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Harry Potter and all of its characters belong to J.K. Rowling.
I own nothing but the original characters I make.
"Dialogue"
'Thoughts'
-Author notes-
Chapter 101: Hidden Monsters
"Here, this should help with the pain." Narcissa took out a potion from a cabinet and handed it to Snape as soon as they went into her room.
"You have a stock of these potions?" Snape removed the cork, gave it a sniff, and drank the whole thing.
The pain immediately began to subside. However, even with this, it would take hours for it to disappear completely.
"Has he used it on you or Draco?" There was a hint of concern in his voice as he whispered the question.
Narcissa's previously cold eyes softened up a bit. "No, he did not. I never gave him a reason to do so. But… I knew I was going to need it sooner or later. I mean, you know that my son can be difficult at times."
Snape nodded. "He has been much quieter since…"
"Yes… Lucius' death changed him a lot," Narcissa sighed.
"I should have visited to see how you were doing. But I—"
"I know. You have your own role to play as Albus Dumbledore's trusty ally. Can't be seen being too close with the family of a Death Eater." Narcissa hid her bitterness behind a mental wall she had perfected for decades.
Snape remained silent for almost a minute, thinking about what to do next. "Things are going to get more dangerous." He couldn't speak too many details. Not in this house. Not when he didn't know if someone could be listening.
The wrong word reaching the Dark Lord's ears would mean his death. And he was already in a precarious position.
"No need to worry about me. I'll be fine… I already survived the previous war. I will survive this one as well," Narcissa said.
"Are you going to take the Mark?" He knew this was not up to her. If Voldemort insisted, she would have no choice but to fill the void left by her sister.
"He has not pushed me into it yet… it is Draco whom he truly wants," Narcissa said.
Snape would have liked to say that what Voldemort wanted was the Malfoy fortune, not Draco. But that would have sounded too cruel.
"You wanted something from me."
"I want you to join this next mission. I don't trust Macnair or Jugson with my son's safety."
"Carrow is als—"
"I trust that one even less than the rest," Narcissa snapped.
"They know how important he is for our Lord. They will keep him safe," Snape said.
"His safety is not the only thing I'm worried about," Narcissa said. "Draco holds a grudge against the eldest daughter of the Greengrass family, Daphne. The two of them were supposed to be engaged, but when Lucius died, Lord Greengrass declared the contract null, claiming that without my husband, the house would go into decline."
"I did hear about that…" Snape muttered.
"The bastard was just looking for an excuse. But anyway… I know Draco is very proud. I just don't want him to let his rage guide his actions and do something he would later regret. I don't want him to become… like the others."
Snape thought that it was already too late for that. Draco seemed to have fully embraced the Dark Lord. But he could not say no to this request. He owed too much to this family. If it weren't for Lucius' help, he would not have survived this long.
"I will request to join the mission. If anyone asks, I will say that I wish to prove myself useful to the Dark Lord." Which wasn't necessarily a lie.
"Thank you." A sincere smile appeared on Narcissa's face.
Snape nodded. "If that's all…"
"Wait. There is one more thing." She made a complicated expression. "Do you think they are going to attack that shop? The one where Potter is supposed to be living."
"I don't know. The Dark Lord didn't seem to be in a hurry to do so. Why do you ask?"
Narcissa gave him an inquisitive glance. "Do you truly not know about that shop? Or about Madam Yafel?"
Snape frowned. "I have heard rumors… that's all. Everyone seems to be afraid of going there. Even the Auror Department."
"They should be," Narcissa said. "That witch has been around for a very long time, Severus. And she is extremely dangerous. Entire wizard houses have disappeared because of her. The Ashworths were not the only ones keeping old records. The House of Black did so as well. There is evidence of three large ancient families being destroyed or exiled by her."
"Entire families? Like who?" Snape remained skeptical about it. He considered those as old legends. Many of those stories were from before the founding of the Ministry, and the data was not very reliable back then. Many tended to mix facts with fiction to make their diary entries more interesting.
"You may want to look into the history of the Blackthorn house," Narcissa told him.
"Blackthorn?… never heard of them," Snape said.
"That's because their house was destroyed and most of the family was annihilated. The few survivors fled to Europe. Last I heard, there were a few left in Spain. And they are not the only ones."
"Okay, fine. But I don't see where you are going with this. Do you want me to tell the Dark Lord to avoid offending this witch because she poses a danger to him? Because a comment like that is likely to get me the Killing Curse, and it would serve to encourage him further. Besides… his focus is on Potter, not that witch."
"I hope so…" Narcissa muttered. "My grandfather used to say… monsters are hiding away in the least expected corners of the world. If one day, you were to encounter one of these monsters… run away. Run as fast and as far as you can. Because if one of these monsters is provoked, rivers of blood will flow."
"Monsters…" Snape scoffed. He already knew enough monsters. He was serving one.
"Goodbye, Narcissa." He walked away. "Take care of yourself. And thanks for the potion."
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