Draco Malfoy stood anxiously in the dark and filthy room. The walls were consumed in cobwebs and the only lighting was a dim bulb in the center of the room. Malfoy was anxious and slightly worried about his current position. It was here, in this room, that he was awaiting his first meeting with Voldemort. He fully believed in what he was raised to think: that half-bloods and muggle-borns were unworthy of wizardry. He agreed with Voldemort’s drive to create a better society where these people served the truly powerful. His hardcore beliefs should’ve left no room for doubt in his mind, but yet he was slightly unsure. 

Even though he had only been in the room for a couple of minutes, it felt like hours. He felt a cold chill run down his spine and the air around him got thin. All of a sudden the huge wooden double doors at the entrance of the room swiftly burst open and Nagini, Voldemort’s giant snake, slithered through the door. The snake was frightening, its eyes reflecting ruthlessness and entitlement. Following the snake, Voldemort glided into the room, even more terrifying. In fact, he looked much like the snake, with a flat nose and slits for eyes. His pale face and intimidating height were nothing short of petrifying, but the worst part was the cold, dead look in his eyes. They were blank, without emotion or feeling, and no matter how deep you looked into them, there wasn’t the slightest bit of happiness. It was then that Malfoy realized that there was no humanity left in this man. 

He sat down at the head of the table, next to Lucius, Malfoy’s father, who was bowing his head and instructed Malfoy to do the same. He held in a groan and complied. He didn’t like the idea of bowing to anyone, because he thought that he was too good for it. He thought that bowing was for muggles and wizards without pure blood, not someone as powerful as him. 

“Now,” said Voldemort. “I don’t suppose that you know why I have called you here today, Draco?” 

Malfoy shook his head. He figured that he was asked there as an orientation, for Voldemort to tell him that he was worthy of being a death eater. He smiled with entitlement at the thought. 

“I have a task for you,” Voldemort declared plainly. “I want you to kill Dumbledore.”

Malfoy’s smirk disappeared, replaced with a shocked gaze. “What?” he exclaimed. 

“You heard what I said,” Voldemort hissed. 

Malfoy nodded his head, trying to keep a straight face. Malfoy had always hated the incompetent, muggle-loving Dumbledore, but he was unsure if he could kill him. He had never killed anyone before, and it seemed like it would be difficult to stomach. He reassured himself and gulped. Although still slightly doubtful, he decided to do it for the sake of the wizarding world and to prove himself to Voldemort. After this, Voldemort would trust him completely. After he killed the one wizard that Voldemort never could, he would know just who was the strongest. This was just what Malfoy needed to work his way up the death eater’s ranks. 

“I’ll do it,” he declared. 

“Good,” Voldemort said, “I knew that I could count on you.” And with that, he swished out of the room, his snake slithering behind him. 

“Congratulations, son! This is such an honor,” Lucius exclaimed. 

“Yeah, I guess it is,” he shrugged with overconfidence. To Malfoy, this was not about honor. Instead, it was about proving just how strong that he was and that one day, he would take Voldemort’s spot as the most powerful wizard. 

It was exactly one day until he would get on the train to Hogwarts, but ever since Voldemort had told him to kill Dumbledore, it had been all he could think about. No matter how hard he tried, the thought of killing someone kept creeping back into his head. He had prepared himself for this, and he knew what he would have to do if he became a Death Eater. Even so, he wasn’t so sure he could do this anymore.  No! He had to, so he pushed the thought of not completing the task out of his head.

When it finally came time to go back to school, Malfoy was anxious. He thought that school was a waste of time because he had much more important things to take care of. However, it would give him a chance to plot how he would kill Dumbledore. It also meant that he would have to deal with stupid Potter. Harry had always been in his way, yet he got so much attention and everyone thought that he was the chosen one. Well Malfoy had been chosen, too, by Voldemort to kill Dumbledore. Who had chosen Harry? What made him so special? 

Overall the train ride to school was tolerable. Towards the end he heard a russell in the trunks, he told his friends to go on without him. Pansy left and he was now alone with whoever was by the trunks. 

“Petrificus Totalus!”

He suddenly pointed his wand at Potter, who was instantly paralized. Potter tumbled over the side of the luggage rack and hit the floor with a thud. Malfoy spit on him with disgust.

 “Stupid Potter,” he hissed. “Didn’t your mommy ever teach you not to eavesdrop?”

Of course, Harry didn’t answer, and Malfoy stomped down on his face, causing his nose to break into a bloody mess. Malfoy strutted out of the train, hoping that Harry would end up going back to London on the train. He did not want to see him in school. But somehow, Harry got out of the paralized form and back with the rest of the kids. That’s Potter, Malfoy thought, Always getting out of impossible situations. 

Malfoy spent the first months of school watching Dumbledore and planning his attack. The task was incredibly difficult, and it didn’t help that he had to do schoolwork at the same time. With everything going on, it seemed stupid to have to go to school. How was he expected to attend class carelessly while there was war all around him? It all just seemed like a waste of time. 

He was working hard at coming up with ways to kill Dumbledore, but Potter kept getting in his way. It seemed like everything he tried failed and got Potter one step closer to finding out the truth. He knew that he was strong enough to kill Dumbledore, but all of his plans were busts. First, he tried to kill Dumbledore with poisoned wine that he gave to Professor Slughorn, but Slughorn never gave it to Dumbledore. Instead, he gave it to Weasley and Potter, which almost killed Weasley. His second attempt to kill Dumbledore didn’t work either. He had tried to send him a cursed necklace but it only cursed some stupid girl and was imediatly put under confinement. After this, Potter was definitely on his trail. Now after two tries, he was certain that he would have to kill Dumbledore face to face, no tricks. 

Malfoy had a lot on his mind and needed some air, so he snuck outside. Then a figure appeared in the sky. A skull with a snake coming out of his mouth, big and bright right above the astronomy tower of the school. The dark mark. Malfoy felt a shift in the air and knew tonight was the night. Tonight he would have to kill the headmaster of Hogwarts. Tonight he would have to make Albus Dumbledore disappear from the world forever.

Malfoy rushed inside. He knew if Voldemort came and found Dumbledore alive he would kill him. He ran to the astronomy tower. A while ago, he had seen Dumbledore leave from the astronomy tower, so he expected that Dumbledore would return to the same spot. Just as he thought, he soon watched as Dumbledore apparated back onto campus. But he was shocked to see Harry appear with him. He was frantic, hoping that Potter didn’t get in his way. Luckily, Dumbledore mumbled something to Harry and he ran off. It was then that Malfoy came out of hiding and confronted him. 

He held his wand out in the offensive, an expression of determination consuming his face. Dumbledore was defenseless, laying back weakly. Suddenly the reality hit Malfoy of what he was doing. He had been unsure before, but now he was really questioning it. Poisoning wine or charming a necklace was hard enough, but actually killing someone head on, saying those lethal words, “Avada Kedavra”; it was unbearable. His hands shook as he held out his wand, and the tears gathered up in his eyes. He thought that he could do it, but when it actually came down to it, his emotions got the best of him. 

Dumbledore sensed his insecurity and tried to reason with him. “You’re a good kid with a long and successful life ahead of you.” he said. “You know that this is wrong.”

“Shut up!” Malfoy yelled, both to Dumbledore and to his own thoughts telling him to back down. “I have to do this. If I don’t, he’ll kill me!” Malfoy was sobbing now. He was all in position, but he just couldn’t do it. 

“Lower your wand,” Dumbledore said. “We’ll protect you. You don’t have to be afraid.” 

Malfoy knew that Dumbledore meant what he said, but he also knew that Voldemort was relentless, and would, under no circumstances, show mercy on him. He was unsure what he believed in anymore. Was the mission still worth it? Were the death eaters wrong? Between his wavering beliefs and the inhumanity of murder, his wand shook in his hand. That is when Snape appeared. 

There was something about Snape’s eyes in that moment that didn’t make sense. Underneath all of the bitterness and lack of emotion, there was sadness, almost as if he didn’t want to do what he did. And when he said those fateful words, “Avada Kedavra,” Malfoy noticed the small bit of emotion, proving that there was humanity in Snape. 

Dumbledore fell back off of the edge of the astronomy tower, like a pebble kicked off of a cliff. For Malfoy, it was both a relief and a new wave of emotion. The headmaster of Hogwarts, good or bad, was finally dead. Malfoy didn’t know what would happen or what to do. What he did know was that this would forever change the wizarding world. He was as insecure and anxious as before, but relieved to have made it through another day. That would have to be good enough for now.