The Death Eater [HARRY POTTER]

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Severus Snape looked down at the infant in his arms, and scowled. It wasn't that she was particularly irritating. She was relatively quiet at all times and easy to clean up after. By all means, was she anyone else's daughter, they would call her the perfect baby. But she wasn't anyone else's daughter. She was his. And he hadn't even wanted her in the first place. But now he was stuck with her. And as a last test against his patience, her mother had named her Calla. Lily. Fitting enough naming the daughter Severus hadn't wanted after the woman he could never have.

But even as many horrible things that Severus had done, he wasn't going to leave the creature his irresponsibility had created in some alley to starve. Lily wouldn't have wanted that. And he had done her enough wrongs in his life. He wasn't going to do anything else, whether she knew of his decision or not. So Calla was his responsibility. His child.

Severus sighed deeply and set the silent baby aside, into a cradle that he and the mother of his spawn had picked out shortly before she was born. Severus had tried to play the doting partner. Lord knew he had seen Lucius do it often enough. He had tried to pretend that the woman he had drunkenly slept with was the woman that he loved. She looked close enough that Severus could convince himself if he didn't look at her directly. But Severus was never a man for romance, and he hadn't even been able to keep the real woman he loved around, much less her substitute.

Severus Snape had never been very good at dealing with women. It wasn't a surprise for him when the woman up and left. What had been a surprise was her leaving their daughter behind. Severus had been under the impression that women were fond of their children. That a woman would do anything to protect her offspring. And the woman had left her baby with Severus, a man she knew to be a death eater and a killer. Perhaps she had hoped that he would kill the baby and she would be free of it once and for all.

Regardless, Severus intended to care for the thing. For better or for worse it was his mistake, and he intended to see it out. Just as he had learned to do with every other mistake he had made. Severus looked over at the sleeping child beside him, and noted with some interest that she did resemble him. She had his hair, and regrettably she had also gotten his nose. Perhaps she would resemble him in personality and temperament as well, and he might be able to tolerate her.

*******

"Girl, get over here," Severus watched as his daughter wasted no time in standing up and scurrying over to stand under her father's unrelenting gaze. She was hardly older than three, but she had learned remarkably fast to listen to her father's direction. Severus Snape was a cold man. And he did not tolerate insolence.

"Yes?" Calla enunciated every letter of the word carefully, well aware that her father did not appreciate her childish slur. Her green eyes, that were regrettable a shade too light to resemble his darling Lily's, were downcast as she looked as her socked feet in silence.

If nothing else, Severus' harsh manner with his only child had gotten him a remarkably well behaved toddler. She did not cry and make a racket like Narcissa and Lucius' child did. She was quiet at all times, and she only spoke when she was spoken to. She was also appearing to be remarkably intelligent, as her father would tolerate no less from her.

"We are moving, girl. Gather the things you wish to take with you and we will leave when you are done."

Calla's young mind did not understand all of the words that her father spoke at her. But she did understand the command that was there. She was to collect the things she liked most. The ones she would need if they went somewhere else. Calla raised her slightly wrong colored eyes to meet her father's unrelenting gaze long enough for the man to see her nod, then she turned around and waddled off to follow his order. Severus' eyes watcher her as she left and somewhere he felt proud of her ability to follow his directions. But there was rarely any fondness. Severus wasn't capable of fondness for the child that looked like him, and her but wrong.