21. Strangers
H.
The crack between the curtains had faded from a golden brown to a pure black in the time that they had slaved over the letters on the Malfoy dining table. Draco and Jessica had taken the envelopes with the intention of matching handwriting. A dead end, they presumed, but they couldn't afford to assume, not anymore.
Narcissa sat beside Hermione as they trawled through page after page of menace. It had transpired that the letter Lucius had received was not the only one. It was, in fact, one of four – all with the same theme – 'you know what you did'. Which was no help to anyone because nobody could figure out what exactly they had done.
Severus and Lucius paced as they spoke to one another, trying to decide who it was that had it out for them.
"If the same person sent us both letters then it has to be someone we both know," Lucius said.
"Thank you for that keen insight," Severus snapped.
"Come on now, love," Narcissa said as she flipped another letter and passed it to Hermione to inspect. "I know you're worked up, but there's no need to take it out on my husband."
Severus nodded and pulled out a chair for Lucius and another for himself as he mumbled, "right, sorry."
Lucius puffed up his cheeks and blew out air.
"It's fine."
"Right… okay," Snape said. "You're sure you don't know him, Luce? Tall kid, kind of lanky with limp blonde hair. He was in seventh year when I was in fifth, so…"
"That would make him four years below me? Look, I might know who you're talking about – but he's just some kid whose face I saw a couple of times in the common room… I don't remember a single thing about him…"
"You were a bloody prefect," Severus said. "How can you not remember?"
"How can you not remember," Lucius retorted with a prod to Severus' chest. "You're the one who pissed him off."
"Did you just poke me?"
Lucius sat forward in his chair.
"I thought it might help you remember! Whatever you did to him to upset him, he's certainly not forgotten."
"Oh, you're so bloody helpful—"
"Cut it out, boys!" Narcissa said, sharing a look of exasperation with Hermione. "Good god, they're like little children."
Hermione raised her eyebrows and smirked. It wasn't quite the right time to laugh, she knew, but if she couldn't find the humour in the situation she'd go mad.
She needed to problem solve, she decided. She was in a room filled with capable witches and wizards, yet none of their logic rivalled hers. Nobody except Severus anyway and he seemed to be far too busy bickering with Lucius.
If this isn't exactly the type of happenstance that I revel in, then nothing is. I can finally be bloody useful again.
Come on, Hermione. Think. Plot. Plan.
Hermione sank back into her chair and stared at the pattern in the ceiling. How she wished that she could find the answer in a book. The answer was somewhere among the letters, she figured… somewhere in their collective memory. It felt as though the solution was in her periphery, if she could just see the fucking clues, she would be all set.
Mystery solved. Game over.
This was so much easier when it was the work of a scorned lover.
They had been certain it was Cressida, hadn't they?
Did we just assume? Did I…?
"Severus, why were we so sure the letters were from Cressida?" Hermione asked.
He broke off from his conversation with Lucius – the beginning of another petty argument, she assumed – and he furrowed his brow.
"I can't remember," he said.
"Really? You don't recall?" Lucius asked suspiciously, raising an eyebrow. "Do you not remember anything?"
"I remember the important things," Severus said, and Hermione thought she saw him straighten his back and grow three inches.
"Quick then," Lucius said, "when's my birthday?"
"That's easy. It's the third of FUCK OFF AND TELL ME WHAT YOU THINK YOU KNOW!"
"Ooh. So close. It's the fifth of fuck off and tell me what…"
Lucius trailed off as he met Severus' narrowed eyes of irritation and his raised eyebrows of contempt.
"Fine, I'll be serious," he said, with a sulk to his voice. "God, you're so boring when your life is in danger."
"Funny that…"
Lucius shrugged.
"You got a howler from her… Does that ring any bells?"
Both Severus and Hermione's eyes met and widened as though they mirrored one another.
"The owl," Severus said and she nodded at him.
"We didn't see another bird and it was her voice in the howler, I'm certain."
"I know," Snape said, dropping his elbows to the table and resting his heavy head against his steepled fingers.
"It was the same bird, Severus."
"I know!" he repeated, irritably. "So what are we saying? That Cressida sent all the threats but the person who attacked us was the kid from Hogwarts and it's all just a bloody big coincidence?"
"I don't like coincidences," Narcissa said, as she slid the pile of letters across the table, irritably.
"Neither do I," Severus said.
"Don't forget about Ron," Jessica chimed in from across the table. "I still think he's involved. The map… the howler… then a wizard follows you into muggle London and knows exactly where to find you? What's that? Another coincidence?"
"She's right," Lucius said, pressing his balled fists to his hips.
Severus placed his hand on Hermione's shoulder and squeezed.
"And someone followed you when you were in London, Hermione… when you were still with Weasley… Before you and I—"
"That was him too," Jess said, folding her arms. "I'm calling it now."
"So where does that leave us?" Narcissa asked. "What do we think is going on here?"
Hermione looked at Severus, whose face was blank as he turned to Lucius.
"Any thoughts?" Narcissa said. "Anyone?"
"Well… We're all connected to each other," Lucius said. "We're friends and family and lovers and spouses and co-workers. We all went to Hogwarts, we all got letters…"
"Seventy-five percent of us were Death Eaters," Draco said, with a shrug. "Don't think we can dismiss that."
"If this was a mystery novel and I was a betting man," Lucius said. "I'd put money on it all being connected. Our letters. Your letters. The map. The howler. Being followed in London. The attempt on your life. All of it! Weasley, Cressida, the Slytherin kid. All of them! All of us!"
:
S.
He's right.
"God, if only I knew who he was… You must know him," Severus said.
"I'd wager that Narcissa knows him," Lucius said. "She was batting off the advances of Slytherins of all ages, left right and centre in her last year, so I hear. Not that I had noticed her…"
He leant in towards Hermione and spoke quietly and furtively.
"She was a bit plain, you see," he said, wrinkling his nose and winking at his wife.
"I was a late bloomer," Narcissa said as she playfully narrowed her eyes at him.
"Narcissa… listen… I could show you," Severus said excitedly, interrupting the play, as his eyes shot open – he looked the very picture of a madman. "You can Occlude better than most, so you'd probably pick up Legilimency in a heartbeat."
"We don't have a heartbeat," Lucius warned.
"I know," Severus said, "but I don't know what else to do…"
They each sat back in their chair and fixed their gaze on a different spot in the room as they concentrated.
"All of this started when you broke up with Cressida, right?" Lucius asked eventually.
Severus nodded.
"No coincidences," Narcissa said, as she folded her arms and lay back in the chair, crossing her legs and closing her eyes.
"So, she's involved," said Severus.
"She's a damn psycho," Lucius said with a snip of laughter. "Of course she's involved. Weasley's involved too. He's hardly any better. Plus… he's the only one we're certain knows… and let's face it… hates us all… He's also the one with the means of finding you."
Severus glanced at Hermione who opened her mouth to protest before snapping it shut and rolling her eyes.
"Yes, alright," she said. "Fine. Perhaps Ron is involved… but I refuse to believe he wants me dead."
"What about me?" Severus asked, raising an eyebrow. "Do you refuse to believe he wants me dead? The man who stole his girl. Or Lucius? The man who gave his sister Riddle's fucking diary… the man who almost killed her…"
Lucius was not paying attention to what was happening in the room. His eyes were fixed on the window.
Hopefully he'll return to the room with the answer.
"Right… Everyone's involved then," Jessica said sharply, pulling her chair closer to the table. "Occam's Razor. The simplest solution is the right solution. No coincidences. They're all working together. All three of them. Maybe the bloody sister is involved too…"
"That's fucking brilliant but how the hell would they know each other?"
"Back off, Snape!" Draco said, pulling himself to full height. "You're out of order."
Little turd.
But he's right.
Severus sighed.
"Sorry, Jess. I'll be much less of an arsehole when this is all put to rest."
"Don't bank on it," Draco said and shared a subtle grin with Jessica.
Not fucking subtle enough.
Not undeserved either.
"Look, Severus," Hermione said, perching on the edge of the table and placing her hand on his shoulder.
He hadn't noticed her get up from her seat.
"We don't know Cressida," she said. "She's the unanswered question. I think the answer lies with her. I mean… Who is she?"
Lucius cleared his throat then and jerked his head towards the window to draw their attention to the face that appeared in the crack between the curtains.
"Why don't we ask her?"
:
H.
Severus shot out of his chair faster than she'd ever seen him move. Hermione took off behind him and reached out for his hand as he pushed open the double doors of Malfoy Manor. Footsteps followed behind them - all of them ready for answers that might finally come. Severus' fist wrapped around her fingers, unaware how tightly as he held his wand arm to the woman. Hermione clutched her own wand and prepared to fight but the woman's hands were open palms at her side.
"Cressida?" Severus asked, as though they didn't know who peered at them from the dim light of the illuminated fenceposts that surrounded the grounds.
"Yeah, Severus. Is me. Surprised?"
"What are you doing here?"
The woman did not reply, she just looked at the grass beneath her feet.
"Come to make good on your threat?"
She shrugged.
"I dunno what you mean," Cressida said – her voice was hurried, almost slurred.
Hermione felt Severus' grip on her hand tighten as he raised his voice to say; "tell me what you are doing here, Cressida!"
"I said I dunno," she said with a shrug. "Just wanted to see you."
She's been drinking.
"Are you following us?" Snape asked with an edge of impatience.
"Not us..." she said. "You maybe."
Definitely been drinking. She's bloody pickled.
"How did you know I was here?"
"Severus…"
"Answer me," he snipped. "I'm not fucking about. Tell me how you found me!"
Cressida physically recoiled into her own body at the sound of Severus' anger. Hermione looked at Severus, then to Cressida and smiled, as though she could urge him to be a little gentler. He wanted answers, but he wasn't going to get them from her in this state by being pushy. It was too dark and Cressida too unfamiliar for Hermione to interpret the emotion on her face.
She doesn't look particularly murderous.
As Severus again asked his question in a tone that told them both that this was the last time he would ask it, the woman raised her head and her face was alight by the lamp of the porch above them. Severus dropped Hermione's hand and stepped forward with his wand steady in his fist and the woman did not move. But Hermione did. She placed her arm in front of Severus and he stopped dead.
"Hermione," he warned her, but she kept her hand in front of him.
"Look at her," she said. "God… listen to her…She's drunk. She's unarmed… You're unarmed, right?"
Cressida nodded exaggeratedly.
Her eyes. Her face. She doesn't look filled with homicidal rage… she looks…
"Oh, I see," Hermione said, "you're not angry."
Cressida snorted.
"He left me!" she shrieked, then turned her focus to Severus whose arms were now folded tightly around his chest. "You left me! You broke my heart… you should pay! So yes I'm angry… I'm damn furious."
Hermione heard footsteps behind her.
"No you're not," Narcissa said. "You're sad…"
Narcissa and Hermione shared a look of understanding.
"I don't think she means you any harm, love. She's not angry…"
"Darling, don't be silly. What does it matter if she's sad or if she's angry," Lucius said, as though Cressida was not there, and Hermione supposed that she was not there entirely. "She threatened you… Threated us all… That makes her a threat. We should—"
Lucius swallowed, then leant in to the group and said in a conspiratorial whisper, "we should discretely eliminate her… like we used to…"
"What is the matter with you?" Narcissa said.
"Fine. We don't have to kill her. We can just alter her memory…"
"Fucking hell, Luce," Snape said. "Tell me you're joking."
"What? I've been so good and so boring for the better part of a decade. A decade is so long! Please can't I just be a little bit wicked? Just once…"
"No!" Narcissa said with a snip to her voice as though she was scolding an excitable dog.
Hermione half expected to hear, 'no Lucius! Bad Lucius!'
Instead, Narcissa said: "whoever threatened them, whoever attacked them… they were angry…"
"So?" Lucius said.
"So, Cressida's sad…" Hermione said. "Truth be told, she's kind of pathetic… She's not who we're looking for. Are you?"
Cressida's face was vacant as she made eye contact with Hermione.
"What?"
"God, it's like talking to Luna fucking Lovegood. We don't have time for this. Cressida!" Severus snapped. "The man who attacked us… what do you know about it?"
Cressida stared blankly at Severus, blinking as her face contorted and fat tears came rolling from her eyes.
"Oh shit. Okay, I'm sorry," he said in a voice so soft, that the words rang true - whether or not they were, Hermione didn't know. "I won't be angry. I just want to know how you found me here."
:
S.
"Please, I promise. I won't be mad… just tell me."
"I figured you'd be with her," Cressida said and glanced quickly to where Hermione stood. "I thought if I went to where she was then I would find you."
He felt a kick of understanding in his stomach as things began to make sense.
"And how did you know where she was?"
"Because I have this," Cressida said cautiously, and from her cloak, she revealed a piece of parchment that she passed to Severus as though it contained secrets of national security.
He knew what it was immediately. Weasley's map. It confirmed his suspicions. It confirmed everything he thought he had known about Weasley from the beginning.
So he is involved!
"How do you have this?" Hermione asked, snatching it from Snape's hand and wagging it in front of Cressida.
So much for taking a lighter approach.
He opened his mouth to remind her not to get too worked up when Narcissa spoke.
"What is that?" she asked, peering over Hermione's shoulder. "Why does it have your name… is that…"
Narcissa grabbed the map and stared at it.
"Is that my house? Good god."
Narcissa held the map out for Hermione to take.
"It's a stalkers manual," Hermione said and she shoved it into Cressida's chest as she said, "of course you fucking have it… heaven forbid I have my privacy!"
"Why are you so cold?" Cressida asked her.
"I'm cold?!" Hermione shrieked.
"Yes," Cressida said, her voice turning thick with sadness as her eyes again filled with tears. "You're so mean."
"Mean? Ha! She raised her voice, boohoo! I was prepared to kill you," Lucius said matter-of-factly. "You're in a room full of Death Eaters, love. Mean is the least of your worries…"
"Lucius, leave it—" Narcissa said.
"No. She needs to watch her mouth."
Hermione and Lucius shared a look of understanding – of humour and friendship. God, he wanted to join in. He wanted to be the one to defend her. He wanted to stand at her side and everything to go back to normal, but no! He needed answers, and Cressida had them, and so he had to stay there and play the starring role in this shitshow.
"Did you send us threatening letters?"
She shook her head. She didn't look deceitful but what the hell did he know? He was seriously beginning to doubt his instincts. He'd been so wrong with Cressida before. But he'd been right with Weasley… and right with Hermione.
She stood with her arms folded, leaning against the doorframe. He caught her eye and gave her a tight-lipped smile. She nodded as though to tell him that everything was okay, but everything was not okay, was it?
"You sent the howler," he said.
"I was devastated! she sobbed. "I was ruined!"
She'd give bloody Myrtle a run for her money.
"I wanted you to know that you'd hurt me… You were so careless…"
"But the other letters weren't you?"
"What other letters?"
He stared at her – his eyes locked with hers – and then he sighed and held his hand out so that she could link her arms in his.
"Come on," he said. "Let's get you sobered up."
:
H.
It was a turn around so sudden and so severe, that Hermione thought that it was a work. But her hope of his other agenda disappeared as he helped to guide her into Malfoy's drawing room and brought her a cup of coffee. Draco disappeared upstairs and returned with a sobering potion.
"I've got a bunch more under my old bed if you need any more," he said, kindly.
Narcissa raised her eyebrows as he passed the potion to Cressida. Draco met his mother's eyes defiantly.
"Oh, like you were a saint when you were young."
Hermione felt a prickle of irritation as she watched Severus hand Cressida a glass half-filled with the sobering potion. It was the way that he sat, the way that he looked at her. It was silly and immature, she knew – completely unwarranted too - to be jealous. Cressida needed someone to take care of her now and Severus was the only person she knew. It wasn't romantic.
It's not. It's absolutely not.
Plus, he was hardly interested. He has chosen her – he loved her – and yet, seeing him take care of a woman that he'd shared a bed with was just too far, and here she stood once more jealous and insecure in her relationship.
Setbacks are normal, she told herself. Every once in a while even the most healthy relationships have their obstacles. A little jealousy is healthy. It's not possessive. Not like Ron. It's not the same. It's not like you'd create a bloody map to —
"Hermione?"
Hermione jerked back to the present and took in the six pairs of eyes that stared at her as though waiting for her to speak. She did not even know whose voice had brought her back to attention.
"What?"
"I believe her," Severus said.
"That's great," Hermione said, with a smile she didn't mean and one nod too many that gave her away. "I think that maybe I should go confront Ron. I need to know what he has to do with all of this..."
Severus' eyebrows drew together with concern.
"Weren't you listening? Cressida bumped into Weasley a couple of days ago – they met when we were on a date and it seems that they recognised one another and had anger at me in common."
"Always bringing people together, Severus," Lucius said, and Snape almost cracked a smile.
"Cressida only sent the howler… not the letters... she's told us everything she knows…"
"She sent the howler… and Ron gave her the map… What about the threats? Who was following us? How did they know where to find us? I thought we assumed that the person who attacked us had the map… how else would they have found us in muggle London… and so it follows that…"
"I know it looks bad," Cressida said, "but I promise… I don't have anything to do with this."
The sobering potion seemed to be doing its job, as Cressida's drunken sorrow was shifting to sober shame. She recognised the face. She'd seen that face in the mirror more than once.
"I'm sorry…"
"And you didn't give it to anyone else?" Hermione asked.
"No, it's been with me the whole time… to work, back home again… to my Dad's… that's it. I've not let it out of my sight."
Hermione looked at Severus who shrugged.
"I know it doesn't answer everything..." he said.
"You believe her?"
"Yes," he said. "I do."
"Well that's good enough for me," she heard herself say.
And she was surprised to find that it was true. She might not trust Cressida, or even Ron now, but she trusted Severus. His judgement was fallible like everyone else's but for the most part, he had good instincts about people.
"Your father then?" Lucius asked. "Perhaps he was protecting his daughter? Defending her honour?"
"Why would he? It's not the first time I've been dumped… Sure it won't be the last."
"So the Slytherin kid attacking you was just a coincidence?" Lucius asked, looking to Snape. "We're accepting coincidences now, are we?"
"Who's 'the Slytherin kid?'" Cressida asked.
"We don't know. He won't tell us. It's some kid he picked on and embarrassed when he was at school, apparently. That's all he'll say. So what we have to go on is that he was tall and blonde thirty years ago… we're so grateful that Severus is so forthcoming... he's helpful like that."
"What do you want from me, Luce?! It's not like I have a photograph… I even sent owls to Hogwarts… to Minerva and Horace… they don't know who I'm talking about either… All I know is what I've told you… and that he wants me dead… which is, unfortunately… not too uncommon."
"God! What did you do to this kid to fuck him up so much? There are people you literally tortured who hate you less…"
Everyone's attention was on Severus as he sighed.
"It's awful… I was awful…"
"Of course," Lucius said. "We're all awful... Dreadful, in fact. Well… except perhaps Jess and Hermione…"
"I'm not awful," Cressida argued.
"Of course not, love," drawled Lucius.
Ha!
:
S.
The conversation turned back to Severus. They were all waiting on him to tell his secret. It was the secret he had never dared tell them. Even when he told Narcissa about his 'worst memory', he'd ended the story with Lily walking away never to speak to him again. That was bad enough, wasn't it? Did the memory really have to keep going? Couldn't it stop there?
He'd wanted to tell Narcissa. He knew she wouldn't judge him, and yet he could never bring himself to say the words. He'd never dared to finish the story. But this morning, with Hermione, it was different. He'd started to tell her about Potter and his cronies… about Lily… and he'd tried to shut his mouth, to end the story where he'd grown accustomed to ending it, and yet, he continued to talk. There was something in the way that she sat beside him, clutching his hand, stroking her fingers across his knuckles, never once hesitating. She did not look angry or ashamed. She did not pity him, nor was she displeased with him. She had accepted the story, exactly as it was. Just as she had accepted him, exactly as he was. Just as she had when she pulled him out of the shrieking shack. And so, he'd told her everything, and the world continued to turn. She still loved him. Just as Narcissa would love him. Just as Lucius.
"When I was at school, I was always butting heads with James Potter and his buddies… Sirius Black, Pettigrew and Lupin… you know… the wolf?"
Lucius nodded.
"I told Narcissa about some of it… But they got the upper hand and dangled me in the fucking air and I was sad and angry…"
"How did they get the upper hand? You could run rings around those three…"
"Lily," Severus said and Lucius nodded as though he did not need to explain further. "Well, they let me down eventually and I was so angry… You know what I was like when I was younger…"
"Explosive," Narcissa said regretfully, and Severus didn't like the picture that was forming on her face.
Anger? Sadness? What is that? Fear?
Are you frightened of me?
"This seventh-year kid was laughing at me… so I decided to vent my frustrations… on him…"
:
H.
There was a flash of something across Narcissa's face that looked a lot like fear, as she said, "and what happened?"
"Some of the other Slytherins flipped him upside down and embarrassed him, they took his clothes off… and he…"
Severus couldn't finish the sentence. Hermione recognised his shame – had seen it there when he had first told the story. But Severus' shame was overshadowed by the look of horror on Narcissa's face.
"He wet himself, and so that's we think that he's after Severus as revenge…"
The flash again came across Narcissa's face.
Fear. She's definitely frightened.
"Well, no wonder he wants you dead…" Lucius said, trailing off and furrowed his brow as he looked at Narcissa.
He sees it too.
"What? Darling… Why are you looking at me like that? Narcissa?"
"It can't be! It just can't be…"
The words of realisation didn't come from Narcissa, however, but from Cressida. Hermione hadn't looked at the woman, but now that she did, she saw that her mouth was agape and her face was contorted with confusion.
"Did you say that this man attacked you?"
"He tried to fucking kill me!" Severus snipped.
"No," she said. "He wouldn't."
Severus' head snapped to Cressida, but Hermione's gaze kept drifting to Narcissa. Her face was white as her hair and her grey eyes were wide.
"What do you mean? Who are you talking about?"
Cressida was shaking her head, looking at the ground – her arms were wrapped around her stomach in self-comfort as though she was trying to process something too awful to comprehend.
"Severus…" she said. "Oh God. Forgive me. This is all my fault. The map… It went missing, just for the evening… I thought I'd misplaced it. I'm sorry. Oh, God."
"What are you talking about?" Severus asked, as he stood tall and menacing above her, casting her into his shadow. "If you know something you'd better tell me…"
"Don't be angry, please," she said. "I'm sure it's all a big misunderstanding. He'd never want to hurt you…"
Lucius was clearly becoming more irritated by the minute. Narcissa still stared at the ground, looking as though she had seen a damn ghost, and yet offered no explanation. And what? Cressida was ready to take the blame now? She was so full of answers all of a sudden, even though just minutes ago she had denied all knowledge and all involvement.
"If someone doesn't explain to me what the hell is going on…" warned Lucius.
"Agreed," Hermione said.
"I think I know who you're talking about…"
"Would you care to elaborate?"
Cressida pulled herself to full height too.
"Only if you promise not to go rushing into anything until we're sure—"
"Who is 'we'?" Lucius said, sharply. "I thought you said you weren't involved…"
"Yeah, well maybe I was wrong. You see, my father has a story like that," Cressida said – her eyes were dark, her face serious and her voice was shrill. "It'd be an awful coincidence, wouldn't it, if my Slytherin father was also…"
"You think your father is the kid that Severus humiliated?" Lucius asked.
"That depends... did you steal his girlfriend too?"
:
S.
"What?!" Severus said, genuinely baffled. "No?!"
"Fine. Maybe I'm wrong… but Dad told me a story years ago… apparently, before he met my mother, he was in love with a pretty witch who broke his heart. He knew she was unfaithful to him but he couldn't prove it. Then she left him for no reason, without an explanation, without even so much as a goodbye. He was livid when he got word that the guy that she left him for was this kid who humiliated him at school. A kid who tormented him… who hung him upside down… who took off his clothes… He was devastated… he tried to find her. He sent her numerous letters to different addresses, hoping to find her – he just wanted to talk to her but she wouldn't spare him even a moment of his time…"
"No," Narcissa said. "It's not possible. No."
Oh my God.
"Narcissa… do you remember what you said when we showed you the letters? You said that we should take them seriously because you'd received letters just like them when I ended things with—"
"No," she said again, her voice cold and terrified. "No!"
Cressida… Cressida what?
God, did I never even ask her surname?
Did she tell me? Did I listen?
"He sent a letter here!" Lucius roared. "He dares!"
"He knows where I live?" Narcissa said. "He's known all this time?"
All at once, what was left of the colour of Narcissa's face drained like water from a cullender and both Severus and Lucius rushed to her, helping her onto her chair. Draco and Jessica moved swiftly to her side. Only Hermione stayed where she was. Open-mouthed, tongue poking between her lips just a little as she concentrated. He fancied that he could see the cogs in her brain physically turning as she began to put the pieces together.
"It can't be…" Narcissa said.
"No coincidences," Severus said apologetically.
Narcissa's voice shook as she asked the question to which they already knew the answer.
"Cressida... who is your father?"
Cressida paused as though she wasn't sure she wanted to give up her father's name. She looked guiltily at Severus then back to Narcissa.
"Tobin Rogers," she said.
Draco was the only person in the room who did not react immediately.
"What is going on…" he asked. "Who is Tobin Rogers?"
Severus opened his mouth to answer, but his attention was drawn to his left where Lucius stood in front of Narcissa, his body crouched and wide in a duelling stance Severus had not seen since their days working for The Dark Lord. Lucius pulled his wand from his robes and pointed it sharp and terrifying between Cressida's eyes.
"Tobin Rogers used to date your mother. He was a sack of shit! He was cruel to her… he belittled her… he destroyed her self-esteem until she was a shell of the woman she is now," Lucius said.
"He accused me of being unfaithful," Narcissa said, her fear dissipating, replaced by growing anger. "Every time I denied it, he got more and more pissed off – more and more terrifying - until he turned violent. I did not leave him 'for no reason'…
Narcissa turned to Cressida whose face was white and panicked, and she looked as though she wanted to point her own wand at the woman.
"I left him because I thought he would kill me… I did not say goodbye or respond to his letters because I didn't think I was safe. I ended up in the Dark Lord's pocket because he offered me protection from Tobin… I would never have become a Death Eater if it wasn't for him."
"Which is exactly why I swore that if I ever met him, I would kill him," Lucius said through gritted teeth, his eyes firm on Cressida. "I wanted to destroy him… to make him beg for his life… I wanted him to hurt like he hurt my wife. I wanted to kill him… But I'll settle for killing you."