Malfoy Manor was just as she remembered it. Hazel had braced herself that evening, steeling her nerves as she donned all black robes. She stopped by Sev's desk before she left. He took a second to look up from the book he was poring over, raising an eyebrow. "You look exhausted. Are you alright?"

"I could say the same to you," she tried to smile as he stood up to hug her. It was true. She'd sat up all night, holding onto him. As she lay there, watching his face in the moonlight, she told him all sorts of things. How she was proud of him, how incredibly brave he was, how some of her best memories were with him, but most of all, how much he was loved. She would run a hand through his hair and promise him that everything would be alright. Eventually he reached out for her in his sleep, pulling her close to him and whispering that she ought to get some rest. But she sat up, counting the hours until they had to get out of bed. They spent nearly all day together, Hazel encouraging him to eat even when she didn't feel hungry herself, waving away all of the questions he asked.

Noticing the silver serpent that encircled her neck, he again had to question her. "Why are you dressed up?"

"I felt like it," she shrugged. "It's a beautiful Christmas present, and I don't get the chance to wear it enough, so I just figured... Sev, I love you." She wrapped her arms around him, holding on as tightly as she dared.

"I love you too. Are you sure you're alright?"

"I'll be fine," she assured him. "I… I'll see you in a bit, okay? I love you." She gave him one last slow kiss before taking off for the stairs. Sev went back to his desk, still bothered by how thrown-off she'd seemed. But then again, they'd both been off ever since they found out where Dumbledore's plan was going. Harry wasn't the only one Dumbledore had guided and raised until the proper moment, when he was going to be forced to die.

Meanwhile Hazel crossed the grounds and apparated away after taking one final look back at Hogwarts. She arrived in the Malfoys' gardens a second later. Peacocks hopped through the mist, looking for beetles in the grass. She paid them no mind, intent on her target.

None of the Death Eaters lurking in the house bothered to stop her. They knew who she was. They knew the trust Snape and the Dark Lord had placed in her. They let her pass by without question, thinking she was on an important mission from Snape.

Voldemort was easy enough to find. He was in the drawing room, in the middle of a conversation with Narcissa Malfoy, one of her House Elves cowering at her feet. All of them looked to Hazel as she entered. "Curious," Voldemort said, turning to Narcissa and, by proxy, the elf. "Away with you."

They obeyed, Hazel making her way across the room to him as Narcissa left. "My lord -"

Circling her like a shark, Voldemort asked why she was there. "You come with a purpose, not a message. Severus would have come himself if… but he does not know you're here, does he?"

"No," she answered, holding her head high. "I know what you want from him. And I know how to get it."

"Oh?"

"The wand you carry doesn't answer to you, does it? Because he killed Dumbledore, it answers to him," she said, Voldemort coming to a stop in front of her. "It's the most powerful wand there is. And you want to use it to kill Harry Potter. So you're going to kill Sev for it. Kill me instead." The one who seeks to prevent it will seek to sacrifice… what seems everything… but without him would seem nothing…

"Very curious," Voldemort answered, looking at the wand he'd stolen from Dumbledore's tomb. "You are right, it does not answer to me. And you are also right, that such a sacrifice must be made… but why would you sacrifice your own life for his?"

"Wormtail sacrificed his hand for you, my lord. I will sacrifice something far greater, if it means that you spare Sev," she bartered. "He controls Hogwarts, he has connections everywhere… I've disarmed him before. It should answer to me. Kill me, and the wand is yours. If you're not sure, I can disarm him and return here."

He was silent for a moment, thinking over her offer. Slowly he pointed his wand at her, watching her reaction. Hazel closed her eyes, trying to think of Sev, of why she was doing this. It will all be alright if he's alright. It's no more difficult than falling asleep. It was his face that she would see in the end, not Voldemort's. She tried not to think of Voldemort or Malfoy Manor, but of the two of them curled up in bed, Sev smiling at her and giving her a sleepy kiss good morning. If that was the last thing she saw, the last memory she picked, it would be a good one. She held her breath, thinking that at any second she would see the flash of green light, the last thing so many people saw in his presence. Finally Voldemort spoke. "No."

She opened her eyes, immediately seeing that he'd lowered his wand. "No? My lord, you're going to need a right-hand man when you defeat Potter for good, Sev would be -"

"You are far more valuable. You have people who still trust you, people in the Order of the Phoenix who even now believe you've been deluded or put under the Imperius Curse. I also know of your prowess with the Cruciatus Curse. Several of the others have told me about what you once were. And you are from a good Pureblood family. Not one of the Sacred Twenty-Eight, but one of the Founders… nearly as good as Salazar Slytherin himself. You could have a good Pureblood family, possibly the best children in Britain, if not the world," he said. "Besides, this wand has a history of bloodshed longer than the history of your family. If the previous owner still lives, its power is not passed on."

"My lord - "

"Normally I would kill anyone who objects to such a thing," he hissed, "but you, you will pay for this by living. Go."

She had no choice but to leave. Passing Narcissa in the hall, she nodded to her briefly but kept walking. Through the corridors, out onto the lawn, down into the gardens. She would've kept walking all the way to the closest village, but it wouldn't have helped. So she collapsed onto a stone bench, her head in her hands as she realized that there was nothing she could do. She'd tried to give up everything, to trade her life for his, but there was nothing else she could do now. Sev was going to die, and there was no way to stop it, unless she followed him all of the time and got in the way when Voldemort finally tried to kill him. But that would be impossible. Even prophecies could be wrong, or so it seemed.

Hazel didn't know how long she'd been sitting there, tears dripping down her face as she stared at one of the peacocks pecking around in the hedges, unbothered by the Death Eaters that had taken over its home, when the crunch of gravel startled her. Draco Malfoy sat down beside her, looking downcast. At first he didn't say anything, but finally he chose to break the silence. "Professor?"

"What?" She turned to face him, utterly defeated. "Does he want me back?"

"Er, no. I was passing by and saw you out here. Erm, I'm sorry. I'm sorry he's making you sacrifice so much for him." The concern in his voice was genuine. He'd learned to respect her quickly, and when she and Professor Snape had first revealed that they were anything more than colleagues, he had been rooting for them. Over time he'd come to know her as the woman who made his godfather smile more than he'd ever seen before, not just the Pureblood prodigy that his family adored.

"I hope you fall in love like this one day, Draco," she answered, wiping at her cheeks. "Love… it's not for everybody. Some people never find it. Some people can't find it. Some people never feel it. But Sev… I've fallen in love with him so many times over the course of our lives. I hope you find something like that one day, when the world isn't like this."

"Is it true you offered to die for him? My mother heard some of it, and I heard her telling my father."

"Yes. But the Dark Lord said no. Sev has to..."

"He loves you. He'd be glad to die if it meant keeping you safe," Draco relayed. "Before he was Professor Snape, he was my godfather. Uncle Severus. He'd be here all of the time, and he'd try to play with me, keep me entertained, he'd bring Father all sorts of dark objects he'd found, but when you came to the castle - I hadn't seen him smile that much. Ever. You've made him… He's utterly in love with you. When he was helping me figure out a plan… a plan to kill Dumbledore, Slughorn had just shown us Amortentia. I asked what it smelled like to him. Do you know what he said?"

"Linen, lavender, and Butterbeer," Hazel mumbled, thinking back to their own Potions classes.

But Draco shook his head. "Simpler than that. He said it smelled like you. Like the time he kissed you at some Slytherin party in your seventh year, and every time after that. I think… If he knows it'll keep you safe, I think he'd be willing to die for you."

Hazel sighed, getting to her feet. "Thank you. It's not the point, but… Take care of yourself, Draco." She walked a little ways away before apparating to the edge of Hogwarts. She tried to suppress all of it as she walked, keeping her head held high as she made her way back to the headmaster's office.

Sev was still working when she got back, entirely absorbed in what he'd been writing. "That's enough," he said, setting his quill down and coming over to embrace her. "What's wrong? You've been acting strangely all day."

In answer she reached up and kissed him. She wove her hand into his hair and pulled him as close as she could, refusing to give him any idea about what was really going on. "Sev, put your work away. I... I want you to make me forget the rest of the world exists. I need you to, please."

"No." He pulled away gently. His voice softened as he told her, "You're crying. Again. You've been like this all day. You've been like this for days now. You've hardly slept. You've hardly eaten. You're…" He took her hands, guiding her into their chambers and sitting her down on the sofa next to him. "You're going to tell me what's wrong."

She collapsed into his arms, admitting that, "I've tried everything. I've looked up everything I could. I've stayed up so late for so long trying to find an answer. I've been through every book I can think might be even remotely helpful, and I've written to everyone who might know anything. I just tried the last thing I could think of and… There's nothing I can do, Sev. There has to be another way, but I can't find it and I feel like I'm running out of time. I've tried… everything. I can't… There has to be something. Even if there is no answer, I can't give up on this or I feel like I'm giving up on you." He let her cry, running a hand through her hair as she tried to calm down.

"I know." He kissed the top of her head, promising her that it was alright. "You've done everything you could. I'm not angry or disappointed or any of that. You've done so much for me, and I will always be grateful, and I will always love you."

"I love you too," she spoke into his chest. "I love you so much, Sev, and I can't... that's why I told him to kill me instead. He refused."

"Hazel, what? Look at me." He held her face in his hands, his heart in his throat. "You thought you were going to... That's why... Oh, I'm sorry." He gave her a kiss before pulling her into his arms again. "I'm so sorry. You don't need to... You were going to... I love you. Truly and madly and deeply and... if it means keeping you safe, if it means the Dark Lord will never harm you, I will accept my fate."

"No."

"There is still the possibility that Potter gets to him before the Dark Lord acts," Sev reminded her. "They are difficult to track, and for good reason, but they are getting close."

She seemed to accept it, no matter how far-fetched it seemed. "Sev? Don't go back to work. Stay here. And please... stay close. When you can." She wasn't going to say it, but she wanted to spend every moment she could with him in case his days were numbered.

"Of course."