I was going to kill that tall blonde ferret when I got my hands on him. I stomped loudly through the castle, quick and heavy, walking with purpose as I looked around for my so called partner in crime. I had just left Mcgonagall's office after being 'scolded' because for some reason whenever something happens around here, either myself or the golden trio is around. We didn't get in trouble, but even if we did the only thing running through our minds was if Katie Bell was going to be okay. 

"Where is he?" I asked Blaise as I clambered through the door to the Slytherin Common Room. He looked up from the table he was doing his homework at and raised an eyebrow. 

"Your brother or your snuggle buddy?" He asked with a smirk across his face. I glare before waving my hand causing all his parchment and quills to fly across the room. The defeated look on his face caused a smirk of my own to appear. 

"Considering my brother is over in that corner making out with some fifth year, you know who I need to find." I said motioning over to my brother who was sitting on a couch under the window, with some blonde fifth year whose name escapes me sprawled across his lap. Blaise sighed and pointed over to the staircase of the dorms. 

I waved my hand making his parchment go back to their original place, earning a satisfactory smile from Blaise before running down the stairs to the boys dormitories. I found Draco pacing back and forth in the dorm, but soon enough I had slammed the boy into the wall.

"What the hell, Draco? We said nobody would get hurt!" I growled, shoving my arm into his chest. Draco sneered before trying to push me away, but I won in just shoving him back to his original spot. 

"The idiot wasn't supposed to open the package!" He yelled. 

"It doesn't matter! This is our mission Draco, not anyone else. I was not consulted on this, what the hell is going on in your head?" 

Draco shoved me away hard with both hands, but I caught the end of his bed before I hit the floor. "I don't see you coming up with any bright ideas." He said before walking over to sit on the end of  his bed. And there he is, the snarky fourth year Draco popping out again. Nice to see you again, Not!

"I love you, but I swear if anyone else I care about gets hurt because of your dumb ideas, I will stupefy you into next week." 

"Arent I one of those people, Ali? Aren't I one of those darling people you care about so much. Because if we don't do this, I will end up dead and you know that!" Draco's voice was escalating quickly so I flicked my hand and cast a silencing charm on the room. 

"Yes Draco, but we were unfortunate enough to find ourselves in this situation. With this ugly ass mark on our arms. Katie Bell isn't a death eater and wouldn't hurt a fly, why did she deserve to get cursed like that. I know you, and I can see it's killing you inside that she got hurt. So why do it?" 

Draco sighed before falling back on the bed, his arms laying across his eyes. I crawled over onto the bed beside him and rested my hand on his chest. I could feel his heavy breathing, and knew he was once again on the verge of a breakdown. "Draco, stop. Calm down." I whispered feeling one of his many panic attacks coming on quickly. 

"'Im dead. He's going to kill me. I can't do this." He kept mumbling under his breath. 

"Draco, do you care about me at all?" I asked in frustration. Draco calmed down slightly, removing his arms to peek over at me and nod his head. "Then you have to stop. I won't let him kill you. And if it makes you feel any better he made the unbreakable vow with me that he wouldn't harm anyone I love, that includes you. So you're safe for now." 

Draco seemed content with my answer and crawled under his covers and soon enough fell asleep. I however wasn't tired or in the mood to be down here in the dungeons, so I headed to my own dorm.

~

Hermione was still awake when I entered our dorm, of course reading a book she had read seven times already. "Hey Mione." I said before pulling out my potions book to finish up the essay that was due the next afternoon. 

"Oh, hello Ali." She responded with a smile, and she gently placed her book on her end table. "Oh, speaking of Potions. Professor Slughorn wanted me to give you this. I got one as well as Harry. It's some club for students he finds interesting, theres a dinner next weekend." 

"Well no need to read this then." I chuckled as I slipped it into my school bag. "I don't see how being an accused death eater makes me interesting though." 

"You're far from that Ali." Hermione said. "You won the tri-wizard tournament with Harry, flew on a dragon, and faced Voldemort all on your own. I think that qualifies you as very interesting. Not to mention your amazing abilities." 

"Some days I wish i didn't have these powers though." I said defeated as I fell back onto my bed, Hermione soon joined me. "They've become a bit of a burden." 

"You're strong Ali. You are one of the strongest people I've ever met, and you are probably one of the only people who could control all of those powers that you have. Theres a war coming, and whatever side you're fighting for is guaranteed to win in the end."

"What do you mean, whatever side I'm fighting for?" I asked with a frown. Did she not trust me? Had we not been friends for three years? Did she honestly think I would fight in a war on the side against everyone that I loved? If she really thought all of that, she wasn't as smart as everyone made her out to be. 

Hermione twiddled with her fingers like she always did when she was nervous. Like she currently was doing. It was habit she had that I hadn't seen her do since she saw how lethargic I had become last year. 

"You told Voldemort you would join him at the ministry, we all heard you. Do you really think we should believe that he let you go without doing what you said you would?" 

I frowned even harder and pulled my left sleeve down, exposing my bare arm to her. Bare to her eyes, but Draco and I knew the truth of what was really there. Hermione was right, I had joined his side, I had willingly gone with him and taken the dark mark of my own free will. But she didn't know I had taken it to protect her and everyone else. That was something she would never know about, nobody needed to know that. It was secret between me and Draco. And even more so I couldn't let the fact that I'm working as a double agent for Dumbledore. That was something I would have to trust to stay between us and Snape.

But how long could I keep up this facade? When School ended where did I go? For Christmas break where would I stay? When Voldemort ordered me to kill someone else, would I be able to do that? The lives of my family and friends are at risk, and while I know Voldemort wouldn't harm me, my family is a different story. When the war was upon us what was I supposed to do? Hope someone from one side or the other didn't kill me? Maybe that would be best, the stress of the situation and thinking about everything too much was making me sick.

Hermione looked down at my bare skin and sighed. "I'm sorry Ali, I just don't think you told us the whole story." 

I shrugged. "Believe what you want to. But some things are bigger than you, bigger than even you can comprehend. Just be thankful you don't know about any of it. " 

And with that I left the room, hoping to find a peaceful place in the castle. But while the castle was quiet at this time of night, my mind was the loudest thing around.