Before the start of term at Hogwarts, Snape stood before an imposing manor in Wiltshire, his expression complex as he gazed at the grand estate before him.
Malfoy Manor—once one of the most bustling places in the wizarding world, frequented by many prominent witches and wizards.
But that was all in the past. Ever since Lucius Malfoy and Narcissa Malfoy had been imprisoned in Azkaban, no one had wanted to come here. The place had grown cold and desolate, and even the once-pristine walls were now tangled with unsightly vines.
Snape was one of the very few who still bothered to visit.
Today, he was here for the wedding of Draco Malfoy and Astoria Greengrass.
It was, truthfully, something of a surprise. Snape had never expected old Greengrass to agree to let his daughter marry that disgrace of Slytherin.
Yes—Slytherin's disgrace.
Much like how the Weasleys were mocked as the shame of purebloods, Lucius's firm stance in support of Hogwarts at the Ministry had earned him the scorn and hatred of the remaining Death Eaters.
Combined with their actions in the past, it was only natural that the title had stuck to the Malfoys.
But the Malfoy family didn't seem to care. Lucius and Narcissa had no choice in the matter, and Draco had never bothered to offer an explanation either.
In fact, he had barely been seen in public for quite some time—the last sighting of him had been months ago.
As Snape reflected, he glanced down at the parchment in his hand, then headed straight into the manor, which was still relatively tidy.
Relatively—because while the weeds around the grounds had clearly been trimmed recently, whoever had done the job was inexperienced. The cleanup was incomplete, giving the whole scene a somewhat odd and disjointed appearance.
Inside was slightly better. Scattered guests could be seen in small clusters.
Snape couldn't help thinking back to Kyle and Kanna's wedding. The memory still made his teeth itch with irritation, but he couldn't deny how grand the event had been. Guests had come from all over.
Not just people from Hogwarts and the Ministry, but many foreign wizards as well. Even the invitations had been crafted by none other than the famed alchemist Nicolas Flamel.
Nicolas Flamel hadn't appeared publicly in the wizarding world for nearly two centuries—not even when Dumbledore was appointed Headmaster of Hogwarts had such a gesture been made.
So even though Kyle and Kanna had vanished halfway through and stood everyone up, the front page of The Daily Prophet had still featured that extravagant wedding for an entire week afterward.
When Harry got married, the guest list had been far less illustrious than Kyle's, but the opulent golden invitations had drawn just as much attention.
By comparison, the Malfoy wedding—despite the family's wealth—felt almost miserly.
The venue was simply their own estate, and the number of guests was pitifully small.
Of the few who had come, most were from the Greengrass family.
Snape spotted Daphne Greengrass among them.
She was Astoria's older sister, and like her, had also been a student at Hogwarts.
"Long time no see, Professor Snape," Daphne greeted as she approached, her chin slightly lifted to better show off the opal necklace gleaming at her throat.
"I honestly didn't expect you to attend this wedding."
"Why wouldn't I?" Snape gave her a glance.
"With all due respect..." Daphne smiled faintly. "Given Kanna's current status, I thought you'd be doing your best to distance yourself from the Malfoys. After all, the man she married has never been fond of Death Eaters."
"Everyone knows Draco Malfoy was a Death Eater—one of the few who actually survived him."
"In that case, why did you agree to let Miss Greengrass marry him?" Snape asked coolly.
"Well, there was nothing we could do. My sister loves him. She was even willing to go against the family just to marry him," Daphne said with a touch of helplessness.
Astoria might seem gentle, but she was strong-willed. Once she set her mind on something, she never wavered.
In truth, most of the Greengrass women were like that—including Daphne herself, and their mother.
That's why Daphne understood her sister's decision—and so, she had come, offering her blessing.
The others who had come shared similar reasons.
As for Kyle... there hadn't been much direct contact between them, and Daphne didn't think he would trouble the Greengrass family over something like this.
"I'm Draco's godfather," Snape said, which was answer enough.
"Is that so? I honestly didn't know."
Snape offered no further explanation.
He was indeed Malfoy's godfather—there was no question about that—but ever since Voldemort had been defeated, that title seemed to have lost all significance.
The conversation didn't last long. Daphne soon turned and walked away.
Snape watched her retreating figure in silence, then swept his gaze across the rest of the room.
Perhaps not all pure-blood families are narrow-minded fools after all... he thought.
It was true that Lucius and Narcissa had been imprisoned in Azkaban, but unlike the other Death Eaters, they had gone voluntarily—as an act of atonement.
Lucius had even handed over half the Galleons from the Malfoy family vault to help pay reparations to the Aurors and Hit Wizards, as well as contribute to post-war reconstruction efforts.
In other words, Lucius and Narcissa weren't in Azkaban for life.
As a reward for turning away from darkness in the end, it might take ten years, maybe twenty—but eventually, they would be released.
And as long as Lucius and Narcissa could return, the Malfoy name wouldn't be lost to ruin.
Snape moved to a quieter corner and took a seat, silently watching the ceremony unfold.
The officiant was a short wizard Snape had seen on numerous occasions before.
Despite the sparse attendance, every step of the wedding proceeded according to tradition—even a formal ball had been arranged for after the ceremony.
But with so few people willing to dance, the so-called ball looked rather awkward, even slightly comical.
Still, it made sense. There weren't many guests to begin with, and fewer still in the mood to celebrate.
Yet Draco and Astoria took the dance seriously. They stood in the center of the floor, paying no attention to anyone else.
At one point, Draco placed a ring on Astoria's finger—a ring engraved with the letter "M."
Snape recognized it immediately. It was the Malfoy family crest. It had once belonged to Lucius, who had passed it to Draco before being sent to Azkaban.
Now, Draco had given it to Astoria.
At that moment, Snape stood up quietly and left Malfoy Manor without another word.
He still remembered the day Narcissa had tearfully begged him to look after Draco.
He had agreed.
Out of sympathy, yes—but also out of duty, as Draco's godfather. Every few months, during school holidays, Snape would make a quiet visit just to check on him from afar.
But now, Snape felt... he wouldn't need to come again.