You'll be the Death of Me

Chapter 68

Graces could barely breathe as she felt Snape's arms tighten around her. The wizard wasn't preventing her from breathing, but she felt as though the wind had been knocked out of her, only she wasn't able to recover like after a blow. It felt as though there was no air left in the room, like it was sucked out and gone much like her hope. Her chest was tight and she was vibrating from head to toe as she stared at her mother's ice blue eyes and she knew even without a word that her mother felt the same.

"Release my daughter," Narcissa whispered, each word laced with poison.

"Do not do this," Snape warned, pulling Graces closer to his chest. "Narcissa, I beg of you do not do this."

"Release my daughter!" Narcissa repeated, her features resembling her sister's.

"No! I will not allow you to kill your children!" Snape bellowed, the calm collectedness in his voice abandoned. Draco took a step forward, but Narcissa stopped him before he took out his wand. It was her fight and she clearly was not going to allow anyone else to take Snape down.

"Kill my children," she echoed, moving from where she was standing and stalking the Potions professor like a feral cat. "Don't you dare act like you care for the welfare of my children. How dare you even look me in the eye after what you allowed to happen to my child!"

Graces felt him tense at her mother's words and she too realized what it meant.

"You left her there," Narcissa hissed, her hand so tight on her wand that her knuckles were white. "Then you brought her here so some muggle could open her up and put his filthy hands inside her!"

"I had no choice," Snape growled, angling Graces so she was kept between her mother and himself.

"Is that what you tell yourself?" Narcissa challenged, the rage in her eyes flickering dangerously.

"I tried to prevent her from coming. I told her she was a fool for coming. I—"

"SHE IS A CHILD!" Narcissa screeched. "SHE IS MY CHILD! I TRUSTED YOU TO PROTECT HER! YOU SWORE TO ME TO PROTECT HER!"

"I have protected her!" Snape roared, his hands now so tight on Graces' that she gasped with pain.

Narcissa bared her teeth and Snape's robes burst into flames. For years Graces had seen her mother light the torches in the halls without a wand. She would be engrossed in a letter, a book, conversation and just pass by lighting the flames in a darkened area with what seemed like no thought. She had never seen it for what it was, power and skill. Graces felt the heat on her back and jumped to get away, but Snape was just as talented it seemed and soon the flames were gone and he yanked her back by her hair and there was no longer a wand at her back, but a dagger at her throat.

"You say you don't want her to die and yet you hold a dagger to her throat."

"Better her to die at my hands then die at our Lord's as a traitor!" Snape snarled dragging her down to her knees so she looked even more helpless than she already was. Snape's chest was rising rapidly and though his hand was steady on the dagger she could feel the rest of him vibrating. "If you leave they will find you," Snape whispered, his voice pleading. "They will find you like they have found so many others and they will do to your daughter the same things they did to them. Maybe even worse."

A flicker of doubt came into the older woman's eyes and Snape pounced on it.

"She's beautiful," he continued, tilting Graces' face up and ignoring her tears. He kept the dagger close to her throat, so close her vein pulsated against it. "She's beautiful and talented and Nott is not the only one who has had his eyes on her. Think Narcissa, think for one moment what they would do to a pretty thing like her before they let her die."