The night in Malfoy Manor was colder than the stone walls suggested.Lucius Malfoy stood alone in the grand hall, staring at his reflection in the blackened fireplace.But the face that looked back was a stranger. Hollow eyes, a ghost of the man who once found sadistic pleasure in Snape's torment.Now? Only emptiness.
He had given Severus to Voldemort.And in doing so, had lost the last thread that bound him to this world.
At the Ministry, Dumbledore's office was silent except for the crackle of his phoenix's wings.Dumbledore looked older tonight. Weighed down by secrets none should bear.He whispered, "The pieces are set, but not all players see the board."
He knew Lillian's true plan.It wasn't love.It was control.
Severus sat on the cold stone floor of the cell beneath the Ministry.The magical chains were gone, but the weight of betrayal clung to his skin like poison.His beta nature—his weakness in Voldemort's eyes—was now a cage of his own mind.He thought of Lillian, of that binding… and the doubt clawed at his soul.
"Did he ever love me?"
The question burned darker than the coldest Azkaban night.
Elsewhere, in a hidden chamber beneath the Forbidden Forest—Lillian traced ancient runes with slow, precise fingers.His eyes were cold stars reflecting the flicker of candles.
He was planning something deadly.Not just to break Severus free, but to shatter everything standing in his way.
The world would bend or break, and no one would see the puppetmaster's strings tightening—Because this time, he played for keeps.
Back in Malfoy Manor, Lucius whispered to the shadows, "I have lost everything."But in his loss was a spark — a dangerous obsession flickering to life.He would find the pieces of Severus's shattered soul.And he would have them.
And high above, in the Astronomy Tower, Dumbledore watched the stars."Love," he whispered, "is the most dangerous magic of all."