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Chapter 27, p.586-589 continuation
"In Borgin and Burkes," said Malfoy, "and they make a kind of passage between them. Montague told me that when h was stuck n the Hogwarts one, he was trapped in limbo but sometimes he could hear what was going on at school, and sometimes what was going on in the shop, as if the cabinet was traveling between them, but he couldn't make anyone hearr him.... In the end, he managed to Apparate out, even though he'd never passed his test. He nearly died doing it. Everyone thought it was a really good story, but I was the only one who realized what it meant - even Borgin didn't know - I was the one who realized there could be a way into Hogwarts through the cabinets if I fixed the broken one."
"Very good," murmured Dumbledore. "So the Death Eaters were able to pass from Borgin and Burkes into the school to help you.... A clever plan, a very clever plan... and, as you say, right under my nose."
"Yeah," said Malfoy, who bizarrely seemed to draw courage and comfort from Dumbledore's praise. "Yeah, it was!"
"But there were times," Dumbledore went on, "weren't there, when you were not sure you would succeed in mending the cabinet? An you resorted to crude and badly judged measures such as sending me a cursed necklace that was bound to reach the wrong hands... poisoning mead there was only the slightest chance I might drink...."
"Yeah, well, you still didn't realize who was behind that stuff, did you?" sneered Malfoy, as Dumbledore slid a little down the ramparts, the strength in his legs apparently fading, and Harry struggled fruitlessly, mutely, against the enchantment binding him.
"As a matter of fact, I did," said Dumbledore. "I was sure it was you."
"Why didn't you stop me, then?" Malfoy demanded.
"I tried, Draco. Professor Snape has been keeping watch over you on my orders -"
"He hasn't been doing your orders, he promised my mother -"
"Of course that is what he would tell you, Draco, but -"
"He's a double agent, you stupid old man, he isn't working for you, you just think he is!"
"We must agree to differ on that, Draco. It so happens that I trust Professor Snape -"
"Well, you're losing your grip, then!" sneered Malfoy. "He's been offering me plenty of help - wanting all th glory for himself - wanting a bit of the action - 'What are you doing?' 'Did you do the necklace, that was stupid, it could have blown everything -' But I haven't told him what I've been doing in the Room of Requirement, he's going to wake up tomorrow and it'll be over and he won't be the Dark Lord's favorite anymore, he'll be nothing compared to me, nothing!"
"Very gratifying," said Dumbledore mildly. "We all appreciate for our own hard work, of course. But you must have had an accomplice, all the same... someone in Hogsmeade, someone who was able to slip Katie the - the - aaaah..."
Dumbledore closed his eyes again and nodded, as though he was about to fall asleep. "...of course... Rosmerta. How long has she been under the Imperius Curse?"
"Got there at last, have you?" Malfoy taunted.
There was another yell from below, rather louder than the last. Malfoy looked nervously over his shoulder again, than back at Dumbledore, who went on: "So poor Rosmerta was forced to lurk in her own bathroom and pass that necklace to any Hogwarts student who entered the room unaccompanied? And the poisoned mead... well, naturally, Rosmerta was able to poison it for you because she sent the bottle to Slughorn, believing that it was to be my Christmas present.... Yes, very neat... very neat... Poor Mr. Filch would not, of course, think to check a bottle of Rosmerta's. Tell me, how have you been communicating with Rosemerta? I thought we had all methods of communication in and out of the school monitored."

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Chapter 27, p.589
"Enchanted coins," said Malfoy, as though he was compelled to keep talking, though his wand hand was shaking badly. "I had one and she had the other and I could send her messages -"
"Isn't that the secret method of communication the group that called themselves Dumbledore's army used last year?" asked Dumbledore. His voice was light and conversational, but Harry saw him slip an inch lower down the wall as he said it.
"Yeah, I got the idea from them," said Malfoy, with a twisted smile. "I got the idea of poisoning the mead from the Mudblood Granger as well, I heard her talking in the library about Filch not recognizing potions."

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Chapter 27, p.591-592
"There is little time, one way or another," said Dumbledore. "So let us discuss your options, Draco."
"My options!" said Malfoy loudly. "I'm standing here with a wand - I'm about to kill you -"
"My dear boy, let us have no more pretense about that. If you were going to kill me, you would done it when you first disarmed me, you would not have stopped for this pleasant chat about ways and means."
"I haven't got any options!" said Malfoy, and he was suddenly white as Dumbledore. "i've got to do it! He'll kill me! He'll kill my whole family!"
"I appreciate the difficulty of your position," said Dumbledore. "Why else do you think I have not confronted you before now? Because I knew that you would have been murdered if Lord Voldemort realized that I suspected you."
Malfoy winced at the sound of the name.
"I did not dare speak to you of the mission with which I knew you had been entrusted, in case he used Legilimency against you," continued Dumbledore. "But now at last we can speak plainly to each other.... No harm has been done, you have hurt nobody, though you are very lucky that you unintentional victims survived.... I can help you, Draco."
"No, you can't." said Malfoy, his wand hand shaking very badly indeed. "Nobody can. He told me to do it or he'll kill me. I've got no choice."
"He cannot kill you if you are already dead. Come over to the right side, Draco, and we can hide you more completely thsn you can possibly imagine. What is more, I can send members of the Order to your mother tomight to hide her likewise. Nobody would be suprised that you had died in your attempt to kill me - forgive me, but Lord Voldemort probably expects it. nor would the Death Eaters be suprised that we had captured and killed your mother - it is what they would do themselves, after all. Your father is safe at the moment in Azkaban.... When the time comes, we can protect him too. Come over to the right side, Draco... you are not a killer...."
Malfoy stared at Dumbledore.
"But I got this far, didn't I?" he said slowly. "They thought I'd die int he attempt, but I'm here... and you're in my power.... I'm the one with the wand.... You're at my mercy...."
"No, Draco," said Dumbledore quietly. "It is my mercy, and not yours, that matters now."
Malfoy did not speak. His mouth was open, his wand hand still trembling. Harry thought he saw it drop by a fraction -
But suddenly footsteps were thundering up the stairs, and a second later Malfoy was buffeted out of the way as four people in black robes burst through the door onto the ramparts. Still paralyzed, his eyes staring unblinkingly, Harry gazed in terror upon four strangers: It seemed the Death Eaters had won the fight below.
A lumpy-looking man with an odd lopsided leer gave a wheezy giggle.
"Dumbledore cornered!" he said, and he turned to a stocky little woman who looked as though she could be her sister and who was grinning eagerly. "Dumbledore wandless, Dumbledore alone! Well, done, Draco, well done!"

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