I just got another review so next chapter will be dedicated to katie93319! Keep an eye out tomorrow for another chapter! You guys are absolutely amazing! I do need to give a special shoutout to a guest named Kenna who was my very first review and who I have apparently made cry with the previous chapter, but that just means I'm doing my job so you're welcome! Also, you were the reason I gave all of my readers a look into Narcissa's head this chapter so thank you so much for giving me that brilliant idea!

As always, thank you to each and every one of my reviewers and please enjoy this chapter and the one that will be posted tomorrow! We will be seeing the very first letter from Molly due to katie93319 expressing her happiness at Mrs. Weasley sending Draco updates so I hope you enjoy her letter in the next chapter, love!

R&R!

Narcissa POV

I watch Draco as he sleeps curled up under the sheets of his King-sized bed. After he passed out from exhaustion, I summoned a house elf to apparate him back to his room so that he can rest, but I've been watching him for the past hour. During Christmas time when I met Briar, I could see the love my son had for her in his eyes and to see him so broken right now has tears silently running down my face. I can't believe she's dead. Wiping the tears from my cheeks, I make my way to my husband's old office and throw some Floo powder into the fireplace.

"Severus Snape," I state to the fireplace and within seconds, the green flames turn blue before extinguishing themselves. Standing up, I face the photo that sits on the mantle above the fireplace at the corner with a look of disgust on my face. It's a picture of my husband smiling and standing over the corpse of a muggle next to my father in law. He can't be more than thirteen in the photo, but they both stare at the corpse and then the person taking the photo in pride. My husband and I have never agreed with our thoughts on blood status and muggles' places in the world, but we never had to as we had an arranged marriage. Don't get me wrong, my husband and I were in love for years which resulted in Draco's birth, but after his father passed it seemed like my husband died as well.

The man I knew warped into a cruel man who didn't care about anything other than making others suffer. He wanted control and I think his father's death had something to do with it. I never knew how he died, but Lucius's new demeanor makes me believe he wanted to regain the control his father had lost when he died in a way. Trying to talk with my husband never ended well as he had become an increasingly more private person and even became cruel towards Draco. I couldn't even look him in the eyes after the first time he hit Draco when he was eleven because Draco dared to say he wasn't sure he wanted to be in Slytherin.

Lucius had always been controlling of what Draco did, but I never thought he would harm him. I know the abuse continued as he got older, but I knew my words wouldn't mean anything because it couldn't stop the actions my husband was taking against our son. It also didn't help that all of it occurred whenever I wasn't around. He made sure I couldn't interfere. I missed my husband now that he was in Azkaban, but I miss the man I married more. The man that would bring me random gifts. The man that woke me up in the middle of the night to make love to me. The man who protected me and treated me and our son with respect and kindness. I want my husband back, but after his father's death; I lost hope over the next few years as I realized he just got more and more cruel.

I'm snapped out of my thoughts of my husband by the fire coming to life in the fireplace and Severus steps out of the fireplace. He stares at me with his emotionless gaze and I rush forward to stand in front of him.

"Severus, what happened? Draco is upstairs sleeping finally, but he was sobbing for hours! He said Briar is dead? Is that true? Please tell me that poor girl isn't dead," I whisper almost pleadingly with him. His sad eyes meet mine and I gasp in horror.

My poor Draco.

"I'm sorry, Narcissa. She sacrificed herself to save someone else. There was nothing anyone could do."

"What am I supposed to do, Severus? How do I help, Draco? He loved her with everything in him. I have never seen him talk so highly of someone or be so fiercely protective before Briar. He was already talking to me about getting out of his arranged marriage to Ms. Parkinson. I was going to tell him when he got home that I was able to get out of the contract due to Lucius being in Azkaban, but now…" I trail off and look at Severus as I see his eyes change in shock at what I'm saying, but I also see a hint of guilt?

What Severus doesn't know is that I have learned how to read when a man is lying to me. It became mandatory as my husband changed over the years and would lie about how Draco acquired bruises. He's lying now and I'm going to get to the bottom of it.

Tilting my head, I survey him and tilt my head in curiosity. His hands are clutched tightly behind him and he has a very tense look on his face as his lips move. I didn't even realize he had started talking again because I was studying his nonverbal queues.

"…Draco will process and he will be alright," Snape continues to drone on about Draco and how he will get through this and be alright before the school year begins, but I'm more distracted by how he seems to hesitate. Every time Snape goes to speak about Briar, he seems to talk slower as if making sure he uses his tenses correctly.

"What are you lying about, Severus?" He stops talking abruptly and looks me in the eyes.

"Lying, Narcissa?" I scoff and sit on the chair that my husband used to sit in for meetings.

"I'm not as blind as my husband seemed to think. I know you're keeping something from me about Briar. How did she truly die?"

"Sirius Black was who she jumped in front of," Snape says and I push down the shock I feel at hearing his name. I stay silent and he continues. "Narcissa, Briar saved Sirius Black. You know about The Order as you have known for years that I've been a part of it. You're the one who pushed me to become a member so Draco would have a safe place to go if the Dark Lord ever tried to recruit him, but do not question my loyalty."

"I do not question your loyalty, Severus. I question what you are not telling me. I want the full story and I want it now!" I say harshly as my patience is starting to wear thin. I have a distraught son upstairs who just lost the love of his life and I'm not getting all of the information.

"Narcissa, Draco…" I snap and stand to face him as I yell in frustration and fury. I know some part of me will feel badly about yelling at him, but Merlin's beard! I'm a mother and if I don't do everything I can to get information to help my son then I will hex Severus without a thought. My son will always come first.

"Draco is upstairs after sobbing in my arms for hours, Sev! Hours! I have only seen him cry twice in his life and that was only for a few minutes. He is heartbroken and I will not stay here while you keep secrets from me. Are you really loyal to me and my son or are you more concerned with where you stand with Dumbledore incase the Dark Lord comes back to recruit you?! Did you even care about Briar like you claim you did?!"

"How dare you accuse me of being disloyal! He is my godson for Merlin's sake! The Dark Lord is already trying to find me to recruit me again and yes, that is Dumbledore's plan to use me as a double agent again, but don't you dare question my feelings towards Briar! She is like a daughter to me and the situation she is in is heartbreaking! Not just to Draco, but to everyone that cares for her!"

Oh Severus, it was too easy to get your anger to come out and cause you to slip up.

"Hmmm is, Severus?" I sit back down with a satisfied smirk on my face. He stares at me blankly as his rage leaves his body and his shoulders fall.

"She will always be like a daughter to me, even in death," he whispers and looks away from my eyes.

"You can't look me in the eyes, Severus and you said 'situation she is in.' I want answers and I don't want any of those accusations that my mind isn't safe. You know I'm the one who helped Draco become so good at occlumency, not Lucius. So, tell me Sev, where is Briar?" I finish my question with a bite to my tone. He stares at me blankly before huffing in frustration. Snape strides across the room and sits on the couch across from me before grabbing a glass from the table next to his seat. After filling it with some of my husband's expensive whiskey, he takes a sip and I can physically see how much all of this has weighed on him.

"She's not dead," he whispers. I gasp and lean forward in anger.

"You let Draco think…" My yells of anger are interrupted.

"Draco knows. Molly told him not to tell you because she wasn't sure your mind was protected, but you and I both know you're annoyingly good at keeping your mind closed to those around you," he says with a slight tease to his tone. I ignore his tone and continue to stare him down while waiting for him to continue, but he doesn't so I find myself prompting him to continue.

"What do you mean he knows? He was distraught for hours, Sev! My son wouldn't be that upset for nothing." I start to fear where Briar actually is for that fact alone. Draco has never overreacted when it comes to his emotions. He has always had a handle on his emotions so something horrible must have happened for him to lose his head for hours before.

"Briar's not dead, but she's not exactly alive either," he pauses and I give him a look of confusion. "She was hit by the killing curse, yes, but for some reason she didn't die," he trails off and I gasp in horror. That poor girl.

"What happened truly, Severus? Who would kill a teenage girl?!"

"Bellatrix. She shot the curse at Sirius, but Briar saw her and jumped in front of him. I have been researching for hours already on how she is still alive and in a coma, but I don't know how to get her out of it. I do, however, have a theory." He stops talking and looks at me.

"Merlin's beard, Sev! Stop with all of the goddamn pauses and speak!" My mother would have a fit if she heard me speaking so improper, but this man doesn't start talking, I'm going to throw a curse at him.

"Her necklace. I think it protected her somehow because when I was watching the memory of her death from Ms. Granger, I saw a glint of rainbow hit the curse. Now, I don't know if I need to find a way to wake her up myself or if her magic will slowly bring her body out of it when she is ready, but we must keep her death believable. If anyone gets the idea she's alive, she could be in danger," he finishes. I stare at him in shock and think back to the dragon necklace my son got her for Christmas. The only other person that survived a killing curse had survived because of a mother's love. Could Draco have…No, it can't be possible. Could it?

"Do you think Draco has something to do with why she stayed alive…? I mean, the necklace she wears is his. He got it for her for Christmas and they both enchanted them to warm and alert the other when the other is in danger. Do you think…" I trail off and see his eyes widen in shock. He stands abruptly and starts pacing back and forth.

"I didn't even consider the necklace was given to her from him. Yes, that would make sense, but the rainbow…Where have I seen it before?" He continues to ramble to himself quietly for a few minutes before standing frozen in front of the fireplace.

"Sev?" I ask cautiously. His eyes snap to mine and he hurriedly walks to the fireplace with a quick "I have to go" tossed over his shoulder. With a flash of green flames, he's gone and I'm left sitting there in bewilderment.

With Sev gone, I'm brought back to the theory about Draco's necklace being a possibility of why Briar is still alive. Walking up the stairs, I find myself in Draco's doorway again as I gaze at him sleeping soundly. I stride to the side of his bed and sit to brush his hair off of his forehead. He stirs slightly and I hold my breath hoping I didn't wake him.

"Bry," he mumbles and is pulled back into his sleep with a small smile on his face.

Please, Briar. Please wake up for Draco's sake.