Hogwarts Herald

Chapter Twenty-Seven of Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince is called “The Lightning-Struck Tower.” Harry successfully aparrates back to Hogsmeade with him guiding Dumbledore this time. Harry tries to leave Dumbledore in Hogsmeade while he goes and gets Madam Pomfrey, but Dumbledore insists he needs Snape. Before Harry can leave him Madam Rosmerta of the Three Broomsticks rushes out and explains that the Dark Mark is now above Hogwarts and Harry cannot go there alone.

Harry summons Rosmerta’s brooms and Dumbledore has her warn the Ministry of Magic. Harry pulls on the Invisibility Cloak and they fly off to Hogwarts. On the way Harry worries one of the D.A. or worse his friends was the one murdered to cause the Dark Mark to be put over the castle. After they land atop the astronomy tower, Dumbledore orders Harry to go and bring Snape to him.

As Harry is about leave he is frozen when he hears someone open the door and say “Expelliarmus.” He realizes Dumbledore silently froze Harry and that caused him to be defenseless and lose his wand. It turns out to be Draco that unarmed Dumbledore. Draco says there are more Death Eaters in the castle, as he found a way to get them in. The Death Eaters can be heard fighting below against Dumbledore’s guards.

Malfoy says he has a job to do and Dumbledore seems to have know for a while that his job was to kill Dumbledore. The attempts that almost killed Katie and Ron were meant to kill Dumbledore. Dumbledore does not think Draco has the ability to kill. He asks Draco to explain how he got the Death Eaters in.

Draco explains that the vanishing cabinet that Montague got trapped in last year was a pair. It was connected to the one in Borgin and Burkes, but the link between them was broken until Malfoy fixed it. Once fixed the Death Eaters came in from Borgin and Burkes to the one in the Room of Requirement.

It turns out all along Dumbledore was on to Draco and under his orders Snape was trying to offer Draco help to find out what he was up to. However, Draco is convinced that Snape is working for Voldemort and refused the help because he thinks Snape wants the glory. Draco got the necklace to Katie by putting Madam Rosmerta under the Imperius Curse. He got the idea to have her poison the mead meant for Dumbledore when Hermione said Filch would not recognize potions (how the Weasleys got the love potions in as perfumes and such). He had been communicating with Rosmerta using magic coins like the D.A. uses.

The Dark Mark was mostly a trap, however, Draco says he stepped over some body on the way up to the tower, but is not sure who it was. Dumbledore tries to convince Draco to come over to the good side and that they will protect him and his mother from Voldemort. Three Death Eaters soon arrive and await for Draco to kill Dumbledore, as he is the one with the orders to do it.

Fenrir the werewolf tries to attack Dumbledore, but the other Death Eaters stop him because it is against orders. Snape arrives at the top of the tower and the Death Eaters tell him that Draco cannot seem to do it. Then Snape points his wand at Dumbledore and says Avada Kedavra killing Dumbledore, as he had made an Unbreakable Vow to Draco’s mother to do if Draco failed.