The weeks passed agonizingly slow and Amycus was getting on my nerves more and more as time passed but today was the final straw. The students were learning about Unforgivable Curses and he'd instructed the students to begin practicing on each other.
The students looked around, horrified, before their eyes settled on me. I scoffed, turning to Amycus.
"Too afraid to have the students practice on us so you'll make them practice on each other?"
"Shut up, Y/l/n," he hissed. His eyes widened in horror as he realized what he'd done.
I tutted in disapproval. "He won't like that."
"F-forgive me, Y/n," he stammered.
I raised a brow and he lowered his gaze.
"Forgive me, Professor Y/l/n."
I rolled my eyes. "You're done teaching for today."
"But-."
"Out!" I hissed, flinging the door open with a flick of my wrist.
He quietly left the room and I shut the door behind him before muttering the silencing spell. The students let out sighs of relief and Ginny ran toward me, pulling me into a hug, sobbing against me. "I- I thought we would have to..." She trailed off, the reality too awful to speak aloud.
"I won't let that happen." I pulled away, looking down at her.
"What are you going to do?" she asked.
"I'm taking a page from my history book," I said, smiling down at her.
She tilted her head curiously but I simply smiled at her. "No one can know about this little chat." I looked up at the students in the room and they nodded.
Cheers filled the room as I added one final thing: "The DA lives."
***
After classes ended that day I immediately went to Severus's office. I knocked on his office door and heard the shuffling of papers before the door opened and Severus stood in the doorway.
"Hey, darling. Is everything alright?"
"I need to do something... and I need you to come with me."
"Of course, love. What is it?"
"I need to talk to Tom."
His brows furrowed but he nodded nonetheless. "Of course, love. We'll leave right away." He opened his office door fully to let me inside and led us to the Floo before placing some powder in my hands. "I'm right behind you," he murmured, kissing my cheek.
I nodded and stepped into the fireplace, dropping the powder. "Malfoy Manor!" I called and green flames surrounded me. I was pulled into Malfoy Manor and Severus arrived shortly after, taking my hand in his as we found my father's room and I knocked on the door. He opened it abruptly, seeming angry, before realizing it was Severus and I.
"Ah, what brings you both here?"
"I want to discuss the Defense Against the Dark Arts course requirements with you."
He furrowed a brow. "Alright."
"The Cruciatus Curse," I explained. "You've allowed Amycus to force the students to use it on one another."
"Yes."
I scoffed. "And you placed me in a class with him, knowing you were going to teach that curriculum."
His eyes widened as the realization settled over him. "Y/n, I-."
I could feel his guilt, his regret, enveloping me and I knew I had him in the palm of my hand.
"How could you?" I hissed, moving closer to Severus. He wrapped an arm around my waist as I glared daggers at Tom. "You put me in that house... with him. You know how I feel about that curse, so why... why would you do that to me?"
He reached out a hand but I shook my head and hugged Severus tightly. Images flashed in my mind... ones that didn't belong to me.
I saw myself shaking Tom's hand as I was introduced to him for the first time. I saw my father's hands clutching the Daily Prophet, the edges crinkling in his grip, as he turned to Wormtail. "You were the source," he hissed. I saw myself, eyes filled with anger as I spat venomous words. "The mourning process consisted of a bloody basement and a bucket to piss in." I saw myself hugging Lucius and Rodolphus, relief and tears flooding my eyes as they held me. I saw myself sitting next to Tom, holding a photo album as my eyes filled with tears. "Why would you let me go my entire life believing my father was a horrible man who wanted nothing to do with me?" I felt Tom's guilt as each memory washed over me. I saw myself standing in front of him, my eyes filled with tears once again as I struggled to hold them back. "Being wanted... it's not something I'm used to, Tom." I felt my father's guilt increase, stinging my heart as the image changed once again. I saw Severus gently brushing my cheek as a nasty bruise was already beginning to form. I felt my father's rage as he looked at Macnair lying unconscious on the floor.
I shook my head, trying to clear it of the images as my eyes locked with Tom's.
"You saw something... didn't you?"
"I saw your regret... your pain," I added, cautiously, knowing I was playing with fire.
He hummed in thought before looking up at me once again. "You and your mother are quite alike."
I looked at him curiously.
"She could see the pain too... the pain of everyone." He shook his head, clearing it of his thoughts before continuing. "I shall speak to Amycus about removing that curse from the curriculum."
I nodded, thanking him, and he smiled in return. He reached toward me and gently touched my cheek. Something flashed in his eyes but I wasn't exactly sure what it was. Love? Regret? He said nothing more and I nodded to him before heading upstairs with Severus to our room.
When I closed the door behind us Severus wrapped his arms around my waist, kissing my cheek. "That was risky, darling," he murmured.
"It had to be done, Sev," I replied, turning to face him. "Amycus would've forced the children to use it on each other... even the first years, Sev."
His eyes filled with sadness as he looked down at me. "Still so pure... even in the face of war."
"I will not sacrifice my morals even in the face of war, Sev.... I won't do it."
He gently brushed my cheek with his thumb as I lifted my hand, cupping his cheek and he leaned into my touch.
A brief moment of peace in a war that seemed to never end.