One Man Army: Clumsy
Sneak peek...
"You haven't gotten your sister a present?" Hermione laughed from the kitchen, putting the final touches on her eldest daughter's wedding cake. Tessa was sat at the table, her head heavy in her hands as she watched her mother. She let out an exasperated sigh and let her forehead fall to the table.
"It's not like I've had the time. I just finished exams and any time I had away from Hogwarts I was doing bridesmaids duties. I've been a bit preoccupied."
"Well, the wedding starts in two hours. You can either pop down to London and get her something or there might be something of your nan's in the attic you could regift. I'm pretty sure your father ended up keeping her jewellery in case you kids wanted anything." Tessa leapt from her seat and thundered up the stairs. "Wrapping's in my room when you've picked something!" She heard her mother call after her.
Tessa rounded the corner and pulled down the stairs to the attic. It was dusty and there were piles of boxes in every corner. She caught one with her nan's name on it and pulled it from the stack. On top was a beautiful gold piece with what looked like an hourglass in the middle. It was intricately designed and absolutely stunning. She wiped off some of the dust then turned the ring on the side a number of times. She nearly fell backwards as if the world was ripped from beneath her feet, dropping the necklace as she did.
The world went black.
When she awoke, she was in the same dusty old attic, but all of the boxes were gone. Rubbing the back of her head where she had hit it against the wood, she went back down the creaky steps and downstairs. When she reached the base of her stairs, all air left her lungs. It was an entirely different house. The walls were dark, the normally white painted panelling was an ebony wood, and all the furniture looked antique but unused. It was exactly the way she had seen her nan's house in pictures before her parents inherited it.
She took another step forward and the floorboards creaked beneath her feet.
"Who's there?" An angry, hoarse voice called from the living room. Tessa swallowed hard, creeping forward and peeking around the corner. In a rocking chair facing the window was an elderly lady with black hair littered with silver wound back in a tight knot. Her nose protruded from her face, much like Tessa's father's, and her brows here furrowed with a stern set mouth.
"Nan?" Tessa whispered, catching the old lady's attention.
"Who are you? What are you doing here?" The lady barked, making Tessa jump back. She had never met her nan, as Eileen Snape died before she was born. But she heard stories. Eileen had been married to a muggle, but once her son went off to school, she divorced him and moved back in with the Prince's. Unfortunately, Eileen was forced to disinherit her son as the price of her return. He was forced to live the rest of his days with his father, who, Tessa was told, was not a particularly kind individual. After the war, when her parents were safe, Eileen reached out to Severus and explained that all other Prince heirs were dead and she could reclaim him once more.
Eileen passed shortly after that and left the entire fortune to her son, daughter-in-law, and grandchild. When Tessa was born, her mother decided to give her new daughter Eileen's name as a way of honouring the Prince family.
But nonetheless, Eileen Snape was dead. Or clearly not as she sat before her. "I'm-" Tessa started, but stopped herself.
"Are you the new housekeeper? I didn't think they'd send such a frail thing," Eileen sneered at Tessa over her nose, not moving from the rocking chair. You're one to talk, Tessa thought noting the paper-like skin clinging to her hallowed cheeks. "Oh well, I don't need you today. Come back tomorrow." Tessa felt frozen in place, but with her nan's motion to leave the house, she quickly obliged.
It was snowing outside, much to the contrast of the summer heat she had left just minutes before. Her floral wrap dress did nothing to shield her from the frigid weather so she apparated to the only other place she knew as well.
Hogsmeade.