The Christmas holidays came faster than expected over that last week of term (Hermione having poured for hours over several hundred books for the past week without finding a single shred of evidence towards Darquesse – it seemed sorcery was not such a big topic in a school full of wizards and witches). Valkyrie was packing her bags. The funeral was the day after she was due to get back to Ireland, and to say she was dreading it was an understatement. Skulduggery couldn't be there for the obvious reason of questions would be raised, and Valkyrie didn't know if she could cope by herself. Especially now the reflection was gone and she couldn't go to Skulduggery's house for consolation without her parents knowing she was gone. But then, she didn't know if she wanted to go to his house, after all, she hadn't seen her parents in months, and there was a short period of time where she'd thought they might be dead. It didn't seem right she should just run off as soon as she got home. A knock on the door between their rooms made Valkyrie looked up, disturbed her from her thoughts.
"Come in." She said clearly, and Skulduggery opened the door.
"Mrs Finnigan has kindly agreed to apparate us back to Ireland so we don't have to take the ferry."
"Really?" Valkyrie closed her suitcase and put it on the floor. "Who asked her to do that?"
"Apparently Seamus did." Skulduggery closed the door behind him and walked inside.
"Are you ready?" He asked quietly. Valkyrie sighed and ran her fingers through her hair.
"I don't know." She replied honestly. "I mean, as far as my parents are concerned I hated my cousin. If I suddenly start wailing like a baby I think they'll notice something's wrong."
"You won't start wailing."
"I might."
"But you won't."
"You're not the boss of my tears."
"True, but I know because you're strong. You don't cry often, and you've already gotten it out of your system." Skulduggery folded his arms across his chest.
"How do you know that?" She asked.
"Because I know you."
"Better than I know myself?"
"Obviously, because I'm right."
"No, you're not."
"I'm always right."
"No, you're not."
"Of course I am. I'm brilliant."
"Brilliant at boasting."
"Don't criticise my ego."
"That's asking me not to be me."
"Touché." Valkyrie picked up her suitcase.
"I'm ready." She said, and Skulduggery nodded. He disappeared for a moment to fetch his own small suitcase and returned, meeting Valkyrie in the corridor.
"We just have to get the train back to London, and Seamus's mother will escort us from there."
"We have to take that damn train ride again!" Valkyrie groaned "But it was so long!"
"Why not sit with your friends this time, then it won't seem so long."
"But who will you have to talk to?"
"I can talk to myself. I have amazingly complex conversations with myself."
"My conversations are better."
"You just provide an outside opinion that differs from 'Skulduggery is great'."
"Well I'm glad to know I make your life that little bit more bearable." Valkyrie rolled her eyes as they walked out into the main corridors. Students of all ages were filing out towards the carriages, and with every step she took, Valkyrie could feel the lump rising in her throat. It seemed she was walking towards impending doom in the form of her home. She spotted Harry, Ron, Hermione and Neville talking at the end of one of the corridors. They were talking to each other, and Ron was a pale shade of white. Skulduggery didn't seem to notice them as he strode by – after all there were hundreds of students in the corridors all moving in the same direction. Valkyrie slowed slightly, but when they didn't notice her, she quickened her pace back to Skulduggery's side.
"Ron didn't look so good." She muttered.
"Hmm? Sorry I was engrossed in my own thoughts."
"Having those amazing self-conversations were we?" She rolled her eyes.
"Actually I was, and it was very entertaining. So, why did you interrupt?"
"I said 'Ron doesn't look so good'."
"So? Kids get illnesses all the time. You've had quite a few sick days off."
"Yeah, because my bones were broken!"
"Entirely not the point." Skulduggery waved it off and Valkyrie rolled her eyes again, pulling her hat further over her head before they walked out of the corridors and onto soft snow. The sky was covered in grey clouds, a few flakes threatening to fall. The only thing that stood out from the black robes of the students and the pure white of the snow, was the hideous pink of Umbridge's latest dress and feathered hat. Valkyrie bit her lip to stop herself from laughing at it as they passed. She suspected that Umbridge knew she had had some role in the ghost chilli incident, but nothing had been said, and the twins hadn't been punished. Valkyrie wondered if the blood-pen had stopped its scrawling. She'd have to check Harry's hands sometime. Even thinking it in her mind sounded weird.
"You are weird." Darquesse said to her.
"In a good way." Valkyrie muttered under her breath. Skulduggery tilted his head to her.
"What?"
"Nothing, just… " she tapped the side of her head.
"Ah, she's still bothering you then."
"Never stops."
"You wouldn't stop either if you had nothing to do all day but listen to that dead man talk." Valkyrie tried not to let a smile creep onto her lips. The very tone of Darquesse's 'voice' was so amusing she could have laughed out loud.
"What did she say now?" Skulduggery whispered.
"Oh, she's just mocking you."
"Oh goodie." Valkyrie sensed Skulduggery would have been rolling his eyes if he had them, and when they passed the border, and Darquesse eventually shut up, Skulduggery activated his façade and smiled charmingly, brushing his bony fingers through the crop of dark hair before replacing his hat on his head.
They had their own compartment again on the train, next to the prefects compartment as before, and it suggested the train ride would be just as boring as before. Skulduggery put his suitcase on the rack above the seats and Valkyrie did the same with hers. The train was surprisingly warm for such a cold winters day, and after sitting for a few moments becoming uncomfortably warm, Valkyrie began to fidget, and then took off her jacket, revealing the white t-shirt underneath, and folded it onto the seat next to her, putting her hat on top of it and ruffling her hair.
"How can you be warm, it's winter."
"Shut up." Valkyrie retorted, looking out of the window. She spotted Hermione's bushy hair as they walked past and watched them for a moment before they disappeared.
"Hey Skulduggery," She began.
"Mmm."
"You don't think we're putting people in danger, being here I mean, do you?"
"Not really. Why?"
"Well there's been Scapegrace and Thrasher, and then the reflection, not to mention the possibility of…" She gestured to her head again, tapping the side of her skull.
"Scapegrace and Thrasher were an accident and they're not a threat. That man couldn't murder if you practically tied strings to his arms and did it for him. No one could have known about the reflection's sudden change of character, and you-know-who isn't getting out either. There's no threat."
"Yeah, but, I mean, we're not exactly liked by a lot of people. I mean, there's Dusk, and Billy-ray Sanguine, and… Tanith, and, well, lots of others. If they got wind of where we were, don't you think that would be a threat in itself?"
"You being very morbid today."
"Shut up, you know I'm right."
"I've said it before and I'll say it again, purely for your benefit, Hogwarts is unplottable, and even if someone jumped on the roof of the train and followed it all the way to the castle gates, they wouldn't be able to get in. There's all sorts of protective spells over the school, and even if something, or someone did get in, Professor Dumbledore is one of the most skilled men I've ever met, not to mention all the teachers are fully experienced in their own field. Madam Pomfrey could patch up the injured in a heartbeat, but I doubt it would even get that far." Skulduggery said, and Valkyrie sighed, slumping in her seat.
"I know, but if she" Valkyrie gave him a knowing look "ever did get loose, she's practically unstoppable, what with the healing and the multiple braches of power and all that."
"Thank you, that's just what I've been saying, it would be much easier to surrender now and then there wouldn't be a need for 'all that'." Darquesse said.
"You have no input in this conversation." Valkyrie rolled her eyes.
"You're so mean to me."
"Oh piss off."
"Ooh, someone's touchy. Too bad you can't do a thing about it. Oh wait, you could. Let. Me. Out."
"Yeah, somehow I don't think that's a good idea."
"You know you looked very strange sat there having a conversation with yourself." Skulduggery pointed out. Valkyrie scoffed.
"Says you."
"I do say so, yes. However, my conversations are unspoken."
"It's boring to just think what I'm saying to her though, when I don't have to at least."
"If you start talking to her on a regular basis it could become a very bad habit." Skulduggery said, his eyes narrowing slightly, his expression serious.
"Oh shut up dead man."
"Don't be rude." Valkyrie muttered. Skulduggery raised an eyebrow. "She's insulting you again."
"Ah, well. I'm not fond of rude people."
"I'm not fond of idiots."
"Hey, that's being harsh." Valkyrie scolded Darquesse.
"No it isn't."
"Ok this is just getting complicated." Skulduggery sighed. "Don't talk to her for too long, just try to block her out for a while, get some sleep or see your friends or something." The train jolted slightly before moving and Skulduggery tipped his hat over most of his face.
"Are you seriously going to sleep?" Valkyrie asked, raising an eyebrow.
"Yes. Shush." He replied, not moving. Valkyrie rolled her eyes and sat back in her chair. A few moments after the train had left the platform, she folded her arms and began to drum her fingers on her elbow. A few moments after that, she shuffled in her seat, ruffled her hair, rubbed each of her eyes in turn, re-folded her jacket, put her hat on and took it off again, tapped a rhythm on the window, itched the back of her neck, began humming, and then Skulduggery looked up.
"Will you stop fidgeting?" He asked impatiently.
"But I'm bored." She protested.
"Young people have such short attention spans." He muttered.
"Speak for yourself." He lowered his head again, and after a few minutes, Valkyrie stood, paced the compartment twice, and then left, with a short 'bye' to Skulduggery on the way. Hermione had been heading towards the end of the train, so Valkyrie though it would be best to peek out of the corner of her eye at each compartment in turn on her journey to the other end of the train in order to try and find them. She changed carriages quickly and passed through it without spotting them, and into another carriage. She ended up passing through 6 carriages before she found them, chatting away to each other. Ron still looked pale. She tapped on the door with her knuckle, and Harry turned his head to look at her, before he smiled slightly. She took this as an invitation and opened the compartment door.
"Can I come in?" She asked.
"Sure." Harry replied, smiling slightly, and Valkyrie walked in, closing the door behind her.
"Hope I'm not interrupting anything." She smiled.
"No." Hermione said quietly.
"Because if I am I can leave." Valkyrie said quickly "I could come back later if you want."
"No," Harry's smile turned strained "It's just not been a good day."
"Why what's happened?" Valkyrie asked.
"My, dad" Ron muttered "he was attacked. He, he nearly died."
"Oh my God." Valkyrie muttered "Is he alright? Do they know who did it?"
"He's in the hospital." Ron muttered "And they know who did it."
"Well, that's good isn't it? The police, or whoever you guys have can arrest him for assault and attempted murder, right?"
"It was Voldemort, Val." Harry said quietly. Ron shivered at the very mention of his name.
"Ok when I meet this guy I am going to kick his ass." Valkyrie muttered. Harry smiled slightly, as if he found it amusing.
"You couldn't beat Voldemort even if you wanted to. He's far more powerful than any of us."
"Trust me, I'm a lot stronger than I look." Valkyrie said seriously.
"Hey, my strength! You can't tell them that and not include me! I'm feeling under-appreciated here!" Valkyrie did her best not to reply, and was subsequently bombarded with curse words from Darquesse.
"He'll get better Ron. Wizards have one of the best medical forces in the world, right." Valkyrie put her hand on his shoulder, and sighed. "I know how you feel Ron, but he'll be alright. Good guys are always ok in the end." She let the lie slip. So many people had died that didn't deserve it one bit because they were the purest of good people, but that didn't make them any less dead. Or possessed by a remnant. Life just wasn't fair, but at that moment in time, Valkyrie didn't want to say so.
"You think?" Ron said, and Valkyrie nodded with fake confidence.
"I'm sure of it."
