Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter nor any of its characters.

Hey guys, this is a story I've had playing around in my head for a while now, I got inspiration from Star Wars and so you will probably recognise similarities in the plot, just a heads up. I've rated it an M for now to play it safe because I'm not sure if I shall be including lemons later on. I probably will, lemons are great after all, aren't they? Updates will probably be irregular since I want make sure I've written ahead by at least five chapters at a time so bear with me.

It's set in an alternate universe where Draco is good...for now at least. Sirius was not killed in the Department of Mysteries. Voldemort's identity is unknown to all but a select few but that will all be explained later on in the plot. If you get confused please don't hesitate to drop me a message and I'll try and clear it up a little.

Since I haven't written too far ahead I may come back and tweak previous chapters a little when the later plot plays out. It is a tragedy and there will be a few major character deaths throughout the story so if you're looking for a happy ending, I'm afraid this probably isn't the story for you.

Enough of my rambling, so here it is. Tell me what you think.

Chapter I

He wanted nothing more than to be away. Far, far away. Away from his Father's unrelenting influence over him. Away from the prejudices and the grudges he had been brought up to hold against them. But it was too late for that now, and there was no way he was going to come out of this unscathed. He was damned either way. His Father had claimed that it was a matter of pride that he carry out this task on behalf of his mysterious Master, the Master that had never shown his face to Draco, the Master that remained anonymous throughout most of Draco's life as one of his alleged minions, the Master that had commanded him through his Father to perform such a task, but could he bring himself to do it?

Of course not. He had never been a pleasant child and he had his Father in particular to thank for that. He had been brought up to know that he was better than everyone else around him, he was the perfect specimen with his rugged good looks, his sharp tongue and quick mind. But he wasn't perfect, far from actually. If he and his family were so perfect then why did he have to kneel to a Master who was too cowardly to even show his face to him. Why was he the one to have to suffer like this and go out on a limb just to satisfy one of his whims.

In reality, he, Draco Malfoy had been commanded through his Father by this Master to do the unthinkable for a young man like him. He had been commanded to kill someone, someone who in all honesty he hadn't been particularly close to throughout the years he had attended Hogwarts, in fact this someone had irritated him immensely on occasion with his endless speaking in riddles and his plain blindness to things that had happened throughout his six years. Someone who didn't know Draco at all, to him, Draco was simply a name on a list, a bed in the dormitories and nothing more but that didn't mean Draco wanted to kill him at all.

Albus Dumbledore had always been a bit of a mystery to Draco. The old Headmaster had never actually taken much interest in him at all, but then again he never took any interest in any Slytherin child since an event that happened many years ago, an event which no one would ever dare speak of to the students that walked these halls in fear of their corruption. Draco had been told by the few teachers that actually cared enough about their students to overcome house prejudices to notice that he actually had a lot of potential to become something greater than what he already was and at first Draco hadn't known what they had meant until he had slowly gained abilities that weren't normal to many witches and wizards.

He had discovered that he had the ability to penetrate other wizard's minds and read their innermost thoughts without more than a meaningful glance their way. He conducted some research into his condition and discovered that it was exceedingly rare to come across a young wizard like him who could perform wandless and non-verbal Legilimency and Occlumency which awed Draco more than anything and he thought it best to keep his ability to himself. Then he started having the visions, to start with they were little glimpses of the near future than were pretty much meaningless until he discovered that his visions became reality. They were like dreams of a sort, they came to him when he slept, but he could easily distinguish them from dreams. His visions were more vivid and realistic whilst his dreams were hazy and forgotten almost as soon as they had ended although his visions stayed ingrained in his mind.

It was by these visions that he had become aware that his Father's Master was going to command him to do this. But his vision was only a few hours earlier to the actual event itself and so he had no time to try and prevent it from happening. He had been told to kill Albus Dumbledore, eliminate his very existence from the Wizarding World and his Father put particular emphasis on the fact that if he failed in his endeavours that his own life would be used as a replacement, and it was this revelation that scared Draco more than anything.

He didn't want to be a bad wizard, even if it was what his Father had brought him up to be, a spiteful bully at school who was being groomed to fall into line next to his Father and bow to this mysterious Master. He had wanted to create a good image for himself from the first day at Hogwarts, he had stretched out his hand of friendship to Harry Potter in the hope that he didn't turn out to be horrible as his Father had predicted but he had been shot down in the process. It was Draco's first proper rejection and there were plenty more throughout their six years at Hogwarts to come which were mainly down to Harry Potter, the Golden Boy, and Dumbledore's favourite pupil.

He had become colder the more people judged him because of who his Father was until he had managed to build up a cold exterior to himself which provided him with impenetrable barriers that protected his true self from the outside world. Nobody else would know that deep down, he was sensitive; he didn't like watching people cry before him especially because of the words he had said, he loved his Mother more than anything in the world and that sometimes he wished he could just end it all.

He had tried a few times to opt for the easy way out and attempt to wriggle his way out of this awful predicament. Either way he would die, he would be killed by his Father or their Master for failing to complete his task or he would fulfil it and it would destroy him so taking his own life by his own hand seemed the better option but it hadn't worked out the past few times and it hadn't worked now, as he stood before a porcelain sink in the abandoned old girls bathrooms in the dead of the night trying to regain his breath after another failed attempt at trying to drown himself.

He wanted to get out now more than ever because this moment was the opportune moment to strike. Harry Potter was away from Hogwarts tonight and so Dumbledore was left unguarded and so would be easier to access. Draco's continuous observations of Dumbledore had revealed to him that the Headmaster was cursed and was becoming increasingly vulnerable by the day and so it shouldn't be too hard to take him down in a duel and put the man out of his misery. But did he really have willpower to say those two words that would end his Headmasters life?

He ran his fingers through his hair in frustration once more as his stomach flipped violently and his heart beat increased erratically. He would have to kill Albus Dumbledore. He took one last weary look at his reflection in the mirror certain that it would be the last time he would ever see himself again because he knew deep down he would fail his task and that actually seemed like the better option for Draco. The Wizarding World would be better off if Albus Dumbledore lived for another day at the expense of Draco Malfoy's life.

Well, this is it. Now or never I guess. He thought quietly and in the reflection of the dirtied mirror he gave himself a sad smile and a grim nod of the head in acknowledgement. He knew from his previous visions that he would find his Headmaster on the Astronomy Tower seemingly waiting for him, but what happened after that was still a mystery to Draco and he didn't want to find out. But he already knew what would happen. He hadn't had any visions that stretched further than this night into the future so it must mean he would fail and die and so that is what he had prepared himself for. Death. And he hoped it would be a kind death, perhaps he would ask Dumbledore to finish him off quickly so he wasn't subjected to his Father's merciless torture.

He felt around in the pocket of his robes for his wand and his fingers curled around the familiar hawthorn wood, the wand that he was expected to fire the worst curse there is at a man who supposedly trusted him. Who was he kidding? Nobody trusted a Malfoy, especially after all of his Father's betrayals. At least he was going to have a little bit of help. His Father had insisted that he let some other Death Eaters into the school to provide a distraction and so that was exactly what he was going to do.

He draped his black cloak over his shoulders and swept away, out of the bathroom and stealthily crept through the lifeless corridors of Hogwarts heading for the Room of Requirement. He took extra time to walk a little slower, of course he could get caught but he'd rather be at Filch's mercy and have an excuse for his failure but much to his dismay Filch didn't show and nobody stopped him as he stole away into the Room of Requirement and carefully picked his way through the endless shelves of discarded junk that nobody cared for anymore.

He ground to a halt as he caught sight of the white sheet covering the cabinet which he had spent most of his year on fixing and now it was finally to fulfil its purpose. He raised a hand and ran his fingers down the cool but dusty wood that made up the cabinet. He knew they were all waiting on the other side and it was his unfortunate duty to grant them access to the place he had called home for the past six years so that they could wreak havoc throughout its halls.

He sighed deeply and closed his eyes, whipping out his wand and tapping it on the wood before muttering the incantation. "Harmonia Nectere Passus" As soon as the words had rolled off his tongue, there was no taking them back and the magical gate had been opened to his Father's minions waiting on the other side of the cabinet. It wasn't long before they all slipped out of the cabinet bickering amongst each other as to who would kill who and destroy what but Draco paid them no heed and instead moved swiftly on his way wishing he could be anywhere else other than here, in this situation.

He could hear the echoes of the laughter of some of the lower ranking Death Eaters behind him as they began to rifle through the items on the shelves that they passed as they followed Draco towards the exit of the room where he would release them to do what they needed to do and he sincerely hoped that all of the students would stay in their dormitories. He was going to be responsible for taking one life on this night and didn't really want many more lives on his conscience.

He left them in a split in the corridor, they carried on towards the grand staircase where he assumed they would all split up and go about their own business whilst he slipped into a side door and began to drag himself up the extensive winding staircase that lined the Astronomy Tower. He didn't run, but took the stairs one at a time as he planned what he would say to the Headmaster. Perhaps he shouldn't say anything, and just kill the man and be on his way. But surely he owed him an explanation of sorts, he deserved that at least.

His breathing hitched when he saw the top of the staircase that opened up into the room that had been the subject of his recent visions. Dumbledore was supposed to be waiting there for him, so surely the man was armed. Draco steeled himself and crept up the last flight of stairs and as his visions had predicted, Dumbledore was waiting for him although he hadn't seen him just yet. The man was watching the cloudy night sky from over the railings, his silver wispy hair was blowing slightly in the breeze and he looked peaceful but Draco wasn't here to admire, he had a job to do no matter how much he may dislike it. As if on cue, Dumbledore turned slowly and as soon as Draco saw his wand at the ready, he leapt forward and found his voice.

"Expelliarmus." He shouted and watched as Dumbledore's uniquely shaped wand was flung out of his hand and flown over the edge of the tower. Draco was confused, Dumbledore was supposed to be one of the most powerful wizards the world had ever known and yet a mere boy of sixteen had managed to disarm him single-handedly without even the raise of a wand in his own defence. He furrowed his brow slightly and looked at Dumbledore who regarded him.

"Good evening, Draco." He said calmly which caused Draco to become even more confused. Surely the man would be showing some signs of panic in a situation such as this. He was without any means of defence at all and at the mercy of an alleged Death Eater. But Draco wasn't a Death Eater, not yet. His Mother had been able to buy him some time but his Father had still insisted on the behalf of his Master that this must be done by none other than Draco.

Who else is here?" Draco asked eyeing his surroundings nervously. If his Headmaster wasn't even breaking a sweat then surely he must believe himself to be protected which means someone else must be in the room. Although from where he was standing, he could see the whole expanse of the room and he was certain that they were alone.

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

"No, I've got back-up. There are Death Eaters here in your school tonight." Draco admitted ashamedly, hoping that Dumbledore wouldn't pick up on the hint of regret in his voice.

"And where are they now? You seem unsupported." Dumbledore pointed out.

"They won't be long ... I came on ahead. I-I've got a job to do." Draco said, more to himself than anybody else but he could feel his little motivation waning.

"Well, then, you must get on and do it, my dear boy." Dumbledore coaxed him which was confusing Draco more and more with each word that came from the Headmaster's mouth. He couldn't understand it; this wasn't the way it was supposed to be at all. He was expecting his Headmaster to be on his knees begging for his life, pleading for Draco's mercy and in fact, at the moment Draco would have preferred that to this.

"Draco, Draco, you are not a killer."

"How do you know?" Draco asked.

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..." Dumbledore pondered aloud. Spot on, yet again old man. Draco thought to himself but remained silent to the Headmaster before him.

"Perhaps you ought to get on with the job." Dumbledore suggested and Draco's hand wavered slightly as he stood rooted to the spot, not saying a word. He couldn't go through with it now. How naive had he been to think that the Headmaster hadn't noticed anything at all. "I see. You are afraid to act until they join you." Dumbledore spoke kindly.

"I'm not afraid. It's you who should be scared!" Draco cried exasperatedly as he could hear the echoes of bangs and crashes of the fighting below.

"But why? I don't think you will kill me, Draco. Killing is not nearly as easy as the innocent believe." Dumbledore spoke firmly and Draco took this moment to plunge into Dumbledore's mind as he filtered through his memories and was shocked at what he found. He knew everything.

"Why didn't you stop me?" Draco whispered confused. He was angry that all of his suffering could have been put to a halt with a few words from Dumbledore. They were interrupted by the sounds of more crashing that was seemingly getting closer and Draco knew his time was coming to a close.

"There is little time, one way or another, so let us discuss your options, Draco." Dumbledore said quickly.

"My options? I'm standing here with a wand-I'm about to kill you-" He trailed off as he tried to comprehend the situation. Dumbledore was winning and he was letting him.

"My dear boy, let us have no more pretence about that. If you were going to kill me, you would have done it when you first disarmed me."

"I've got to do it! He'll kill me! He'll kill my Mother!" Draco cried in frustration.

"I can help you, Draco." Dumbledore soothed.

"No, you can't. Nobody can. He told me to do it or he'll kill me. I've got no choice."

"Come over to the right side, Draco, and we can hide you more completely than you can possibly imagine. What is more, I can send members of the Order to your mother tonight to hide her likewise…come over to the right side, Draco ... you are not a killer ..."

Draco relaxed his wand arm and let out a long sigh, he was going to die for this. The door burst open from behind him and Draco's heart dropped at the thought that the Death Eaters were here and there was no way out now at all. But then he heard a voice he hadn't expected to hear at all.

"Draco, stop." Came the voice of his cousin, Sirius Black. Draco whirled his head around and his eyes widened, his ears were not deceiving him. What in the name of Merlin was Sirius doing here, and with Harry Potter at his side no less.

"Stop my boy. Your Mother sent me, and it seems I've gotten here just in time." He breathed and Draco began to shake. His Mother had saved him from his fate.

"Put your wand down, Malfoy." Harry growled at Draco who happily dropped his wand to the floor.

"Now, Harry. He wasn't going to do it." Sirius reassured him before stepping forward and placing his hands on Draco's shoulders and looking him in the eyes. "We can protect you. Come with us now, Draco."

Draco's head was buzzing, surely this wasn't happening. He was supposed to be killed for failing his task not be saved by his Mother through Sirius Black. "But…the Death Eaters…my Father…" He stuttered.

"All will be taken care of. Now you must come, we need to hide you quickly." Dumbledore announced and Draco turned shyly to the Headmaster and nodded in thanks before Dumbledore took his arm as well as Sirius' and disapparated.