"Yes, it did," Severus answered with a solemn nod, and though he wanted to pause again, or take another drink, or run away as fast as he could to avoid telling her the rest, he couldn't. He owed her the absolute truth about what he'd done, if nothing else.
"When I realized what I'd done, I begged the Dark Lord to spare you. I was pressing my luck enough with that one request, and I am lucky that he did not simply kill me on the spot for daring to ask. He would never spare the boy, I knew, since the prophecy said your son would defeat him, and I didn't think I could convince him to spare your husband, either, but he did agree to try, at least, not to kill you.
"But that wasn't good enough for me. I wanted guarantees, so I went to Dumbledore, instead. I asked him to protect you, and he agreed, but..." He paused and swallowed hard at the memory, licking his lips once more. "It didn't work. Your Secret-Keeper betrayed you, and ... you died," he finished in little more than a whisper.