The Butterfly Effect

The Butterfly Effect, by James Bow

Chapter Four: At the Battlements

"Dumbledore, McGonagall and Madame Pomfrey all counselled us to get some rest, but of course, nobody was going to sleep on what could be the last night of their lives. I certainly wasn't going to. I knew it long beforehand, and that's why I volunteered to act as night watchman."

Wesley strode along the Hogwarts Battlements, his staff tucked under one arm, blowing on his hands. His breath fogged on the still air.

He heard the scuff of stone behind him and whirled around. He relaxed when he recognized the silhouette of Dumbledore. "Sir! You gave me a fright."

"I'm sorry." Dumbledore touched the ground with his staff.

Wesley felt a surge of power in the air around them, and he stumbled back. "Sir! You're carrying your staff!"

Dumbledore looked at his staff as though noticing it for the first time. "So I am. I haven't held my staff for--"

"Three years," Wesley finished. "Not since that night when I first showed you your own staff from the future. Sir, you know how dangerous it is for us to be carrying the same staff at the same time."

"Yes, Wesley. But we'll be fine so long as our two staffs don't touch. Cold night?"

Wesley shivered. "Yeah."

"Why are you out here? You should be warm in bed."

"If it's a choice between staring at the ceiling or staring at the stars, I'm going with the stars, sir."

"I understand. Good night. I expect you'll be meeting others on this battlement before dawn."

He walked around Wesley, giving the boy a wide berth. The charge in the air rose and fell as the two staffs approached, then drew further apart. Wesley stared after his godfather. Then he leaned against the battlement and blew on his hands.

A noise caught his attention and he whirled around. "Halt! Who goes there!"

"It's me."

"Lumos!" Wesley blinked to see Ron in the circle of Seelie light. "Ron! What are you doing out?"

"Well," Ron huffed. "I couldn't sleep, so I thought I'd stretch my legs. Look around a little."

Wesley's eyes narrowed. "You're heading back from the girls' dormitory, aren't you?"

Ron's cheeks went as red as his hair. "Well, you see, I thought I'd check in with Hermione, and--"

"Nope!" Wesley shot up his hand. "No details. Not one word. Off to bed with you."

Ron turned around.

"The boys' dormitory, idiot." He shook his head. "Honestly!"

Smirking, Ron gave Wesley a wide berth and hurried on his way.

Despite himself, Wesley chuckled. "Congratulations," he added over his shoulder.

"Thanks," Ron shot back.

Wesley paced the battlements again. He puffed on his hands and tried not to shiver. The light breeze tugged at his cloak.

He whirled around. "Halt! Who goes there!"

"It's me," came a high voice.

Wesley raised his staff. He blinked. "Lavender?! What are you doing out?"

"Well..." Lavender scuffed the stone walkway with her toe. "I couldn't sleep, so I thought I'd stretch my legs. Look around a little."

Wesley looked over her shoulder. "Boy's dormitory, right?"

Lavender blushed.

"Seamus better know how lucky he is," said Wesley. "Now, off with you, back to your dormitory!"

Lavender scurried around him.

Wesley paced the battlements again, puffing on his hands. The moon scudded in and out of clouds.

Then he whirled around. "Who goes--" He peered into the gloom. "Fred?"

"No, it's George."

"Where's Fred?"

"Hi George!" Fred stood behind Wesley. "Fancy meeting you out here tonight."

"Well, I couldn't sleep so I thought I'd stretch my legs," said George. "Paid a visit to Alicia and see how she's doing. Just coming back to bed, now."

"Angelica's with the Auror force too," said Fred. "I'm just heading out."

"That's it!" said Wesley. "You two, to bed, right now, before I send McGonagall after you. Go on, get!" He stopped short at Fred's sad look. "All right, you can pass, but find another way back. George, back to the Boys' Dormitory, now."

Their footfalls crunched in opposite directions.

Wesley sighed. "Why the hell did I volunteer for night watchman duty?"

"I've been wondering that myself."

Wesley almost jumped out of his skin. He clutched the battlement, and his heart, and slipped to the walkway. "Parvati? Bloody hell, is nobody sleeping tonight?"

The girl was standing there, smirking. "Nope. I thought I'd keep you company."

Wesley frowned at the spark in her eye. "Are you sure about this?"

"Of course I'm sure." She slipped down beside him. "Four eyes are better than two."

"Not if they're distracted, they're not."

Her gaze grew serious. "Don't worry. I think we both know the attack won't come until morning. Watching the battlements is only a formality; it gives people who can't sleep something productive to do. A pity. I can think of many other ways I'd want to spend my last night."

"This is not our last night," said Wesley.

"How do you know? You changed history, remember?"

Wesley took a deep breath. "We are going to get out of this."

"Maybe," said Parvati. "But someone said that we should live every day as if it was our last. Only now do I understand what that someone meant. There are some things I want to do before I go." She raised a bundle she'd held under one arm. "Harry leant me his Invisibility Cloak."

She gave him a look that dried his throat. He coughed. "When did you get so serious?"

"When the world changed." She put her hand to the back of his neck and drew him into a long kiss. Wesley let his staff clatter to the walkway.

***

Later, Wesley and Parvati walked along the battlement, arm in arm, keeping an eye on the horizon as the sky brightened. They smiled and nodded as they passed Draco, strolling the other way.

"Hello, Draco."

Draco stopped. It was Harry's voice, but he couldn't see Harry in the dusk.

Then there was the scuffing of shoes against stone, and the silhouette of Harry pulled himself into view.

Draco frowned. "You're not on night duty."

"Neither are you."

"Couldn't sleep."

"Neither could I. Butterbeer?" Harry offered a bottle.

"Should you be drinking before battle?"

Harry sighed. "People thinking about going to war should get good and drunk beforehand, in my opinion. Maybe then we'd have world peace. But I'm not drunk. I'm only having one bottle. You want a few sips?"

Draco took the offered bottle and swigged it. Passing it back, he leaned against the battlement next to Harry. The two stared back at Hogwarts in silence.

Finally, Harry said, "Why are you here, Draco?"

Draco looked at him.

"It's not that I mind," Harry continued. "We can use all the help we can get. But... forgive me for saying this, but I didn't think you'd turn your back on Voldemort. No offense."

"None taken." Draco stared ahead in thought. Finally, he said, "Blame Wesley. You remember how he knocked the potion out of my hand, going up against Snape to keep me from overdosing on Mandrake?"

"Yes. I couldn't believe it. Defying Snape to save you?"

"I couldn't believe it, either. The blond half-Mudblood--" He coughed. "--I mean, half-Muggle Weasley intrigued me. Why should he show such compassion to me, of all people? So, I did what any self-respecting bully would do: I picked on him. And he didn't back down. It infuriated me to the point where I challenged him to a duel."

"I remember," said Harry. "You should have seen your face when you told Wesley to pick his contest, and he chose Exploding Snap."

"Turning a respectable duel into an inter-house Snap contest. The nerve of the man." Draco shook his head. "But while we were playing, Wesley talked to me. Just kept talking. And winning even with all his words. I was ready to kill him. But one thing he said in particular caught in my mind. I told him I intended to be famous; that everybody would know my name. And he said to me: 'What name would you rather be known by? Draco? Or Malfoy?'"

"That led you to turn against your father?" asked Harry.

"Not alone. The night my father was caught, he was participating in a Death Eater ceremony."

"I knew that," said Harry. "It was all over the Daily Prophet."

"But what the Daily Prophet doesn't mention is that Voldemort and a lot more Death Eaters were there that night. The ceremony was one to test a Death Eater's loyalty. My father, Crabbe's father and Goyle's father were all there to be tested."

"How?"

"By sacrificing their children by burning them alive."

Harry stared at him.

Draco didn't look at him. He just shuddered at the memory. "The scary thing was that I was actually going to go through with it. Wesley's words were echoing in my head, but I couldn't defy my father, even then. Even as Crabbe put up quite a fight. Even as he and Goyle screamed. Then the Aurors arrived. Everybody cleared out, but my father was trapped. He asked for my help, then. Can you believe it? He was going to burn me alive, and he expected me to let him out of the trap. That's when I walked away and told the Aurors where to find him."

"It took that much to tell you whose side you were on?" said Harry.

"If you had a father like mine, you'd understand."

They passed the bottle and each took a swig.

"Draco," said Harry. "You know there's a good chance that you haven't picked the winning side, don't you?"

Draco stared at him. "I know." He clapped Harry's shoulder. "It doesn't matter."

Over the battlements, the sky grew red.