"Are you sure you don't want to come with me?" Lisa asked as I helped her head out for the winter break.

"Im sure. I have some family stuff going on. Lucas is on his way."

"You be safe okay? Ill be home, and you can come over if anything happens."

"Okay."

"Anything." We both hugged and she went to the platform. I waited by the stairway, for Lucas to come by.

"Merlins this place hasn't changed." Lucas steps in, putting his hair back. The girls jaws dropped as he walked in. Great, people are in love with my uncle. "Professor." He winks at Professor McGonagall.

"Lucas Cox?" She walks up to him. "My you gotten taller!" She smiles at him.

"Beautiful as always I see, Minerva."

"Oh please. Staying out trouble?" She blushes.

"You know me Professor, trouble is good friend of mine." Lucas looks at me, with my head with my hands, already bored.

"It was nice seeing you Mr. Cox, you say hi to your sister Katherine for me, alright?"

"Of course." She walks away.

"Can we go?" I walked up to him, playing with my sleeves. I wanted to leave so I can avoid Draco at all costs.

"Wait by the car." He frowns as he saw Draco. Daphne headed off. Lucas walks up to him, cracking his knuckles.

"Lucas-" Draco gulps.

"Just stop." He puts his hand up. "You have some nerve to show your face to me right now." The night Draco and Daphne broke up, Daphne wrote him a letter.

"I-"

"You think this solves everything? You just made it worse." Draco backs up as Lucas walked forward.

"I didn't want-"

"But you did. You hurt my niece. I'm no longer helping you." Lucas turns around, Severus watched them. Severus also knew about the break up. He called Draco to his office and yelled at him, had threatened him. The Cox and Snape family weren't having it. Nobody breaks Daphnes heart.

"But Lucas, you have to help me. I need your help." Draco begs him. Lucas forced a laugh.

"I don't have to. Just because Severus vowed to your mother to look out for you, doesn't mean I have to. You don't need my help, you just want to save yourself, I'm done." Lucas storms off with Severus following. The two got in the car and left to go to Lucas' loft, that nobody knew about. Thats where they're going to stay for a while. Daphne slams the car door and went inside. She sat down on the couch and held herself, looking at the fireplace.

"You want to talk about it?" Severus walks up to her.

"No." She said coldly. Severus gave her some space, walking to Lucas.

"What am I supposed to do?" He whispers to his friend.

"Let her be, she'll come to you when shes ready." They looked at her as she moved to lay down, crying softly.

✷ ✷ ✷

The three had been summoned by the lord. They went to the Manor, waiting for him. Severus had Daphne by his side, her hiding behind him. Lucas went to do a task with some other members, had to go to Borgin and Burkes.

"He wants Daphne to join us." Bellatrixs came in. My father pulls me back.

"No, i'll do it. I'll take her place." Bellatrix and Greyback walked up to my father.

"Disobeying the lords orders? He wants her to go." I started to think. To make him trust me more, if I do this, I can get closer to him, i can outsmart him. I can play him. I just need to earn his trust.

"I'll go." I said, stepping out of my fathers shadow. My father shook his head. I pulled him in for a hug. "Trust me." I walked away with Bella and Greyback. I looked at my father once again, nodding it'll be okay, taking out my wand and leaving the Manor. I appeared in a field, a tall, lanky house was all I can see from where I was. Bellatrix and Greyback had a head start, i stood back.

"Harry!" I heard a familiar voice. Katherine. It's the Burrow. I felt sick to my stomach.

"I killed Sirius Black! I killed Sirius Black! You coming to get me? Harry, can you get me? You coming to get me!" They started running around the field, hitting each other, blocking. I hit the ground on purpose. I didn't want to kill Potter nor Ginny.

"No." Covering my mouth, as I saw the burrow burn because of Greyback and Bellatrix. I ran as I heard Potter. Sprinting my way out, breathing heavily. Smoke figures left the place. I heard someone running after me. "Stupefy!" I hit back, but I tripped over a hole. I was bleeding from my lip. I heard them catch up, casting a spell.

Severus paced back and forth. Nothing from them. He started to get worried. They should be here by now. Lucas just made it back with Draco and the others. Narissca looked at Lucas with guilt.

"What?" He asked her. She pointed to the room where Severus was. Lucas' heart dropped. "Severus!" Lucas pushes Draco and runs in the room. "Where, where is she?" After that, Bellatrix and Greyback returned. Severus pins Bella against the wall.

"Where's my daughter!"

"Does it look like i know?" She chuckles wickedly. "Maybe they got her."

"Where!" He shook her. Lucas turns to Greyback. The room turned into a yelling match. Narcissa told Draco to go to his room as she entered the room.

"Where's my niece you disgusting hound!" Lucas punched Greyback.

"Enough!" Narcissa yells, grabbing their attention. "Where's Daphne?"

"Last time I saw her she was in the field." Bella shoves Severus off of her.

"You go back there and you bring my daughter back!" He points. A black fog appeared and a thump on the table. It's Daphne. She screamed in pain. "No!" Severus runs to her side. Bella and Greyback left the room. Daphne screams as her left side of her neck, chest  and arm were severely burned. She kicked, clawed in pain. The wound was black, spreading. He saw that she also had a busted lip.

"Who's that?" Draco peaks. Narcissa quickly turns, pushing him out of the room, closing the door in front of his face.

"Daphne what happened!" Lucas tried to cast healing spells but made it worst. The horrific screams filled the manor. The spell that hit her was never used by anyone. Narcissa came running in with things that could possibly help. She gave her devil's claw to take the pain away. Daphne reaches out for Severus with her shaky hand.

"Father-" she sobbed. Severus ran to hold her hand.

"I need snakes skin, to wrap it up."

"I don't have any." Lucas looks at Daphne, struggling to stay still.

"I have to go back home, Katherine had some." Lucas runs out.

"Hey!" Draco yells at Lucas. "Who's that?" Lucas ignores him, running to the castle.

"You're going to okay." Severus comforts her. He brushed her hair back, he saw the pain she held in her eyes. He saw the black scarring spreading to her neck and down her arm. "I'm here."

"It hurts." She gasps out. Lucas threw every single jar in the home onto the floor, while Fiona distracts him with her stories, finding the skin, pushing her out of his way and came back to the Manor.

"Gave her devils claw but the pain keeps coming back." Narcissa tells Lucas as he set the skin up.

"Whatever this is, it's too advanced. I've never seen this type of magic in my life. I do know how to stop it spreading." Lucas rubbed some ingredients into her wound, making her scream again, then wrapping the cold snake skin on it. The black substance stopped spreading, Daphne passing out from the pain. "We have to take her back home. She needs to rest." Severus carries Daphne out of the Manor, Lucas thanking Narcissa and headed back to the loft. Severus places her on the couch.

"This is the first time i have seen her sleep."Severus looks at her, resting peacefully. Lucas checks up on her, checking the wound that was healing slowly.

"She needs it." Lucas puts his hand on Severus' shoulder. "Lets give her some time, its late."

"You go, I'll be here. Just in case she needs something." Patting him on back, dragging his feet to his room. Severus took a seat on the small chair, resting his head back. She was still, it reminded him when she was just a baby, how she used to sleep on his chest. He misses those days. When she was a kid, nothing bad happened, how innocent she was. Severus eyes started to shut, relaxing his body, until he jumped from the sound of Daphne crying for help. She couldn't move, it was like she was paralyzed. He quickly ran to her, holding her close. "You're okay, Im here." Once she got the feeling back, she hugged him, she had a horrible dream.

✷ ✷ ✷

It's been days, Daphne's wound was still healing, still hurting. She really hadn't moved from the couch, since it hurt to move sometimes, even with the devils claw. She spent half of the time in the shower, staying there made time go slow. She really thought this would help her put a stop to him, was this the cost? Almost dying for him? 

I stepped out of the hot, steamy shower, wiping the foggy mirror with my hand, and I saw myself, for the first time in months. I looked so tired. I needed sleep, but when I close my eyes, I see the lord. My eyes fell to my neck, chest and arm, the wound was a dark red now, as if I was missing skin. My fingers danced around the wound, making me wince.

"How are you going to pull this off Daphne?" I whispered to myself, looked away, putting on a jumper and sweatpants. My father and Lucas were in the living room as I walked in. I plopped on the chair, bring my leg up, hugging it, laying my chin on my knee.

"Lets see how it looks." Lucas gets up, examines the wound. I put on a tough look, even though it hurt like a bitch. "Well, it's going to give you one cool scar that's for sure." He tried to lighten the mood. "Maybe I shouldn't have said that." He coughs.

"What happened?" I never told them what happened, I just didn't say word. I looked up slowly at the two. My father holding his hands, Lucas crossing his arms. I shifted on my seat, now crossing my legs.

"Bellatrix and Greyback had a head start when I got there. All I could see was the Weasleys burrow and Katherine's voice yelling for Potter." I picked at the skin on my nails. "They started to fight, but I couldn't do it, I couldn't kill Ginny nor Potter. I just stood there, aiming the ground. Then the burrow was burning because of them, I heard someone running towards me, I tripped, got this." I showed them my busted lip. "Then they hit me."

"Do you know who hit you?" I shook my head. The tall grass blocked my view. "Did you hear what they said?"

"No, I mean I know it was a man." I looked down. "I mean I do deserve-"

"No, you didn't." My father raced to me, shaking his head. "Don't say that. None of this shouldn't have happen. What you deserve is happiness and a normal life. I am sorry that we had brought you into this mess." I placed my hand on my fathers cheek.

"You did your best to protect me, all of you. It's Fiona to blame for all of this."

"No more tasks for you okay?" I looked up at Lucas, who was the other person to know about my task that Voldemort gave me. My father looked at me and then at him. "What?"

"The lord wants me to bring in Katherine and kill her." He was in shock. "I'm not going to let that happen."

"You're lying to him?" He wipes his hand down his face. "You can be-"

"Killed. Yes. I'll do anything for family, for my blood. If it was you, you would do the same." I stood up. "I will not let him make me do horrible things. Because I know, that I am good. Im not evil, that's not who i am."

"Lucas, I need a moment with Daphne." Lucas sighs, this wasn't going to be pretty. "Now!" He walks out of the loft, leaving me and my father.

"I need to gain his trust, then we can kill him, and all of this can be over." I went on.

"Are you hearing yourself? He cant be killed!"

"What do you mean?"

"There are 8 horcruxes, destroying all of them is how you can kill him." I shot a look at him. Theres the ticket. "I dont know half of them. He will find out."

"He wont."

"He will and I will not lose you. I will not have you do this type of foolishness!" I flinched as he yelled at me. "Im trying to protect you!" He wished he can tell her that he's a spy but he knew deep down Voldemort will dig through her mind and kill them all. But Voldemort is too arrogant too care.

"But father, we do this, its over! Its done! No more pain!" I showed him my death mark. He didn't look at me. "Father?"

"We all have a part to play. You just keep your head down and go along." I shook my head, biting my lip. "I don't want this either but promise me, don't do whatever you are planning to do. You are not capable to go against the dark lord." My head slowly turns to him.

"You don't know what I'm capable of. I rather be dead then be by his side." I snarled at him, walking away from him.

"Daphne, get back here." He calls out.

"Im done having this conversation!" I slammed the door. I was so angry at everything. Im still going with my plan, the plan to stop Voldemort. I couldn't let anyone know that now, not even my father. Like he said, put my head down, go along, play the part. Nobody can know. Only me. I will try everything to put a stop to Voldemort, even if that means I'll lose everything.