Chapter 26
The doors to the hospital wing swing open a moment later, and Severus storms into the room. His hair is ragged, framing is pale face, the dark circles under his eyes standing out prominently against the whiteness of his face.
“You’re awake.” He breathed, reaching forward to brush his fingers against your cheek. “How do you feel? Did destroying the mirror work?”
You consider his questions for a moment, having not thought about yourself since waking up. You realize the thick fog in your mind has retreated, leaving your thoughts clear and untainted. You feel tired, but not as mentally exhausted as you were before. Your anger is gone, leaving a gaping hole of guilt and sadness in its place.
“I think I feel okay.” You answer, your voice hoarse and shaky. “I feel… much more normal than before.”
Severus exhales with relief, sitting sideways on the edge of the bed.
“Good.” He breathes, drawing his hand away from your face, keeping a careful distance from your body with his own. “Good.”
You reach out, lacing your fingers between his on the bed. He winces at the touch.
“What is it?” You ask quietly.
He shakes his head.
“I just…” He breathes. “I’m not giving up on saving Nova. But when I’ve saved her, I wouldn’t blame you if you wanted to leave.”
You blink slowly, astonished by his words.
“You think I want to leave you?” You ask incredulously. “Because of what you saw in the Pensieve?”
Severus pulls his hand from yours, rolling up his sleeve to reveal the Dark Mark, still inked deeply on his pale forearm.
“Because of this, Y/N.” He says lowly, his voice wrenched with pain. “Because I traded my life for hers, because I’ve put her, and you, in danger again.”
You reach for him, and he pulls away.
“You should want to leave me.” He tells you, finally looking into your eyes. “You should be commanding me to leave this room. You should be repulsed by my presence.”
You shake your head now, reaching out and grabbing his hand, holding it tight enough to throw him off as he tries to pull it away.
“I’m not leaving you.” You tell him firmly. “And don’t you dare try to leave me just because you feel like punishing yourself.”
He looks at you with wide eyes, his hand relaxing in yours slightly.
“We will find a way to save Nova.” You tell him. “And you will be here at my side, now and after.”
Severus nods, squeezing your hand as he leans closer.
“I will.” He breathes. “I will be here.”
You nod, leaning forward to rest your forehead against his.
“I’m so sorry.” You whisper, shutting your eyes and leaning into his touch as he brushes his free hand through your hair. “I brought all of this into our lives with that mirror.”
Severus shakes his head.
“It would’ve come out one way or another.” Severus answers lowly. “It would’ve come back to haunt me regardless.”
Severus climbs into the bed, pulling you closer to rest your head against his chest as he cradles you.
“Did you have a dream about it?” You ask quietly. “What you saw in the Pensieve?”
Severus runs a finger along your back gently.
“I did.” He answers curiously. “I haven’t slept in days in fear of you waking without me, but earlier, I fell asleep with Nova on accident. How did you know?”
You push the images of your nightmare to Severus through the bond, showing him what you saw with him in the dark room with Voldemort.
“I think you sent it to me.” You murmur. “Was that what you saw?”
He nods slowly.
“I didn’t know this would happen.” He reiterates, just like he had on the floor of Dumbledore’s office. “I never would’ve made the trade if I did… I would’ve–I should’ve just…”
He trails off, but the thought of what he wanted to say flashes in your mind.
“Killing yourself would have solved nothing.” You answer, holding him tighter as if the action alone would banish the images in your mind. As if it would make him feel any better about what had happened. “And it will solve nothing now.”
You lean back, cupping his face in your hands gently.
“Your past is over. It was dark and twisted and horrible,” You breathe, looking deeply into his pain-filled eyes. “But it’s over. And now we have to fix it to continue living this life, the life we built together.”
He nods, tears threatening at the edges of his eyes. He blinks them away, pulling you into a kiss. Your lips melt against his, relishing in the familiar pressure that you had missed for weeks.
“We need to find Dumbledore.” You breathe as you pull away. “We have to stop this curse before something happens to Nova.”
Severus nods, helping you up out of the hospital bed. Your legs wobble slightly, but Severus loops his arm around you, stabilizing you with his body as you slowly walk into the hallway.
You finally make it to the Headmaster’s office, and Dumbledore gestures for you and Severus to sit in front of his desk as you enter.
“I am so glad to see you on your feet, Mrs. Y/N.” Dumbledore says with a small smile as you sit down, your head spinning slightly. “I have both good and bad news.”
You and Severus nod in sync, urging Dumbledore to elaborate.
“The good news is that I’ve found several protection spells to shield Nova for the time being. It’s not a permanent fix, but it will buy us time.” He tells you, looking between your eyes and Severus’. “The bad news is that the curse is now activated, meaning that Nova is a beacon for Dark Magic. While they won’t be able to find her, they will be able to find the school due to the immense amounts of magic we use here on a daily basis.”
Severus squeezes your hand, and your heart hammers in your ears.
“However, I do have someone in Hogsmeade willing to take her in until we break the curse.” Dumbledore continues quickly. “He does not use magic, he has a direct connection to the school, and he is one of my most trusted advisors.”
You look at Severus, and he looks back at you, eyebrows raised in question.
“Who is it?” Severus asks. “Where would she have to go?”
Dumbledore exhales loudly.
“My brother, Ableforth.” He says quietly. “He’s the owner of the Hog’s Head Inn. We aren’t exactly… close, but I know we can rely on him to keep her safe.”
You take a deep breath, tears stinging in your eyes as your chest aches for your daughter.
“I want her to go.” You whisper suddenly. “She has to be safe.”
Severus nods, squeezing your hand again.
“I must say, it will be safer if she makes the journey without either of you,” Dumbledore tells them quietly. “Unfortunately, you both still contain traces of Dark Magic. You will jeopardize her location.”
You nod, looking into Dumbledore’s wise, apologetic eyes.
“Take her now.” You tell him. “I can’t bear to tell her goodbye.”
Dumbledore nods, standing and walking to a portrait before whispering to it lowly. He returns to his desk chair a moment later.
“Minerva will be gathering her things and taking her shortly,” Dumbledore tells you somberly. “She will be protected. I swear it.”
You nod again, blinking quickly so as not to risk rogue tears slipping down your cheeks.
“Now, we have much to do,” Dumbledore says, standing and walking towards you. He extends his hand, and you take it, standing with Severus by your side.
Dumbledore guides you to the back of his office, unlocking a heavy lock with a wave of his wand and opening the door.
He lets go of your hand as you begin the descent down a spiral staircase, your hand now clutching Severus’ tightly as you follow the Headmaster deeper and deeper into the belly of the castle. The torches on the walls burned with an eerie blue flame, casting long, flickering shadows that made the ancient stones seem almost alive.
Dumbledore finally stopped in front of an imposing set of iron doors, untouched by time yet humming with magic so old that you could feel it pulsing beneath your skin. Runes glowed faintly along the frame, shifting as if they were whispering the secrets of what lay behind these doors to themselves.
“This library predates Hogwarts itself,” Dumbledore murmured, his voice barely above a whisper. “Few have set foot within these halls and left unchanged. Do not take what you find here lightly.”
With another wave of his wand and a whisper of an incantation, the iron doors groaned open, revealing a cavernous chamber beyond.
The air was thick with the scent of parchment and something older, something unnatural. Towering shelves stretched toward the vaulted ceiling, packed with books bound in cracked leather and others wrapped in chains, as though restraining the knowledge within. Some texts seemed to shiver at their presence, while others whispered in languages long forgotten.
You shiver, and cast Severus a glance. His face was unreadable, his dark eyes scanned the shelves as if he was trying to determine where to begin.
“The bloodline curse,” Dumbledore prompted, leading them forward through the shelves. “Dark magic of this nature is never straightforward, nor is it easily undone.”
They moved deeper into the library, past books that trembled at their footsteps and others that hissed as Dumbledore’s robes brushed against them. At last, they reached a secluded alcove where a single pedestal stood, bearing a book that did not appear to be resting on the surface, but rather hovering just above it. The cover was bound in deep crimson leather, the title embossed in a curling silver script.
Sanguinem Vinculum: Cursed Bloodlines
Severus reached for the book hesitantly, but the moment his fingers brushed the cover, the book shuddered violently before flying open on its own accord.
Pages flipped rapidly, as though searching for the knowledge they sought, before settling near the center of the book.
The three of you leaned forward in sync, your breath catching in your throat as your eyes skimmed the text.
“A bond of blood, when forged with dark intent, cannot be severed by mortal means. Blood freely given binds the living to the will of another, an eternal chain upon their fate. The bloodline is no longer their own–it is tethered, controlled, and twisted to serve the one who has enacted it.
To break such a bond is to challenge magic at its core. The blood must be severed, not by steel, but by sacrifice.
The child who carries the mark of the curse may only be freed when a willing heart takes their place.
Blood for blood.
Life for life.
A sacred exchange.
There is no other way.”