five hours with draco malfoy; pt.2

Part twenty two

ANNELISSES'S EYES were somewhat uncertain as they read each word of that letter, her heart was beating at a thousand an hour as she progressed with her reading, feeling a lot of things at the same time in light of the last words written by Lucius Malfoy. Tears of joy and sadness streamed down Annelisse's eyes as her trembling hands held the letter, a letter that would change everything once more.

Annelisse,

I guess the best way to start this letter is with an apology.  In the end, I was the one who ruined your life, and not only yours, also my son's.

I don't really expect you to believe me, you have no reason to trust my words after what I did to you and my own son, but try to believe me when I told you that to this day writing this, I feel ashamed of myself.

I haven't even been able to tell Narcissa or especially Draco, I did not want to leave this world with my son hating me but I could not leave any loose ends either: you.

If I write you this, it is because after getting sick a year ago, made me regain my true self, something that was extremely difficult for me, since there were a lot of mistakes I had made in the past and having to face them at the same time  it's not pleasant at all.

When I realized what I did that night, the cruelty in which I bewitched my own son to force you to swear against your will, I knew that it would haunt me even after death.

I have no way to make it up to you for what I did or said.  So that's how I tried to do it.

I researched for months to find some way to make up for the worst mistake I had ever made, until I finally found it.
How curious are magical laws, right?

No one ever said it was easy and after all, I did not have much time left in this life either, so I had to make the decision, I had to do it, it was the only way to leave this world knowing that at least I tried, that I tried to do something good.

This is why I am writing to you a few days before starting my decision, to thank you for appearing in Draco's life, for making him the man he is today, and I am writing to you with the hope that after implementing my decision, you will return to his life.

My way out of this life is everything and nothing.  I owed you, Annelisse.  I never told you since you met my worst version, but this version tells you how great and good you are, how wonderful you are, an example for anyone.

And I give you back what I took from you that night, the engagement ring, with which I would love for you to marry my son.

I hope that this, my decision, serves at least so that you can try to recover your life and live it the best you can, if possible with my dear son Draco.

With hatred— Or not so much,

Lucius.

A great, deep sigh came out of Annelisse's mouth as she finished reading the letter.  She wiped the tears from her face between sobs at Lucius' words, even feeling sorry for him despite everything he did.

Lucius Malfoy ended up giving his life to give Annelisse hers back.  Knowing and having conscience, he broke the unbreakable vow on purpose, thus somewhat releasing Annelisse from that burden that she had carried with her for five years, thus causing her to reappear without having died at his funeral days later.

When he fell ill, he regained his being, reverting to being the man that one day Narcissa fell in love with.  Not being able to bear what he did and seeing that he had really ruined two lives —including his own son's— he decided to leave this world with dignity, making up for the worst of his mistakes.

Annelisse, who was still somewhat shocked by Lucius' letter, took out of the envelope the engagement ring that Lucius had attached, that ring that Draco placed on her finger that night in the Astronomy tower when he asked her to be his wife, his partner in life.

Among more tears, Annelisse looked at the ring, reading after a long time the inscription that Draco had put on it: Forever yours, Lissie.

She placed the ring back on her finger, feeling overwhelmed, her heart skipping at the sensation of it.  Annelisse believed that she would never see it again, that Lucius would have thrown it away or worse, destroyed it.

She caressed with the thumb of that same hand her ring finger, where she now had the ring again, feeling nostalgia invade her, a lot of memories coming to her mind with Draco, feeling that little piece of hope in her heart, feeling that maybe she could have a happy ending.