No one expects you to join him... at least not anyone who truly knows you. Narcissa's words from last year keep swirling in my head, followed by Sirius's question: are you becoming one of them? I was becoming exactly what Albus wanted, exactly what he'd planned all along. I arrived at Malfoy Manor and Mippy answered the door once again. Narcissa came running up behind her, pulling me inside the Manor and embracing me.
"You came back?"
I nodded. "I'm sorry for leaving so abruptly. I just had to take care of something but I'm fine now."
She smiled. "Bella and I are ready for your lesson... if you're ready."
I nodded and she led me upstairs and into a training room. Now, the real work would begin.
Malfoy Manor (a few hours ago; just after Y/n left)
Severus watched as Y/n left and he grew concerned with what could've possibly been in the note. What did Sirius Black want with her now? He smiled at the overnight bag on their bed as he knew what she'd meant by leaving it there. She would be back for it... for him. She would return.
There was a small knock on the door and he waved his hand to open the door, finding Narcissa standing in the doorway.
"I just saw Y/n leaving in quite the hurry... Severus, what's happened? Did she... is she gone?"
"No," he assured her. "She received a letter and had to leave urgently but she'll be back."
Narcissa nodded. "Thank you, Severus."
The Potions's master nodded in return, though no smile met his lips for his mind wandered with worry. Why had she left in such a hurry and would she truly be back when she said she would?
At the Burrow (Present Time)
Arthur set Y/n's things in a spare room that had been added to the burrow after they learned the Order would be relocating here for the time being. A knock on the door caught his attention and he turned to find Molly, Remus, and Sirius standing in the doorway.
"Should we be concerned about... what just occurred?" Remus asked, turning to Sirius.
"Should we be concerned about the fact that Snape was her boggart? Yeah, probably," Sirius scoffed, his words dripping with venom.
"But it was more than that, surely," Molly reasoned, thinking back on what she'd seen. "The prophecy they kept referring to... the boggart Severus said she was lying to him... But worse than that..."
"She was lying to herself," Sirius recalled.
"The question is... what exactly is she lying to him... and even herself about?"
***
Several days passed with no word from Y/n and Sirius was growing worried. Though Albus and Remus tried to assure him everything was fine, his mind continued to wander with possibilities of Y/n voluntarily joining the Death Eaters or being forced into it. Sirius was beginning to wonder which was worse. The days turned into weeks and finally, after almost two months, Arthur and Molly received a letter from Y/n which only succeeded in confusing Sirius more.
Can I come home?
Y/n
Molly returned the letter with one of her own. You're always welcome here, dear. With that they waited for Y/n to return, though they had no idea what to expect when she finally did, for none of them were prepared for a version of her to return that they didn't recognize. None of them were prepared for Y/n Y/l/n to return to them as Y/n Riddle.