A Chance Encounter | Fred Weasley

Chapter 3

A month had gone by, Clarissa's bond with the twins getting very tight very fast. They all thought on the same wavelength, had the same sense of humor, and she even got to help develop some new products with them. It was a great partnership to have and she was appreciative of all of the laughs they'd share on a daily basis. They'd always thought it was strange that they hadn't run into each other earlier while in school. Regardless, they were thankful for the bond they had formed in the present.

"We'll see you tomorrow, Clara!" George called out, the twins waving at her prior to apparating.

She had finally gotten comfortable with them to have her call her by her nickname. The only person who still called her by her entire name was her mother.

And Roman if he was having a serious conversation with her.

After apparating home, a smile still on her face, she looked up at her house and suddenly felt a sinking feeling.

The all the lights in the house weren't on and she could see the curtains from one of the downstairs windows blowing through a large hole where the glass used to be. The wind outside blew a little colder than normal, a silence settling on the property that Clara was all too familiar with.

She immediately dropped her stuff, drew her wand, and slowly made for the front door.

It creaked open without the use of much force, Clara's wand steady in front of her. It was much darker inside than she anticipated, her eyes darting from place to place in search of some form of movement. Her heart was pounding in her ears, palms starting to sweat. Various trinkets and picture frames were strewn about the floor in pieces and the wallpaper was shredded to bits as if someone had clawed at them for hours.

She didn't want to make herself known, but she knew he had to.

"Mum?" she called out.

Suddenly, a great shout caught her attention.

"GET OUT!" her mother roared at her.

Clara ducked in time to narrowly miss a chair being flung at her head.

"Mum, it's me!" she answered back to the voice. She walked slowly towards her mother who was standing in the dining room, her shoes feeling the crunch of broken glass and porcelain under her feet.

"Of course I know it's you! Why do you think I threw the bloody chair?!" her mother shouted. "And where were you this time, hm? Always leaving the house doing God knows what with God knows who."

"I was at work, Mum. I'm trying to help you," she answered. She forced a calm tone out of herself. If she shouted back at her mother, she knew things wouldn't get any better.

Without warning, her mother shot a curse at her. Clara jumped out of the way and rolled on her side, some glass getting stuck in her arm. She hissed slightly as she stood up once again, wand at the ready.

"Mum, you need to calm down." Clara's words were slow and deliberate, as if she really believed that she would be able to talk her mother out of yet another episode.

Her mother's breaths were deep and raged, another wave of her wand sending items flying across the room and smashing into the wall.

Clara glanced at a medicine package that sat with her mother's belongings in the parlor: unopened.

"Mum, I don't want to call them again. You need to calm down."

"TO HELL WITH YOU!" she shouted once again. She shot another curse towards Clara that she was too slow to dodge.

She cringed a little, waiting to feel the pain of the spell. But there was nothing.

"I hate being related to you," her mother growled under her breath from across the room, "and now no one can tell you're my daughter."