Mon Cher (Severus Snape Daughter FF)

Ch. 8 POA

Clara noticed that Draco didn't reap​pear in classes un​til late on Thurs​day morn​ing, when the Slytherins and Gryffind​ors were halfway through dou​ble Po​tions. He swag​gered in​to the dun​geon, his right arm cov​ered in ban​dages and bound up in a sling.
Clara scoffed and rolled her eyes as she watched along with Hermione. "There he goes," she whispered shaking her head. "the oh-so heroic remaining soldier in the dreadful battle of the Hippogriff versus the albino."
Hermione and Clara giggled quietly before overhearing Pansy Parkinson ask about his wound.
"How is it, Dra​co?" sim​pered Pan​sy. "Does it hurt much?"
"Yeah," Draco said, putting on a brave sort of grimace. But Clara saw him wink at Crabbe and Goyle when Pan​sy had looked away.
"Set​tle down, set​tle down," said Severus idly.

They were mak​ing a new po​tion to​day, a Shrinking So​lu​tion. Draco set up his caul​dron right next to Har​ry and Ron, so that they were prepar​ing their in​gre​di​ents on the same ta​ble.
"Sir," Draco called, "sir, I'll need help cut​ting up these daisy roots, be​cause of my arm."
"Weasley, cut up Mal​foy's roots for him," said Severus, with​out look​ing up.
Ron went brick red.
"There's noth​ing wrong with your arm," he hissed at Draco.
Draco smirked across the ta​ble.
"Weasley, you heard Pro​fes​sor Snape, cut up these roots."
Ron seized his knife, pulled Draco's roots to​wards him and be​gan to chop them rough​ly, so that they were all dif​fer​ent sizes.
"Pro​fes​sor," drawled Draco, "Weasley's mutilating my roots, sir."
Snape ap​proached their ta​ble, stared down his hooked nose at the roots, then gave Ron an un​-
pleas​ant smile from be​neath his long, greasy black hair.
'Change roots with Mal​foy, Weasley.'
'But sir –!'
Clara snapped her head around before her father could interrupt. "Aww poor Malfoy," said Clara in a high pitched baby like voice, "he can't do the simplest of tasks because a big, bad, mean, ol' scary hippogriff pushed him down on his bum bum."
The class erupted with laughter except for the Slytherins.
"That's enough, Miss Snape!" Severus barked.

Ron had spent the last quar​ter of an hour carefully shred​ding his own roots in​to ex​act​ly equal pieces.
"Now," said Severus in his most dan​ger​ous voice.
Ron shoved his own beau​ti​ful​ly cut roots across the ta​ble at Draco, then took up the knife again. "And, sir, I'll need this Shriv​elfig skinned," said Draco, his voice full of ma​li​cious laugh​ter. "Potter, you can skin Mal​foy's Shriv​elfig," said Severus, giv​ing Har​ry the look of loathing he always re​served just for him.

Har​ry took Draco's Shriv​elfig as Ron set about try​ing to re​pair the dam​age to the roots he now
had to use. Har​ry skinned the Shriv​elfig as fast as he could and flung it back across the ta​ble at Draco with​out speak​ing. Draco was smirk​ing more broad​ly than ev​er.
"Seen your pal Ha​grid late​ly?" he asked them quiet​ly.
"None of your busi​ness," said Ron jerk​ily, without look​ing up.
"I'm afraid he won't be a teach​er much longer," said Draco, in a tone of mock sor​row. "Fa​ther's not very hap​py about my in​jury –"
"Keep talk​ing, Mal​foy, and I'll give you a re​al injury," snarled Ron.
"– he's com​plained to the school gov​er​nors. And to the Min​istry of Mag​ic."
"When doesn't he complain?" Clara piped up without turning her head to face the three boys.
Draco stopped in mid sentence. It seemed as though whatever insult Clara threw out was hurtful to Draco, no matter how stupid or how little the comment was. "I could ask the same about you, Miss Clara Lily."
Clara snarled before Draco continued.
"Fa​ther's got a lot of in​flu​ence, you know. And a last​ing in​jury like this –" he gave a huge, fake sigh, "who knows if my arm'll ev​er be the same again?"
"So that's why you're putting it on," said Har​ry, ac​ci​den​tal​ly be​head​ing a dead cater​pil​lar be​cause his hand was shak​ing in anger. 'To try and get Hagrid sacked."
"Well," said Draco, low​er​ing his voice to a whisper, "part​ly, Pot​ter. But there are oth​er benefits, too. Weasley, slice my cater​pil​lars for me."
A few caul​drons away, Neville was in trou​ble. Neville reg​ular​ly went to pieces in Po​tions lessons; it was his worst sub​ject, and his great fear of Severus made things ten times worse. His po​tion, which was sup​posed to be a bright, acid green, had turned –
"Or​ange, Long​bot​tom," said Severus, ladling some up and al​low​ing it to splash back in​to the caul​dron, so that ev​ery​one could see. "Or​ange. Tell me, boy, does any​thing pen​etrate that thick skull of yours? Didn't you hear me say, quite clear​ly, that on​ly one rat spleen was need​ed? Didn't I state plain​ly that a dash of leech juice would suf​fice? What do I have to do to make you un​der​stand, Long​- bot​tom?"
Neville was pink and trem​bling. He looked as though he was on the verge of tears.
"Please, sir," said Hermione, "please, I could help Neville put it right –"
"I don't re​mem​ber ask​ing you to show off, Miss Granger," said Severus cold​ly, and Hermione went as pink as Neville. "Long​bot​tom, at the end of this les​son we will feed a few drops of this potion to your toad and see what hap​pens. Perhaps that will en​cour​age you to do it properly."
Before Snape moved away, Clara raised her hand.
"If Harry and Ron can help Draco due to a pity party, then Neville can come over here and-"
Severus slammed his fist down on the desk next to him, which almost made Dean's cauldron tip over and the whole class jump. "That is the last time you will insult anyone in this class! The next outburst out of you will result in detention with Mr Filch! Do I make myself clear, Miss Snape?"
Clara stared up at her father with the same scowl he stared at her with.
"Loud and clear," she said sassily.
Severus felt like it was best to not give into Clara's attitude because that's exactly what she wanted. She wanted to hate him for keeping secrets, but she couldn't outright hate the same man who took care of her when she had nowhere to go.