"Harry, don't do it!" Draco pleaded. "It's not worth it! I should know!"

Harry was angry, but it wasn't really at his teacher. He couldn't understand why he truly couldn't be upset with him. There he was. Clearly an easy target. It's not like he hadn't cursed Snape before, but something was different now. The more he thought about it, and really thought about everything that has happened in his life the only one that really truly gave any kind of care about him was the man standing there looking like he was full of regret. Then there was Mad-Eye in one ear telling him to do an unforgivable curse on his teacher, and in the other, his new friend pleading for him to not do it.

Harry looked over at Draco.

"Don't do what?" Harry shot back bitterly. He knew exactly what Draco was talking about, but he wanted to buy some time, and sulking was the best way to do that.

"Don't cast that curse," Draco clarified, pulling himself to his feet, wincing at every movement. "You're better than that." The unspoken self-recrimination wasn't lost on the other members of his audience. Draco glanced at his father and tried to edge away from him. "I'm sorry, Father." Harry stood up and leaned against the wall.

"No, you're not," Lucius sneered. "Throwing your lot in with Harry Potter?"

"Fine, you're right. I'm not sorry," Draco snapped. "You've never given me any reason to fight for you."

"I've given you every reason," Lucius replied. Draco took a step back, but the sudden movement caused him to stumble. Harry reached out and caught him before he could fall. "I've given you everything you could ever want." Lucius stepped towards Draco, his wand out. Draco felt his eyes prickle with tears, but he wouldn't give in. He glanced nervously at Harry who still supported him.

When Harry saw Draco's father pull out his wand, he knew things were about to get really bad. Draco fell back, even though it was painful for Harry to move, much less stand at his own power, he grabbed hold of Draco and made sure he didn't fall.

Harry saw the look of desperation in Draco's eyes. Draco clearly didn't want to be here. Hell, Harry didn't want to be here. He wished he was still in the Astronomy Tower, talking with his new friend.

"Is this the kind of behavior Professor Snape has been showing you?" Lucius asked through gritted teeth, not even glancing back to acknowledge that Snape was witness to this.

"Professor Snape," Draco began slowly, "lets me make my own choices. He vowed to protect me with his life. You won't even protect me from yourself." Lucius rushed forward and grabbed Draco by the shoulders, slamming him into the wall. Draco whimpered pathetically.

"Please don't hurt me again," he automatically begged. "I'm already in so much pain. I've already been humiliated. I promise you don't need to punish me." Draco's eyes snapped towards Snape, and saw that the man under Moody's trained wand. Quickly, Draco shifted his gaze towards Harry, who was slowly raising his wand against his father.

"I'm ashamed of you," Lucius said, his voice dripping venom. "You could have been so much, and you decided to throw it all away. You could have brought favor on the House of Malfoy once again."

"I'm not here to fix your mistakes!" Draco shot back.

"Don't - talk - back," Lucius replied, accenting each word by slamming his son's shoulders against the wall. Draco gasped and shuddered.

"Neither one of us is getting out of here alive," Draco whispered. "I may as well say as I please."

"Let him go," Harry whispered out. Only Lucius and Draco heard him.

Lucius looked at Harry.

"What is it you think your doing?" Lucius voice was full of venom.

"This," Harry said, and with that, Lucius was blasted across the room, barely missing Severus when he hit the wall.

Draco fell on the floor again. Harry was right there next to him.

"What was that?!" Moody yelled. "What the hell was that?!"

Harry just looked up at Moody. Severus noted that he no longer had a wand trained on him and began to slink around the farthest reaches of the room.

"It would be in your best interest," Moody said without looking over at Severus, "if you did not move."

Moody's attention went back to the boys in front of him.

"Why is this so hard? Two curses. That's all you have to do. IT'S NOT HARD!"

Moody turned and pointed his wand at Severus. "CRUCIO!" Then he pointed it at Draco. "CRUCIO!"

This time the spell went a little different. The curse lasted until Moody stopped it. Severus moaned through clenched teeth, while Draco screamed in agony. Harry had tears in his eyes watching them go through this horrible torture.

"Please," Harry begged. "Please. Stop."

Moody looked at Harry with a level of disgust that Harry had never seen before. He was sure that Moody was going to curse him next. What happened next surprised everyone in that room.

Moody waved his arm and the curse was lifted off of Severus and Draco. Moody's magical eye was moving all around the room.

"Avada Kedava."

A green light came from Moody's wand and found its destination. Lucius was hit squarely in the chest. Lucius' look went from smug to surprised, as did everyone in that room. Eyes went wide and jaws dropped.

Moody leaned down next to Harry and said, "That's how you kill a wizard." Moody stood straight back up and walked out of the room.

Severus staring wide eyed at his former colleague now lying dead. He couldn't help but feel a little bit relieved. For a moment, he was convinced that green light was going to collide with him.