Mon Cher (Severus Snape Daughter FF)

Ch. 3 // COS

The end of the summer vacation came too quickly for Harry and Clara's liking. They were looking forward to getting back to Hogwarts, but this past month at the Burrow had been the happiest of their lives.

Clara felt as if it was her double life. Severus nor The Malfoys liked the fact that she was close with Harry Potter. Severus almost sent a letter back telling her to come home after he found out Harry was staying there with The Weasleys as well, but he refrained. As much as he didn't like the boy, he was her best friend....and her little brother.

Severus discussed his distaste for the two being so close to Lucius over a cup of tea.
"I agree," Lucius grumbled as he set down his cup, "you know she and Draco have become distant since last year and I highly doubt it's just because they've grown apart. They've been friends since they were toddlers — it just doesn't make any sense."
Severus nodded in agreement as he took a sip.
"Have you told her yet?" Lucius asked, almost making Severus spit out his tea.
"No," He replied quietly.
Lucius shook his head in disapproval. "Mind me asking why? The Dark Lord wouldn't —"
"Well The Dark Lord isn't here!" Severus snapped suddenly. He took a deep breath before apologizing. "Clara doesn't deserve to be in the same boat as her brother. Once she knows the truth, it's all over for her. The Dark Lord  doesn't care if she is my daughter or not. It clearly didn't matter that Lily was very important to me and I know Clara would be no exception either." He wiped a stray tear from his eye. "I'm just trying to protect our little one."
Lucius nodded. "Well Severus, this will end up in one of two ways — you either tell her now and convince her to join us or she learns on her own and turns against us all, including you."

Severus didn't say anything. He knew that Clara would find out sooner or later. It was a good thing that Harry was so little and Clara had never indicated that she knew she had a brother. She just forgot and he let her. It was for the best.

On their last evening in The Burrow, Mrs. Weasley conjured up a sumptuous dinner that included all of Harry's and Clara's favorite things, ending with a mouthwatering treacle pudding. Fred and George rounded off the evening with a display of Filibuster fireworks; they filled the kitchen with red and blue stars that bounced from ceiling to wall for at least half an hour. Then it was time for a last mug of hot chocolate and bed.
It took a long while to get started next morning. They were up at dawn, but somehow they still seemed to have a great deal to do. Mrs. Weasley dashed about in a bad mood looking for spare socks and quills; people kept colliding on the stairs, half dressed with bits of toast in their hands; and Mr. Weasley nearly broke his neck, tripping over a stray chicken as he crossed the yard carrying Ginny's trunk to the car.
Harry couldn't see how eight people, six large trunks, two owls, and a rat were going to fit into one small Ford Anglia. He had reckoned, of course, without the special features that Mr. Weasley had added.
“Not a word to Molly,” he whispered to Harry as he opened the trunk and showed him how it had been magically expanded so that the luggage fitted easily. When at last they were all in the car, Mrs. Weasley glanced into the back seat, where Harry, Clara, Ron, Fred, George, and Percy were all sitting comfortably side by side, and said, “Muggles do know more than we give them credit for, don't they?” She and Ginny got into the front seat, which had been stretched so that it resembled a park bench. “I mean, you'd never know it was this roomy from the outside, would you?” Mr. Weasley started up the engine and they trundled out of the yard, Harry turning back for a last look at the house. He barely had time to wonder when he'd see it again when they were back — George had forgotten his box of Filibuster fireworks. Five minutes after that, they skidded to a halt in the yard so that Fred could run in for his broomstick. They had almost reached the highway when Ginny shrieked that she'd left her diary. By the time she had clambered back into the car, they were running very late, and tempers were running high. Mr. Weasley glanced at his watch and then at his wife.
“Molly, dear — ”
“No, Arthur — ”
“No one would see — this little button here is an Invisibility Booster I installed — that'd get us up in the air — then we fly above the clouds. We'd be there in ten minutes and no one would be any the wiser — ”
“I said no, Arthur, not in broad daylight — ”
They reached King's Cross at a quarter to eleven. Mr. Weasley dashed across the road to get trolleys for their trunks and they all hurried into the station. Harry had caught the Hogwarts Express the previous year. The tricky part was getting onto platform nine and three-quarters, which wasn't visible to the Muggle eye.