Chapter 18: Severus

Chapter 18:

Severus:

Severus couldn’t say he was entirely surprised to see Lucius in front of the Granger abode, especially not since Lucius was Headmaster now and had all the resources he would have needed. No, Lucius was expected. But Narcissa? No, he had not been expecting to see her, not with her natural disdain for murder… though from where he was standing, his wards still seemed intact.

“Severus! How kind of you to join us and save us the effort of locating you! It’s a shame that I’ll kill these Muggles regardless…,” Lucius’s famous smirk appeared as his voice dripped with false cordiality, “once your wards have… expired, of course.”

Narcissa was shaking—from rage? What is she doing here? What reason would she have to harm the Grangers? She’s not even a Death Eater!

“Lucius,” he nodded as politely as he could manage. “Nar—”

“How dare you speak to me!” She brandished her wand as a weapon and began walking toward Severus. “You murder Draco and you dare speak to me?”

His eyebrows nearly shot of his head. Murder Draco? Slytherin’s snake, no wonder she’s here! His eyes narrowed suspiciously at Lucius, whose undeniable amusement confirmed his suspicions.

“Lower your wand, Narcissa. I have not murdered your son!”

“What reason have I to trust you? Your word?” Skeptical laughter cut through her lips. “As if any word from your twisted lips could be trusted!”

Joining Narcissa, Lucius added his encouragement. “Surely you can’t expect my wife to believe Draco would have chosen to stay with you and that Mudblood whore?”

“Narcissa, please. This is between Lucius and me. I would rather not harm you.” This is ridiculous… How could she think I would ever harm Draco? After being with Lucius for all these years, can she still not see through his manipulation?

“Oh, you’d rather not harm me. But I! I would enjoy nothing more than harming you!” Rage tarnished her once-beautiful features as she advanced on him.

The first curse bounded from her wand, followed too soon by Lucius’s plethora of curses. Curse after curse he blocked and parried with his own curses, not knowing who to focus his attention on. Narcissa’s style of fighting was unknown to him—to anyone!—and her fury only served to increase her unpredictability. And, as much as he tried to fight it, he did not truly wish to harm her. She had been a friend, had always supported his relationship with Draco even when Lucius didn’t approve, and she was only fighting him because she thought he killed Draco. He couldn’t blame her for wanting him dead! But this was a weakness, and he knew this weakness could get him killed. Hardening his resolve, he renewed his offensive against her.

Yet in the end, he couldn’t stop his hesitation and was struck with the Cruciatus curse. As the pain flooded his senses, Narcissa easily obtained his wand.

Treedy will know what to do… Keep thinking that… Treedy will get help…

Over and over he repeated that, a mantra for his sanity.

POP! POP!

Help has come… but who? Two pairs of footsteps were approaching, but all he could see was the sky and Lucius gloating over him.

“If it isn’t the most infamous Mudblood in England!” His heart leapt as he realized who one pair of the footsteps belonged to… and sank at the same time. Hermione! I can’t let Lucius hurt her… Lucius’s glacial voice interrupted his thoughts. “How brave of you to come to your dear professor’s aid! Yet I wonder, did he ever tell you he was seducing you on the Dark Lord’s orders?”

He heard her sharp intake of breath. He felt his own heart stop, suspended in this moment: the moment where he finally lost her.

There were two pairs of footsteps… Draco?

“YOU’RE ALIVE!” He heard Narcissa running and his wand fall to the ground.

“Of course I’m alive, Mother! Why wouldn’t I be?” How had he broken my curse?

With all the distractions, the curse stopped and Severus forced his shaking body to sit up. Lucius was staring dumbfounded at his son and wife embracing. Hermione was looking at Severus with a veiled expression on her face. She knows it’s true. How can she care about me now, knowing I was doing the Dark Lord’s will?

Shaking away the aftereffects of the curse as best as possible, he picked up his wand and slowly stood up. Lucius was advancing on Draco now.

“How dare you choose that Mudblood and that traitor over your heritage? You’d give all that up, and for what? A Mudblood whore and a self-serving chemistry teacher? No child of mine…”

They all stopped and stared at Lucius. They all knew what was coming.

“Crucio.”

The curse hit him directly. His body shook, he began to whimper, and then his hand reached out to Hermione… and Hermione took his hand in hers, bent down next to him, and held him.

“Not-t-t-t a-a-ag-ain. Nevvver again.” Draco’s voice came up in stutters as each wave of pain shook him. Narcissa still stood frozen. Severus couldn’t bear to watch him be hurt any longer. Mustering all his strength, he pointed his wand at Lucius…

But Draco had already raised his wand and had somehow managed to calm his teeth enough to say, “Avada Kedavra!”

And Lucius crumbled. Hermione and Draco were still holding each other, filling Severus’s gut with a pit of loneliness. Narcissa didn’t seem to know what to do. For once, he didn’t either, so he made his way over to her.

“Draco’s safe under my—” He stopped. He had been about to say Draco would be safe under his protection, but it was suddenly clear to him that Draco no longer needed his protection.

“Take him. You take him and you hide him until this is all over.” He started to nod and then stopped.

“I can’t take him. That’s not my decision to make.”

In front of him, Draco and Hermione were struggling to stand, Draco still weakened by the curse he had weathered and the curse he had cast. Instinctively, Severus reached out to help him and stopped.

“May I?” he asked hesitantly.

Draco nodded, and he bent down to help. As the three of them struggled to stand, his fingers brushed Hermione’s. He felt her fingers stiffen, but she didn’t pull them back. Maybe this can work out after all.

“I owe you an apology, Draco, and you, Hermione. You were both right, and I was wrong. I’ll understand if you’re not willing, but I would very much like for us to continue our current living arrangements… but only if you are both willing.”

He stared at them, imagining they would both tell him to leave them alone. But instead, he saw their heads nod their consent. He nodded curtly to Narcissa, who kissed Draco’s head lovingly as farewell, and then he wrapped his arms around both Hermione and Draco and Disapparated back to the place that was beginning to feel like home.