ch 55 : he trusted you

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You were completely still as you saw Draco holding his wand and pointing it at Dumbledore with a pained expression. He cried, "Don't you understand? I have to do this. I have to kill you." Draco's voice cracked as he whispered, "Or he's gonna kill me."

You put your hand over your mouth and hurried towards the stairs. Your mind was racing, but you knew that Draco needed some help, even if it put you in harm's way. When you saw Bellatrix Lestrange coming up the stairs towards you, you slid to the side and shoved your back against the wall next to the opening. Your heart pounded in your chest.

Bellatrix made it to the top and sickeningly sang, "Well, look what we have here. Well done, Draco."

You and Harry made eye contact as you put the back of your hand to your mouth and felt like you were going to be sick. You needed to do something and fast. You watched as Draco's arm seemed to be slowly lowering, and you knew that he didn't want to do this. He needed help.

You tuned out their words overhead as you turned to leave the stairwell again, pulling your wand out with shaking hands. You jumped when Professor Snape stepped into the opening and put his fingers to his lips while looking at you and Harry.

You let out the breath you hadn't known you'd been holding. Professor Snape was here. He would handle it. He motioned for you to be quiet and stay put. You lowered your wand and watched him disappear up the steps too. You stepped closer to Harry as you started to shiver, and not from the cold. You stared up, hopeful that Professor Snape would dissolve the situation, but your heart stopped when Snape pointed his wand at Dumbledore.

Dumbledore sighed, "Severus. Please..."

You felt frozen in place as you watched Professor Snape command, "Avada Kedavra."

Bellatrix cheered as Dumbledore flew off the Astronomy Tower. You heard the loud cry leave your lips without being fully aware that it was you who was crying. Bellatrix slowly ran her tongue over her teeth and grinned, "Is someone else here?"

Draco's eyes looked around nervously as a pit settled in his stomach. After the Triwizard Tournament, he could pick that cry out of a lineup. It wasn't safe for you here, and his heart raced knowing that you were nearby.

Harry had thrown his hand over your mouth and pushed you out of sight of the entrance to the platform. You were staring at him with wide eyes and hyperventilating. A rage filled up Harry's being as he began to process what just happened. As soon as the group had left the tower and had reached the ground below, Harry began to chase them.

You followed behind at a distance, holding your wand shakily and trying to stop your tears that seemed to flow down your face without your consent.

You choked when you saw Dumbledore's crumpled form lying on the ground and more sobs wracked from your chest at the sight. You dropped to your knees beside Dumbledore and put your shaking fingers to your mouth as you cried. You tried to think of some healing spell you could do to fix this, but you came up empty.

Your thoughts were swirling with regret. You never should have trusted that Snape was going to help. Why didn't you go up there first before checking on Harry? Maybe things would have been different if you hadn't seen your brother first, but a tiny voice in the back of your mind reminded you that you might be gone too if you had gotten to Draco first. You choked back a sob as you watched Harry chase their group.

Your despair only seemed to spur Harry on. Harry screamed, "Snape, he trusted you!"

Snape slightly turned around and saw the Potter twins falling apart. Draco turned around too, and he wondered if anyone else heard the way his heart cracked when he watched you stare back at him in fear and misery. He did this to you. He made you afraid by starting the chain of events that killed Dumbledore.

Snape commanded to Draco, "Go on."

Snape looked at you, but it lasted for less than a second. Harry swore he saw pain flash over Snape's face while he saw you. Harry yelled, "Look what you've done! Incarcerous! Fight back, you coward! Fight back!"

Bellatrix casted a curse at Harry, which made you abruptly stand and point your wand at the black-haired monster.

"No. He belongs to the Dark Lord," Snape drawled at Bellatrix.

You hurried towards Harry as he rose to his feet and yelled, "Sectumsempra!"

Snape easily blocked this and knocked Harry off his feet with a counterspell. He began to step closer to the two of you, but you took a deep breath and held up your wand higher. You pointed it at Snape and stared at him without a trace of the smile that Snape was so used to you donning in class.

Snape ignored you as he sneered to Harry, "You dare use my own spells against me, Potter? Yes, I'm the Half-Blood Prince."

You called, "Protego." An invisible shield formed around you and Harry while you continued to keep your wand trained on Snape. He tilted his head to the side at your spell but turned to leave after you casted it.

While trying to regain some control of your shaky breaths, you wiped away the remaining tears that had begun to dry to your face. You silently conjured your Patronus and sent it off for help as you crouched next to Harry.

Snape looked back and hesitated when he saw the Patronus for part of a second, but he quickly turned around and ran with the group before they all disappeared into the forest.

Professor McGonagall ran outside in her robes not long after, which you knew meant that your Patronus had done its job in retrieving help. You let your shield drop when you saw the worried professor.

Professor McGonagall hurried over to the two of you and questioned, "What's happened, Miss Potter?"

Harry rasped, "Dumbledore is dead, and Snape killed him."

"Bellatrix Lestrange and other death eaters were just here. It isn't safe," You urged Professor McGonagall as you rose to your feet.

Soon, other professors and students started to slip outside because of the dark mark Bellatrix had casted into the sky, and you noticed a few first year Hufflepuffs looking especially terrified. You tried to steel yourself, even as you felt the horror of what happened settle over you like a suffocating veil.

Harry pulled himself to his feet and took McGonagall to Dumbledore's side, but you calmly made your way to the trembling first years. You tugged a group of them in close and hushed, "It's alright. The danger's gone now. It'll be alright." You looked to Hermione and Ron with a steely gaze and a deep frown as you did your best to comfort the kids who had begun crying into your sides. This wasn't right. These were just kids. They shouldn't know heartbreak like this.

You knew that when the time came, you would fight for people like them, and you wouldn't stop until you won.

//AN: Early update because so many people have been leaving really sweet comments. 😘 Love you all.

-Lizz//

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