Different

christmas

"We'll be there to pick you up in one hour."

Claire frowned at her dad as they walked down the street. The Weasley clan, Harry, and Hermione were going to the hospital to see Mr. Weasley, but Claire had gotten a letter from Daphne begging her to come visit. Claire didn't like hospitals, and she knew that Mr. Weasley was feeling a little overwhelmed. Plus, she felt guilty for not having seen the attack, so she couldn't face the man yet. Her dads agreed to take her to see Daphne, but they weren't happy about it.

"Or I can just floo back," Claire suggested. Sirius let out a bark, telling her that there was no way they would let her do that.

"Sirius is right," Remus nodded. "The Greengrass family was a supporter of Voldemort. Daphne's dad died in Azkaban because of his involvement in the First War. You get one hour."

"Daphne isn't like that, and she said that her mum isn't even home. Something about taking Astoria to see someone. I'm not sure," Claire shrugged.

"Two hours," Remus decided as they turned down a street lined with fancy houses. Surprisingly, Grimmauld wasn't too far from the Greengrass house. Claire was more surprised that the house was so close to Muggles, but she didn't want to ask too many questions. She hadn't even known about Daphne's dad before Remus told her.

"Stop acting like all Slytherins are Death Eaters," Claire said angrily. Sirius let out a huff of air and a small whine while Remus clenched his jaw, but decided not to say anything. The rest of the walk was slightly awkward for the three.

"Claire!" Daphne shrieked happily. The girl had been taking care of flowers in the front yard, so she was already outside to greet them. She had a big smile on her face, but Claire knew that she had been crying. Claire hugged her a little tighter than normal.

"It's nice to see you, Miss. Greengrass," Remus greeted, slipping back into professor mode.

"You too, Mr. Lupin," Daphne said awkwardly. "I didn't know you dad a dog."

"We don't. He just follows us around," Claire said seriously. Sirius let out an angry bark and dramatically threw his head back. Claire and Remus both rolled their eyes while Daphne laughed lightly.

"I'll be back to get Claire in a few hours," Remus told Daphne. "Be safe. If you need anything, call for Kreacher."

Claire rolled her eyes and avoided her dad's attempt to hug her, hurrying to follow Daphne inside the house. It wasn't as big as Grimmauld, but it had the same level of creepiness that made Claire's skin crawl.

"Lyra broke up with me," Daphne admitted once they got to her room, which was basically void of any personalization. "She said she didn't trust me. I thought Hufflepuffs were supposed to be kind. But she broke my heart."

Claire had almost never seen Daphne cry before, and it seemed like her Pureblood training was still working because she refused to let her tears fall. Daphne looked like she was in pain with how she was avoiding crying.

"I'm so sorry," Claire said softly. She had liked Lyra from the awkward time that they had gone to Hogsmeade together, but now she was just upset with how rude the girl was.

"She just thinks I'm a Death Eater wannabe," Daphne said bitterly. "She's one of the few people who believe Harry about Voldemort being back, and of course she thinks that I'm gonna follow him just because of my House and family."

"People are going to judge us because of that for as long as we live," Claire sighed. "We have to rise above them and create our own legacy. We choose our family. You're my sister, even if not by blood."

Daphne smiled sadly at Claire and looked awkward.

"My mum took Astoria to the Malfoy house to try and convince Lucius to drop the engagement with Pansy and Draco and to have Astoria be engaged instead. She's thirteen and my mum is trying to marry her off already," Daphne scoffed. Claire blinked a few times in surprise. She knew that Lucius wanted Draco and Pansy to be married, but she was unaware that it was an actual engagement, or that other Pureblood families were trying to break it up for the chance that their own daughter would become a Malfoy.