My Sister
By
Snivellus aka Heather Granger
A/N: This story is about Severus's mentally handicapped sister, whom he is now faced with having to look after. Sera is meant to be a year younger than Severus. I mean no offence by any of this. It takes place in present Harry Potter time, which would be Book 6 summer.
SSS
"Don't laugh at me
Don't call me names
Don't get your pleasure from my pain
In God's eyes we're all the same
Someday we'll all have perfect wings
Don't laugh at me"
SSS
Dear Mister Snape,
We regret to inform you that your father, Artemus Snape has passed away at 10:24 am this morning from a massive heart attack. The medi-witches were unable to resuscitate him. Our deepest condolences go to you and your family. At your earliest convenience please come down to the hospital to pick up your father's personal items. Again, we extend our deepest regrets.
Matilda Hochkens
Public Relations
St. Mungo's Hospital
SSS
"No, No, my daddy can't be gone! No my daddy was going to take me to the store today, we were going to the store." A woman shouted and paced frantically around her stoop.
"Sera, Sera, listen to me, we have to go to the hospital, we have to take care of some things." An elderly witch around Albus Dumbledore's age, with a kind disposition, said trying to stop the woman from pacing.
"Yes, we have to go to the hospital, we have to see my daddy." She said on the verge of tears.
"Come on Sera, take the powder in your hand like this." The elderly witch said, showing her how much to take. Sera grabbed a huge fist full and spilled half of it down her friend's back.
"This is messy, daddy said not to use magic, daddy said that only bad can come from it." Sera said shaking her head.
"It's all right, this time it is all right, please Sera." The elderly witch said taking her hand. She guided her into the fireplace, and were instantly transported to the receiving area of St. Mungo's hospital.
SSS
"Headmaster, I have to go take care of some personal business." Severus Snape said as he stood in front of Albus Dumbledore's desk.
"Of course Severus, is there anything I can help you with?" The Headmaster replied.
"It seems my father has had a heart attack, I am needed at St. Mungo's." He replied unfeeling.
"Do you know his condition?" Albus asked concerned.
"Yes, dead." He replied, without warning he grabbed a fist full of floo powder and was gone.
SSS
"Excuse me, I am looking for a Matilda Hochkens." Severus stated calmly.
"You must be Mister Snape, we are so sorry for your loss." A young medi-witch said coming around the desk to greet him.
"It is Professor Snape, and I am a very busy man, so if you don't mind I would like to get this over with. Burn the body, I don't care what you do with the ashes." He said quickly without giving a second glance to the young witch.
"Yes, sir, but perhaps you would like to see him?" She suggested.
"Fine, make it quick." Severus snapped.
The two made their way down the white corridor into a room with the curtain drawn. The young witch drew the curtain back revealing a frail older wizard with salt and pepper hair, lying prone on the bed. Severus took one glance at his father and hissed. Suddenly there was a large commotion in the hallway, a woman could be heard yelling and fussing. Severus tried to prepare himself for who was coming.
"Daddy, Daddy, no! Daddy wake up, daddy we were going to the store today, you have to take me, you promised." Sera cried as she came running into the room shouting and crying.
"Sera, please not so loud." The elderly witch said as she came in after her friend.
"Sera, he is dead, he isn't coming back, stop crying over him." Severus snapped.
"Severus, Severus you came, tell daddy to wake up, Severus!" She said nearly clawing at his robes.
"Sera, stop it, I don't have time for this." Severus said as he walked out of the room.
"Come with me Sera, it will be all right." Her friend said trying to get her to stop thrashing about.
"Severus, where are you going?" The older witch asked.
"I can't deal with this right now." He hissed.
"Your sister has no one, Severus, you are her family. You should be with your her." She responded.
"Martha, I cannot deal with her, I am not good with her. You deal with it." He responded.
"Severus Snape, you bastard, just because you hated your father gives you no right to treat her the way you do, she is a person, just like you!" She yelled.
"Stop, Stop fighting, my daddy's dead, stop it." Sera cried.
"Sera, go with Martha, she will take care of you. I will be by in the morning, ok, Martha?" He stated.
SSS
A little boy around the age of six, sat in the backyard playing with his new toy broom while his sister was over in the garden. The boy was enthralled with his toy and paid no attention to the girl in the flowerbox. The little girl sat eating dirt that she had dug up with her toy shovel that she had gotten for her birthday.
"Sera, you're funny!" The little boy laughed.
Sera gave a big smile and stuffed another handful of dirt into her mouth.
"Severus Snape! I told you to watch her!" Severus spun around and saw his father hovering over him, glaring.
"She is your sister Severus! Your own flesh and blood, and you just let her eat dirt because you thought it was funny?" He yelled at the boy as he took the little girl's hand and wiped off her mouth.
"Sera, go in the house." He said softer.
"Dad, I don't like watching her, she just does stupid things." The boy said. As soon as the word "stupid" came from the boy's mouth he felt a hand hit him hard across the face.
"Don't you ever say that word! Do you understand me? Your sister is just like you, do you hear me?" His father yelled, while his sister watched from inside the sliding glass door, not understanding.
"Yes father."
"She is the only family you have, you and I are her world, don't you ever forget that!"
"Yes, sir." He sniffed.
SSS
The next morning, Severus sat eating breakfast in his rooms, when another owl greeted him with a quiet hoot. Severus took the attached letter and quickly opened it.
Dear Professor Snape,
We are sorry for your loss. You must know that your sister depended very heavily on your father, and now that he is gone, she must be under someone's care. The Ministry is now requesting that you and your sister come in and have her mental health checked and her ability to continue living on her own without the care of your father assessed. Your appointment has been scheduled for next Friday at 1pm. Again, accept our condolences.
Jacob Hansel
Department of Family Affairs
Ministry of Magic
'Great now I have to spend my time making sure she can live on her own, what if she can't, then what?' Severus thought to himself.
SSS
Severus sent his sister a letter telling her that she would have to go with him to the Ministry, and he would be by to escort her at noon on Friday. Severus was not looking forward to facing the Ministry again. The last time he was in the building he was being detained for being a suspected Death Eater, and he had no intention of returning.
Up until Friday, Severus stayed in his rooms, debating whether or not he could put Sera in a mental institution if it had to come to that. Sera was mentally challenged, but could function on a day to day basis, except that she could not drive, does not work, and perhaps worst of all she was not allowed to be taught magic.
Friday came quickly and Severus apparated to her apartment on the east side of Marble Arch. Severus detested the city, and tried to avoid it if possible. Severus walked up the stairs to the third floor where Sera lived and knocked at the door.
"I'm coming, I'm coming!" She yelled. Sera only knew two volumes to her voice, loud and louder, both which gave Severus a mad headache.
"Severus, you came, you said you come, and now you came! Martha said that you weren't going to come, but I said, I said, Martha he will too come, he will, and here you are!" She said as she nearly pulled him in the door.
Severus looked around at the tiny apartment. There were clothes lying everywhere, and soda cans lying out. Severus felt like he had been transported into some kind of cruel hell.
"Sera, when was the last time you cleaned?" Severus asked.
"I dunno, maybe two weeks? I did clean, but then I didn't like it so clean so I made it messy again!"
"Sera, it is quite unhealthy to live like this. Now that father is gone, you have to start taking care of more things by yourself." Severus lectured.
"Daddy's gone, daddy's not coming back, I miss him. I miss him calling me, I miss him talking to me." She said in a more nervous tone.
"Encendio!" Severus muttered as all the filth was cleaned, and her apartment looked much more acceptable.
"No magic, no magic! Daddy said no magic, magic is bad!" She cried as she rushed over to Severus and grabbed his wand right out of his hand and threw it on the ground.
"Sera! Give that back, magic is fine as long as you use it correctly, but only I can use it, the Ministry took your magic away, remember?" Severus explained.
"I didn't like that, they held me down, I didn't like that." She said.
"Yes, well we have to go or we will be late." Severus said.
"Okay, but do you have your tube pass? You can't get on the underground without it. Martha says that I should put it in my purse so I don't ever forget it." She said to Severus.
"The muggle underground? You want to take the tube?" Severus asked taken aback.
"What other way is there? Come on or we will be late." Sera said dragging Severus out the door this time.
Sera and Severus walked to the underground station at Marble Arch, and went through the turnstile. Severus's pass was not working however, and one of the attendants had to let him through.
"That was funny, didn't you think that was funny Severus? Your pass didn't work but mine did, isn't that funny?" She said walking down the escalator, which Severus seemed a bit weary of.
"Yes, it was hilarious, do you know how to get to the Ministry from here Sera?" He asked mostly ignoring her endless chatter.
"Take the central line to the, to the, to the black line, what is that one called again? Oh yes the Northern line!" She yelled as everyone on the tube car stared. Severus looked away.
SSS
"Severus, where is mummy?" Sera asked her brother, as she sat on his bed.
"Mummy's gone, she isn't ever coming back." Severus responded as he stopped doing his homework.
"Why not?" She asked again.
"Because of you." He said quietly.
"Why?" She asked again not hearing.
"Because she doesn't care about us." He said again so that she could hear him.
"Oh. Severus? Why do the other kids at school laugh at me?" She asked.
"Because Sera, you're different, and kids don't like different."
"What does stupid mean?" She asked again.
"I don't know Sera, why don't you go ask dad, I have homework." He said annoyed.
"Severus, those boys at school are mean. They laugh at me, and they broke you." She said.
Severus thought of the awful things the boys at his primary school were saying about his sister. After they got tired of picking on her, they started in on him, calling him retarded and lame.
He had gotten in a fistfight with those boys that afternoon, and his father had to collect him from the headmistress's office. When his father asked him why he had started a fight, he did not respond. He just hoped he would never have to listen to them again.
Severus did have to see those boys again, day after day he was teased and provoked by them. He hated how they got to him. He hated his sister for causing all his problems. He would sit alone wiping away silent tears in his room, shooting down flies, wishing that his sister would just disapper.
Finally, Severus was old enough to go to Hogwarts, somewhere where his sister could not go. However, there on the train to Hogwarts were the boys that teased him, there were the boys who called his sister stupid. Sure, this time they had different names and different hair and attitudes. Who was he really kidding, he could never really get away from her, no matter how many miles separated them. James Potter and Sirius Black did not understand him. They hated him because of his family, and teased him even without his sister around.
The more angry Severus got, the more they would do it, so he started to act like their words about his sister did not upset him, he even joined in on the joke, calling his own sister stupid. After all, his sister could no longer hear what he said. He did not care about her, for once in his life he was without the burden of his sister and he was going to take complete advantage.
SSS
Now on the muggle underground Severus sat watching all the unproven stares by mere muggles and was disgusted at himself, at what he had become, for how selfish he was. Then there was a part of him who thought of how much of a burden his sister was, and how he wished he was an only child.
His sister sat and looked at him, looked at him with the same eyes of when she was five years old sitting in the garden eating dirt.
Severus was shaken out of thought as the Northern line came to a jerky stop, and Sera was chattering away again, telling him that this was the right stop.
TBC?