CHAPTER FOUR:
The Mystery Of The Missing Locket, Pt 2
(AUTHORS NOTES: For those curious, my OC's adventures at Hogwarts and giving Snape a daughter, and a life, a reason to smile, are mostly what the story is about.. She will eventually be paired with a canon and interact with more than just Luna, her best friend. I'm trying to stay as true to the series as I can while also inserting a little fuckery at random here and there, to make people laugh and smile. If you don't like those kinds of story, you won't like it. You were warned on my bio, I am a fangirl, so this is stuff I'd probably try and do if the stories actually existed. -le sigh- The three OTHER ORIGINAL CHARACTERS are mostly so my oc's not going off alone all the time.. They're based on 3 old friends of mine from high school. They won't be paired. Just minor players.. It's sort of like a story within a story, if that makes sense?
Did I mention that this story is over 5 years old? I started writing it when I was probably 14, so yeah.. if it seems a bit immature, it's because I found nearly all of it on an old flashdrive and decided what the hell, I'll upload it, see if anyone thinks it's funny or anything... Again I stress this.. IT IS AU. THINGS WILL CHANGE, THOUGH NOT TOO MUCH. ORIGINAL CHARACTER SHENANIGANS.. BE WARNED. NO FLAMES PLEASE? )
Professor Snape held the small and delicate locket in his large and calloused hands as he listened to Dumbledore intently, as Dumbledore explained how Ms. Morgan, one of his 6th year Potions students, came to posess a necklace he'd given to Lily years ago. Dumbledore held out the letter, written by Lily herself, detailing everything that'd happened with the two of them, what her parents had done as a result, and what Dumbledore should do with certain personal effects of hers, should something happen to her untimely.
"But you can't tell her yet, Severus. Remember what you're doing? If the others on the Dark Lords side catch on, not only will you have to worry about the safety of Harry, but your little girl as well."
He nodded numbly though just beneath the surface, even if for a split second, the stern male wanted to completely lose it and blow up at Dumbledore who clearly had not been intent on telling Snape about his own damn daughter going to Hogwarts all this time, living with her Muggle adoptive parents on a military base right here. If he'd told him, Severus knew he could have some how contested the adoption, stating he was her father and he didn't want to give her up.. Something, anything really.
The girl clearly needed guidance, a firm adult presence in her life. In his mind he went back over all of her little habits and quirks, her 'bad girl behaviour' and groaned inwardly as he muttered something under his breath.
Clearly, she'd gotten her mother's outgoing friendly nature, but the penchant for mischief, the wildness.. That came with having no boundaries, no rules. He fumed as he thought about seeing her sitting on the edge of Neville Longbottom's desk while they were working in pairs on a Potion he had them making in class today.
Dumbledore smiled and said "She's an impetious one, isn't she."
Snape nodded and then said quietly, "And these Muggles.."
"It's complicated, Severus. But you cannot tell her yet."
He glared and then said "Very well then." as he raged inwardly, turned and walked out of the office, and straight into the girl he'd just been speaking to Dumbledore about, apologizing to Neville for something. He stood nearby listening intently without either of them knowing he was listening. Now that he knew SHE was his daughter, even if Merlin forbid he couldn't give it away..
He could watch her closely, prevent her from doing anything that might ultimately cause her harm for now. He'd surely be able to tell her the truth soon. And this opened up a new can of worms.. In telling her, he'd have to tell Potter he had a sibling.
And he wasn't entirely fond of doing this very thing.
Charmaine fumbled with her skirt's hem as she said quietly, "About earlier this week.. I wanted to apologize.. For behaving like a drunken arse." as she avoided Neville's eyes, not sure why it bothered her that he might think less of her, that he might be disgusted with her being drunk, plowing him over in the hallway, basically making an idiot of herself.
Neville managed a grin and then laughing a little asked, "Why are you apologizing.. It's not as if you said anything embarassing..." his brow raised as he studied her with curiousity.
"But I behaved like an arse."
"Why do you do it?" he asked as he looked at her quietly, concerned.
She shrugged and said quietly, "I suppose because nobody's ever told me it's not okay to go round doing those things? I don't know, really."
Neville caught sight of Snape lurking, he'd noticed the man watching Charmaine intently as of late, and he grabbed her elbow quickly, lead her out of sight as he said "We were being watched."
She bit her lip and blushed at his hand lingering on her elbow, then said quietly, "And?"
"It was Snape.. Again."
"Nevvie.. He's just one of those people who like to watch people. Maybe it amuses him."
"Well it bloody creeps me out." Neville said as he shuddered and then asked his question from earlier in the week again. Again, that unidentified flash of emotion entered warm brown eyes and she bit her lip as she said defensively, "I'm not doing this to myself.. But I can't talk about it."
"Why the hell not?" he asked, momentarily raising his voice, only to lower it when he saw the flinch as he did so. "Sorry, I just.."
"Don't worry about me, Neville.. I'll be fine.. There's really not much anyone can do about it anyway, alright?" she sighed as he said "Can you at least tell me how they all got there?"
"Let's just say that when my parents get angry, shit happens." she replied as she looked at him a moment, biting her lower lip. "Why does it bother you? I bring a lot of it on myself, that's what I'm always being told."
He shrugged and then said "I know you're a bit wild.. But you can't possibly bring all that" as he gestured to her inner arm, "on yourself."
She shrugged and managed a smile as she ruffled his shaggy dark hair and then said "I'm no angel, Nevvie." before stiffly hugging him and then muttering something, turning and practically bolting down the hallway.
She'd turned a corner, breathing ragged breaths when she ran into Professor Snape. He held out his hand and put the locket into her smaller hand, closed her hand around it and then walked away, grumbling under his breath as he did so.
"And men say we're the barmy ones." she mumbled as she opened her hand and looked at the beloved locket, wasting no time to put it on, fasten it around her neck. Just for kicks, she tried to open it and it fell open easily.
"How the fuck did he?" she gaped as she looked at the pictures within the locket, finally. Now what the hell was her baby picture doing inside, with a picture of Harry Potter's mum on the other side.
"If this day gets any more strange, I'll grab the nearest bloody alcohol and lock myself in the Astronomy Tower." she grumbled as she made her way farther down the hallway, peeking down at the white gold locket around her neck every now and then.
When she tried to open it again later, it refused to budge. She swore in frustration as she fell back on her bed and wondered what the hell was going on and why'd it feel like she was missing something huge?
Standing, she stretched, and changing from her uniform into her pajamas, she made her way lazily down to the Great Hall for the evening meal.. After the evening meal, she fully intended to fall into bed and probably sleep right through the weekend.
When she slunk into the Great Hall in the low rise silk pajama bottoms, the cardigan and the form fitting camisole, Sheamus nudged Neville, nodding in her direction as Neville glared at him then set to over buttering the roll on his plate, trying NOT to stare in her general direction.
Ron followed the two whispering Gryffindor's gaze and then blurted, "That one? The barmiest of the barmy ones?" as Neville glared at him and then muttered something Ron couldn't quite make out, a slightly angered tone as he did so. When Neville looked up again, she'd gone from the Great Hall, he caught a brief glimpse of tanned bare feet and her retreating backside as she walked out, flanked on either side by her best friends the lot of them whispering collectively about something that had them all giggling and looking around conspiratorily. "Bloody Hell." he grumbled as he wondered what she'd possibly get herself into now.
And across the Great Hall, a 'new father' sat trying to figure out the intricate inner workings of his teenage daughter.. And how to be a father for now, without TELLING her he was her father, putting her in great peril. "The first thing I'm doing, when I've told her, is taking her to a tailor.. Getting her skirts that fit. " he murmured to himself as he caught sight of a tattoo and groaned. Now how in the name of Merlin did a 16 year old manage to get a Muggle tattoo?
Palming his face, he cleared his mind of his worries as her father, and dug into his meatloaf, deciding that for now, he'd just watch her, make sure she weren't getting up to any shenanigans.