Prologue
"I did it!" She exclaims as her uncle, Severus places his wand down as he looks at her then turns around.
"Well done," he says in his monotone voice, looking the most unimpressed but she knows he was at least relieved that the girl successfully blocked the Occlumency spell and refused to let him read her mind.
"Can I go outside now and....go on the swing? It's been 3 hours, might as well pay me from now on," she mutters the last part but obviously, he heard. Severus looks at her sternly, considering letting her go.
"Go on. Take your wand with you," he mutters as he walks away to merlins knows where.
Obviously, at this age she is not allowed to have her own wand so dear uncle Severus pulled some strings for her to use an old rusty wand and keep it since he is close with the famous Lucius Malfoy and the godfather to his 9 year old son, Draco malfoy.
He and Cora are quite close friends as she's the only friend of his who isn't tied with money and he's her well...only full-blood friend.
Cora walks out of the house into the damp atmosphere in her tiny front garden where her swing is. Her dear, lonely swing.
Today was her 11th birthday, October 31st the same day her beloved mother died pand the day she didn't get a scar but what she did get was a strip of white hair. The girl never liked it and tried to blend it in with the rest of the dark hair on her head which didn't quite work. At least it wasn't on her forehead like The Harry Potter.
She has a feeling uncle Severus doesn't like him because of his 'chimpanzee looking bastard' father and why my mother 'had to marry his disowned best friend'. Cora could understand to a certain level why he didn't like him — she would be too if her best-friend got married to her bully.
Severus would certainly never tell Cora what happened between him and the marauders but she had a way of finding out the most horrifying information about her family. Some things she finds out about other people is traumatizing. She once found out her old neighbor married a man 30 years older than her (who was rich) and suddenly died under a mysterious circumstance. Plot twist — the mysterious circumstance was her.
Cora black knows more spells than only a few (the not so smart ones) 5th years at Hogwarts and can make 3rd year potions flawlessly all thanks to her uncle for his 'training'. She still doesn't know why he does this to her. Maybe to protect her—but from what?
Cora goes in and peaks inside the house. Its quiet. Good quiet. Uncle Severus won't know she's gone for 30 minutes.
Time to visit Harry once more.
Visiting Harry Potter was a weekly thing. They are not technically friends as she's not real according to Harry.
Cora grabbed an old bike from the side of the road and added a little magic to it to get her to arrive faster to his home. No my bad, his aunt and uncle's house.
Finally, when Cora arrives she sees Harry watering the plants outside. She slowly puts down her bike to not startle him but that obviously doesn't work as he turns around seeing her.
"Hey Harry," she blurted suddenly with a huge smile on her face.
"Cora? What are you doing here?" He says not even trying to hide his smile
"I'm your imaginary friend Harry. I'm supposed to be here silly!" She remarked.
He was about to say something but got interrupted by a horrifying screeching from inside the house.
"HARRY IF YOU DONT COME HERE RIGHT THIS SECOND THERE WILL BE NO DINNER FOR YOU TONIGHT!" Mr Dursley screams deafeningly. Cora took a note to bring earplugs the next time she visits this house. Or if there ever will be a next time.
"I think I should go.." Harry says quietly
"Oh..alright then goodbye harry," little did he know this was a goodbye for the next 2 years.
She returns back to her home with a little something welcoming her.
"Finally," Cora fretted, smiling at the owl standing on her old porch with a letter in its beak. She grabs it and barges back into the house.
"Uncle severus. I got accepted to Hogwarts!"