Summer Break, Yay?
Summer at Nott Manor felt colder than any winter at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry.
Not because of the weather.
Because of the silence.
At the beginning of the break, Theo had still spoken to her occasionally. Small things. Passing comments at breakfast. A muttered complaint about their father.
But by July even that had faded.
Most mornings Calli came down to the dining room only to find Theo already gone.
"Master Theodore left early with your father." Tinky would say quietly.
Again.
Sometimes they would be gone all day.
Sometimes they would be gone for several days.
And Cantankerus Nott never told her where they were going.
At first Calli asked.
"Where's Theo?"
"Business." Her father replied dismissively.
The word business began to fill her with dread.
Because every time Theodore returned, something about him had changed.
He spoke less.
Laughed never.
And the look he gave her when she tried to question him grew colder each time.
If Theodore was disappearing more often...
Calli was disappearing too.
But not by choice.
Her father's expectations had doubled since the previous summer.
Possibly tripled.
The library table became her prison.
Ancient spellbooks were stacked in tall, unstable towers around her.
Runic diagrams.
Archaic incantations.
Notes on magical theory.
"Understanding spells is not enough." Cantankerus said sharply one evening, tapping the table with his wand. "A truly powerful wizard creates them."
He slid a thick, leather-bound book toward her.
Advanced Spellcraft.
"You will begin studying spell creation."
Calli stared at the book.
Her stomach sank.
Worse still were the private lessons.
Late one afternoon, the drawing room fireplace flared green.
A tall black figure stepped out.
Severus Snape brushed soot from his sleeve.
Calli straightened immediately.
"Professor."
Snape studied her for a long moment.
"You look exhausted."
"Thank you." She muttered.
Snape ignored that.
"We begin with Legilimency today."
Calli froze.
"Mind reading?"
YOU ARE READING
Callidora ☆ Fred Weasley
FanfictionCallidora Nott has always known exactly what is expected of her. As the daughter of one of Britain's oldest pure-blood families, her future has already been carefully planned; alliances, power, and a life shaped by tradition she never chose. At home...
