Severus, only twenty, picked up his quill for the hundredth time, thinking this time, he'd be able to tell her parents what happened to her. He could still see her standing in her nightgown across the room, confusion morphing into fear as Death Eaters Apparated around her. In that moment, he chose to kill her himself, to save her from the cruelty of his brothers.
He stared at his glass before taking a drink, swishing the whiskey around, noting the amber color matched her eyes. If there was one thing he was certain, it was that he'd never forgive himself.