Snape stood in front of Draco and Lillian, their bodies drew close as Severus's jaw dropped in disbelief. He couldn't believe who he saw in front of him. Lillian Potter was alive. Harry's sister and the daughter of the love of his life was standing with her arms wrapped around Draco totally unharmed. "Please." He heard Draco beg. It was the first time he heard such words come out of the boy's mouth. "I'll do anything. Please don't tell them. Don't tell him." He referred to Voldemort.
"Relax, Draco. I'm not planning to tell him. You need to be more careful not to be seen!" He yelled at the two.
"Why are you helping us, Professor Snape?" Lillian asked as she studied his eyes.
He looked over at her, eyes glaring straight into hers just like at the party. "Your mother was a good friend of mine. You remind me of her. Your brother and you both do. I wouldn't forgive myself if something happened to you like what happened to Harry. I failed one of her children. I'm not going to fail the other."
Lillian was shocked as she replied. "Thank you."
Snape bowed his head down slightly and then proceeded to grab the wine from the cabinet. He turned to Draco. "Draco, I wanted to speak with you. It's about the Dark Lord. In a few days, Voldemort will search for you. He wants to kill you."
Draco gulped. Terror struck him as Snape said those words. He was beyond horrified. This couldn't be happening to him. Just the thought of Voldemort hunting him was causing him to tremble in terror.
"He will come and he will try to kill you. You and your parents must be warned." Snape said.
"Why?" Draco blurted out under his breath. "Why does he want to kill me?" He needed an answer to why the evil man wanted to murder him.
Snape responded. "Your lovely aunt must have told him that you disarmed Dumbledore's wand. The elder wand won't work and now he is resorting to the plan of arriving at your house and killing you, including whoever stands in his way. Voldemort is desperate for the elder wand to be his."
Draco shook his head, no. He was going into panic. "No this can't be!"
"For now it is best for the two of you to stay here out of sight. I'll talk to your parents, Draco." He paused and looked straight into his eyes. "You have two days. He will be here, along with Bellatrix, ready to kill you."
He left the cellar swiftly, carrying the wine Bellatrix desperately wanted, determined to speak to Draco's parents after returning Bellatrix her wine.
~
He slammed the wine on the long dinner table as Bellatrix laughed in excitement, taking one and taking a swig of alcohol.
Snape now was on the look out for Draco's parents, searching for them in any place he could find.
Finally, he found them, talking behind their bedroom door. He barged in, not caring in advance to knock. They were both talking; Narcissa clearly complaining of the party to Lucius.
"Snape, what are you doing here?" Lucius questioned as his wife and him stared at their friend concerned.
"I came to warn the two of you. Draco is in terrible danger. The Dark Lord has found out Draco is the owner of the Elder Wand. He has decided to ambush your manor in two days time and kill him. You need to escape before he attacks. Your son needs my protection as well as yours."
Worry struck Lucius as he listened to Snape eagerly. He then proclaimed. "Severus, we know how to protect our own son!"
Narcissa was clearly in fright and desperation for Severus's help. She ignored her husband, calling out Snape's name in a plea. "Severus. Help us, Severus. Please. He's just a boy. He can't die at the hands of that monster."
"I can warn you like I'm doing now. I can warn you and you can have enough time to get out before he arrives. The unbreakable vow still stands." He exclaimed as she nodded.
Tears streamed down Narcissa's cheeks rapidly. She pleaded. "He can't die! My baby can't die." Lucius wrapped his arms around his wife's shoulder to comfort her but his arms were only pushed away. "This is your fault!" Narcissa was a mess, knowing her son could die at the hands of the dark lord.
"Mine?" Lucius questioned.
"Yes! You were his follower!" She yelled.
"Don't blame this on me, Narcissa! We all believed in his cause!"
"Not like this. He wanted our son to murder Dumbledore. He's murdering muggles, causing blood traitors and half bloods to be slaves. This is madness!" She made a soft cry. "We all were wrong to fall for this!"
"Listen, I'm sorry, I didn't know it would come to this. I will protect our son no matter what!" He reassured her.
"You promise?" She asked, wiping her tears as Lucius tried wrapping his arms around her once more.
"Yes, darling. I promise." Lucius hugged her as she crumbled into his arms.
The two glared back at Snape as he mentioned. "And now that you are hiding Lillian consequences will be even more severe."
"How do you know about that?" Lucius demanded, instantly concerned by his friend's words.
"Bellatrix wanted some more wine so I went to the cellar and there she was, with Draco." Snape told them. "Don't worry. I won't say anything. We got bigger things to worry about: Voldemort. He's coming for your son. And he'll be coming for Lillian when he finds her. He will be coming for y'all as well when he finds out you've been hiding her." He then explained where his true loyalty lay. "As hard as it seems, I am not on the dark lord's side if it means the death of Lillian and Draco. I assume the same for both of you."
Lucius responded. "I could care less about Lillian. But my son. Draco. I'd die before I let Voldemort murder him! He is not my lord anymore. The name died when he's decided to murder my son!"
Lucius hated Voldemort. He didn't want to run away this time. He knew his family was good at that. His father was a coward. His mother was a coward. His wife was a coward. He made his son a coward. He himself was a coward. But if this was his family's end, he would do anything he could to save them, including standing up to Voldemort.
Draco came running into his parents' room, eager to tell them of Snape and the bad news. To his surprise Snape was already speaking to them. "Father! Mother! Voldemort, he is going to-"
"We know son! Stay calm! We are discussing this!" Lucius demanded.
"Sweetheart, leave. Stay with Lillian. Don't go near the party. I don't want you hurt." Draco's mother announced.
"Yes, mom." He obeyed, left, closing the door behind him, and headed back down to the cellar.
~
The boy was scared, no, more like terrified. He didn't want to die, not when he had so much to live for. He thought of his family and Lillian. He wanted to be with her, to hold her now. He wanted to be held by her before he died. Before they both died. He was so scared of his future, of both of their futures. And his parents' future.
He opened the cellar door to see Lillian's dark figure. Silent tears dried on her face, eyes puffy, and her body trembled. He rushed over to her, drawing near her fragile figure.
"I'm so scared." He admitted. It was the first time he admitted this out loud. It had all been in his head: From when he first became a death eater, trying to kill Dumbledore, Voldemort murdering his teacher, him cursing the girl, the battle of Hogwarts. He had always been frightened and it all came flooding out as Lillian and Draco grasp to each other within the dark. "He's going to kill me and my family! All of us!"
For the first time, Draco began to cry in front of someone. He had always been afraid to be seen as weak and vulnerable. He was not taught to cry. His mother would encourage him to show and express emotions but his father saw it as a weakness.
Draco didn't want any of this. He didn't want Hogwarts to fall. He didn't want Lillian and his parents to die. He didn't want to die. Now his family was in the crossfire. They were now enemies of the Dark Lord.
"We are okay." Lillian reassured him, the problem was she didn't even believe the words herself. "Shh." He wailed in agony as she brought her head to his shoulder and his body clung to hers. "Your parents and Snape will find a plan. They will protect us." She said within her own cries. "Voldemort won't win. He can't." She told him as Draco reached for her hand and held her tightly in his arms.