Harry was running through the cemetery, not knowing where he was going. He only knew that he had to keep running, always forward. If he looked behind him, he would catch him.

He arrived at a grave apart from the others. Next to it, a steaming cauldron waited. Harry tried to move away, knowing he should put as much distance between himself and the cauldron as possible, but the tombstone began to attract him and pulling from him. Harry found himself dragged towards the grave, paralyzed, and terrified. He couldn't move, he couldn't run.

On the ground, in front of the tombstone, a body lay lifeless, abandoned. It was Cedric. His eyes were still open, looking at the starry sky.

"Harry Potter..."

A figure had appeared next to the cauldron. It was pale and covered in a black cloak. Harry felt his body shake with cold and fear, refusing to move.

"Harry Potter, you have come to die."

The figure waved his wand and Harry began to levitate. He was forced to float to the cauldron. He tried to resist with all his might. He wanted to scream, to do something, but absolute immobility held him back.

"Your flesh will give me strength, Harry Potter. Your blood will make me immortal."

Harry looked at the hood, drawn to the cruel look in those red eyes. But that was not Voldemort. It was Sirius.

"You caused my death, Harry. Now you will give me life."

With a fleeting movement, he severed his left hand at the wrist, and it fell into the cauldron.

Harry screamed...

OOO

And he woke up.

Harry looked around in a daze, not recognizing the bedroom. He had crushed his injured hand in his sleep, and the pain had woken him up.

Studying it carefully, he realized that it was completely numb and had a strange blackish color. Although the pain had subsided, the inflammation had swollen his fingers, and he was unable to move them.

Very carefully, he got up, left the bedroom, and walked through the silent house, trying not to make any noise. After several days in the building, his eyes were beginning to clearly perceive some of the photographs that adorned the walls. The most recent image that had been revealed to him was one of Adrien, as a child, dressed as a police officer on Halloween.

Smiling, Harry walked down the stairs, and then voices from the kitchen caught his attention. He stopped a few steps from the door, listening silently, hidden behind the wall.

Astrid and Snape spoke in low voices, unaware of his presence. Harry hesitated about what he should do. He knew that eavesdropping was wrong, and if Snape discovered him, he would seek vengeance at the next training session. However, the professor was not worthy of his respect, and he was very curious to know what was happening.

He heard Dumbledore's name mentioned, followed by Astrid's laughter, and that made his curiosity stronger. Harry approached the kitchen door, hiding behind the wall, and strained his ears, listening.

"I can't believe I told him that," Astrid said, looking embarrassed. "Why didn't you shut me up?"

"You didn't seem to need my help," Snape's voice was mocking. "It would have been a shame to stop you, after all, you were very inspired."

"Please, next time throw an Imperius at meor make me shut up."

"And miss such a spectacle?" Harry was surprised to hear Snape laugh. He didn't remember ever hearing the professor's laugh.

"It's not funny," she protested.

"You are unstoppable when you get angry, Break-Legs Lowel," he mocked, and Astrid laughed despite herself. "And Dumbledore brings out the worst in you."

"He just gets on my nerves. Every time he appears, he treats us as if we were puppets that he manipulates at will," Astrid protested. "And I hate how he uses you for his benefit."

"Astrid, everything I do, I do voluntarily, he doesn't force me to do anything," Snape spoke in a calm voice. "The only one who can manipulate me at will is you."

Harry was surprised to hear such softness in his voice. For a moment, it seemed like he was invading a very intimate moment, and he felt uncomfortable. It was like going back to the Triwizard tournament and eavesdropping on Hagrid making his declaration of love.

He heard Astrid move, muttering something mockingly. Harry tried hard not to imagine what was happening, trying to ignore the sudden silence coming from the kitchen. He wished he could get out of there, but he was afraid of being discovered. And then, to his relief, Astrid interrupted the silence.

"By the way, I have received news from the hospital board."

"What kind of news?"

"They want to appoint me director of the Emergency Department," she announced. Now it seemed like their voices were coming from the same corner of the kitchen.

"That's very good news," Snape seemed happy.

"It caught me by surprise, I didn't expect it. They want my answer by next week."

"You're going to say yes, aren't you?"

"I don't know, it's a big responsibility," Astrid seemed doubtful. "And it will also mean more hours of work."

"Aren't you thinking about backing out?" Snape asked, incredulously. "Should I curse you to accept?"

"I have already told you that it is a great responsibility," she repeated. "I'm scared of not being up to par."

"You are the only one who thinks like that. Gordon Lester has always said he wants you to be his successor."

"As director of the hospital? Don't be silly," she laughed.

"Someday you will accept that you have the potential for that and more," Snape spoke quietly, but insistently. "You know that you are the most suitable person to take charge of Emergencies. If you don't accept the offer, you will regret it."

"Severus–"

"Think about all the changes you can make. You could improve all the things you constantly complain about."

"I'll complain about others," she mocked.

"But you will do it as director of the Emergency Department."

"Will that make you listen to me more?" she asked, with a mocking voice.

"Do you have any complaints?" he replied. Astrid laughed mischievously and answered something that Harry didn't hear, because he was suddenly aware of someone else coming down the stairs.

Trying to hide, he walked quickly towards the restroom, making sure no one saw him. He waited a few minutes, his heart in his mouth, wishing he hadn't heard anything. He had the feeling that he had spied on a very intimate moment that he had no right to hear. He wondered if he would be able to look Snape in the face again.

When a reasonable amount of time had passed, he dared to return to the kitchen. He was happy to see Celine, who was making coffee while talking to her father. Taking advantage of the fact that Snape was distracted, Harry approached Astrid, and after the usual greetings, showed her his blackened hand.

Astrid studied the hand with concern, mentally comparing it to Snape's arm, which had also not improved at all. Harry waited while the two of them argued quietly about what to do. When they reached an agreement, they called Harry and guided him to the top floor of the house. The three entered a heavily guarded room, which reminded Harry of one of those muggle laboratories that appeared on the television series that his Aunt Petunia liked so much.

In fact, none of the devices in that room had anything to envy of those in the best research centers, although they contrasted a bit with the presence of a shelf full of potion ingredients, ancient books, and several cauldrons.
And on a wall, Harry could see a photograph in which children Astrid and Snape wrapped their arms around a third child who appeared cloudy before Harry's eyes.

Astrid made them sit down and very carefully took out a small bottle filled with a light blue liquid, completely transparent, from a cupboard.

"We can't guarantee that it works," Snape looked at the bottle suspiciously.

"Do you no longer trust your own potions?" Astrid asked him, mockingly, while she prepared two syringes.

"We have not tested it on humans," he protested.

Harry looked uneasily at Astrid and the jar she was holding. That Snape was suspicious of one of his inventions did not reassure him at all, and even less so if they were supposed to test it on him.

"I have injected myself and nothing bad has happened to me," Astrid confessed, in a reassuring tone. Snape, however, glared at her.

"What? When have you done such a thing?"

"Regularly, once a week, for three months," Astrid remained very calm, while she put on gloves. "I have followed the advice of our dear collaborator," she added, raising her eyebrows. Snape seemed to understand the reference, but he didn't seem very convinced.

"How do you think of doing something like that? Without telling me anything? What if it had been poisonous or toxic?"

"Then I would be dead already," she ruled, matter-of-factly, filling one of the syringes and checking that there was no air inside. "Then what? Should I start with you or with Harry?" Astrid asked, looking with suppressed laughter at her husband, who was looking at her angrily. "If you want, I can inject it first on me, so you can see that nothing happens," she made a gesture of going to poke herself in the arm.

"No!" Snape interrupted her, very vehemently. "Get to the point already," he growled, extending his frozen arm.

Astrid moved the sling out of the way and gently removed the bandages. Harry noted with alarm the pitiful state of the professor's arm. All the skin that had been consumed by the flames had dried and cracked, turning an unpleasant black color. The muscle mass had shrunk almost completely, from the elbow to the fingers.

Astrid felt around carefully, ignoring the unpleasant sight.

"Do you have pain?" she asked.

"I feel absolutely nothing," Snape replied. "I also don't notice the heat, cold or pressure."

"At least your bones are intact," she commented.

With a small cotton ball, she disinfected an area of the forearm before applying the injection with an expert hand. The three of them waited patiently, observing the arm.

After a few minutes without incident, the arm began to change little by little, before the amazed gaze of Harry and Snape. The muscles grew again where before there was only a stunted limb, and the black color dissolved, first turning purple, like a bruise, and then changing to red, and finally to yellow. The veins seemed wider, pumping blood strongly.

Snape, incredulous, bent his arm, a feat impossible a few seconds before, and also dared to open and close his hand without problems. The dark mark was visible again, and it was clearly seen how the arm regained the strength and muscle it had had before it was frozen.

Astrid felt delicately, from elbow to hand.

"Do you notice this?"

"Now I do, it is as if nothing had happened."

"Can you make force?" Astrid took him by the hand. At first, Snape's arm shook with the pressure, but slowly, he was able to move Astrid's hand to the side. "It's like new," she smiled. "Now it's your turn, Harry," and before the boy could react, she stuck the needle in the middle of the palm of his hand and injected the potion.

Harry felt as if something warm had been shoved into his hand, spreading through the veins and tissues. A warm tingling made his hand tremble, and he felt his fingers move in small spasms.

He saw how his skin regenerated, from the inside out, and noticed how the tendons and veins recomposed themselves and returned to their places. His bones fused together, and suddenly he was able to move his hand without problems, as if nothing had ever happened to him.

Astrid felt his hand, checking that everything was in order, and also verified that he had no problems when it came to exerting force or feeling changes in temperature.

Snape looked at Astrid in amazement, still rubbing his arm.

"An injection? How did you come up with that?"

"Do you remember that you used this same potion to try to heal Dumbledore's arm when he injured it with the ring?" Astrid asked, and Snape nodded. "Then, you told me that the potion didn't work, but that you were convinced it was perfect. It occurred to me that perhaps what was wrong was the method of application, and that if it were injected, the potion would be much more effective, because it would act where it was really needed," Astrid explained, picking up the syringes and taking off her gloves. "I tested it on rats before injecting it myself, and when I was completely convinced that there were no contraindications, I convinced Albus to allow himself to be injected. As you may have noticed, his hand has improved considerably," Astrid smiled. Harry then realized that the headmaster's hand looked completely healthy, although he had not noticed it before. "He was cured in just a few minutes, just like you."

"Amazing," Snape murmured, picking up the vial and admiring the potion. "I knew it was perfect," he expressed proudly.

"When you remember whose idea it was to create it, you could thank me," Astrid commented, ironically. Snape looked at her and for a moment looked like he was going to laugh, and it reminded Harry of his son Ivan.

"Potter, get out," Snape ordered, without looking at him.

Harry didn't make him repeat it and left the laboratory, carefully closing the door behind him. He really didn't want to know what Snape's gratitude consisted of.

OOO

That same afternoon, Hermione's parents were taken to the hospital where Astrid worked. Hermione and Ron accompanied them from St. Mungo's, and Harry and Astrid joined them in the hallway.

Since they didn't remember Astrid now, she acted as if it were the first time she was meeting them, and she was just another doctor at the hospital. After a short introduction, she walked Hermione into the room to update her on the treatment they were going to give her parents.

Harry and Ron waited outside, looking nervously through the small window in the door, through which they could see what was happening inside. It was not difficult to observe Hermione's parents, who were lying, each in a bed, connected to respirators and showing no signs of knowing what was happening. They reminded Harry of Neville's parents, and a lump formed in his throat.

It came to mind that time he had seen Mr. and Mrs. Granger in Diagon Alley, excited and nervous, but totally proud of their daughter, happy to meet her friends...

He had to move away from the door to be able to breathe normally again. He surreptitiously wiped his eyes, and that was when he saw Dumbledore in the distance. For some reason, the old wizard had insisted on taking Draco to the hospital as well, but at that moment, the young Malfoy was somewhat withdrawn from the others.

The headmaster noticed Harry's gaze, and motioning to him, he invited him to sit next to him on one of the plastic chairs that lined the hallway.

"It is a real shame what has happened. I am so sorry for Miss Granger."

"It's not fair. They were dentists, they had nothing to do with Voldemort. Why did they have to do this to them?"

"If I told you that I think it was a coincidence that it was them instead of others, I would be lying to you," Dumbledore looked at him over his glasses. "The death eaters knew perfectly well who they were attacking and why."

"Hermione said it was Bellatrix," Harry remembered, his voice thick with anger.

"Don't let your anger get the better of you, Harry. We all get what we deserve, and she will also suffer the consequences of her actions," Dumbledore didn't look away from him, as if he knew what he was thinking. "You shouldn't think about how much you would like to be the one to catch her, but rather you should focus on helping your friend. Hermione needs you, Harry, she needs us all, and this is not the best time to abandon her and launch into a revenge that leaves more bitterness than anything else."

Harry took a deep breath, fighting the anger that consumed him. He could feel his hands, squeezing his knees tightly. He wanted to find Bellatrix and hurt her. Every time he thought about Hermione's parents lying there...

He forced himself to calm down. Dumbledore was right, this was not the time to lose his mind, he had to focus on what was really important.
He had to defeat Voldemort, and to do so, he had to destroy the Horcruxes.

"And speaking of death eaters, how are you doing with professor Snape?" Dumbledore asked, casually changing the subject.

"It's... strange," Harry replied, trying to focus his mind on the conversation. "He has two different lives... and two different behaviors," the events of that morning came back to his mind. He had a hard time associating the professor Snape he knew with the man he had spied on in the kitchen.

Dumbledore chuckled, as if he understood what he meant.

"He has never been very fond of showing what he feels in public; He considers it a weakness. And he manages to hide his secrets well," Harry nodded, not really thinking about what he was doing. "A while ago, you asked me why I thought Severus is innocent and doesn't support Voldemort. Well, you're seeing why," he indicated, nodding toward Astrid, who had left the room and was keeping Ron company. Draco had walked down the hallway, eyeing the sick people warily.

"What does she have to do with it?" Harry asked.

"Surely it has already crossed your mind. Severus is married to a muggle, breaking one of the most basic death eater rules, and has also had four children with her. Four children who can be considered... half-blood, to put it mildly."

"Mudbloods," Harry murmured, running a hand through his hair. "Malfoy kept calling Celine that."

"If he was satisfied with that, it's a miracle. Any other death eater or son of death eaters would have tortured or killed her," Dumbledore indicated, his voice grave.

"But Snape... professor Snape," he corrected himself before Dumbledore told him, "why did he become a death eater then?"

"I'm afraid, Harry, that Severus had no choice but to join Voldemort."

"What nonsense, there is always an option," Harry replied.

"Harry, Voldemort offered your parents to join him and they refused. That's why he killed them, prophecies aside. But not everyone has the courage, or the option, to say "okay, kill me if you want, I'm not going to give in to you." There are people who prefer to live, even if they have to serve on the dark side."

"That's cowardly," Harry declared, remembering Wormtail.

"You think?" Dumbledore asked, calmly. "What if they offered you the lives of your best friends in exchange? Or your partner's? Or your children's? What would you do then? Would you allow yourself to be killed, even knowing that when you are dead, they will be tortured to death?" Dumbledore looked at Harry over his half-moon glasses. "I don't justify Severus, Harry, but I want you to understand that he had his reasons for doing what he did, just as you have yours now for acting as you are doing. We have no right to judge him because we don't know what we would have done in his case," Harry listened in silence, not wanting to give in. Feeling sorry for Snape was too much for him, even if Dumbledore sounded reasonable. "Now, you asked me what reasons I had to trust him. It is very easy to guess them. Your professor Snape has a family that he shouldn't have and that he protects because, even if you don't want to believe it, they are the most valuable thing he has. He loves them, in his own way, but knows that they are in danger. No death eater knows Astrid's identity or that of her children, because if they did, they would be in mortal danger. In fact, all of them are in mortal danger... until Voldemort is defeated. Have you ever wondered why Severus agreed to train you?"

"Because you asked him."

"Among other things. But the fundamental reason is that he knows that you have a real chance of ending Voldemort. You appear in the prophecy. You are the Chosen One," Dumbledore explained. "If he helps you, he will be helping his family, and if you manage to defeat Voldemort, he will have saved everyone's lives. He has that responsibility to you, and that is why he will help you until the end."

"But he won't be doing it for me..."

"Just like you're not doing it for him," Dumbledore smiled.

At that moment, Hermione came out of the room, crying, and Ron hugged her. Watching Astrid move away to give them space, Harry remembered something.

"You and Astrid don't get along," he commented, looking at the director. He thought he saw that Dumbledore was hiding a smile.

"Mrs. Snape has a great temper, as you may have noticed," he declared, glancing at Harry with bright eyes. "She thinks I'm forcing Severus to fight for me, and she's scared to think something might happen to him. Astrid would rather have left England with her husband and children a long time ago, but as I told you, Severus has a mission to fulfill. His family will not be safe as long as Voldemort lives, no matter how much they hide."

"Do you think we can trust her?"

"Without a doubt. You will not find a more loyal person than Astrid. I wouldn't have sent you to her house if I didn't trust her," he insisted, observing Harry's doubtful expression . "And you've seen how she defended you when she thought you were in danger. By the way, I'm glad your hand has improved," he commented, casting a meaningful look at Harry's healed hand.

The boy opened and closed his fingers, thoughtful. Now that he thought about it, Astrid had never done anything to deserve his distrust.

They stayed silent, but Harry kept looking at his friends. Wanting to know the latest news, he stood up and walked over to them, stopping next to Astrid.

"How are Hermione's parents?"

"Serious, I'm not going to deceive you. But we must do a lot of tests before we decide what treatment to give them."

"And couldn't you give them this morning's potion?"

"It's not that easy," Astrid sighed. "I'm afraid it only serves to repair damage to the body, not the mind. We still have a lot to test," but she put a hand on his shoulder, smiling confidently. "Don't worry, we haven't thrown in the towel yet. You never know when the miracle will happen. Also, Severus and I are still researching..."

OOO

From that day on, Severus and Astrid became inseparable. The love they had for each other was stronger than reluctance and fear. They both wanted to be together, and they thought that if they took the proper precautions, nothing would ever happen to them.

The only thing Astrid had asked from Severus was to always be honest with her and tell her everything he did, whenever he could tell, so that she wouldn't have to find out through other means.
In exchange, Astrid promised to obey whenever he asked her to hide or stay out of the way, for her own safety.

That new situation required total and absolute trust on the part of both of them, and although at first it was not easy, their relationship was strengthened.

Even though Astrid continued living in the college's domitories, because it was closer to the university, she spent more and more time at Severus' house. Most of her personal belongings and books were there, and Severus didn't object whenever she stayed to study or sleep.

Severus began to take an interest in medicine, as Astrid recited the lessons aloud so she could memorize them, and sometimes asked him to listen and correct her. Just as Astrid had studied his magic books, he now devoured the medical treatises, becoming a great study companion.

Many nights, he had to stay awake to make sure Astrid didn't fall asleep studying, and sometimes he was sure that if he took the exam instead of his girlfriend, he would be able to get the same grade without any problem, because of how well he knew the subjects.

Months after they met again, the first great muggle hunt began. The death eaters attacked large cities, trying to do as much damage as possible, and sometimes took hostages whom they later tortured and killed. The attacks were suffered in almost all the provinces, and it was very difficult for the muggle government to hide or camouflage all those attacks, tortures and murders.

As a precaution, Astrid moved permanently to Spinners End, since Severus had protected the building with various enchantments, and it was the safest place they had.

Severus was very worried about Astrid and would not let her leave the house without casting a couple of protection spells on her, and when the situation became more violent, he himself took care of taking her to and from the university by means of the apparition, so that Astrid would not have to go through public and poorly protected places.

Although she tried to keep a good mood, claiming that nothing serious had happened to her yet, Severus knew that their good luck would not last forever, and his fears were confirmed when one morning the university was attacked. Astrid was miraculously saved, because she was in the toilet, where the walls muffled the explosions. She stayed hidden there, until Severus went after her and took her out, avoiding the other death eaters, who were busy wreaking havoc throughout the faculty.

And then, when it seemed like nothing could get worse, Astrid discovered that she was pregnant.

That news caught them unexpectedly. They had put all the necessary means to prevent something like this from happening, but despite everything, it had happened, and it was too late to back out. The only thing they could do now was prepare for the birth of their future child in the best way possible.

Severus researched new ways to protect Astrid. He had already hidden his house with the Fidelio Charm, but he couldn't keep Astrid locked up day and night, so he needed to find some kind of protection that would also work outside.

But the most advanced spells were ancient magic, and only worked on members of the same family who shared a blood bond or something similar, which meant that he could only protect the baby, but not Astrid. To include her in the enchantment, they would have to perform a magical union.

That was a possibility they had not thought about. Never, in their wildest plans, would they have imagined that, in the middle of a magical war, a death eater and a muggle woman would have to marry for their own safety.

But they were eighteen years old, and they were absolutely alone and scared. They didn't know what else to do to stay safe, and although the idea of the wedding was crazy, desperate, and completely unromantic, at that moment it seemed like the most logical and safest solution.

However, they had two drawbacks. They needed another magician to perform the union, and they had to hide Astrid's true nature at any cost.

That situation gave them a real headache, mainly because they couldn't trust anyone. Not even the Ministry of Magic was free of spies, and Severus feared that someone might spread the news that Astrid was a muggle. On the other hand, any wizard who was willing to protect Astrid would find the idea of betraying him, for being a death eater, very tempting.

There was only one wizard, the famous and fearsome Albus Dumbledore, who might be able to help them.

Severus, however, postponed his decision as long as possible. Dumbledore intimidated him, and the fact that he was the only wizard capable of facing lord Voldemort meant that any deal Severus made with him would irrevocably mark him as a traitor. He didn't even mention the possibility to Astrid, afraid of what she might say. But there was a moment when Severus could no longer delay the inevitable.

It wasn't just about him anymore, or Astrid. It was about the baby, or rather, the babies. The last visit to the hospital had revealed that they were expecting twins.

Astrid never knew the details of the conversation between Severus and Dumbledore. He hadn't wanted to talk about it, whether out of fear or shame she didn't know. The only thing she knew was that Dumbledore would protect them, in exchange for Severus spying for him, and that in the event that something happened to Severus during the war, Astrid and the children would be hidden in a safe place until everything was over.

The first time Astrid saw Dumbledore, she felt intimidated. That magician exuded an aura of power that radiated like the sun, and she felt how his blue eyes studied her, as if they could pierce her and know all her secrets.

Severus was afraid of him, and that was more than enough to treat him with respect. However, the rebellious Astrid soon felt a surge of defiance as she found herself under the headmaster's scrutiny.

The first thing Dumbledore did was check that she was not being subjected to the Imperius curse, and he interrogated her privately to rule out that she was the victim of some type of blackmail or threat.

But that, despite showing that he cared about her well-being, only served to anger Astrid. She was offended by the implicit accusation that Severus was controlling her and did not hesitate to defend the legitimacy of their relationship, with an energy that surprised the headmaster.

Dumbledore kept his end of the bargain, and that same day he linked the two young people's hands with a magical bond. It was a short and simple ceremony, held in the living room of the house of Spinners End, but they didn't need anything else. During the brief seconds in which the magical knot shone around their wrists, they exchanged a look so full of love and complicity that the old headmaster had no doubt of the sincerity of their feelings, and that he was doing the right thing.

Over the next few months, Dumbledore helped them protect themselves, carefully hiding Astrid's true identity, and creating several escape routes in case she needed to disappear. He also performed several spells that would camouflage the identity of her children when they were born.

But even though she knew she could trust him, and that the headmaster wouldn't hurt them, Astrid never forgave Dumbledore. After all, he had questioned the integrity of the man she loved.

OOO

They returned home late, and very tired. Hermione and Ron had stayed at the hospital, because the girl didn't want to leave her parents, but Ron had told Harry that he would take her to the Burrow later.

Harry entered the house very thoughtful, still thinking about what Dumbledore had told him that afternoon about Snape, and remembering fragments of what had happened to him the day before.

The manticore, the Inferi, the Horcrux, the hospital... everything was confusingly mixed in his mind, but at least he had a clear idea: he had to do his best to defeat Voldemort. The sooner he finished him off, the fewer innocent people would be hurt.

Without realizing it, he had been left alone with Draco, but neither of them said anything to each other, each lost in their own thoughts.

Draco, for his part, had been shocked to see the sick people in the magical part of the hospital. Most had been injured in death eater's attacks. They were all innocent people, adults who went to work, people who were on the street, children who studied at school... dentists who slept at home...

Draco had never been on the other side of the barrier. He had always seen the victims from above, as something far away, but he had never mixed with them, he had never felt their pain. He had never felt so guilty and ashamed.

Without realizing it, the foundations on which he had grown up, the ones that supported his mentality and his way of thinking, were shaking. Could he have done that too? Could he also have been responsible for that pain? If he had not repented, would the innocent victims who occupied the hospital wards be his?

He wanted to convince himself that it wouldn't have been like that, that he would have been different, but something inside his head kept telling him that he would have been a butcher like the others, with no possibility of redemption.

That spiral of gloomy thoughts was suddenly interrupted by Celine, who had left the room in a hurry.

"Draco, you have to come! Your mother is here."