That evening, after finishing his classes, Snape did not stay at the school as usual. Instead, he returned to his home at Spinner's End.
"You're finally back, Severus..." Narcissa Malfoy sat on the sofa, sobbing uncontrollably, while Lucius stood beside her, his face pale.
The moment they saw Snape, they immediately rose and hurried over.
Ever since news of Dumbledore's death had spread through the wizarding world, the Death Eaters assigned to watch them had vanished. They had once again earned the Dark Lord's trust and were free to go wherever they wished.
Voldemort had even come in person, lavishly praising Draco's courage and wisdom.
But Lucius and Narcissa felt nothing but cold all over. They both knew that being praised by the Dark Lord was not necessarily a good thing.
But they could not worry about that now. They had something more important to deal with.
"Well, Severus?" Lucius asked tensely. "Is there any news of Draco?"
"You came back so suddenly at a time like this—you must have succeeded... haven't you?" Narcissa looked at Snape hopefully as well.
"There's been a slight complication..." Snape hesitated, but seeing their eyes grow dimmer, he finally sighed.
"All right, listen to me. Draco is with me."
Clutching at her chest, Narcissa let out a choked sob of joy. The sudden release of tension made her sway, and she collapsed to the floor.
Lucius did not move to help his wife, because he was in little better condition himself. The only difference was that he could still remain standing.
"Thank Merlin." Lucius Malfoy smiled for the first time in months.
"Thank you... Severus, thank you."
"Don't thank me." Snape shook his head. "As I said, there's been a slight complication."
"What do you mean?" Lucius grew tense again. "What happened to Draco?"