Mon Cher (Severus Snape Daughter FF)

Ch. 8 // PS

Christmas was coming. One morning in mid-December, Hogwarts woke to find itself covered in several feet of snow. The lake froze solid and the Weasley twins were punished for bewitching several snowballs so that they followed Quirrell around, bouncing off the back of his turban. The few owls that managed to battle their way through the stormy sky to deliver mail had to be nursed back to health by Hagrid before they could fly off again. Clara had convinced almost everyone during their free periods to play with her out in the snow. Harry believed if she had the choice, she would spend all day and night out there. She would come into class with her ears red, hands cold, nose running, and boots covered in snow, which melted on the floor and made a couple of students almost slip and fall.

Clara was almost late to class one day because she was out in the snow. She came running in and plopped down next to Harry, who rolled his eyes fondly.

"Outside again, I presume?" Professor McGonagall asked her.
She nodded vigorously. "Snowball fight with the third years."
Ron raised his eyebrows. "You know third years?"
Clara turned around. "No, but they know me."
"Do they know that you're crazy enough to spend hours in the snow, knowing you can catch the flu that way?" Asked Hermione.
Clara turned to her with a straight face before asking, "Are my hands cold?" She then put her hands on Hermione's cheeks. Hermione almost squealed. She pushed Clara's hands away from her. "Can you even feel your fingers?"
Clara shook her head as class began to start.

No one could wait for the holidays to start. While the Gryffindor common room and the Great Hall had roaring fires, the drafty corridors had become icy and a bitter wind rattled the windows in the classrooms. Worst of all were Professor Snape's classes down in the dungeons, where their breath rose in a mist before them and they kept as close as possible to their hot cauldrons.

"I do feel so sorry," said Draco, one Potions class, "for all those people who have to stay at Hogwarts for Christmas because they're not wanted at home."

He was looking over at Harry as he spoke. Crabbe and Goyle chuckled. Harry, who was measuring out powdered spine of lionfish, ignored them. Clara elbowed him in the side. "Better be careful or you'll end up getting coal from Father Christmas." She teased, which made Harry snicker from afar.

Draco had been even more unpleasant than usual since the Quidditch match. Disgusted that the Slytherins had lost, he had tried to get everyone laughing at how a wide-mouthed tree frog would be replacing Harry as Seeker next. Then he'd realized that nobody found this funny, because they were all so impressed at the way Harry had managed to stay on his bucking broomstick. So Draco, jealous and angry, had gone back to taunting Harry about having no proper family, which obviously made Clara furious.

Harry had told Clara that he wasn't going back to Privet Drive for Christmas. She was both delighted and felt sorry for him. She was going to be staying as well, but only because Severus was. They haven't spent Christmas together in years. She always spent it with the Malfoys. They sent her a letter, inviting her to spend it with them again, which she politely declined. She told Draco that she was staying at Hogwarts for Christmas and surprisingly, he understood. She thought he would throw a fit, but he knew that she would want to spend Christmas with her dad.

Professor McGonagall had come around the week before, making a list of students who would be staying for the holidays, and Harry had signed up at once. He didn't feel sorry for himself at all; this would probably be the best Christmas he'd ever had. Ron and his brothers were staying, too, because Mr. and Mrs. Weasley were going to Romania to visit Charlie.

When they left the dungeons at the end of Potions, they found a large fir tree blocking the corridor ahead. Two enormous feet sticking out at the bottom and a loud puffing sound told them that Hagrid was behind it.