Half-Blood Princess Book Seven

Chapter 16 - Death Warrent

Third-Person POV

Draco and Snape shared a look of shock as Tilly fell into their arms, having no strength left. They make their way upstairs to Draco's room, laying her down on his bed. Draco sat on the edge of the bed, holding Tilly's hand in his, as Snape ran around collecting items to help heal her.

"Snape, can you heal her wounds? All of them?" Draco asks, not looking at the man, still watching Tilly.

"I have fixed most of them, but not all of them." Snape runs a hand through his hair, pulling out a few bottles from his bag. "Bellatrix used a cursed knife to carve into Tilly and Hermione...."

"Meaning what?" Draco stands, walking over to the man.

"Meaning we can't get rid of it. It's etched on our skin forever." Tilly speaks up, trying to sit up, but gets pushed back down by Draco.

"You need rest, and I need to patch up your wounds." Tilly sighs, moving to the side, allowing her Dad to fix many of her injuries.

"Draco can I talk to my Dad alone for a while, please?" Draco frowns, unsure why she didn't want him there, but nod apprehensively.

"Sure," he leans down, leaving a kiss on Tilly's forehead, before walking towards the door. "I'm going to get you something to eat and drink. I'll be back in ten." He closes the door softly, walking away as the Father and daughter have a... chat.

Tilly looks at her Dad before bursting into tears and throwing her arms around the man. "Dad, why do you think Bella chose the word...." Tilly sighs, "Traitor? Does she know?" Tilly is referring to her and Snape being double agents.

"I doubt it. It's most likely about your relationship with Hermione. To her, you are partly a Blood Traitor. And your blood itself is a traitor." Snape answers, trying to be as soft as possible without sugar-coating it.

"Right." That is all Tilly says as she tries to hold in everything she's feeling.

"Pumpkin," Snape says, knowing his daughter isn't alright and lightly tries to get her to open up. Causing Tilly to fail the silents she promised to herself.

"Dad, I don't know how much more of this I can take." Her voice was airy, barely reaching Snape's ears. Turning her wrists over, he looks down, running his thumb over every scar representing a person she's saved. "I've saved so many people, but how much of myself have I lost?" Snape rests his arms around Tilly, slowly bringing her down to lay her head in his lap. He feels her breathing slow and relax as he runs his fingers through her hair, untangling the braids.

"I don't blame you for feeling this way. If it were anyone but you in your position, they would have given up years ago, but it's not just anyone; it's you. Matilda Lillian." Tilly turns her head, looking into the eyes of her Dad, confused why he didn't use the last name. "That's who you are; You're not a Potter, as you don't think the world revolves around you; You're not a Malfoy; you don't hide behind others or cower in the face of fear, and; You're not a Snape, you don't give up when you're at you lowest, you don't turn to the dark." Snape grabs hold of Tilly's hands, bring her closer to him. "You are who you want to be. At age 11, you chose to become a double agent, and when you realised you could give up pieces of yourself to save others, you didn't hesitate to do so when needed." Tilly takes a deep breath, looking out the window and into the far distance. "It might not be fair, but you've come this far, you've sacrificed yourself several times, and have scared your body, possibly forever; Do you want that to be for nothing?" Snape was speaking the truth, and Tilly knew it. He may have sounded harsh, but she'd given up so much for so long, and stopping now, right at the end, would make everything worth nothing.