Long Time Coming. Here is the last chapter of the story. Enjoy.

Shit. Shit. Shit. Shit.

I paced back and forth, gritting my teeth as the cuts on my body pulsed dully. I gripped my head tightly as I paced, my head pounding with irritation, and my breath was coming out in short gasps of anxiety. I refused to glance at the Vanishing Cabinet, my eyes shut tightly to ignore the brooding cabinet as it towered over me. My thoughts were filled with Hermione and my mother, and my legs trembled as I paced. Flashbacks of the many love-making sessions Hermione and I had plagued my brain, and I clutched my head as the tears threatened to fall. I exhaled loudly as I slowed my pace, my eyes screwed shut tightly as I tried to clear my mind of anything thoughts of Hermione. I couldn't risk her and the baby. After everything that's happened, I could never risk her and Scorpius' life.

But wasn't I already doing that?

"Fuck!" I screamed, kicking the cabinet as it glared down at me. I fucking hated this. Any second, those bloody Death Eaters were going to pop up in the Vanishing Cabinet and wage war through the halls of Hogwarts. And it was all going to be my fucking fault.

My fault because I couldn't muster up the courage or the strength to go to bloody Dumbledore and tell him everything that has happened. If I had the Gryffindor courage to risk my life and my Death Eater exposure, then maybe I wouldn't be in this situation. I wouldn't be standing here, breathing hard, as I stared at the cabinet, awaiting the arrival of the Death Eaters. But then, reality comes crashing over me like a wave, and I remember that I didn't go to the old coot because he would risk my exposure. He wouldn't have helped me. Not Draco Malfoy, whose fate was to become a Death Eater at some point in his life. No, Dumbledore would've told me how horrible of a person I was and would've told his prodigy Potter. I would've been skinned alive by all of the Order members, and no one would have gone to help my mother.

I smiled ruefully and slumped gracelessly to the dirty ground of the Room of Requirement. Suppose the Order would've helped my mother. Assuming they could have gotten in and out of the Manor with my mother, then what would have happened? Would she really be safe or would the Dark- would Voldemort hunt her down and kill her to hurt me and Father? Would the Order only help her to interrogate her, and then dump her back in the Manor when they got the information they wanted? Even if they did help my mother and keep her safe, would they do the same for me?

I personally didn't want to be saved by them. My angel had already saved me. All I needed was Hermione; I only needed her love and her approval. She saved me from spiraling out of control. She saved me from suicide. She saved me from turning into the monster that Voldemort made my father. She gave me another reason to live. The sounds of little childish giggles floated through my ears, and I couldn't help but smile. I was going to be a father. I was going to have a child of my own, a child I could raise differently from how I was. I was going to raise Scorpius in a better atmosphere than I was raised in and teach him better morals than I was taught. I wanted to raise my son how Hermione's dad might have raised her, because she turned out to be the most amazing, selfless, strong, independent, and beautiful person I know. I wanted my son to be that. I wanted my son to be just like his mother.

Of course, he was going to be a spoiled brat. That's just a trait that runs in my blood line. It never skips a generation.

Hermione. My mother. Scorpius. Even Blaise ran through my head as I sat and stared at the cabinet. My mind was aching with memories, and my heart was hammering as it waited for the Death Eaters to come and cause chaos. I shut my eyes and placed my head in my hands as I pictured Hermione's frantic face. I knew she had listened to me; I could picture her running around the castle to gather her friends and Dumbledore's Army to get ready for a fight. I had told Blaise to keep himself locked up in the Slytherin dorm, and that I would come get him when I knew it was safe for him to leave. I couldn't risk Blaise's life either. My best friend, my mate, my confidant, my ally. We had been through so much shit together since we were in diapers. Little hellions, our parents called us. But you could never separate us, and it was still like that to this day. I was loyal to him as he was to me. We had a brotherly bond that no one could break, and I intended for it to stay that way for the rest of our long lives.

But would I live a long life?

The thought nagged at me constantly, and I wiped my palms on the legs of my trousers as I felt beads of sweat drip down my fingers. In a few minutes, I would be the direct cause of this battle at Hogwarts. If anyone died, it would be my fault. If the castle burned down to ashes, it would be my fault. Merlin forbid, if Hermione or Blaise lost their lives, that shit would be my fucking fault. I was risking my life with this mission. Not only could I die at this battle, but if anyone ever found out that it was me who caused the chaos, then I would go to Azkaban for sure. And if the Dementors didn't kill me, I think I would kill myself. How could I raise my son in a prison cell? How could I rot in jail and keep Hermione from finding love and having a man to be a positive influence on Scorpius? I could never deny Hermione the right to love someone. Sure, she loved me, but if I was suddenly sentenced to life in Azkaban, I wouldn't want her to wait her entire life to meet me in the afterlife. I wouldn't want her to fight her entire life to get me out of prison. I want her to be happy, and I want her to be loved by someone who deserves her.

I didn't deserve her. That I knew for sure. I didn't deserve any love or happiness with all of the shit I had done and will do. But I had her love, and she gave me happiness whether I wanted it or not. I would do anything to keep that, and I was determined to keep it. I wanted to drown in her love. I wanted to swim in her happiness. I wanted her to smile forever, and I would kill anyone who put a frown on her face. I'm a selfish bastard, I know, but that's in my blood. Malfoys get whatever the fuck they want, and I wanted Hermione. And I had Hermione. I would have her forever if Merlin wished it.

Time was fucking ticking. What the bloody hell was taking them so long? Blaise was probably irritated by now and would be roaming the halls. I gritted my teeth at his carelessness. He could never follow simple directions. Merlin, what if Hermione was doing the same? What if she wasn't sitting in the Gryffindor Common Room with her friends? What the hell was she doing? I stood up and started pacing again, running my fingers through my hair with ferocious strength. I didn't know what she planned to do, but all I told her to do was warn her friends and stay safe. Damn it, Draco! You know she can't keep still!

She was Hermione fucking Granger, when has she ever stayed away from danger?

I shook my head as my wand weighed heavily in my pocket. I sighed and glanced at the cabinet, biting the inside of my cheek as it made no sign of life. Fuck, what if I didn't fix it after all? Shit, what if the Aunt Bella and her crew were stuck somewhere in limbo and had no body parts attached? Fuck, I was done for. The Vanishing Cabinet wasn't even part of the plan Voldemort gave me. I fucking suggested it. Oh, Dark Lord, don't you think you should send your trusted Death Eaters to Hogwarts to cause a distraction while I killed Dumbledore?

What the bloody fucking hell was my problem?

And he told me that it was a great idea, but if I failed at that, he wouldn't hesitate to kill my mother as punishment. Fuck it, if I failed at both of my tasks, my mother was gone forever.

I gripped my wand and stared at the cabinet, thoughts of Dumbledore floating through my head. He hasn't done anything for me. He never would do anything for a Slytherin, for a Malfoy, for the son of a fallen Death Eater. Dumbledore didn't give a sit about me, just about Potter. Saint Potter and his wonderful ability to live immortal. I was nothing to Dumbledore, so why should I care for taking his life?

I sighed and tucked my wand back in my pocket. Because I wasn't a murderer. Because I would lose Hermione's love and my mother's respect. Because I would look in the mirror and see my father staring back at me. I was terrified to kill Dumbledore, that was true. I was also ashamed to be a killer. I would never be able to look myself in the face. I could never live with myself for taking a life. Dumbledore hasn't done anything to me, so why should I kill him?

Because if I didn't, my mother would suffer. I valued my mother's life more than I valued his. I grabbed my wand again, and my eyes widened as a rumbling noise filled the inside of the Cabinet. Smoke flew from under the Cabinet and surrounded me as I gripped my wand tighter and stared indifferently at the door of the Cabinet as it creaked open. Suddenly, it flew open and burst off the hinges. I stepped back into the smoke, my anxious breaths coming out in terrified pants as I saw one black boot and then another boot step out of the Vanishing Cabinet. The full body of Bellatrix Lestrange stepped out of the cabinet and shown through the smoke, and I swallowed a large lump in my throat as she blinked twice, her long lashes tickling the tips of her cheekbones. Her dark eyes glittered cruelly as she looked around the room, before finally looking at me. A slow, mischievous smile slid on her face, and I ignored the hollers of the other Death Eaters as Aunt Bella slowly sauntered to me with a grace of arrogance and evilness. Once she was mere inches from me, her eyes did a quick once-over of me, and I remembered to shut down my mind and stare back at my aunt with a blank expression.

She licked her lips and rubbed her hand down the length of my left arm, her hand squeezing my forearm briefly before letting go. "Draco," she breathed, "great job on the Cabinet. You're smarter than I thought."

I did a small bow. "Thank you, Aunt Bella," I said monotonously. "I am just doing the will of the Dark Lord."

Her eyes shined brightly. "That you are, and he will be so very proud. He will be even prouder once you kill Albus Dumbledore. You and Cissy will be back on top, and your respect amongst the Dark Lord will return. Isn't that lovely?"

I nodded curtly. "Lovely."

"Go," she urged quickly, her small hands turning me and pushing me to the door. "Go and fulfill your duty. I will gather my forces, and we will ruin this school."

Ruin this school.

Fuck, I was a terrible person.

I walked quickly to the door and left the room, leaning on the wall as soon as the door shut. I clutched my stomach as my chest tightened, and I wheezed for air as my heart pumped brutally hard and fast. I felt my eyes fog, and I shut them tightly as I felt bile creep slowly up my throat. I fell to my knees as I vomited hard, my body wracking with dry sobs, and I clutched the wall for support, to keep myself from falling into my own vomit. I leaned back on the wall, stretching my legs out on the ground as I breathed slowly and unevenly. Sweat dripped down my face as I wiped at my eyes to rub the tears away. I leaned my head on the wall and breathed steadily, trying to get my heart rate under control as I tried to get images of Bella out of my head. She had brought the Carrow twins, Fenrir Greyback, and some other Death Eaters that I could care less for. But the twins and Greyback? Oh Merlin, this school was doomed. If the Carrow twins didn't kill off the students with their twisted, evil spells, then Greyback was sure to kill them all, or eat them, or turn them. Bella didn't have to do anything with that lot supporting her.

I exhaled loudly and stood shakily, doing a quick Scourgify on the floor and myself. I straightened my jacket and stroked my pocket to feel my wand tucked safely away. I ran a hand through my hair and quickly set off to the dungeons, to check if Blaise had listened and stay his ass put.

I barely got past the second floor when I saw Blaise leaning casually against a window, his eyes skimming the words of the novel he held in his long fingers. I sighed and walked quickly to him, and he smiled as my footsteps grew louder.

"I was beginning to think you forgot about me," he casually said, his finger flicking the next page.

I crossed my arms and leaned onto the window next to him. "I thought I told you to wait until I came to get you."

"I got bored, Dad."

"Blaise, this shit is serious."

He huffed and shut his book, minimizing it with his wand and stuffing it away I his pocket. "Did they ever show up?"

"Yes," I said, turning on my heel to head to the dungeons. "There in the Room of Requirement right now, trying to form a plan to kill everyone."

"Draco, do you honestly think they came to kill?"

"Damn it, Blaise, why else did they bring their bloody asses here?"

He shrugged and stopped, and I glared at him. "I don't know. Maybe they only came to check on you. To make sure you fulfill your duty."

I nodded and looked up the stairs, wondering if they had started their killing spree already. "I know they came to check on me. That's obvious. I also know that they won't miss an opportunity to make sure this school burns to the ground."

"Hogwarts is too strong for them."

I looked at him, then looked around the first floor, at the grand floor of the great castle. "Is it really?"

Blaise didn't answer, but continued to walk to the Slytherin Dungeons. I glanced around the quiet hall for a few more seconds, taking in the memories that suffocated me. This was the first place of Hogwarts that I saw, that I stepped on. Right here, in this grand hall, where McGonagall explained the Sorting Hat process to us. Right in that Great Hall was the first place where I found where I belonged. And I knew I belonged in Slytherin. Merlin, I loved my House. I was everything that House symbolized, but I never thought I would be a participator in the Dark Arts at 16.

I sighed and followed Blaise to the dungeons. That first floor would be in ruins today, and it was all my fault.

I sat in the dark corner, watching as she rested a hand on her small belly and pointed at various places with her wand. Her chestnut curls were tied back into a high, frizzy ponytail, and her honey eyes were sharp as they looked around the castle. Her small lips were set in a concentrated frown, and worry lines surrounded that frown. I was hiding in a corner before the foot of the stairs of the Astronomy Tower. After leaving the Slytherin room, it was by pure luck that I saw Potter run with a cloak in his hands to these stairs, Hermione and Weasley following. Weasley had just left, after hearing the first scream of the night. Hermione, though, was still here, pacing as she made a plan in her head. I knew she had a plan. I knew it wasn't going to work. She couldn't get them all out. She couldn't get anyone out with Bella and her gang in the castle. Her eyes looked around frantically, and I knew that she knew. Some lives were going to be lost to the hands of some stupid Death Eaters, and there was nothing she could do to save them all. She needed to save herself, but I knew she valued other lives before her own. Her hands rubbed her stomach, and a small tear fell from her as she quickly wiped it away and straightened her shoulders.

She was so fucking beautiful, and I ruined her.

I tainted her. I'm the one that made her this frantic mess in front of me. Everything was my fucking fault, and I didn't know how I could fix it.

Dumbledore.

Tell him or kill him. And I had to kill him, or Voldemort was going to kill me and my mother. I had no other option, and I knew that my decision would hurt Hermione even more. I ruined her life. I ruined her friendships. I would probably ruin her relationship with her parents if I ever met them. If she and I ever made it out of here alive.

Shit! I crept out of the shadows, but slowly fell back in as Hermione's head whipped to my hiding place. She pointed her wand to the darkness and walked towards me, her shoes never making a squeak as she got closer to me. My lips parted as she came to me, her face etched with stress and worry. I looked all over her face, memorizing every line, every freckle, every pimple. I wanted to keep her beautiful face in my memory, the last time I would see this face for a long time.

Slowly, I leaned my hand out, and her eyes widened as she looked from my fingers to my hiding place. She looked around, then grasped my hand and squeezed, a tear falling from her eye like a star falling from the sky.

"I'm so scared," she whispered, and she cringed as she heard more screams.

"So am I," I admitted. "But you need to get out of here, Hermione."

She shook her head and gasped. "I can't. Please, let me see you, Draco. I need you."

"No, you need to leave. Get out of here for Scorpius, Hermione."

"I can't just leave Ron and Harry. I can't leave everyone here to die."

I sighed and squeezed her hand, moving closer to the light to reach out to her with my other hand, but keeping my face in the darkness. She leaned closer to me, and her eyes fell close as my hand cradled her head, my thumb rubbing soothing circles on her cheek.

"I know you have to stay," I told her. "And while I fully disagree with this, I can't tell you what to do. This is all my fault anyway."

"No!" she seethed, and I was taken aback by the ferocity in her voice. She glared at me and squeezed my hand, planting a small kiss on my palm. "This is not your fault. This is Voldemort's. He made you do this, just as he made many other people do things they had no choice but to do. He forced you into this situation, and it is he that needs to pay. You are doing nothing wrong but trying to protect your life and your mother's life. You have to do these bad things in order to do a good thing: to keep your loved ones alive. This isn't your doing. If anyone dies, it is Voldemort who should carry that burden around, not you. Don't you dare try to take responsibility for this, Draco. If you had a choice, you wouldn't have done any of this. Voldemort is the only reason that you must do this. Voldemort is the reason lives are lost every day. Harry blames himself too, but it is Voldemort who forced him to be the savior for us. Voldemort is the one who must suffer and deal with the guilt of his actions, not you."

I shut my eyes and shook my head, sniffing as the tears rolled slowly down my cheeks. I never looked at Potter as a victim of Voldemort, but I can see how that is so. Potter lived when Voldemort tried to kill him, so that set Potter's life up to be the Chosen One. He was always the Chosen One because of the Dark Lord. When the Dark Lord kills, I can understand how Potter blames himself. He was the one who was supposed to save the wizarding world from Voldemort. Each life Voldemort took was a life Potter didn't save. But it wasn't his fault. Voldemort was the one who forced this life onto Potter. Voldemort forced this life of darkness on me. If my mother's life wasn't at risk, I would have told him no. But no wasn't an option when talking to the Dark Lord. No was never an option.

But it made me feel better, to think that Voldemort was to blame.

"You're right," I told Hermione, "but I will still carry this burden. If I hadn't listened to the Dark Lord, then no life would end tonight. But I listened, and I did what he wanted me to do."

"To save your mother, Draco! You have to understand that you're a good person for risking your own life to save your mother's."

"And those people out there now, screaming? That's my fault, Hermione! It's my fault that the Death Eaters are here, killing as we speak! It's my fault that your life is at risk! I will never forgive myself for this!"

She sighed and kissed my knuckles, and I sighed in content as she kissed the tips of my fingers. "You can't see it now," she whispered, "and neither can Harry, but this is not your fault. This will always be Voldemort's doing, and he wants you to carry this burden on your shoulders so he doesn't have to. You're just a pawn in his deadly game, Draco. This is his fault."

I exhaled and moved her ponytail from her shoulder. "I know it is. Hermione," I said, stepping back and smiling at her small frown as I left her, "I need you to go. Please Hermione, you've got to protect yourself." I set my hand on her belly, and my heart fluttered as I felt a kick in my palm. "You've got to protect Scorpius."

"Protect yourself, Draco."

"I will."

She glanced at the stairs of the Astronomy Tower and looked back at me through the darkness. "Dumbledore is up there."

"Hermione-"

"I hate this," she whispered. "I hate that you have to do this, but I know you must do it. But please, Draco, please, if you find any other way, please go the other route. If you don't have to kill him, please don't do it. If there is any life you can spare tonight, please spare his."

I pursed my lips and nodded, even though she couldn't see it. "Hermione," I said, my hand pushing her away from my corner. "Go. I'll find you."

She walked backwards and blew a kiss at me. "You better. I love you." She turned to the sound of a loud explosion and ran to it.

I stepped out of the shadows, watching as she ran and dodged spells, her hand carelessly and quickly throwing spells at the figures in black cloaks. "I love you more," I whispered in the silence. I turned and walked up the stairs of the tower, my hand pulling my wand out of my pocket as I took the steps two at a time. I made it to the tower, and I watched as Dumbledore's tall body turned around. His blue eyes glittered as they stared at me, and a small smile formed on his lips as he smoothed out his long beard. I swallowed and sneered at the wizard, my wand pointing at the spot between his eyes.

"Good evening, Draco," he greeted, and I frowned at his pleasantries. "What brings you here this evening?"

"Quiet!" I yelled, my arm shaking. "Stop talking!"

"Well, let me make this easy on you." He brought out his own wand, and I yelled the disarming spell at him, smirking as I caught the man's wand in my hand. I flinched as the screams of students filled the room of the tower, and the cackling of my aunt was heard not too far away.

"There are others?" I nodded, and his eyes widened. "How?"

"The Vanishing Cabinet in the Room of Requirement. I've been mending it."

He smiled, and my arm shook harder. "Ah, brilliant. I suspect there is a twin?"

"In Borgin and Burkes."

"Oh, Draco. How smart you are! Let me guess, the cursed necklace and the poisoned mead were your ideas, too?"

My brow furrowed, and my arm fell slightly. How the hell did he know?

He smiled and nodded. "While those are skilled and smart ideas, I can't help but think that they are cowardly and so novice."

Cowardly? Novice? I straightened my arm and stabbed my wand at him. "Stop talking!" I screamed, my heart pounding as I watched Dumbledore stand straight, that stupid smile on his face. "You think this is a game? You think I'm a coward and a novice for how I tried to fucking kill you? Where, the Dark Lord told me to do it! He trusts me!" I quickly lifted up my left sleeve to show my Dark Mark, and I instantly cringed as I saw it. Dumbledore had attacked my pride, and now I was showing him my Dark Mark because I was offended. This mark didn't make me a man. It made me a monster like my father. I quickly pulled the sleeve down in disgust and pointed the wand at Dumbledore again.

The old man stared at my left arm, and his eyes slowly lifted to stare into mine. "Draco, you don't have to do this."

"Yes, I do! If I don't do it, he's going to kill me and my mother."

"I know what Tom is capable of. Years ago, I knew him. I taught him. I saw him make all the wrong decisions, and I will not let that happen to you. Don't do this."

Tears fell from my eyes as my wand arm fell slightly again. "I have to! You don't understand!"

"I understand that you need your mother and Hermione safe."

I froze as his smile disappeared from his lips, and my wand arm shook and fell again. "What?"

"I know how hard it was for you to come to me, Draco. Your pride and insecurities clouded your judgement of me. I want you to know that I will help you."

I shook my head and moved closer to him. He didn't even flinch. "No, you won't. You're saying this so I don't kill you. You'll turn me in the second I let you go free. You don't care about me."

He moved closer to me. "Oh, but I do. I care so much about you, Draco. I cared enough to send your mother to a safe house, a house you can meet her at if you power your wand."

My eyes widened, and I stepped back from him, my hand shaking as I held my wand to his chest. I shook my head frantically, and I started heard Bella as she shouted for Snape. I glanced at the stairs, and then back at Dumbledore, his blue eyes shining as brightly as my mother's eyes. "My mother is safe?" I whispered, my heart pounding as I heard my mother's sweet laugh fill my ears.

Dumbledore nodded, and stepped closer to me. "You have a choice, Draco. You can see her. I've let someone I trust very much know where she is, and I've told them that they are to take you straight to her. But you have to lower your wand."

I let out a sob and stared at him through blurry eyes, my arm shaking as I struggled to keep it up. "I have to kill you. I can't. He's going to kill me, and then he'll go after my mum, and Hermione and the baby. I can't. I have to. I can't. I have to."

"I know you have to. I also know that you are not a killer. You are not a bad person, Draco Malfoy. You have seen bad things happen in your life, and you have been taught bad things, but you have the power to change that all, right now, in this moment." We both looked at the stairs as a door slammed. "You're running out of time, Draco."

I looked at him, stared deep into his blue eyes as a tear slid down his face. "Let me help you," he whispered, his voice cracking as he stepped closer to me.

By the time Bella and her crew had made it to the top of the stairs, my wand was tucked away in my pocket, and I was standing next to Dumbledore, a crumpled piece of paper weighing heavily in my other pocket.

Bella stared at me, her brow furrowed in confusion. "What is this?" she asked angrily, her eyes blazing.

"The boy is weak like his father!" Greyback roared, his hungry eyes staring at me with hate.

"Draco, kill him," Bella ordered, her hands shaking as I stood my ground next to Dumbledore.

I felt the paper in my pocket and glanced to a empty spot in the corner of the room. I swallowed the lump in my throat and exhaled softly. "I can't," I told her, and I heard a low growl from Greyback. "I won't kill him."

"What do you mean you won't kill him? You must kill him! It was ordered to you by the Dark Lord!"

"No, Aunt Bella! I will not kill this man!"

She screamed in frustration and took her wand out. I took my own out and pointed it at her, my heart racing as she stared at me incredulously, a deep frown etched on her face.

"Draco," she muttered, her eyes wide with shock. "Why are you doing this?"

"I can't kill, Bella. I can't be like you all. I am not a killer, and I am not Voldemort's toy."

She glared at me, red fire dancing in her eyes as her chest heaved up and down with her angered breaths. "Then get the hell out of my way!" she screamed. "I'll do it for you!"

"No."

I lowered my wand immediately as Snape's body stepped onto the floor, his beady eyes staring at me indifferently. I pursed my lips and stepped to the side, my hands sweating as he looked at me. "Draco, you failed."

I hung my head low and shook it. "No," I murmured, picking my head back up to stare at him with as much courage as I could muster. "I just changed my mind."

I flinched as I saw a small, fleeting smile pass his lips. It was there for a second, then disappeared in the blink of an eye.

"Severus," Dumbledore muttered, and I frowned as he looked at Snape pleadingly. Snape quickly took out his wand and pointed it at Dumbledore's chest. My eyes widened, and I tried to push Dumbledore out of the way, but he grabbed my arm and pushed me.

"Severus, please," the Headmaster pleaded.

"Avada Kadavra."

I froze as the green light shot out from Snape's wand and hit Dumbledore squarely in the chest. A horrified scream left my lips as I watched the Headmaster's body freeze and tip over the railing. I ran to the railing, my hands reaching out to try and grasp a part of Dumbledore, something that I could hold to keep him from falling, but all I grasped was air. My heart froze like ice and fell to the pit of my stomach as I watched my Headmaster fall like a piece of lead to the ground of his school. My blood turned cold, and my bones froze like steel as I watched him land, his white hair spreading out over the ground. I gripped the railing until my knuckles turned white as I heard Bella's cackling laughter. She ran to the railing and shot a spell to the sky, covering the clouds with the Death Eater mark. She turned to me and whispered in my ear, "I won't tell the Dark Lord if you apologize right now."

I turned to her, and suddenly, my hand was around her neck, and she gasped as I squeezed tightly, watching as her eyes bulged out. "Fuck you," I seethed, my hand tightening as I saw red flashing in my eyes. I was pulled off roughly, and I watched in satisfaction as she wheezed and gasped for air.

I was pulled to the stairs and blocked from the swears and growls of Greyback and the other Death Eaters. "Get out of here," Snape muttered roughly in my ear. "You're in too deep now. Take that paper and get to your mother."

I turned to him and tried to ask how he knew about the paper, but he pushed me down the stairs, saying, "I'll give them time to calm down before we come down. You need to be gone by then."

I glared at him and said, "Snape, how could-"

"Draco, go now!" He pushed me further down the stairs and turned to run back to the room. I ran my fingers roughly through my hair, my mind spinning as my heart raced through my chest. What the hell just fucking happened? I burst through the door and shakily walked through the hall, my head pounding as I ducked from the spells flying over my head. I made it to my hiding corner by the Astronomy stairs, and I fell to my knees, covering my mouth to quiet my loud sobs. Tears fell like waterfalls from my eyes, and I clutched my chest as it tightened painfully. Snape killed Dumbledore. Snape, the man that Dumbledore trusted, just killed him. How could he do that? Was it to protect me, like mother said? Fuck, why was this happening? I slapped my head over and over again, crying as I leaned my forehead on the floor.

"Malfoy!" I heard a cracked voice scream. I suddenly felt hands on my arms, trying to pull me from the ground. I shook my head and sobbed onto the floor.

"Malfoy, you've got to get up," I heard Potter's voice yell through my loud sobbing. I let him pull me up, and I cried harder as I saw the tears falling down his eyes.

"Potter, I'm so sorry," I told him, my chest heaving with my sobs.

He wiped his eyes and shook his head, sniffling as he tried to compose himself. "It wasn't you. You lowered your wand."

"But if my mother wasn't safe, if she wasn't somewhere living a good life, I would've killed him!" I screamed, grabbing my chest as the anxiety swelled.

Potter grabbed my arm, and I froze as I looked at his hand on the arm of the Dark Mark. "No, you wouldn't have," he told me. "Draco, you aren't a killer. You were lowering your wand before you knew your mother was safe. Now, come on. We've got to find Hermione and Ron so you can get to your mother."

Hermione. I wiped my face and ran without him, throwing spells at people that threw spells at me. The stench of blood and sweat mixed together and made me gag, but I kept running, my eyes skimming heads to find chestnut curls tied back into a high ponytail. Potter and I dodged and ducked, our own wands shooting out spells to the Death Eaters. I swore once I heard Bella's loud scream, and I knew she had spotted me. Potter grabbed my arm and pulled me down another hall, and I gasped once I saw a glimpse of those curls. A redheaded male followed Hermione into the Hospital Wing, and Potter and I were right behind them.

We shut the doors loudly, and Hermione and Weasley looked up to see us, their eyes wide with confusion and shock. I took in Hermione's dirt-covered face and her ripped clothes, her hair frizzed like a squirrel's bushy tail.

A large grin burst out on her face, and I grin burst on mine as well. We both ran to each other, and I laughed as I caught her in my arms and twirled her around the room, my nose buried in her neck as I felt her small body in my arms. I felt the wetness of her cheeks on my neck, and I clutched her tighter, gasping as I felt her small bump poke into my stomach.

"Draco!" she laughed as I set her down, my hands caressing her face as I stared into her shining, honey brown eyes.

"Hermione," I whispered, wiping her tears away as she glanced all over my face, looking for a scratch. I smirked and pulled her face to me, my lips instantly latching on to hers as I breathed her in. She moaned and clutched my head closer to her lips, and my arms encircled her waist as we drowned in each other.

"I love you so much," I murmured as I leaned my forehead on hers, and she sighed in delight as her thumbs rubbed my cheeks.

"Draco," Potter interrupted with a cough, "your mother."

I instantly let Hermione go as she stared at me in confusion, pulling out the crumpled paper and handing it to Hermione. She opened it and read it quickly, her eye wide as she looked at me.

"Your mother is at the Burrow?" She smiled as I nodded with a smile.

"You were right this whole time," I told her, my hand rubbing my face. "Dumbledore, he protected her. He got members from the Order to get her out of the manor unseen and got her to the Weasley home, where she's been taken care of for these last two weeks. Dumbledore knew everything about me from the beginning of the school year. He knew what my tasks were. He knew, and he still protected me."

Her smile fell once she looked at the frown on my face. She glanced at Potter, who was whispering to Weasley. Weasley's eyes widened, and his lips parted as he shook his head in disbelief. "Draco," Hermione asked, "did you do it?"

I shook my head and swallowed the sob that threatened to escape. "No, I couldn't. No, I couldn't do it once I looked at him, Hermione. And then he told me that he saved my mother for me, I couldn't just kill that man."

"Then what happened?"

I shook my head and ran my hand through my hair.

"Snape," Potter said quietly, his eyes shut tightly. "Snape killed Dumbledore. Draco had lowered his wand. It was Snape."

Hermione gasped, and her hand flew to her mouth as she shook her head back and forth. "What?" she said in disbelief, her eyes shining with unshed water. "How could he?"

I wrapped my arms around Hermione as she cuddled her face into my chest, a small sob leaving her lips. "I don't know," I admitted. "I can't believe it."

"Dumbledore trusted that snake!" Weasley screamed, and then his hateful glare landed on me. "And you? You think we're supposed to trust you just because you couldn't do what You-Know-Who told you to do?"

"Ron, stop it," Potter sighed tiredly.

"Yeah," I said calmly, rocking my girlfriend as I didn't spare Weasley a glance. "You can trust me because my mother is in your care. As long as you protect her, I'll do anything you want."

Hermione sniffed and picked her head up, leaving my arms as she paced back and forth. "We'll deal with that later, Ron. Right now, you'll have to trust him. I do."

"As do I," Potter piped in, his green eyes laying on me. I nodded in thanks, and he nodded back. Weasley groaned and slapped his forehead.

"That doesn't matter right now," Potter said. He took his cloak out of his pocket and handed it to me. "Put this on. We've got to get you out of the castle without being seen by Bellatrix, or she'll kill you."

"What?" Hermione screamed, and I inwardly smiled at the livid fire in her eyes. She was going to protect her man.

"We'll tell you later," Potter said. "I promised Dumbledore that I'd get Draco to his mother, and that's what we're going to do. We need to get him to the Burrow now. His mother already knows he'll be coming, so we can't disappoint."

"And then what?" I asked, my heart pounding in my ears as I heard Bella shouting for me. "What happens after I get to my mother? What happens to me?"

I felt a small hand grab mine, and I looked down to see Hermione staring at me with love in her eyes. "I don't know, Draco, but now that you're with us, I'm not letting you go. We'll figure this all out. Together."

I kissed the back of her hand and pressed my mother hand to her belly. "Together."

We beamed at each other before she let me go, and I threw the cloak over my head, staring at the Golden Trio as they stared back at me.

"Now you're invisible," Potter announced. He and his friends walked to the doors of the Hospital Wing and threw them open, watching out for Bella and any other Death Eaters. I blew out a breath and clutched the cloak tightly around me, running out of the Hospital Wing after the trio, undetected by Bella as Potter dueled with her. I was with Hermione. I was going to see my mother. I was alive.

And it was all thanks to Dumbledore.

As I ran with the trio out of the castle, I turned to glance back at the castle as I saw flames erupt from inside the castle. I stared at the Astronomy Tower and smiled, silently thanking Dumbledore for all of the things he's done for me, even if I never realized that he had really protected me for these seven years.

I ran with the trio past Hagrid's Hut, and I cringed as I heard Bella cackle and set the hut on fire. Hermione and Ron flattened themselves against a tree, and I did the same, as Bella and the rest of the Death Eaters ran right past me. I let out a breath that I didn't know I was holding and glanced back at Potter as Snape kicked his ass.

"Draco," Hermione whispered frantically, her eyes searching everywhere for me.

"I'm here," I said, and she smiled.

"Come on, we've got to go."

"And leave Potter?"

"I'm here," he whispered painfully as Weasley helped him to our tree. I watched as Snape flew past us, my eyes glaring at his disappearing form.

"He's the Half Blood Prince," Potter told the crew, and I furrowed my brow when Weasley cursed.

Hermione groaned. "Of course, he would be. He's the Potions Master. I can't believe I didn't-"

"Hermione," Weasley said, "there's no time for you to rant. We've got to get your boyfriend to his mummy."

"Damn straight," I muttered.

"You guys apparate to the Burrow," Potter said, and I looked at him in confusion. He shook his head to Hermione as she opened her mouth to protest. "I need to see him one last time."

My heart sunk as I realized who he was talking about. Weasley patted Potter on the back, and Hermione gave him a comfortable hug. He turned and ran back to the castle.

"You still there, Malfoy?" Weasley asked gruffly.

"Yes, I am," I said indifferently, coming to stand next to Hermione. A slow smile graced her beautiful lips as she felt my hand skim hers through the cloak.

"Well," Weasley said as he walked in front of Hermione and me, "are you ready to see your mother?"

I grabbed Hermione's hand, and she smiled bigger at me.

"Yes," I said, my heart hammering as images of my mother's smiling face flew through my mind, "I'm ready."

Weasley looked at our joined hands and nodded, grabbing Hermione's other hand. I didn't know what the Burrow looked like or if I would like the home of the Weasleys, but my mother was there, safe and sound, and I would never be able to thank Dumbledore enough for that. I closed my eyes with a large smile on my face as I felt that uncomfortable pull in my stomach, and with a quick whipping sound through the air, we had disappeared from the edge of the Forbidden Forest, leaving Potter and the other students to pick up the pieces of the ruined Hogwarts and Dumbledore's death.

And let the war begin.

Alright, I want to thank everyone for reading, favoriting, and following this story! I really enjoyed writing it, and even when I took those long breaks to focus on school, I wanted to write the story. But it is finished, and I really hope you guys enjoyed the ending!

I'm actually trash at endings, but I tried. If you want an epilogue, or sequel or something like that, you can PM me or leave it in a review!

So to analysis this chapter, it is just the end. Draco doesn't kill Dumbledore because he finally sees that the Headmaster has protected him like Hermione said he would, and he can't kill him after that. Draco will finally get to see if his mother is safe, and in return, he will do anything for the Order. Just as Hermione said would happen.

So pretty much, Hermione has been right throughout this story. She is a good judge of character, and she's the Brightest Witch of Her Age.

But will Draco ever get over this guilt he has from being a Death Eater? Will he and Hermione live happily ever after? That's for you all to decide, or, if you want me to decide for you, just let me know.

Please Review, Review, Review!

You guys have a great life! I love you all! Thanks for your support!