Draco dropped his wand.

No, he thought desperately, it can't be - his aunt had to be mistaken.

"BELLATRIX!" Snape hollered, looking utterly furious into her gleeful face. "YOU PROMISED!"

"That was a long time ago, Sevvy darling," she tittered, rolling her sleeve back up, "things have changed."

Draco couldn't help but let out a strangled cry as she touched her wand to the Dark Mark glowing darkly on the pale skin of her forearm.

He clutched his own which pierced in agonising pain. He was only half aware of Astrid grappling terrifyingly at his side, trying desperately to comfort him.

"Bella, no!" Snape cried again, "how could you do this?"

"He deserves to know!" She screeched into his face. "He deserves to meet the daughter your filthy Squib of a sister created with him!"

"Severus?" Astrid's voice trembled, letting go of Draco and looking at Snape with fearful eyes, "what is she talking about?"

Draco watched, the pain in his arm abating, as Snape looked down at his niece, his eyes filled with such sorrow and regret. They all ignored Bellatrix who was cackling manically and dancing childishly around in circles.

"You should never have come back here! You were safe!" Snape roared, shaking desperately at her shoulders, "I never meant for you to find out. This is why I wanted to keep you away from the wizarding world. To keep you safe."

"So it's true?" Draco asked, his blood turning cold with horror.

Snape snapped his head round, his eyes widening slightly, as if he only just realised Draco was there also.

"Take her inside, the Dark Lord will be here any moment," Snape ordered. "Please, Draco! It is imperative I speak to him first."

Draco didn't need telling twice, he grabbed Astrid's hand and pulled her towards the front door, where his mother was standing, waiting anxiously. If she was alarmed by the sight of the girl he was dragging behind him, she didn't show it.

"Did you do it?" She whimpered as Draco pulled Astrid up the stone steps, "did you... kill him?"

"No!" He spat, storming past his quivering mother without looking at her. He wasn't about to get into the how's and why's of the fact that he was such a disappointment of a son.

He had bigger issues to deal with right now.

...

I couldn't breathe. I felt utterly sick.

As soon as Draco shut his bedroom door behind us, I sank to the floor, sobbing.

"Astrid," Draco breathed, throwing himself down to the floor in front of me, wrapping his arms fiercely around me. "It's okay, it'll all be okay."

"How can it?" I wept, leaning into him, burying my head into his neck, wishing so much that I could erase the last twenty four hours from my mind. In one night, I just watched a good man get killed in front of my very eyes by my uncle and then discovered that I'm the daughter of someone even more evil than the father I thought I already had.

It was all a bit messed up.

"Because you have me, and I'll look after you," Draco implored, cupping my face in his hands and lifting my head to make me look at him, his grey eyes piercing fiercely into mine, "I love you, Astrid and nothing will change that. Ever."

He brought his face down to kiss my tears away, his lips eventually finding my own, connecting them in an urgency that made an unexpected fire burn within my core. I'd missed Draco so much.

And then, remembering Bellatrix's words, a loud sob emanated from my lips, making my body judder against him as I cried, breaking our kiss.

I didn't know who I was anymore. My life had just been one big lie.

"It's okay, Astrid," Draco murmured, cradling me to his chest, "it's okay."

A loud knock on the door made us both look up in alarm. "What?" Draco snapped, jumping up to fling open the door.

Snape was stood there looking extremely solemn and unmistakably afraid. "He's ready," he murmured, not taking his eyes away from me as I shakily got to my feet. "Your father is ready to meet you."

But I wasn't. How could I ever be ready?

It was a good job Draco had good reflexes because he managed to dive across the room and catch me in time before I crumpled back down to the floor.

"Does it have to be tonight?" Draco snapped at Snape, as he held me up, "can't you see she's exhausted?"

"The Dark Lord waits for no one, Draco, not even his own flesh and blood."

I felt a wave of nausea swoop low through my stomach at this crude description of me.

"My mother, Severus," I gasped, finding my voice, "Before I meet my father I need to know - did she love him? Or was I conceived through an act of cruelty?"

To be honest, I didn't know which answer I'd prefer. I would like to think my mother wasn't capable of loving a monster, but then look at the man I thought had been my father all these years.

Snape's eyes swam with a deep sadness before closing his eyes. "Your mother loved him, Astrid. But she loved the man who she thought he was. That is all you to need to know for now."

"But you will tell me more?" I implored, suddenly desperate to know everything, "promise me, Severus - you will tell me more?"

Slowly, he nodded, "but for now, child, it is essential we hurry. It is not wise to displease the Dark Lord in any way. Come."

He held out an arm for me to take, but Draco kept a firm hold of me.

"I'm coming too," he snarled, walking me determinedly to the door, "I'm not leaving her side. I promised."

"Very well, Draco, if you must," Snape sighed, almost exasperatedly, "I'm sure the Dark Lord will be expecting your presence also."

I felt Draco blanch slightly at Snape's words. In all the chaos of the nights events, I had almost forgotten that Draco had been unable to fulfil Voldemort's request. As we followed Snape across the landing towards the stairs, I gave Draco's hand a gentle squeeze, letting him know he had me as much as I had him.

Our eyes met and he gave me a small, grateful smile, although the fear upon his face was evident, as I knew it would be on mine, too.

The only sounds heard were the sounds of our footsteps echoing on the cold marbled floor around us. I could almost feel the air thicken as we approached a pair of double doors up ahead of us. The way Snape was advancing towards them, told me that my father was behind them. Waiting.

The door opened before we reached and Bellatrix's wild mane appeared first followed by the rest of her.

She looked at me with utmost glee through her heavy lidded eyes and skipped towards us, giggling excitedly.

"Oh this is so exciting! I love a good family reunion!" She tittered, pulling me from Draco's grasp, and linking her arm through my own as she studied me very closely. "He makes a very pretty daughter doesn't he, Draco?"

Draco said nothing, but as my eyes darted over to him, I could see he had gone a deathly pale and looked as though he wanted to be anywhere but here.

"Come, Bellatrix," Snape snarled sinisterly, "I'm sure the Dark Lord doesn't want to be kept waiting any longer."

"Oh, he's so excited!" She squealed, ushering me forwards to the door, Draco walking hurriedly behind, looking anxiously to me - as if he wanted to grab me and get the hell out of there.

My heart hammered fearfully in my chest and I was worried I was going to throw up the second I entered the room. I tried to slow down my feet, but Bellatrix was pulling me along with such gusto, I was practically being carried.

"Your daughter, my Lord!" Bellatrix cried as we stepped into the room. And the next thing I knew, I was being thrusted forward towards the most terrifying looking person I had ever come across. A scream stuck in my throat as the scarlet eyed, noseless, grey skinned monster sneered down upon me.

"Astrid, meet your father."