DRACO POV
Almost three weeks had passed since we arrived at Shell Cottage. I liked it here. There were so many of us and it was rather crowded, but it felt like home. Harry, Ron, Dean, and I slept in the parlor, on the floor and on the sofas. Liana and Hermione were upstairs with Luna. The goblin and Mr. Ollivander were in the other spare room.
Mr. Ollivander was able to make new wands for everyone; most of his strength had come back and he was beginning to gain some weight. My new mahogany wand was ten and a half inches long, its core made from hippogriff heartstring. I liked it, but it felt different in my hand. It couldn’t replace my old wand. I wondered what had happened to it. Perhaps Pansy was using it. The thought disgusted me, her sweaty hands gripping the wand that had belonged to me for the past seventeen years.
I hated Pansy Parkinson, with every bit of hate that remained in my body. I hated her for what she’d done to Liana. I hated her because she was a Death Eater. I looked down at my own Mark. I hated myself too. I hadn’t necessarily agreed to become a Death Eater. It was . . . expected of me. It was also a punishment for my father’s past failures. It was never supposed to happen. When I was a second year at Hogwarts, I probably would’ve thought it was great. Now that I realized that it’s a nightmare.
My life had been just fine until I became a Death Eater over the summer. If I, somehow, could have avoided it, I would have. Then again, I wouldn’t be the person I was today. I might not have even fallen in love with Liana. Hell, I might not have met her to begin with. I rarely associated with people from other Houses, unless my fellow Slytherins and I were picking on the Gryffindors.
I’d completely changed since I met Liana. I’d become much kinder. Sure, I had the potential to be just as cold as I used to be, but I didn’t want to hurt anyone’s feelings intentionally. It just wasn’t in me anymore. I didn’t even care about blood purity. At this point, I was in love with a half-blood and friends with a “blood traitor” and a “Mudblood.” I was even friends with Harry Potter! I never would’ve thought that it’s all come down to this about two years ago, but it had.
Suddenly, and owl rapped at the bathroom window after I’d taken a shower. I opened the window and took the letter from its beak. The owl took off before I even opened it:
Meet me at Spinner’s End. I’ll be waiting.
Severus
Why would Snape want to see me? Was it some sort of set up? No. Snape would never put me in danger intentionally. He respected my family. He liked me. He always had.
I decided to go. It couldn’t hurt. It must be important if he’d sent me an owl. I couldn’t tell anyone where I was really going. Harry would be pissed, possibly beyond measure. No one needed to know, especially not Bill or Fleur.
I quickly got dressed, pulling on a sweater and some clean slacks. It was mid day, the sun shining high in the blue sky. It was a beautiful day, warm too. I walked down the staircase, hearing a commotion in the kitchen. I took a peek inside; everyone was starting to set up to have lunch.
Seeing me, Liana smiled. Things were back to normal with us, somewhat. We hadn’t touched since the day we escaped the cellar. We hadn’t kissed either. Now, it had been four months since my lips had pressed against hers. I missed her sweet smell of apples. I wanted to run my fingers through her hair until she fell asleep.
I yearned to make love to her delicate and precious body. I’d only gotten the opportunity to do it once. Our first time had been perfect, and I was happy with that. But, as a man, it would be nice to have that experience again.
“I thought you’d never come out of the bathroom,” said Liana. “We’re having soup and sandwiches. There’s ham, your favorite.” I smiled at this; she still remembered though I told her that some time ago.
“Sounds great,” I said, smiling a warm smile of my own. The little things she did always managed to get me in a good mood.
Everyone sat down and began eating. I took a huge bite out of my sandwich. It had been a long time since I’d last had some ham. It reminded me of Hogwarts. I remembered the day that Liana and I had a picnic by the lake, eating ham sandwiches and jelly doughnuts. I recalled squeezing the jelly out of mine and wiping it on Liana’s cheek. In turn, she did the same to me.
Memories like these sent butterflies through my stomach, as if the events were happening all over again. I wished that we could all be happy again, but we were suffering underneath all of the smiles and laughter.
During lunch, no one talked about anything sad. Everyone talked about our times at Hogwarts, one of the places I’d been happy—mostly because Liana was there. “And did you see Hermione at the Yule Ball? I never saw her in a dress until then,” said Ron enthusiastically, as if he’d been waiting years to say it.
I smiled. “Yes,” I said, smiling. “Though, I never would’ve admitted it then, but you looked beautiful.”
“Thanks,” she said, blushing. She didn’t hate me, but it was strange for us to be cordial toward one another.
“Who’d you bring?” piped up Dean after slurping a spoonful of vegetable soup. He turned toward me, waiting for a reply.
“I asked a Beauxbatons girl. Her name was . . . Lucille. She was pretty nice for a Beauxbatons girl,” I replied.
“Hey!” said Liana, putting down her water. “I was one of them once! I know Lucille! Lucille? Of all others? She was older than you.”
I shrugged. “Only by a year! So what,” I said. “What can I say? Women can’t resist the charm of the Slytherin Prince.” Everyone burst out in laughter, except Griphook, who didn’t find the situation funny at all.
After lunch, I announced that I was going to take a walk on the beach, which was clearly a lie. I just needed an excuse to get out of the house. Everyone else had gone to take naps. Staying in the cottage, there wasn’t much to do. Liana, however, decided that she wasn’t tired. Mentally, I scowled.
As I made my way to the back door, Liana followed. “Do you mind if I come with you?” she asked.
I hesitated, not really wanting to push her away. “I’d rather you stay here,” I said. Then added thoughtfully, “I want to be alone for awhile.”
Her face turned serious. She raised her eyebrows as she said, “Fine.” Rejected, she made a point of stomping up the staircase so that I could hear.
I sighed and walked out onto the beach. I pushed my wand deeper into my pocket and Apparated to Spinner’s End. This was the neighborhood in which Snape lived. I recalled coming with Father a few years back. It was raining here, so I walked quickly and knocked on Snape’s door.
He opened the door, looking at me in a not so friendly manner. He poked his head out of the door, looking both ways before finally letting me inside. I followed him into the sitting room, filled with what had to be hundreds of books. He motioned for me to sit down. “Tea?” he asked, holding up a cup.
I shook my head. “No thanks.”
He sat in the chair across from me, taking a sip of the tea he’d prepared. He cleared his throat. “I’ve summoned you here because Dumbledore has passed on a bit of information that you need to tell Harry.”
“So why didn’t you just—” I stopped myself, remembering that Harry currently wanted Snape dead. “I mean, what is it that I need to know?”
“I suppose that you know about the horcruxes,” he said. I nodded. “Before I killed Dumbledore, he told me something. Do you know what Helga Hufflepuff’s Cup is?” I nodded once more, not too sure of what he was getting at. “Good. Now . . . the cup is located in Bellatrix’s vault. If you would like to put an end to the Dark Lord’s reign, then I suggest that you come with me to retrieve it.”
“What?” I asked, dumbfounded. “Break into Gringott’s? That’s bloody mad, that is! How are we supposed to get inside? Better yet, how am I supposed to get inside? Won’t the Dark Lord find out?”
“I have my ways, Draco,” he said, not smiling. “And the Dark Lord is no longer interested in you, at the moment. In reality, he wishes to have the girl killed. I told you not to let him find out about her. You’ve been careless. She is in grave danger. It is of extreme importance that he doesn’t know her whereabouts. If you wish her to live, she must be protected.”
“Of course I want her alive! What kind of question is that?”
“I was once in your shoes . . . trying to protect the woman I love. I failed to keep Lily Potter alive.”
“Harry’s mother?” He nodded. I didn’t know that he’d ever been in love. I didn’t even know that he was capable of loving someone. “I’ll do it,” I said. “Whatever it takes.”
Sorry I took so long to update. It's been a pretty hectic week at school. If I fail government this quarter, I blame wattpad lol. Anyway, I hope that everyone is having a good week. On the bright side, tomorrow's Friday! Comment & review, my loves <3