Light & Dark

August 16th, 1994

Severus Snape knew Narcissa Malfoy was about to knock on the door before she had even raised her hand to do so. She always had the most impeccable timing.

"Welcome back, Cissy; it's been too long." He smiled, opening the door for her to enter his home.

"Oh, Severus! I have truly missed your face. Once a year is simply not enough." She beamed, bringing him into her arms.

Cautiously and respectfully, he hugged her back, feeling her shoulders sink into him as she exhaled. She'd always been able to relax in his presence, if nowhere else.

"The same story year after year; I'm off at Hogwarts from the fall through spring, and you're with Draco during the summer. You know how the tale goes."

She released him from her embrace, and he led her by the arm into the den.

"I know, I know, but I can't help but hope to see you more this upcoming year." She mused as they sat down. "I heard things at Hogwarts were quite eventful this past year. What was Dumbledore thinking letting a werewolf teach?"

"You have no idea… I assure you no one is happier than I to see Lupin gone from Hogwarts… between him and your cousin Black, this past year was one I would soon like to forget."

"They never were very fond of you, were they…Quite an obnoxious bunch, if I remember correctly, brazen too." She mused, reflecting on her school days.

"Must we embark on this tedious trip into the past?" He groaned, re-positioning himself in the chair… "How are you? How are things at home, Cissy?"

His eyebrow cocked assertively; he wasn't asking to be polite. His black eyes poured over her, searching for answers.

"Things at home have not…improved…as I'd hoped." She admitted, averting her eyes.

"No...I can't imagine they would have, given the circumstances." He spoke cautiously, sensing a shift in mood.

It had been a dark summer; fear was rising as whispers filled the street, and Death Eaters emerged from hiding.

"It's happening again, Severus." She paused, taking a deep breath in and out, steadying herself. "Lucius…most nights, he leaves and doesn't return until morning. I never know when he'll return or where he is...until I read The Daily Prophet. I thought we had put this all behind us... I thought he was finished with the revels, the torture, and the mask...Severus, I can't bear it. Not again, not with so much at stake."

"Draco..." He discerned.

She nodded gravely, her porcelain facade cracking beneath the weight of her thoughts.

"He barely escaped life in Azkaban last time, yet he refuses to renounce the old ways...How can he do this to us again? To our family? To me?" Her silvery eyes glistened, threatening her cheeks with tears. "I don't know what to do... He is my husband, and despite his flaws, I've loved him. I've done everything I can to be a devoted wife and Mother...Merlin knows it hasn't been easy, but I meant my vows on our wedding day."

Giving in, she closed her eyes, releasing the feelings she'd masked for so long.

Severus moved to sit on the sofa beside her, carefully wrapping his arm around her and bringing her head to rest on his shoulder. Her tears seeped through his shirt.

"I fear that time will repeat itself in the years to come, and we are powerless in preventing it from happening. Our only option is to prepare for the unspeakable... Cissy, I think it is best if you and Draco keep your distance." Severus warned her.

"I wish you were wrong; if only we could be so fortunate." She lifted her head and dabbed her eyes. "My options are limited, but I'll stay at Shell Cottage for a little while; as long as I can... He will expect me to return; of course, I have to return…leaving him permanently isn't an option." She muttered resentfully, drying the last of her tears.

"And Draco? Will he not be joining you?" He questioned her, dropping his hand from her shoulder and turning to face her.

"Draco will join me after the Quidditch World Cup. I've given him a portkey...as long as Lucius behaves in the meantime and doesn't discover the portkey...he will meet me at Shell Cottage in 9 days' time." She assured him, recovering her composure. "He'll be safe there until he can return to school."

"You said you'd only be there temporarily...Narcissa I implore you to reconsider."

She laughed, a dry humorless scoff; it took him off guard.

"You make it sound so easy, Sev. Like I could hide away forever...disappear, never to be seen again, taking all my secrets with me." She pursed her lips.

"We all have our secrets, Cissy, some of us more than others," Severus muttered, unsettled by her indifference. "You know I'd keep yours, just as I always have."

"You fool. Have you forgotten what happened 13 years ago? Did you learn nothing?" Her words were cold, her eyes dangerous; his chin dropped. "You can't hide, not from this...not from the Dark Lord!"

He was livid now; his stomach boiled at the mention of her. She'd gone too far.

"Enough, Narcissa!" He asserted powerfully. "I may be foolish in trying to protect you, but you're naive in thinking your vows meant a damn to Lucius or that he would ever renounce the old ways. You forget, I, too, served the Dark Lord and have seen things you couldn't dream of in your nightmares. I've witnessed Lucius in his true form, seen him do the unspeakable. He puts on a great show during the daytime, but the darkness is in his bones, Narcissa, and there is no escaping it! He lives for the revels; he lives for the torture and the murder. He lives for the dying screams of his victims as he fucks them raw. He's sick, twisted, and-" He digressed guiltily as her tears returned with a vengeance. "I'm afraid you'll pay with your life if you return to him. I could not bear it if I lost you too."

Tears streaked her face as she trembled through silent sobs. Her eyes never leaving Severus'. He wrapped his arms around her again, desperate to make her stop. She pushed him away, standing up on unsteady legs.

"How dare you speak to me as if I know absolutely nothing of the man I've shared a bed with for 16 years! Like I am blind to his cruelty as if I haven't experienced it myself!" She raised her voice now, finding strength in her anger. "I'd have to be a masochist to stay with him by CHOICE!

She paused, taking in air, lifting her left hand up for him to see. Bewildered, his eyes darted between her enraged eyes and the array of diamonds on her finger.

"These rings have been in the Malfoy family for more generations than one could count. They form a contractual agreement, a magical bond, only to be broken by death. Whenever I leave Lucius for a day, a week, a month…I begin to lose not only my magic but my health. If I stay apart from him for too long, I will die." She admitted forcefully. "The day I accepted his proposal was the day I gave him my life."

He took her hand, examining the rings closer, pulling out his wand.

"How have you never told me this?! There must be something that can be done! There's an entire department of curse breakers at the Ministry-" He exclaimed before she raised her other hand to silence him.

"I have done my research Sev. It is impossible. It isn't even possible for the rings to be removed from my finger… I have made my bed, and now I must lie in it." She sighed. "Til death do us part."

"Merlin, help us all…." He breathed worriedly. "And what of Draco?"

"I won't be able to protect him forever, but I will do so for as long as I can...The girl, the muggleborn, will be his saving grace. I know it in my heart. If the worst happens and I don't survive this...she will be the one to ground him. She'll never let the darkness take him."

He took in her words, rolling them around in his mind.

"I hope you're right."