It All Comes Out In The End

It had been seven days. Seven days since Severus Snape had arrived at Malfoy Manor and informed Draco of his father's death at Voldemort's hands. He stood in his father's lab and let his fingers drag over the rows of potion vials.

"Why would he leave her anything? He never loved her."

Severus simply stared at the boy. "I don't know, Draco." His eyes roved over the room. "Your father had quite a collection."

"They're yours."

"No…"

Draco continued, "I won't use them. And mother's new fascination with potions scares her. You would use them… appreciate them."

Severus nodded slowly. "What about the books? And the papers?"

"I'll go through them. I'll burn the Darks Arts things. I'll make sure that he wrote a will, and then I'll seal this room away. Not even the elves will come down here anymore."

"I understand." He put his hand on the boy's shoulder. "Draco, he had a letter sent to me. It was addressed to you."

"When?"

"Hours before he died most likely." Severus pulled the parchment from a pocket in his robe. He held it out to Draco.

The blond boy took it and opened it. Inside was a picture of three girls. He could recognize the one on the far end as his mother. But the other two were pointedly unfamiliar to him. "Who are they?"

Severus sighed, "The Evans girls."

"Ah." Draco traced the picture carefully with his index finger. "The two other girls?"

"No, all of them."

Draco looked up in surprise. "Mother has sisters?"

"One of them is dead. The other is a Muggle hag."

"Mother was a… M…"

Severus nodded grimly, "Your father loved her, Draco. He asked her to save herself by abandoning her family. And she did. Her sisters and her nephew and her brother-in-law."

Draco looked down at the letter.

"Read it, Draco. It may help you somehow understand him."

Draco watched his professor climb the dark stairs. He sat down and began to read the letter.