some steps towards Potter, who pulled himself to his feet and grimaced. "Sectumsempra!" Harry yelled, his throat still constricting after the pain from the Cruciatus curse.

"You dare use my own spells against me, Potter?" Snape spoke calmly, looking at Harry with disgust. "Yes, it's me. I am the Half-Blood Prince"

Harry watched in horror as Snape kicked his wand away, and then turned around, leaving him laying onto the grass. The group of Death Eaters headed for the darkness of the tree lines and disappeared into the forest, leaving Harry alone.