Stolen Letter

Chapter 20: Goodbye

TW: Death

This chapter is a bit longer than the others, so enjoy :)

"Stop fighting this instant! Go get the door!" his voice boomed through the Manor and around the bushes, chilling me to the bone.

Narcissa opens the door, looking confused.

"Pretend I just got here. It's all part of the plan, Cissy," I whisper to her, shutting the door behind me and preparing for the hardest part of the plan.

She nods and begins the walk up the stairs. While on the way, she turns to me.

"He's really angry right now, Y/n. Please be careful. I hope you have a plan," she whispers, fear in her voice.

"I got this, Cissy. This will all be over soon," I whisper, trying to reassure her... and maybe even myself.

As we reach the door, Narcissa's face changes completely. It had always amazed me how easily she could go from being afraid and upset to calm and collected in an instant. The fear disappears, she dries her eyes, and plasters on a smile, before pushing open the door.

"Look who was at the door!" she says, excitedly, walking toward Lucius.

"Y/n! What are you doing here, love?" Severus asks, walking toward me and pulling me into a hug. He leans down and whispers into my ear. "Excellent work, darling." I smile before answering his question, trying to keep up the ruse.

"I came to visit the Malfoys," I answered, smiling. I turned to look at my father, who seemed torn between rage over Nagini's death and joy that I had returned.

"Dad? What's wrong?" I asked.

"The Potter boy seems to have figured out our little secret about the horcruxes. He just killed Nagini and apparated!" he shouted. Of course he would assume that Harry had killed Nagini. It was the only logical explanation for him and it was exactly what I needed him to believe in order to get close enough to kill him. I focus on my worst memories, allowing them to fill me up and allow the tears to fall from my eyes.

"Wait... Nagini's dead... How- How is that possible?" I asked, as I walked toward my father, tears falling from my eyes. I could feel all eyes on me as I walked toward my father, wrapping my arms around him. He stood there, shocked for a moment. I hadn't hugged him since I got my memories back and this was a foreign feeling for him as well as for me. I wanted to pull away and kill him instantly, but I needed him to believe that I was vulnerable. I needed him to believe I forgave him, to believe that I wanted him as a father. It didn't take long before I felt him relax into the hug, wrapping his arms around me.

"I'm sorry, dad. Nagini was family... it's just hard... knowing she's gone," I say, sobbing into him as I felt him stroke my hair. I wanted to throw up. I looked up and noticed Severus standing a few feet behind my father, smirking.

Excellent acting skills, little one, he thought, allowing me into his mind to hear this. I wink, before bringing my attention back to my father as he begins to speak.

"Don't worry, child. We will get our revenge," he says, patting my head. Ew, I thought to myself. Don't touch me. I'm not a child anymore. I made sure my Occlumency blockers were up so my father couldn't hear me and I saw my opportunity.

"Yes, we will," I said as I pull away from the hug and strike him in the chest with my magic. He is blasted back and falls to the floor, holding his chest.

"Child, what have you done!?" He yells, slowly getting up and reaching for his wand. He is weak after the blast and so is his magic.

"I'm sorry, father," I said as a genuine tear slips down my cheek. I focus my magic, pushing it toward him. A bright green color begins to show through the cracks of his wand and I can see fear flash across his features.

"No... how is this possible?" he whispers as the wand flies out of his hand. I send one final blast into his chest and he hunches forward as his body begins to disintegrate. As the last bits of his disintegrated form rises into the air, I fall to the floor as the pain becomes too much. This wasn't physical pain. This was the overwhelming kind of pain... swirling through my mind. The kind that makes you feel like you can't move... can't breathe.

"Goodbye, father," I whispered.

From behind me I hear footsteps moving closer to me, before Severus kneels down next to me. I feel his arms wrap around me and his voice whispering in my ear.

"Y/n, you did amazing," he whispers as I continue to sob. "It's over, love. It's over. You did amazing."

"He's... he's gone, Sev," I whisper as the pain becomes too much. Sobs rack my body as I think back to my childhood... back when he actually cared about me. He was a good man, once. I feel guilt rip through my body as Severus continues to hold me.

"I know, my love. I'm so sorry you had to do that. But, it's over now. We can be a family now." His words send butterflies through my stomach as I snuggle closer to him. After a few minutes he pulls away and turns to Lucius.

"Did you mean any of that or was that all part of the fight? Do you... think I'm not good enough for her?" Severus asks, his insecurities on display for everyone to see.

"What!? No! That was part of the fight! I think you two are good together," Lucius replies. I can see Severus relax as Lucius's words reassure him. Severus pulls me back into a hug and I can see Lucius smile before I rest my head on Severus's chest.

"Good, because I need to talk to you. Can we speak in private?" Severus asks before looking down at me. "I'll just be a minute, love." He kisses my head before leaving with Lucius.

Severus's POV

Lucius leads me into his study, closing the door behind us.

"We can speak in here," he says, walking toward his desk as I follow him.

"I know you are more like a father to Y/n than anyone and... well..." I looked down at my hands, nervousness flooding through me as I worried what he would say. "I would like to ask your permission to marry Y/n..." I look up, expecting Lucius to turn me down, to tell me that he would never let someone like me marry Y/n. But when I looked up, he was beaming.

"You want to marry Y/n! That's amazing! Of course you have my blessing! I want her to be happy and she seems happy with you," he says, as his smile grows. "But..." he continues, moving closer to me. "If you hurt her... you're a dead man. You know that, right?" Our laughter fills the room and he gives me a hug before we return to Y/n and Narcissa.

Y/n's POV

Severus and Lucius walk into the room, both men looking particularly happy about something.

"Hey, there, little one. How are you feeling?" Severus asks me.

"I'm fine, Sev. It's just a lot, I guess," I respond, laughing, trying to break the tension.

"It'll all be okay, darling," Severus says, pulling me into a hug once again. After a few moments he pulls away and drops to one knee.