am one of the few the Dark Lord has told. Nevertheless, had I not been in on the secret, Narcissa, you would have been guilty of great treachery to the Dark Lord.’
‘I thought you must know about it!’ said Narcissa, breathing more freely. ‘He trusts you so, Severus …’
‘You know about the plan?’ said Bellatrix, her fleeting expression of satisfaction replaced by a look of outrage. ‘You know?’
‘Certainly,’ said Snape. ‘But what help do you require, Narcissa? If you are imagining I can persuade the Dark Lord to change his mind, I am afraid there is no hope, none at all.’
‘Severus,’ she whispered, tears sliding down her pale cheeks. ‘My son … my only son …’
‘Draco should be proud,’ said Bellatrix indifferently. ‘The Dark Lord is granting him a great honour. And I will say this for Draco: he isn’t shrinking away from his duty, he seems glad of a chance to prove himself, excited at the prospect —’
Narcissa began to cry in earnest, gazing beseechingly all the while at Snape.
‘That’s because he is sixteen and has no idea what lies in store! Why, Severus? Why my son? It is too dangerous! This is vengeance for Lucius’s mistake, I know it!’
Snape said nothing. He looked away from the sight of her tears as though they were indecent, but he could not pretend not to hear her.
‘That’s why he’s chosen Draco, isn’t it?’ she persisted. ‘To punish Lucius?’
‘If Draco succeeds,’ said Snape, still looking away from her, ‘he will be honoured above all others.’
‘But he won’t succeed!’ sobbed Narcissa. ‘How can he, when the Dark Lord himself —?’
Bellatrix gasped; Narcissa seemed to lose her nerve.
‘I only meant … that nobody has yet succeeded … Severus … please … you are, you have always been, Draco’s favourite teacher … you are Lucius’s old friend … I beg you … you are the Dark Lord’s favourite, his most trusted advisor … will you speak to him, persuade him —?’
‘The Dark Lord will not be persuaded, and I am not stupid enough to attempt it,’ said Snape flatly. ‘I cannot pretend that the Dark Lord is not angry with Lucius. Lucius was supposed to be in charge. He got himself captured, along with how many others, and failed to retrieve the prophecy into the bargain. Yes, the Dark Lord is angry, Narcissa, very angry indeed.’
‘Then I am right, he has chosen Draco in revenge!’ choked Narcissa. ‘He does not mean him to succeed, he wants him to be killed trying!’
When Snape said nothing, Narcissa seemed to lose what little self-restraint she still possessed. Standing up, she staggered to Snape and seized the front of his robes. Her face close to his, her tears falling on to his chest, she gasped, ‘You could do it. You could do it instead of Draco, Severus. You would succeed, of course you would, and he would reward you beyond all of us —’
Snape caught hold of her wrists and removed her clutching hands. Looking down into her tear-stained face, he said slowly, ‘He intends me to do it in the end, I think. But he is determined that Draco should try first. You see, in the unlikely event that Draco succeeds, I shall be able to remain at Hogwarts a little longer, fulfilling my useful role as spy.’
‘In other words, it doesn’t matter to him if Draco is killed!’
‘The Dark Lord is very angry,’ repeated Snape quietly. ‘He failed to hear the prophecy. You know as well as I do, Narcissa, that he does not forgive easily.’
She crumpled, falling at his feet, sobbing and moaning on the floor.
‘My only son … my only son …’
‘You should be proud!’ said Bellatrix ruthlessly. ‘If I had sons, I would be glad to give them up to the service of the Dark Lord!’
Narcissa gave a little scream of despair and clutched at her long blonde hair. Snape stooped, seized her by the arms, lifted her up and steered her back on to the sofa. He then poured her more wine and forced the glass into her hand.
‘Narcissa, that’s enough. Drink this. Listen to me.’
She quietened a little; slopping wine down herself, she took a shaky sip.
‘It might be possible … for me to help Draco.’
She sat up, her face paper-white, her eyes huge.
‘Severus – oh, Severus – you would help him? Would you look after him, see he comes to no harm?’
‘I can try.’
She flung away her glass; it skidded across the table as she slid off the sofa into a kneeling position at Snape’s feet, seized his hand in both of hers and pressed her lips to it.
‘If you are there to protect him … Severus, will you swear it? Will you make the Unbreakable Vow?’
‘The Unbreakable Vow?’ Snape’s expression was blank, unreadable: Bellatrix, however, let out a cackle of triumphant laughter.
‘Aren’t you listening, Narcissa? Oh, he’ll try, I’m sure … the usual empty words, the usual slithering out of action … oh, on the Dark Lord’s orders, of course!’
Snape did not look at Bellatrix. His black eyes were fixed upon Narcissa’s tear-filled blue ones as she continued to clutch his hand.
‘Certainly, Narcissa, I shall make the Unbreakable Vow,’ he said quietly. ‘Perhaps your sister will consent to be our Bonder.’
Bellatrix’s mouth fell open. Snape lowered himself so that he was kneeling opposite Narcissa. Beneath Bellatrix’s astonished gaze, they grasped right hands.
‘You will need your wand, Bellatrix,’ said Snape coldly.
She drew it, still looking astonished.
‘And you will need to move a little closer,’ he said.
She stepped forwards so that she stood over them, and placed the tip of her wand on their linked hands.
Narcissa spoke.
‘Will you, Severus, watch over my son Draco as he attempts to fulfil the Dark Lord’s wishes?’
‘I will,’ said Snape.
A thin tongue of brilliant flame issued from the wand and wound its way around their hands like a red-hot wire.
‘And will you, to the best of your ability, protect him from harm?’
‘I will,’ said Snape.
A second tongue of flame shot from the wand and interlinked with the first, making a fine, glowing chain.
‘And, should it prove necessary … if it seems Draco will fail …’ whispered Narcissa (Snape’s hand twitched within hers, but he did not draw away), ‘will you carry out the deed that the Dark Lord has ordered Draco to perform?’
There was a moment’s silence. Bellatrix watched, her wand upon their clasped
