Hogwarts, the top of the Astronomy Tower.
A cold wind howled.
Dumbledore stood at the edge of the high platform, quietly gazing at the distant mountains illuminated by lightning.
He seemed to be admiring the night view, yet also seemed to be waiting for something.
From the stairway leading to the top of the tower came a series of hurried and erratic footsteps.
A figure rushed up.
It was Draco Malfoy.
His face was as pale as paper, his blonde hair was a mess, and the hand holding his wand shook like a leaf in the wind.
"Expelliarmus!"
Draco shouted the spell with all his might.
A flash of red light hit Dumbledore.
The elder wand flew from his hand, tracing a graceful arc in the air before landing on the edge of the platform below.
Dumbledore raised his hands and slowly turned around.
His expression was terrifyingly calm, even carrying a hint of a smile.
"Good evening, Draco."
Draco pointed his wand at Dumbledore, breathing heavily, his chest heaving violently.
"Who else is here?"
"A good question," Dumbledore said, "but tonight, it is only you and I."
"I took out a Death Eater and placed a curse in the corridor," Draco's voice was shrill with fear, "They'll be up here soon! My reinforcements!"
"Oh?" Dumbledore looked at him with interest, "Well done. But I suspect there will be no reinforcements for you tonight."
Draco's heart sank suddenly.
"What... what are you talking about?"
"Come now, Draco, we can talk." Dumbledore's voice was gentle yet full of power, "No one will be hurt."
"I can't!" Draco screamed hysterically, "You don't understand! I have to do this! He'll kill me! He'll kill my whole family!"
"You have more choices than you think, Draco." Dumbledore took a step forward, "We can protect you and your mother..."
"No! You can't protect us!" Draco stepped back, the tip of his wand trembling violently, "I have to kill you! Or... he'll kill me..."
Time passed minute by minute.
The wind at the top of the tower grew stronger, making one's cheeks sting.
The scene Draco had envisioned—Death Eaters rushing to the top of the tower to support him—failed to happen.
The stairway was empty, silent as death.
There was only Dumbledore's calm gaze and the howling wind in his ears.
At that moment, his psychological defenses began to crumble inch by inch.
Where were the reinforcements?
Where was Dolohov? Where were the Carrow siblings? Where were the people who had agreed to witness his moment of glory?
Why... had not a single person come?
"Where are they?" Draco's voice carried a sob, nearing a breakdown, "They should be here! They promised me!"
Dumbledore just watched him quietly, his azure eyes filled with pity.
"It seems, Draco," Dumbledore said softly, "there has been a small accident with your plan."
The confrontation atop the Astronomy Tower fell into a bizarre stalemate.
Draco Malfoy held his wand, yet he looked like a lost child, his face written with the panic of being abandoned.
The plan he was so proud of, the proof of loyalty he had staked his family's lives on, had become an absurd joke.
No reinforcements, no witnesses.
Only he and Dumbledore, along with the increasingly cold night wind.
"This isn't real..." Draco muttered to himself, his mind on the verge of collapse, "They couldn't have... His orders..."
"Sometimes, even Lord Voldemort's orders encounter unforeseen obstacles."
Dumbledore's voice remained calm, "Draco, put down your wand. Everything that happened tonight can be forgotten. You can be granted asylum."
Draco looked at Dumbledore; those gentle eyes held no mockery, only sincerity.
The hand holding his wand began to sink slowly, uncontrollably.
Just then, a deliberate set of footsteps came from the stairway.
A slender figure shrouded in black robes appeared at the top of the tower.
It was Severus Snape.
He took in the scene: a disarmed Dumbledore and a Draco on the verge of collapse.
His face showed no expression, but a flash of indescribable, complex emotion flickered in his obsidian eyes.
Seeing Snape, Draco felt as if he had grasped his last lifeline.
"Professor! Professor, you're here!"
Snape ignored him, walking straight toward Dumbledore.
Dumbledore looked at Snape, and in the moment their eyes met, both understood what the other meant.
The plan had spun completely out of control.
The original script was for Snape to complete the final undercover mission of 'killing Dumbledore' in front of many Death Eaters to gain Lord Voldemort's ultimate trust.
But now, there was not a single audience member.
"Severus..." Dumbledore spoke, his voice carrying a hint of exhaustion and resolve that no one else could understand.
This was a signal.
Even without an audience, the play had to go on.
Snape drew his wand, his movements slow and steady.
He had to fulfill that Unbreakable Vow.
He had to fulfill his promise to Dumbledore.
Draco watched this scene in horror, finally realizing that Snape wasn't there to save him, but to replace him.
Snape raised his wand, aiming it at Dumbledore's calm chest.
"Avada—"
The first syllable of the curse had just been uttered.
"Petrificus Totalus!"
A swift red light suddenly shot out from the shadows of the stairway, accurately hitting Snape in the back!
Snape's body stiffened instantly, and the black light of the curse died at the tip of his wand.
Like a statue, he maintained his wand-raising pose and fell forward heavily with a dull 'thud.'
Draco let out a scream of terror and collapsed to the ground.
For the first time, a look of astonishment appeared on Dumbledore's face.
Two figures stepped out from the shadows.
Hermione Granger walked in front, her face showing a level of calm and determination beyond her years, her hand still gripping the wand that had just fired the spell.
Lia followed behind her, her sky-blue pupils scanning the scene before finally resting on Dumbledore.
"Mr. Principal," Hermione's voice rang out in the silent tower, clear and powerful, "I believe your sacrifice plan contains a serious strategic error. I still cannot agree to it."
Dumbledore looked at Hermione, then at the fallen Snape, and finally at Draco, who was huddled in a corner shivering.
He had lived for over a century and meticulously planned countless games that changed the world's landscape.
This was the first time his chessboard had been overturned by a student in such a blunt and direct manner.
"Hermione..." his voice was somewhat dry.
"He still wants to die." Lia suddenly spoke, pointing at Dumbledore, her small face full of confusion. "And he," she pointed to the petrified Snape, "is so angry, he's practically fuming."
That one sentence made the already frozen atmosphere even more bizarre.
"Nonsense!"
With a roar, the Petrificus Totalus was forcibly broken.
Snape scrambled up, his face ashen, and bellowed at Hermione: "Granger! You foolish, self-righteous girl! Do you have any idea what you've ruined!"
"I know I stopped a meaningless death." Hermione met Snape's angry gaze without fear, "I also know about your Unbreakable Vow. But trading the Principal's life for a so-called 'trust' is a bad bargain."
Snape shook with rage, his wand pointed at Hermione, yet he could not bring himself to cast a spell.
He could not attack a student here, especially in front of Dumbledore.
Dumbledore leaned down and picked up his elder wand.
The moment the wand returned to his hand, the aura belonging to the strongest White Wizard once again enveloped the entire tower top.
"Enough, Severus." Dumbledore spoke, stopping Snape.
He looked at Hermione with an extremely complex expression.
There was reproach, helplessness, admiration, and even a sense of relief.
"So, Miss Granger," he asked, "did the Death Eaters enjoy the 'welcome gift' you sent them?"
Hermione remained silent.
Dumbledore really did know everything.
"I suspect most of them won't have the chance to share their reviews," Hermione replied calmly.
"A very... brilliant arrangement." Dumbledore sighed, like an old man made both to laugh and cry by a naughty granddaughter, "Using Ancient Runes to amplify the curse energy of Dark Arts items, and then using space arrays for targeted clearing. At your age, I was still researching how to make teacups tap dance."
He walked to the edge of the tower, overlooking the silent campus in the darkness.
"You have disrupted Lord Voldemort's plan, and you have disrupted mine. Now, we all stand at a brand new, unknown crossroads."
Hermione didn't speak, just silently put away her wand.
Lia walked to Hermione's side, took her hand, and then looked curiously at Draco huddled in the corner.
"Hermione, this thing is shivering constantly. Is it cold?"
Hearing the word "thing," Draco's body shook even more violently.
"Hermione," Dumbledore turned around, his voice regaining its usual steadiness, "You won the night. But the war has only just begun. Since you've overturned the chessboard, you must be prepared to face a mad opponent who no longer follows any rules."
He glanced at Snape, who was glaring at Hermione with a look that suggested he wanted to skin her alive.
"Severus, take Mr. Malfoy to your office and give him a glass of warm milk to calm his nerves. I suspect he's had more of a fright tonight than all of us combined."
Snape gave a dissatisfied cold snort but complied with the order. He roughly grabbed Draco and dragged him toward the stairway like a sack of potatoes.
Only Dumbledore, Hermione, and Lia remained at the top of the tower.
"Miss Granger and Miss Lia," Dumbledore looked at the two of them, his eyes behind the half-moon spectacles seeming to pierce through everything, "Since you have chosen this path, I hope you have already thought of the next step."
Hermione and Lia looked up, meeting Dumbledore's gaze.
"Of course." Hermione nodded, exchanging a look with Lia.
Lia added the rest.
"The feeling of death isn't pleasant; our plan never included the option of'sacrifice.'"
...Treasures, gomen nasai! I just realized that comments are being swallowed, I can't see what you're saying! I only found out after switching accounts! I'll be careful to reply later! Sorry! (╥_╥)
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