The players fly through the air dodging hits ,trying to block balls and not get knocked to there death in the process. The players zip though the air around the field, Gryffindor fighting there hardest and Slytherin borderline cheating.
"Wahoo! Yeah! Go Slytherin!" Leah screamed and yelled along with the crowd as Slytherin scored a goal.
Olivia bounced along beside her happily, waving a green and white flag.
"Another goal for Slytherin! They lead Gryffindor 90 to 30." The announcers voice carried though out the stadium.
"Yeah! Go Draco!" Blaze and Liam joined in on cheering.
Valentine rolled her eyes before hooking them on Harry Potter.
I hate quidditch. I hate quidditch. I hate quidditch. I hate it when Harry Potter plays quidditch.
Valentine see her cousin shout something to Harry and bludger zoomed past him and Valentine stomach did a flip.
"SLYTHERIN! SLYTHERIN! SLYTHERIN! SLYTHERIN! SLYTHERIN!" Leah chants, Olivia and the boys quickly joining in. "GAH! Olivia your so damn cute when you cheer! Ha ha!"
Harry moved at lighting speed as he did his best to escape the bludger that was breaking through everything in its path to get to him.
First his broom, now a bludger. He shouldn't be allowed to play!
"Were winning! Were winning! Yay, yay, yay!" Valentine could hear Leah still cheering.
All around Valentine Slytherin students laughed as the dark haired boy was chased by the obviously jinxed bludger. Harry suddenly stopped and Draco again shouted to him. Valentine forced herself not to yell out when the bludger narrowly missed Harry and her cousin ducked his head just in time.
Suddenly the two seekers are off. Chasing after the small golden glint in the air. Draco moves ahead of Harry and follows the snitch down into the small gap between the sitting area and stadium ground, the bludger no more than a meter behind them.
Valentine leaned over the railing, straining to see her cousin and boy she was supposed to be protecting.
I swear if Potter dies, I'm going to kill him. And then I'm going to kill Leah, if she doesn't stop shouting in my ear!
"Theres no way Gryffindors beating us this time! No way!" Liam declares.
"Hell yeah!" Blaze and Leah cheer together.
For once, maybe we will win.
Valentine spared a glance where her uncle was sitting beside her potions professor.
And if we don't, Draco is going to have a huge problem.
"Hey. Wheres Draco?" Olivia shouted over the roar of the crowd.
Suddenly the blonde boy in question came sprawling out into the open, flipping though the air and hitting the ground.
"DRACO!" Valentine found herself screaming and before she could think she was shoving past people and forcing her way though the crowd.
I hope your watching Snape, because I have something to attend to.
"Move!" Valentine ordered and crowd quickly parted.
Valentine had spent her whole life going up and down stairs. At Malfoy Manor, here at Hogwarts. But she'd never flown down stairs so quickly in her whole life.
"Harry Potter has caught the Snitch. Gryffindor wins!"
Valentine hears the joyous cries from the crowd above her as her feet touch the field and races over to where several Slytherin quidditch players are already standing.
"Draco!" Valentine almost jumps when she hears Leah cry out several meters behind her.
She'd moved so quickly she hadn't realized her friends had followed her down to the field.
"Out of my way!" Valentine growls, pushing a player away.
She bent down beside her cousin, who layed on his back, holding his arm and groaning in pain.
"Draco..." She breathed in relief.
"Fathers going to be furious..." Was all he said.
"Oh, my, god! Draco! Draco! Are you OK! Is he breathing! Val is he breathing! Draco are you breathing!" Leah babbled on and on, only getting louder. "Someone tell me he's breathing!"
"How can she..." Blaze said, taking huge breaths. "...run so quickly..."
"...And still...be able...to talk..." Liam finished, just as breathless as the other boy.
"Is it...'cause shes...a...girl?" Blaze wondered.
"What...does that...have to do...with anything..." Liam shot back between breaths.
Valentine glanced over to another huddled group of people across the field.
Harry must have fallen off his broom and still been able to catch the snitch...well, at least he's live. Draco might not be when uncle gets hands on him.
-Pretending to Hate-
"Mr. Malfoy, stop making such a fuss. You can go. Out of my way." Madam Pomfrey came bustling into the hospital wing. "Should have been brought straight to me. I can mend bones in a heartbeat, but growing them back..."
"Draco, all you did was sprain your wrist." Valentine sighed as Draco groaned dramatically. "Your not going to die. You should be more worried about what your fathers going to say."
"He probably already left." Draco mumbled.
"Surly, he'll come to check up on you?" Olivia said innocently.
"He, he. You almost died..." Leah giggled sarcastically.
"Shut your face Leah!" Draco hissed.
"Come on. You'll be fine." Liam added.
"Yeah, man. Lets get out of here." Blaze said. "Just being around the Gryffindor scum annoys me."
"He probably already left."...Yeah, he probably did..."Surly, he'll come to check up on you?"...No. No. No he'd never do that...the bastard.
"The bastard." Valentine growled quietly.
"What was that?" Liam looked over at her.
"Nothing. I'll be back." Valentine stood up and walked out of the hospital wing.
-Pretending to Hate-
"Wait! Uncle wait!" Valentine raced down the halls towards her uncles tall, retreating form.
He ignored her and continued walking.
"Wait!" She shouted again, picking up speed and around to the front of her uncle, whos face was twisted into a vicious sneer.
"Be gone, brat." He hissed, trying to move past her, but she quickly blocked his path.
Valentine had grown accustomed to feeling a wide range of many different and confusing feelings, but this one, she was not confused about in the least. She was angry, something she didn't feel all that often. But now was one of the rare times when she was truly furious. And at her cold, calculating uncle no less.
"I don't care if you ignore me! But do not ignore your injured son!"
"You insolent...How dare you speak to me like that!" The mans eyes glaring dangerously down at his niece.
"Your only child is lying in the hospital ward and you are turning your back and walking away!"
The man gave a furious animal like growl and roughly grabbed hold of the front of Valentines robes.
"Shut your mouth, you ungrateful child." He hissed.
The two suddenly heard foot steps rounding the corner and McGonagall came into sight.
"Your lucky. If we were anywhere else...well, let just say you won't be enjoying your holiday."
Her uncle shoved her away from him and he quickly continued down the corridor. Valentine watched him go, glaring daggers at his back. Her uncles words echoing through her mind.
"Miss Lestrange?" Valentine turned in surprise at the professors slightly concerned voice. "Is everything alright?"
"Why wouldn't I be?" Valentine asked smugly.
Then Valentine turned to make her way back to the hospital wing.
But, once I'm at home, I won't be.
-Pretending to Hate-
"We understand. You hate everything that speaks."
"TROLL! IN THE DUNGEON! T-TROOLLL IN THE DUNGEON!"
"Stupid famous Potter."
"What? Why are you doing this to me?"
"Shouldn't that scar be gone by now?"
"If you fall I'm not saving you."
"Perhaps it does not even know its self."
"W-wait! I'm sorry! I didn't mean that...I-I just meant-"
"Watch your mouth, traitor. Girls have claws."
"Clean that up."
"Do you truly believe that a being as powerful as Voldemort would be complacent with his current position?"
"Val...she...she changed."
"If I didn't know better, Lestrange , I'd say you were scared."
"And so the gates of hell open."
"Merry Christmas professor."
"OH. MY. FREAKING. GOD. Aren't you just the cutest thing ever!"
"Wait! Don't. Please I was just coming here to protect the stone! I swear!"
Valentines eyes flickered open, she quickly sat up, only to feel a pain swimming in her skull. She groaned and slowly laded back down.
Why...does my...head hurt so much? And what is with this stupid dream!
She grimaced and looked over at the clock mounted on the wall.
Brilliant. Eleven thirty eight. I haven't even been sleeping a whole three hours!
She glanced over at Leah and Olivia, both sleeping soundly in there beds. With a light hiss, Valentine softly massaged her temples, in hope that it would numb the pain in her head.
Valentine layed, staring at the ceiling for almost half an hour, when her head ache begun to ebb away. But, now she had another problem. She was wide awake. She sat up, looking over at her friends one last time before she silently left the room.
Valentine found herself in the common room and was surprised to find the fire still roaring its brilliant green flames. The image of the first time she'd seen that flame burning moved into her mind.
Last Year-
"Pure blood pride."
Then all the students looked in baffled amazement as the stones begun to move and shuffle until a large arch way stood before them. The students all turned whispering excitedly to each other.
Wow...that was simply...simply amazing. Its just like the secret tunnels back at Malfoy Manor. I didn't think Hogwarts would have anything like this.
"Awesome." Valentine heard Draco say beside her.
"Oh. My. Gosh. That was so cool!" Leah exclaimed excitedly, practically jumping on the spot.
"Yeah..." Valentine nodded quietly, in amazement . "That was pretty cool..."
"Pretty cool? Are you kidding me? That was one of the best things I've ever seen!" Cried Leah.
"The password changes once every term. You must remember the password. Nobody wants to be stuck out in the halls all night."
The girl turned with a flick of her ponytail and motioned the first years to follow her into the tunnel that lay beyond the arch way. The students scrambled excitedly behind the girl, all wanting to get to the common room as quickly as possible. They walked down the short hallway until they reach a set of dark wooden doors. The prefect knocked three times and the doors swung open.
What lay before Valentine was not what she expected. It was a hundred times better.
Present Time-
I thought everything was so amazing back then...huh...back then? It was only a year ago. When did I become so ridiculously nostalgic?
"Val?"
Liam?
Valentine looked up at the source of the voice. Liam looked up at her curiously from where he sat on the lounge.
"Shouldn't you be in bed? Its way past lights out?" Valentine arched an eyebrow at the boy.
"Funny." He smiled. "I was going ask you the same thing."
"Please. Lestranges don't do bedtimes." She scoffed and sat down of the couch across from him.
"What are you really doing out of bed?" Liam asked.
Valentine looked up at him, deciding weather or not to answer him, or to be more specific, to answer him truthfully.
"I'm not tired." She lied smoothly, although she could feel the weariness behind her eyes.
"Me neither." He nodded. "This actually happens to me a lot. But, I've never had company before."
Liam gave her one of those small happy smiles he often wore. Valentine didn't smile back and instead turned her gave to the blazing emerald fire.
Why does he smile so much?
"You and Draco don't smile a lot, you know?" Liam said suddenly, then he realized what he'd said. "Uh...wait! I didn't mean that as a insult of course! I just mean..."
Don't tread down a path you'll regret.
"Your an idiot." Valentine rolled her eyes.
"What?"
"So, now your deaf and stupid?" Valentine growled.
Liam looked taken aback for a second.
"No. I just..."
"Just, what?" Valentine hissed.
"I've see you and Draco have about every expression except happiness..."
Well, now theres no going back. Moron.
Valentine let out a cold laugh.
"You really are an idiot." She smirked mercilessly. "You don't know what happiness is."
"And you do?" Liam snapped suddenly.
"Ah. So, we do have a back bone then?" Valentine stood glowering down at the boy, whos eyes widen as he found he'd dug himself an even deeper hole. "You don't know what happiness is. Nobody does. Because it doesn't exist. No one can ever truly be happy. No for long. Thats not how this world works, Highcourt."
Valentine could see the fear in the depths of his eyes. It was such a familiar look to her now.
Good. Being afraid of me is good.
"You are a idiot. A idiot with no idea how this world works." The girls eyes sharpened as she hissed her words dangerously. "Its time to grow up. Put the back bone to good use. But use it on me again and I'll break it."
Somehow Liam manged to tear his eyes away from her murderous gaze, adverting his attention to the fire.
"Good boy." Valentine said smugly, sitting back down. "You may not be completely useless."
"What are you two brats doing out bed?" A voice filled with hostility and malice. A voice Valentine was not in the mood to hear.
He always picks the best moments. He really does.
"Not sleeping, clearly." Valentine mumbled, crossing her arms across her chest and sinking back farther in the couch.
"Sorry, professor. We were just talking." Liam said quickly.
"Well, I just suggest unless you both want a detention you'll stop talking and get to bed." The potions teacher growled.
"Yes, professor." Liam stood up and was already heading for the exit.
"I think I'm fine here, thanks." Valentine sighed.
"I am not in the mood for your attitude, Lestrange!"
"Theres no need to yell." Valentine hissed, wincing as she felt the head ache rising again. "Honestly. Are you a teacher or a toddler?"
"Arg! To bed, Lestrange!"
"Go on without me, Highcourt." Valentine didn't have to look over at the boy to know he was still lingering in the door way.
"Listen when I'm taking to you!" Snape growled.
What is he problem tonight?
Liam glanced back into the room before turning and leaving.
"Lower your voice, professor."
"Exactly. I'm the professor!" The man was beyond lowering his voice as he stormed over to the girl and grabbed her arm, hoisting her off the couch and on her feet. "And your the student!"
"Your on a short fuse tonight. What happened?" Valentine eye'd him suspiciously, yanking her arm from his grasp.
"A student has been petrified." He hissed quickly.
"What? Who was it?"
"A Gryffindor first year, Colin Creevy."
"Do they have any idea whats doing it?"
"No. All we can be sure of is that it has something to do with Chamber Of Secrets." Snape explained wearily.
"The Chamber is supposed to the dwelling of a monster...You don't supposed this creature could be attacking students?" Valentine wondered.
"Are you dense? Its highly unlikely that a monster could move about the school without being notice by someone."
"We wouldn't even know that the Chamber Of Secrets has been opened if someone had bleed out all over that wall. At this point, almost anything is a possibility." Valentine sighed. Snape grumbled to himself, looking down at the girl with an irritated expression. "Whats wrong now?"
"Well, this is just the kind of rubbish Potter and his friends like to stick there noses into."
"And...?"
"And...Well, we need..." The man continued to ground out his words like they hurt. "...someone to...keep an eye on Potter and his friends...and to find out if they...know anything..."
A smug smile stretched across Valentines pale features.
"My, my, professor. I am to believe, and correct me if I'm wrong, that you, Severus Snape, are asking for my help?"
I am loving this.
"Are you correct." The man ground out.
"Why, of course, professor. I would be delighted to help."
"Wipe that smug look off your face, Lestrange. There orders from Dumbledore. If another student winds up petrified before you figure out whats going on then its on your head." He seethed.
"Please. It is why I'm here after all. To help you protect Potter."
"Oh, shut it Lestrange."
"Good night to you to, Professor Snape."