Entitled

Chapter 135*

Lying next to Severus in the quiet of the night, the room is filled with a heavy silence, the kind that feels thick with unspoken words and the residue of the day's horrors. You turn to face him, searching his shadowed features for understanding, for any sign of the compassion that you know lurks beneath his often impenetrable exterior.

"Do you think some people are abominations because of their blood?" you ask quietly, the question hanging between you in the dark.

Severus is silent for a moment before responding, his voice low and steady. "Not because of their blood, but because of who they are," he says, his words careful, measured.

Feeling a mixture of relief and despair, you confess, "I think I am one." You pause, gathering the courage to continue, "You will find out soon enough... Today at breakfast—you weren't here, of course—my father said he is my mother's father as well. He was Iris and Regulus' true father, but my mother didn't know until after I was born. She made quite a commotion about it."

Severus turns to you fully now, his face a mask of concern. "Violet," he starts, his tone softening, a rarity for him. "You are not an abomination. The circumstances of your birth, the actions of others—these are not reflections of your worth. You are not defined by them."

He reaches out, his hand finding yours in the darkness, squeezing it gently. "What he chooses to reveal does not change who you are," Severus continues. "You have the power to define yourself, to make choices that reflect your true nature, not the lineage he imposes upon you."

Severus's grip on your hand tightens slightly as you pour out your darkest fears and the burden you carry within. "I feel it, though," you confess, your voice trembling in the quiet of the night. "I am not right. My existence goes against nature. I am a wicked, unnatural thing, and when the time comes, I am going to kill him, and then I want you to kill me, to end this."

The air seems to still around you as you speak these words, heavy with the weight of a future you dread. Severus doesn't respond immediately, his face shadowed and his thoughts clearly racing. When he finally speaks, his voice is firm, resolute, tinged with an emotion you rarely hear.

"Violet," Severus begins, his words deliberate, "you are not unnatural, nor are you wicked. The circumstances of your birth, the complexities of your family—none of these make you less worthy of life or love. You are not defined by his sins or his ambitions."

He pauses, ensuring his words sink in before he continues. "To take his life may be the path you choose, but asking me to end yours... that is not a request I can honor. Your life, your soul, they are not tainted by his darkness. They are yours, and you have the power to reshape them, to forge a new path."

Severus's reaction is immediate and intense. "If you will not do it for me, I will do it myself," you say, the despair in your voice cutting through the silence like a knife.

The sharpness in his eyes is unmistakable as he responds, his voice rising in anger and fear. "Do not speak another word of this," Severus commands, his usual composure shattered by the gravity of your words. "I need you, Violet. The children need you. To end your life would not be an escape, but a passing of your pain to everyone who cares for you."

He pulls you closer, his embrace tight and protective, as if he could shield you from your own thoughts. "You must understand, your life is invaluable, not just to me, but to Esmond, to Iris, to all who have come to depend on you," he continues, his voice softening. "What you feel now, this darkness, it does not have to be your end. We can fight it, together."

His words, filled with desperation and pleading, seek to anchor you, to pull you back from the precipice you find yourself teetering upon. It's a reminder of the ties that bind you, not just of duty but of love and shared struggle.