Blind-Saint :: Thank you! And yes, about that... I'm actually strictly following the book, so the Cedric Diggory Valentina referred to was a young, talented, good-looking wizard and not a sparkly fairy-boy. :)
Skidney :: Why, thanks! I hope this new chapter is to your liking as well.
Phoenix1592 :: Hahaha. Yes, that basically sums up the previous chapter.
Author's Note: I had my Spanish friend read and edit everything I've written so far. Apparantly, "hija" is just "daughter", whilst "mija" is "my daughter". It doesn't seem like much, but—according to her—"hija" sounds very disconnected, which was not the way I wanted to portray the relationship between Valentina and her parents. So, I went back and changed all that. Furthermore, I'm sorry if my terrible Spanish and Latin have irked you; the only language class I've taken is Italian, which made me realize that English is the only language I will ever fully know. That being said, please enjoy this chapter.
"I beg your pardon?" Severus said blankly. The Corleone couple sitting across from him at the breakfast table had such different expressions that he wasn't sure if he had heard correctly.
"Silvanus and I shall be hosting our 20th anniversary this month," Flavia responded with nonchalance. Her male counterpart, on the other hand, looked rather troubled.
"But the Diggory family is still mourning," Silvanus argued. "I find it rather insensitive to host a celebration when the son of an associate has passed."
"It is expected of us," she frowned, not quite making eye contact with her husband. Valentina sauntered into the room, traces of sleepiness still on her face.
"Breakfast is served at exactly eight o'clock, discipula," admonished Severus, using the neutral term "pupil" when around her parents.
"Sorry, Master," she yawned. He scowled. "What's this about a party?"
Silvanus responded first, "We are still discussing the situation."
"There's nothing to discuss," Flavia said loudly.
"I'd rather not argue in front of a guest."
"Severus is here often enough to be Valentina's second padre," snapped Flavia. Silvanus almost cracked a smile and Severus' eyebrows moved up a fraction of an inch.
"Can Master Snape be my escort?" asked the youngest Corleone, now wide-awake at the idea of a party.
"I don't care who your escort is!" Flavia stood up quickly and glared at Silvanus. "But we are having an anniversary ball no matter what." Before Silvanus could respond, she disapparated.
"Did you hear that?" said Valentina as she turned to Severus.
"Perfectly," he replied. "And I feel it necessary remind you that wishful thinking often leads to disappointment."
"I, too, wish for you to attend," Silvanus said, standing up.
"Señor Corleone, I—" Silvanus held up his hand.
"Please, Severus, we are too well-acquainted for honorifics."
"Very well, Silvanus," Severus corrected, feeling a bit pleased. "However, my duties with Professor Dumbledore make my schedule quite… hectic."
"I understand. But if time permits, we would greatly enjoy your presence." That being said, Silvanus disapparated. Severus focused his attention back to the Daily Prophet where an article questioning Dumbledore's position as Hogwarts Headmaster caught his eye.
"Master, guess which classes I'm taking next year," Valentina said with a grin.
"The same as last year except you've enrolled yourself into Muggle Studies," Severus replied curtly. His pupil pouted.
"How'd you know?"
"Deliciae, sweetheart—" She almost swooned at his words. "I'm your Professor; I make it my duty to know." He put down the Daily Prophet. "Why are your parents pressured into celebrating their anniversary?"
"It's probably because of the council," Valentina replied thoughtfully. She took a sip of orange juice before continuing. "They're these twelve people who decide policies and whatever for the company."
"I was under the impression that the Corleone family controlled the company."
"Of course we do," she said huffily. "It's just that, like, a long time ago, the Spanish Ministry had to put the council there so we wouldn't monopolize stuff and take over the world." She laughed. "But anyway, if ma and daddy don't celebrate their 20th anniversary, the council will think something's up between them, and they'll send people to watch us and blah blah blah."
"Interesting," Severus said coolly. "I'm surprised you know that."
"I'm a Corleone; I make it my duty to know."
"You make a fine Corleone." He instantly regretted his compliment, as she beamed at him and stared at him dreamily the rest of the morning.
Severus sat in the dark kitchen of Grimmauld Place with other members of the Order. To his annoyance, Sirius Black was one of them, looking a bit anxious ever since Mad-Eye Moody, Lupin, and several more had sauntered in at the beginning of the meeting. Clearly, Harry Potter had just arrived. Severus' eyes wandered to the tarnished clock hanging on the wall. He was to give a formal report today, but that wasn't what was troubling him.
"Bored?" Sirius snarled at him. Whatever discussion was going on had now ceased. "If you have nothing to contribute—"
"As a matter of fact," interrupted Severus. "The Corleones have secured an alliance with the Kelpyrs Corporation in Ireland as well as the Rorrington Industries right here in Great Britain." Approving murmurs went around the room.
"Corleones?" Sirius scoffed. "Don't you have any other duties besides acting as a messenger boy to those Spanish bigwigs?"
"Silvanus and Flavia Corleone are under constant surveillance. Not a second of their time can be unaccounted for. As for me," he sneered. "I've been in the front lines under the Headmaster's orders. How has the cleaning been, by the way?" Severus made a show of looking around the basement kitchen. "Doesn't seem to be going well, does it?"
"Well, I think this meeting has come to an end," Arthur Weasley said brisquely, jumping to his feet and smiling uncertainly.
"Would you be staying for supper, Professor Snape?" Molly Weasley asked, drawing Severus' attention from Sirius.
"Sadly, I have an important engagement to attend to this evening," he replied before turning to leave.
"Why bother asking that greasy git after every meeting?" he heard Sirius ask her. "He'll never say yes and, frankly, no one wants him here—" Severus closed the door before he could hear anything else and followed some of the other Order members out of Grimmauld Place.
Valentina adjusted the engraved, amber brooch at the base of her throat. The bottle-green robes she wore hadn't been her first choice, but she had remembered Pierre's words from the past winter: "Prove to me, a lowly Coeur de Lion, that a Corleone can look good in anything—something besides the colors of your crest."
"I can pull off any look," she said aloud.
"Mistress," Zelfy called from behind the room's divider. "The guests have begun to arrive."
"Is Master Snape here?" Valentina asked, inspecting her elaborate updo. The brief hesitation was all she needed.
"Nevermind," Valentina scoffed. "Tell my parents I'll be coming down in a second." She heard Zelfy disapparate and went to sit on her Master's usual armchair near her bed.
"Damn it," she mumbled. "I don't have an escort." She had half a mind to spend the whole night in her room. But I can't do that to my parents, she thought. After a moment, she stood up slowly and opened her door.
"My, my, deliciae," her Master's velvety voice crooned. He wore black dress robes with shiny, platinum fastens and buttons. She looked up at his face in surprise. "I'm under the impression that you weren't expecting me." She recovered quickly, feeling her pulse race with happiness.
"You're late," she huffed. He took her hand and brushed his lips against her knuckles.
"Forgive me," he whispered, a playful smirk on his lips. She held on to his arm and the two went down the staircase to join the celebration.
"Corleone Heiress, Valentina Comnena Corleone with her tutor and escort, Master Severus Snape." Applause and excited whispered filled the ballroom. Valentina beamed as her Master led her to the high table where her parents were already seated.
"We are most pleased that you could attend, Severus," Flavia smiled as Silvanus and Valentina's Master shook hands. Valentina eyed the other guests while the announcer continued to introduce more guests and her parents and Master fell into discussion. Most of the other Corleone branches, like the Coeur de Lions, had come. Even the Nuttleswink family—to her dismay—had been invited. Finally, her father rose to greet the congregation.
"Good evening and welcome to Chateau de Leon," he began. "My wife and I wish to thank you all for taking the time to celebrate our 20th year of marriage with us. I would like to personally introduce and welcome William Nuttleswink, his lovely wife Grecia, and their son John, who has been named Financial Director of the Nuttleswink Wand Company." Everyone applauded. Valentina clapped once and rolled her eyes.
"On behalf of the Corleone Company, we are delighted to announce that we will be endorsing Nuttleswink products and will help to distribute—" Valentina felt an uncomfortable tingling, as if someone were staring at her. She looked over at the Nuttleswink table where John's yellow eyes gleamed at her. She shivered noticeably.
"—with that said," she heard her father say. "Let us begin the feast!"
"I had thought that porcelain and fine china were the traditional 20th wedding anniversary gifts," Valentina heard Severus say to her mother during the meal.
"They are," her mother replied. "But I found it a bit bland. The modern gift for this anniversary in America is platinum." Valentina looked on enviously at the guests who had begun to dance. I hate that Master has to divide his time between me and my parents, she thought.
"Valentina," her father whispered from behind her. "Let us dance; I can sense your restlessness." She blushed, but he simply smiled and led her to the ballroom floor. The band began to play an upbeat piece.
"Daddy, do you and ma really like the Nuttleswinks?" She asked suddenly, making sure there weren't any eavesdroppers. He gave her a weak smile.
"When making alliances, we can't afford to be picky," he replied. "Their fortune is dwindling, but their name is old, as is ours. It is good to have old-money associates. And now that we are financially connected, their alliegance will not falter."
"What do you mean?" She asked suspiciously. Her father quickly eyed the people around them before speaking.
"Before," he began. "When... He-Who-Must-No-Be-Named was at the height of his power, it is rumored that the Nuttleswink company had sent groups to round up muggle-borns in the rural areas of the United States even though they publicly denounced his ideology." Valentina frowned. "Our influence was more concentrated in Europe during that time, so there was nothing we could do."
"They weren't caught?"
"There was no proof of their involvement in those events, but that very rumor is the reason behind their dwindling fortune." Valentina looked up at her father. The sadness in his brown eyes caught her by surprise.
"Daddy?"
"Please promise me that you will take care of our fortune," he said suddenly. "It is not for the sake of having money; it was never for that reason. The Corleone company has created jobs and livelihoods for thousands of families in Spain and America alone. Great wizards and witches such as the San Torros were born and raised just to serve the Corleone family."
"Daddy, you know I'll do anything to—"
"Señor Corleone," drawled a familiar voice. Valentina looked over into the yellow eyes of John Nuttleswink. He broke eye contact to bow. "May I share a dance with your lovely daughter this evening?"
"Of course," her father replied, giving her hand to him. He looked at Valentina and said, "Estate en paz," before heading back to the high table. The band began to play a slow ballad, much to her chagrin.
"Remind me to tip the band this evening," John chuckled.
"Remind me to fire them," Valentina retorted.
"What was that Señor Corleone said to you?"
"Nothing. He just said to have fun," she lied. Her father had basically told her to behave, but she knew John would ask for context if she were to tell the truth.
"Of course," he began to trace a lazy pattern on her side where he held her. "Where's your mudblood boyfriend?"
"Balthazaar?" She frowned. "First of all, he's not my boyfriend. Second, he's not a—" In honesty, she wasn't sure if he were muggle-born or not.
"Not part muggle?" John laughed. "Come now, Valentina. That guy reeks of muggle blood." She said nothing. "And who is that escort of yours? He's as old as your father."
"Don't be an asshole," she snapped. "That's Master Snape—my tutor."
"I would've been a much better escort."
"I doubt that," she scoffed. She felt his fingernails digging into her side where he held her. "Ouch—Johnny! That hurts!" He pulled her close.
"Listen, babycakes, I don't know if your parents told you, but a lot of shit is going down around here. If something happens to them before you turn seventeen, I'm at the top of your arranged-marriage list."
"I'm not having—"
"If you want to keep your name in power, then yes." His predatory eyes flashed. "You do." Valentina's blood froze. Is Johnny really at the top of the list? She asked herself. There has to be more suitors... Oh, Merlin—
"Were you planning on keeping me from my charge all evening?" said the velvety voice of her Master. Valentina let out a shaky breath as John released her.
"My apologies, sir," he bowed stiffly before disappearing into the dancing crowd. The young heiress fought the desire to fling herself into her Master's arms. He took her hand and put his other on her waist.
"Perhaps I was wrong in thinking that a dance with me would delight you," he drawled.
"Oh—mea culpa, Master," she apologized.
"If the young Nuttleswink believes a place on an imaginary list secures a union with you, he is sadly mistaken." Valentina gave him her best smile.
"That's my girl," he whispered in Latin. She savored the feeling of being so close to him as they waltzed, pushing away the conversation with John and wishing the night would last forever.
"Your total is 168 quid," said the smiling salesgirl. Balthazaar paid for his textbooks and left, Liam chatting on excitedly the whole time.
"Glasgow University?" Liam repeated for the umpteenth time. "Thaz, that's brilliant! I can't believe that—well, I can. I never thought you were dim or anything, but… Glasgow University?"
"I'm just as surprised as you are," Balthazaar grinned as he drove them back to Liam's place. He had saved enough money from his job at Chateau de Leon as well as the other odd jobs he found around he city in order to even consider college. But when he had sent his application to Glasgow, they had phoned him almost three weeks later for an immediate interview.
"We can assure you that there are programs which will help lessen your financial burden," they told him. He found himself a freshman at Glasgow University not long after.
"Tell me if the ladies at Glasgow are as hot as they are smart," Liam laughed as they headed up the walkway. "Eh, Thaz—Hey! What's that?" He dove for something that had fallen out of Balthazaar's jacket pocket.
"What's what?" Balhazaar turned and flushed red as he recognized what Liam was holding. "Give it back, Liam."
"Hang on, mate. The red-head's cute, but this one in blue is stunning—" Balthazaar snatched the Christmas picture Valentina had sent him.
"Ahh, so Charlotte's got competition, eh?" Laughed Liam. "Which one is it?"
"None of them, you great prat."
"Eh? Introduce me to the fox in blue, then."
"Chivvy along, Liam."
"So you do fancy her, yeah? Explain yourself, Thaz. You can't even talk to a girl without turning into a pile of rubbish—"
"All right, I fancy her. Happy?"
"Chuffed," Liam grinned. "So... have you shagged her yet?"
"Why you're single still baffles me," Balthazaar drawled sarcastically.
"Oh, come off it. Have you told her yet?"
"I can't."
"Wha—? Why?"
"She fancies someone else," Balthazaar replied with a shrug. He carefully put the picture back into his pocket.
"Oh—ah... Thaz. Sorry, mate." An awkward silence hung between the two of them during the rest of the walk to Liam's flat.
"How was your summer, Valentina?" Colin asked as he blinded her with the flash of his camera. She had just stepped into her friends' compartment on the Hogwarts Express.
"Wonderful, as always," she replied, giving him a big hug. "And yours?"
"It was awesome! My dad got me a new camera—"
"—with a thousand-watt flashbulb, we know," she laughed, making him blush.
"It's got a wider view, too! Look." While the two fussed over Colin's new camera, Helena, Heather, and Tristan talked about who their new Defense Against the Dark Arts professor would be.
"That job is definitely cursed," Heather said darkly.
"I agree! Every teacher who's taken up that job has left... under strange circumstances, of course," added Helena thoughtfully.
"I wish Professor Dumbledore would let Snape teach. That ought to get rid of him," Tristan laughed.
"Hey!" Valenina started, rounding on him. Before she could continue, however, the compartment door opened. Standing there was a very pretty witch with blonde hair who looked suspiciously like—
"F-Flora?" Valentina sputtered. Flora grinned at them and spun around once. Everyone in the compartment burst into applause. ("Close your mouth," Helena had said to Tristan. "Dragons will fly into it.")
"You've lost so much weight!" Heather and Colin exclaimed.
"I was thinking about what you said our second year," Flora said to Valentina. "I realized that I can't expect people to like me if I don't like myself. So I bought the Corleone dieting products and... Voila!" Everyone applauded again.
"You should've told me you were going to use Corleone products," Valentina said. "I could've sent them to you for free, you know."
"But then I wouldn't have seen the surprise on your faces," she laughed. Valentina smiled, her eyes drifting to the countryside rushing past the window.
Severus moved his rook across the board. The students had just been sent to bed after the start-of-the-term feast.
"Among these pieces," the Headmaster began. "Which is the most important piece?"
"The king, of course," Severus replied wih ease.
"And why is that?"
"Once you've lost your king, you've lost the match."
"And the queen?"
"What about the queen?"
"The Queen can move horizontally, vertically, and diagonally—as many spaces as she wants; the queen is the most powerful piece on the board."
"But when you've lost your queen, you are still in the game," Severus said. After a moment, he added, "Like Harry Potter and Valentina Corleone." Professor Dumbledore raised his eyebrows with interest.
"Go on," the headmaster gently insisted.
"Miss Corleone has unlimited power on the board, whereas Potter has next to none. Yet... if we lose Potter, we've lost to the Dark Lord." He moved his queen into a vulnerable spot.
"Are you saying that Miss Corleone's loss will not affect the outcome?" Professor Dumbledore asked as he captured Severus' queen.
"You've less power without the queen, but—as I said before—you are still in the game."
"Interesting," the headmaster chuckled. "Interesting indeed."
"Your thoughts, headmaster?" Severus drawled, holding in a smirk. "Which is the most important piece?" At that moment, Severus caught his mistake; Professor Dumbledore moved his pawn to checkmate.
"Every piece is equally important," he replied.
"What do you think of her?" Flora asked, referring to Professor Umbridge.
"She seems—umm—kind of fake, you know?" Valentina replied. "I'm not sure how to explain it. But, then again, I'm really bad with first impressions." She recalled both Professor Lockhart and Professor Lupin, whom she had judged too soon and very incorrectly.
"Maybe we'll learn new jinxes this year," Colin said, looking hopeful.
"Too bad that we won't know until tomorrow," sighed Helena.
"Anyone else have Muggle Studies?" Valentina asked, looking around. Her friends shook their heads. "Well, I've got to run. The class starts in ten minutes." She bade goodbye to her friends, grabbed a cinnamon roll, and hurried off to her first class. I can't wait to learn about muggles, she thought excitedly. Like, how do telephones work? And how do they— Valentina accidentally bumped into someone.
"Oops! Sorry about that," she apologized quickly, holding in her surprise when she saw it was Patience.
"Watch where you're going, Spaniard," Patience snapped.
"I wasn't the one running like some first-year," Valentina snapped back. "Jeez... almost made me drop my roll." She stepped into the classroom and almost dropped her roll again as she saw Patience following her in.
"You're taking Muggle Studies?" Valentina asked incredulously.
"What's it to you?" Patience huffed, taking a seat at the far corner. Valentina raised an eyebrow, shrugged, and took a seat at the opposite corner.
"We've been reading for half an hour already," Tristan complained softly to Valentina. The young heiress sneaked a look at Professor Umbridge who, at the moment, was looking around with a pleased look on her face.
"You should've brought a magazine with you or something," Valentina whispered back. Honestly, she didn't care what they were doing in that class. I'm getting dueling lessons from Master Snape anyway, she thought.
"Have you brought an extra one?" Tristan asked.
"Do I look like a library to you, Reagan?"
"Skinflint," he mumbled.
"Hem, hem," said Professor Umbridge. "There is no reason to be having a conversation, is there, Miss—" she glanced at the seating chart. "Corleone?"
"Close," Valentina responded. "It's pronounced Cor-le-own. The 'e' is silent." Some students giggled. Professor Umbridge raised her eyebrows with surprise for a millisecond.
"Well, Miss Corleone, this is a silent period, so unless you have a question on the text, I suggest you remain silent."
"Yes, Professor Umbridge," Valentina said politely, thinking nothing of Professor Umbridge's wide smile before returning to the magazine hidden within her texbook.
"Hey, Valentina!" Ginny called out just as Valentina was about to leave the Great Hall. Dinner had just ended. There was an unusual amount of inter-house chatter, but it was the evening before the Hogsmeade weekend, so Valentina readily dismissed it.
"What's up?" Valentina asked as Ginny and a group of other students caught up with her.
"You know Hermione Granger, right? Well, she's asked me to recruit people who might be interested in actually learning Defense Against the Dark Arts—you know, the way Lupin did. Anyway, there's going to be kind-of a club meeting tomorrow morning at the Hog's Head."
"Really? Damn, but I got detention with Professor Snape tomorrow morning and afternoon, though," Valentina replied, feigning disappointment. "But it sounds really cool. Tell me how it goes, all right?"
"Okay. See you later, then." Ginny and the group headed for the Gryffindor Tower while Valentina headed for the stairs to the dungeons.
"Miss Corleone," said a voice from behind her. Valentina turned to face Professor Umbridge.
"Oh—hey, Professor. You scared me a little." The High Inquisitor merely chuckled.
"Would you like to come to my office for a bit of evening tea?"
"Tea? That sounds great, but I actually have detention with Professor Snape, and—"
"Oh, that can wait. I'll tell him I had you run an errand for me." Well, she does work for the Ministry, Valentina thought to herself. If I can get an ally from the Ministry of Magic...
"All right," Valentina shrugged, following a beaming Professor Umbridge to her office. I hope Master Snape still has time to help me perfect the full-body bind. Professor Umbridge's office, to Valentina's distaste, looked a bit like her bedroom—when she was seven, of course. The brightness of the pink and the tackiness of the lace were both very overwhelming.
"I like your decor," Valentina smiled weakly as she sat in a lace-covered, pink armchair.
"Would Tailored Seasons suit your fancy?" Professor Umbridge asked as she began pouring the sweet-smelling tea into floral-pattered teacups.
"That's actually my favorite brand," Valentina grinned. "My parents are planning to launch a tea line in the company after we start coffee production in the US."
"That's a clever idea," Professor Umbridge said as she handed Valentina her teacup. "I doubt the coffee line would make much revenue in these parts."
"Yeah... I'm more of a tea person myself." Professor Umbridge isn't so bad, Valentina thought. Even though her taste in clothes, color, and design sucks, she's actually pretty friendly. The young heiress took a long sip of the sweet tea.
"Would you like a biscuit, dear?"
"No, thanks. What flavor of Tailored Seasons is this? It tastes different."
"It's a special flavor, Miss Corleone." A wide smile erupted on Professor Umbridge's face. Valentina tried to smile back, but she noticed that, although her professor's teacup was full, she hadn't taken a sip.
"Won't you be drinking?" Valentina asked, getting suspicious.
"It's a bit too hot for my taste at the moment," she replied. "Now, for pressing matters." She leaned forward in her chair, staring unblinkingly into Valentina's face.
"What did the young Miss Weasley tell you after dinner this evening?" Valentina blinked and frowned. She tried to stay silent, but she felt her mouth move on its own.
"Ginny told me that people were going to meet at the Hog's Head in Hogsmeade tomorrow morning," Valentina found herself saying. She began to feel Godric's energy slowly pulsing through her veins.
"What will they be doing?"
"They—They're—" she fought the urge to talk, but she couldn't help it. "They're going to start a club or something... to learn Defense Against the Dark Arts." Shit, Valentina mentally swore. Why can't I shut up? I can't believe I've ratted them out. But how...? Valentina finally noticed the half-empty teacup in her hand. Panicked, she accidentally dropped it.
"A-ha..." Professor Umbridge paid no attention to the fallen—and now broken—teacup on the floor. "Well, thank you for that bit of information, Miss Corleone. You've done a great deed for the Ministry tonight. But I can't have you running around, telling people of our little tea-time, can I?" Valentina's eyes widened as Professor Umbridge raised her wand and pointed it at her. Godric's energy burned so strongly at the pit of her stomach that it was starting to hurt. "Don't worry, dear. I promise you that you won't feel a thing—but if you do, you won't remember it anyway."
"Would you care to explain why you're late?" Her Master asked as Valentina rushed into his office.
"I was running an errand for Professor Umbridge," Valentina replied breathlessly. "Sorry, Master."
"Really? Did you happen to tell her that you had detention with me this evening?" Valentina frowned.
"Yeah, of course... well, I think I did. Uh..."
"Nevermind," he snapped. "We'll be standing here all night waiting for a straight answer."
"Sorry, Master." I'm pretty sure I did, Valentina thought.
"I distinctly remember teaching you the full-body bind. Is that correct?"
"Yes, Master."
"Very well. If, by some miracle, you manage to land the curse at me before I do, we can move on. Are you ready?" Valentina drew out her wand.
"Ready."
"Begin." Before she could lift her wand, her Master raised it and pointed it at her. The scenario seemed very familiar, but she couldn't quite place it. A sharp pain erupted from her temple.
"Shit!" She gasped, putting her hand against her forehead.
"Petrificus totalus," her Master uttered. Valentina felt her body stiffen in moments. Luckily, he caught her before she could hit the ground.
"My dear, that expletive was not the incantation I had taught you," he scolded as he restored her movement.
"I know it isn't, Master," she frowned. "My head just started to hurt when you pointed your wand at me. I had a déjà vu or something..." The pain was dull now, but still there.
"Perhaps we should end today's lesson," he said nonchalantly. "Clearly, you are unable to handle the work load you've received so far in addition to your lessons with me."
"It's not that, Master!" Valentina insisted. "I just... I just feel weird right now. That's all."
"'Weird', is it? Your colloquial isn't quite helping your case. Now sit down before you fall over." Without argument, Valentina sunk into her Master's armchair and began massaging her temples.
"Would you like some tea?" He asked gently, failing to keep up his stoic act. Valentina stared ahead unblinkingly. Tea? Valentina asked herself.
"Yes, please," she replied softly. Her headache was growing more painful by the minute. Master Snape handed her a teacup of hot tea. "You know, my parents are planning to launch a tea line in the company after we—" Valentina shut her eyes, frowning. Her head felt as if it were about to explode. She tried to place the teacup back on his desk, but she missed and it hit the dungeon's stone floor and shattered.
"Valentina!" Her Master scolded.
"Not another one," she groaned involuntarily.
"Another what?"
"Teacup, Master. I've dropped another—ugh—" Her head was hurting more than ever. "I can't remember... and it hurts to." She felt her Master's hand grasp her chin gently, tilting her head upwards so they were face-to-face.
"Show me your mind, Valentina," he said softly. "Let me see everything." Valentina stared into his dark eyes, trying to ignore the mind-blowing pain in her head.
"Where were you before you arrived in my office?"
"I was in Professor Umbridge's office."
"What were you doing?"
"Running an errand."
"What type of errand?" Valentina realized that she couldn't recall at all what she had been doing in Professor Umbridge's office.
"I-I don't know..."
"I see," Professor Snape whispered, now scowling furiously. He pressed his lips together to form a thin line. Valentina took a nervous step back; she had never seen him that angry before. Instinctively, she emptied her mind again.
"Don't," he said, recovering from his silent fury. "I'm going to perform Legilimency on you. Do not empty your mind." He raised his wand, but she recoiled.
"You can't!" She exclaimed.
"And why is that?" He asked fiercely. She rubbed her temple again, frowning.
"I—I don't know," she replied.
"Valentina," he began. His voice and expression were gentle again. "Do you trust me?"
"What?" Valentina asked confusedly.
"As I've said before, I will not give you a reason to distrust me. Now... do you trust me?"
"Yes, Master," she said with more confidence.
"Good." He raised his wand. "LEGILIMENS!"
Severus placed the tip of his wand on his temple and drew a string of silver memories. He dropped it into his pensieve and watched Valentina's worried face appear on its surface.
"You won't do anything, right?" She had choked out. There were tears in her eyes. "They aren't doing anything wrong—and I bet they're already in trouble with that bitch—" As he swirled the contents of his pensieve, Lily Evan's face appeared. He promptly shut the door to his cabinet. Severus had already alerted a few members of the Order about the upcoming gathering at the Hog's Head, as well as the fact that the Ministry's spy knew so, too. He was a bit wary of their decision to send Mundungus Fletcher, but he was more concerned about Valentina.
So, he said to himself. You attempted to wipe Valentina's memory and plant a false one in its stead? Very clever, High Inquisitor. However, my dearest pupil's mind is stronger than most. Severus had given Valentina a tonic for her headache. A flash of anger erupted inside him when he thought about the pain she must have felt, trying to recover the true memory. He felt guilty as well, since it was he who had given Professor Umbridge the Veritaserum in the first place. Had I known she was going to use it on Valentina... He slammed his fist on his desk, startling the dozing Avian.
"Did you see it?"
"D'you reckon she knows?"
"What are we going to do?" Valentina noted the unusual clamor at the Great Hall and then glanced furtively at the group around the Potter-Weasley-Granger trio. It's my fault Professor Umbridge made up that stupid decree... Her face burned with shame, and she could still feel a dull ache in her head whenever she tried to remember the real details of what happened in Professor Umbridge's office without the help of her Master.
"Do not force yourself to remember," he had. "You've seen the true memory anyway... You will only be hurting yourself."
"Valentina!" Flora called out. The young heiress waved her over. "You will not believe what happened."
"Were you tricked into drinking a truth serum and then given a false memory after yours was wiped?" Valentina offered.
"What was that?" Flora asked, settling in.
"Nothing. So what's up?"
"Well..." She was grinning ear-to-ear. Valentina noted her flushed cheeks and took a quick peek into her eyes.
"You're in love?"
"Oh, I knew you would guess it!" She waited for Helena and Heather to join them. "Roger Davies talked to me when I was at Hogsmeade yesterday."
"No way!"
"Are you serious?"
"Shut up!"
"I'm not kidding!"
"Just so you know, bumping into you and saying, 'Excuse me' doesn't count," Valentina joked. Helena and Heather snorted into their breakfasts.
"It was not like that," Flora huffed. "Well, I was walking out of the Three Broomsticks with Beatrix and Roger was in front of us. Anyway, he dropped this book he was carrying, so I ran over to give it to him and we started chatting away, you know?"
"Are you going to say hi to him today?" Asked Helena.
"I'm not sure... should I?"
"Definitely not!" Valentina said. "You're supposed to let him chase you—not the other way around."
"But what if he has a friend who's telling him the exact same thing?" Heather pointed out.
"That means he's stupid and you should forget him," she replied simply.
"Such great advice coming from the ever-single Valentina," giggled Helena.
"That's right," Flora laughed. "Have you even had your first kiss, Valentina?"
"I think we've all had ours last year during the Yule Ball," Heather said.
"Yeah, before Snape went and blasted the garden apart," Flora added.
"Of course I have," Valentina replied. She could almost feel the electricity that ran through her body when her Master's lips touched hers for the first time.
"Was it with that Beauxbatons boy?" Heather asked.
"Oh, gosh. No way!" Valentina replied.
"Then who was it?"
"Balthazaar," she said quickly without thinking. Balthazaar? She asked herself. Why did I even think of him?
"Ooh!" Helena gushed. "Your hot groundskeeper?"
"What? No! Just... 'the groundskeeper'."
"I was just about to say," Flora laughed. "If you hadn't snogged Balthazaar by now, I'd reckon you were a bit mental."
"So did you like it?"
"Are you both an item now?"
"Have you seen him naked?" Valentina finished her breakfast at top speed and nearly sprinted out of the Great Hall, her face turning a rather lovely shade of red. Running to the restroom, she found herself in the company of Patience and her friends.
"The spoilt Spaniard by herself?" One drawled.
"Didn't pay them enough to be your friends today, eh?" Another one taunted. To Valentina's surprise, Patience stood silent, looking nervously at the ground.
"Fuck off," Valentina mumbled, rolling her eyes. She proceeded to walk to the mirror to fix her hair. "Haven't yall grown out of this house rivalry yet? So what if we don't eat at the same tables or sleep in the same dormitories? Just grow up already." Finding nothing to say, the Slytherin girls stomped out. From the corner of her eye, Valentina swore she saw a ghost of a smile cross Patience's face.
Severus opened the door to his office to find his young pupil hovering a foot off his desk in a meditating pose.
"Valentina, what are you doing?" She cracked an eye open.
"I was waiting for you, Master," she replied, descending slowly until she was sitting upon his desk. "Ta-da!"
"Self-levitation?"
"Yep! We're learning about famous muggle illusionists in Muggle Studies. Did you know that the muggle escape artist Harry Houdini helped the American Ministry fortify Mt. Huxley Prison? They wiped his memory after, but it would've been a great addition to his biography."
"You've really taken a liking to that class, haven't you?" Severus asked as he took a seat at his armchair.
"Of course," she replied. "Did you know Patience Ross is in my class?"
"So I've heard. And you've both managed to keep out of each other's hair."
"Yeah..." Valentina set herself near the edge of his desk so her legs were dangling. "I'm fifteen today, Master."
"I'm very aware of that, deliciae. It would be a sin to forget. And, seeing as you've taken an interest in the muggle world—" Severus pulled out his wand and conjured up a jewelled cube. She reached out and grabbed it.
"What is it?" She asked, fingering the fifty-four large jewels on it.
"That, my dear, is a Rubik's cube. It is a puzzle that requires both skill and patience. I took the liberty in having this one made especially for you—the jewels represent their traditional colors: Red ruby, blue sapphire, yellow topaz, orange amber, green emerald, and white diamond." He flicked his wand upwards, and the Rubik's cube's blocks moved to various positions, scrambling itself. When it finished, Valentina grinned and started moving the panels to solve it.
"Master, can I ask you something?"
"Mmhmm..."
"When I finally turn seventeen, graduate, take over the Corleone company, and all that... will we really get married, or are you just saying that to not hurt my feelings?" Severus raised an eyebrow. It was hard to tell how she was feeling, given that her concentration was focused on solving the Rubik's cube.
"Seventeen seems a bit too young for marriage, Valentina," he finally replied.
"You know what I mean; are we ever going to get married?"
"Valentina, I'm almost as old as your father—"
"You're 45?"
"I said almost," he winced. "I'm 35."
"You don't look a day over 20."
"Wouldn't you like to broaden your horizons by courting wizards your own age?"
"But I want to be with you, Master," she replied, glancing at him for a second before blushing and looking back down at her puzzle. The thought of Valentina even being with someone else made Severus a bit nauseated—but he wanted to know for sure.
"I barely have a galleon to my name, Valentina," Severus drawled. "Even that Draconius boy could easily be a better suitor." Valentina merely pursed her lips and continued moving around the jewelled panels of her Rubik's cube. A long and heavy silence hung between them.
"I can't do it, Master," she sighed after half an hour. Without a word, Severus gently patted his knee and waited as Valentina slowly set herself upon it.
"I've told you that it takes patience," he said, taking the cube from her. "Watch, deliciae." He started to turn the panels with ease.
"I know you like me, Master," she said suddenly.
"I'm aware of my own feelings," Severus said curtly. The Rubik's cube was already half-solved. "Any man who says differently is either a fool or a liar." To his surprise, she leaned over and kissed him full on the lips, her hands clasping his shoulders. He placed a hand on her waist to steady her. The point where their lips met sent electric waves throughout his body. She soon broke off the kiss, but didn't pull away. He took a second to study how long and thick her eyelashes were before she finally opened her eyes.
"Ever since I was little, I've always imagined you being with me," she said softly, fingering the collar of his robes. "I can't imagine spending the rest of my life with someone who isn't you... I love you, Master."
"Don't throw that word around," he said sharply.
"Master, I'm not—"
"Have you even been paying attention to the algorithm?" She snatched the Rubik's cube from his hand and slowly continued the solution.
"So you were paying attention," Severus drawled, a satisfied smirk on his face.
"Yeah, yeah," she mumbled. He brushed his lips against her cheek.
"Be patient, Valentina," he said softly.
"But, Master," she whined. "All the girls in my year have already been dating and stuff."
"I doubt any of the other girls is seeing her professor besides you," he retorted. A smile crossed her face.
"So we're dating, then?" Severus held in a wince.
"I suppose," he sighed. "In a manner of speaking..." He had a slight feeling that he was going to regret his response, but it wasn't in his best interest to take it back.
"So we're, like, boyfriend and girlfriend?" She grinned.
"Valentina—"
"Do I still have to call you 'Master'?" She interjected.
"Of course."
"But why? Can't I call you…" There was a slight pause. "Master, what is your first name?" Severus stared at her, stunned.
"You've known me since you were five and you don't know my name?" He slowly asked. She blushed.
"Well, I don't know it at the top of my head," she said defensively. "But I can recognize it if I see it. Like, my parents have said it..."
"Many times."
"Okay, okay. I'll stick with 'Master'. Jeez." She looked down at her puzzle. "If I solve this, will you tell me your name?" With a slight sneer, Severus flicked his wand upwards, caushing the Rubik's cube to fully scramble itself once again.
"Yes," he said to the half-angry, half-shocked heiress.
