The steam billowed around Valentine's ankles as she shouldered her way around a family. As usual, the platform was packed with other students, their siblings and parents. She and Draco were caught in a particularly thick part of the crowd and Valentine couldn't even see over it.
Draco glanced back over his shoulder at her. For every inch in height Valentine gained, he seemed to grow two more. He just reached back and grabbed her hand to yank her through a group of young students loitering in the middle of the path.
"Move." Valentine growled menacingly at them as she passed.
Several immediately recognised who she was and pulled their friends out of the way.
"I can walk on my own." Valentine ripped her hand from Draco but he was hardly bothered by her ungrateful demeanour and had already spotted Leah and Blaze standing further away by the train.
"Val!" Leah screamed over the roar of the crowd.
Valentine sighed and shared a less than thrilled look with Draco, having no choice but to trudge towards the screeching girl.
"Not to ever defend Leah of all people," Draco leaned over her and whispered. "but she's not happy with you and well, you were gone for most of the summer."
"I will push you under the train, dearest cousin." Valentine warned lightly as she prepared herself for Leah's initial impact.
"You horrible, you horrible- Just HORRIBLE!" Leah flung herself at Valentine the moment she was in reach. "Where in the world have you been?"
"Leah," Valentine groaned, grabbing her friend's arms and wrenching them from around her neck. "get off me."
"But I missed you so, so, SO MUCH!'
"Blaze." Valentine sent a pointed look to the girl's boyfriend, bright blue eyes burning.
Blaze chuckled nervously and grabbed Leah's waist, prying her off Valentine with some effort.
"Just get off her before she kills us both."
"Let me go, traitor!" Leah bellowed. "I said, LET GO!"
They were attracting all kinds of looks from people on the platform but that was nothing if not standard procedure for then by now.
Blaze scowled, whispered something in the flailing girl's ear and she immediately settled.
"Oh, right!" Leah blinked, suddenly seeming to remember something.
"What the hell was that?" Draco's jaw fell open, truly shocked. "Did someone finally manage to tame the beast?"
"You should already know, Draco! I already told you!" Leah exclaimed.
"I have no clue what you're on about."
"Bridget!" Leah shouted, exasperated. "Blaze's big sister?"
"Oh, right." Draco nodded. "Something about her being an extremely mature badass?"
"Yes! She was so cool, Val! She was smart and beautiful and why didn't you answer any of my letters!"
"Uh-huh, that's fascinating, can we get onto the damn train now?" Valentine pursed her lips impatiently.
"I second that!" Blaze quickly agreed and climbed in first.
"So, anyway, like I was saying," Leah continued on unabashed as they searched for an empty compartment. "I stayed at Blaze's for a while at the beginning of the summer and I got to meet his family. It was seriously so much fun! His brother is hilarious and his sister is just so freaking cool and, oh my god! I almost forgot! Blaze is an uncle! He's an uncle and he never told us!"
"I knew he was an uncle." Draco frowned.
"Yes, I'm fairly certain he mentioned that at least once." Added Valentine.
"What?" Leah squawked, offended. "How am I the only one who never knew?"
"Maybe because you can't hear anyone else over the sound of your own voice?" Draco suggested.
"Whatever! Moving on! Blaze's niece, Willow, is seriously the cutest thing I have ever seen in my entire life." Leah gushed. "She could even melt your frosty, dead heart, Draco."
"So you've told me a million times." Draco sighed, not even bothering with the effort of an insult.
Valentine felt a slight pang of guilt for leaving Draco to deal with Leah all on his own as often as she had. In her defence, she would have brought Draco along with her if she could have.
"Look, here." Blaze stopped at a compartment door.
"There's someone in there." Leah surveyed.
"So?" Blaze scoffed and slid the door open loudly. "Out. Now."
A first-year sat nervously staring back at him, robes still black and unmarked.
"You deaf?" Draco sneered.
"Out of my way." Valentine pushed to the front of them. She walked into the compartment casually and sat down across from the student. She let her lips stretch into a thin kind smile pared with inhumanly bright eyes. "Hello there. My name is Valentine Lestrange and these are my friends. Either you get out, or I force you. Understand?"
The student didn't nod or speak. Their bottom lip dropped, eyes sparkled with tears and they just jumped up and ran from the compartment.
I'm sorry.
The others watched the student scurry down the aisle.
The guilt Valentine felt for Draco was nothing compared to what she felt now.
"You're welcome?" Valentine said loudly, pulling their attention back to her.
"Nice one." Draco grinned.
"High five!" Blaze thrust his hand out towards her. She looked at his hand and then to him and then back to his hand. His face rapidly changed as he realised what he had just done and who he had just done it to. "I mean...ignore that..."
Blaze quickly recoiled his hand. He dropped into the spot where the first year had been sitting.
Leah then sat beside him and Draco beside Valentine.
Why does it feel like it's been a lifetime since I last saw everyone?
"When I was at Blaze's place, having the time of my life by the way, we got to swim every day!" Leah easily went back to her original topic. "Because the Zambini Estate is right next to the water. Oh, hey! You guys should come visit as well next break."
"That's not a bad idea, actually. My parents wouldn't mind." Blaze added. "And Beck's constantly screaming for attention anyway."
"Yeah, no wonder he and Leah got on so well." Draco sniggered.
"Oi!" Leah stuck her foot out to kick at his shin, but Draco shifted his leg at the last second and her foot hit the seat instead. "Ouch! What'd you move for?"
"You don't seriously think I would just sit there and let you kick me?"
"Well, why not!"
Blaze leaned towards Valentine with a whisper.
"You know, I'd complain about how much of a freaking spaz she is but after you and Draco put up with her for fifteen years, I guess it's my turn."
Valentine arched a brow
"But you do complain."
"Oh, how I've missed you continuously tearing me down with your logic." Blaze sighed wistfully.
"Uh-huh." Valentine just rolled her eyes and looked out onto the platform. The crowd was steadily thinning, students boarding one by one.
She thought about the band, about how much Leah and Delaney really were alike. She thought about the violin stashed away in her wardrobe back at the manor. It's not as though she was keeping it a secret. Draco and Narcissa had already caught her playing it once during her brief returns from the Muggle world, but she didn't want other peoples hands on it. It was like her real-life would somehow taint the one she'd experienced over the summer. She wanted to keep it as untouched as possible.
"I wasn't kidding though." said Blaze. "You guys should visit. Christmas isn't too far off and I know the Malfoys and Lovats celebrate together, but maybe after Christmas, you could all come by. Liam too obviously."
"Right, where is he?" Draco frowned, leaning towards the door
Liam...I had almost forgotten all about him...I haven't told anyone of them yet.
She glanced at her cousin and friends from the corner of her eye.
Maybe he's already told them. I know we all exchange letters over the holidays. Liam told me that Draco knew he was in love with me. I could have avoided so much trouble if he had kept it to himself but there isn't anything to be done about it now. But does that mean Draco also knows I turned him down? Would Draco have mentioned it by now if he had? He never even told me about Liam's feelings in the first damn place...And what about those two nuts? They'd never been able to keep quiet about something like this for long. I suppose it's more likely Liam didn't want to talk about it at all, seeing how I turned him down flat and none too gracefully.
"The last I heard from him was over a month ago." Leah pouted. "Usually he's so good with letters, you know?"
"I haven't heard from him for a while either actually." said Blaze. "You think maybe his grandfather has been giving him a hard time?'
"Have you heard from him, Val?" Leah asked.
"I-" Valentine opened her mouth to lie through her teeth when the compartment door slid open.
"Hey, guys." Liam appeared in the doorway.
"Hey." Draco greeted him first "We were just talking about you."
"Yeah, where were you all summer man?" asked Blaze.
"You were almost as bad as Val!" Leah pursed her lips sourly.
Valentine looked back out the window so she wouldn't have to make eye contact with anyone, or Liam in particular.
"Sorry about that." Liam said sheepishly. "I got kind of busy and I always meant to write but kept putting it off. But...I have some good news..."
"Well?" Draco asked expectantly.
"Well, I, uh..."
Valentine couldn't see him but could she feel his eyes trained on her. She didn't move, she didn't speak, suddenly wishing she was invisible.
"I talked to Philips."
"Oh, really?" Blaze perked up in interest.
"I thought it'd be something good though." Leah grumbled.
"Shut up, you." Draco scolded her. "Well? Are you going to tell us what happened or not?"
Liam entered the compartment and sat down beside Draco.
"There's actually not a lot to tell." Liam explained. "I told her that I like her."
"Annnnd?" Blaze prompted.
"And...we decided to...you know, get together. Officially. We're dating.
"Nice one." Draco clapped him on the shoulder in congratulations.
"High five!" Blaze said for the second time that day but before he could receive it, a new voice interrupted him.
"Found you."
Valentine kept her eyes pointed in the other direction but she recalled the voice with ease.
"Oh, hey there."
Valentine could hear the smile in Liam's voice.
At least he's smiling at all.
"Hey, Philips." Blaze greeted her as well.
"Liam's already told us." said Draco. "Congratulations."
"Thank you." Philips replied. "Well, I just wanted to say hi. I should go find the girls, now. They'll be lost without me. See you at school then?"
"Of course." said Liam. "Tell them hi from me."
It was meaningless small talk, but that smile in Liam's voice could not be disregarded. The thought that he might have found what he wanted from her with someone else that could actually give it to him was a good one.
She just wished Liam was all she had to worry about.
--Pretending To Live--
When they arrived at Hogsmeade platform, it was already dark as per usual. Draco was always the second to spot Harry but the first to voice it and tonight was no different.
And here we go.
"Surprised the Ministry's still letting you walk around free, Potter." Draco marched up to Harry and his friends, his ever-present aura of self-importance on full blast. "Better enjoy it while you can, I suspect there's a cell in Azkaban with your name on it."
Harry lunged towards him, anger etched into his face.
Draco stumbled back in fear, Valentine grabbing his arm and pushing him behind her.
"What did I tell you? Complete nutter." Draco spat as he pulled Valentine along like he only backed off because this was beneath him and he wanted to leave. The others followed close behind.
"Just stay away from me!" Harry screamed after them.
Valentine glanced behind her as they continued on. Ron was holding his friend back.
"It's only Malfoy." He said. "What do you expect?"
Harry met Valentine's eyes as he pulled out of his friend's grip. She turned her eyes forward dismissively with an audible scoff.
He'll be fine.
Valentine did her best to assure herself.
He's strong. If he can't handle a bully, Voldemort will never be stopped. Although he usually doesn't have such a short fuse...
Draco led them down off the platform, stilling muttering curses under his breath about Harry.
Leah and Blaze were holding hands. Leah had also offered her other hand to Valentine but it only earned a droll, somewhat disgusted look.
Liam had quickly excused himself to go find Jane Philips as soon as the train had stopped. He and Valentine still hadn't exchanged a single word.
They stepped out into the path and for the first time in her life, Valentine Lestrange saw a Thestral.
It was a large creature, very horse-like on first glance. Skeletal in appearance, dark skin sunken on its bones, bat-like wings protruding from their backs. There was one attached to each carriage.
Valentine recognised them as what they were almost immediately. She'd read about Thestral's, although she wasn't sure she would ever see one. Thestrals were invisible to all, unless one had witnessed death and fully understood it. People were generally dubious of them and viewed them as a bad omen purely due to their association with death.
Valentine saw an image of the wind rushing around Olivia's body as she fell. She thought about how she came closer to death last year than she ever wanted to be. It was really no wonder she could see them.
She glanced into the faces of the others. No one said a word. She was the only one who could see them. Draco went straight for the closest carriage, climbing on first. Valentine fought the urge to reach out and touch the beast. It blinked at her calmly, as if recognising that she could see it.
"Come on." Draco held out his hand for her to take.
Begrudgingly she did so and he pulled her up into the carriage.
"Does this mean Philips is going to be around all the time now?" Leah asked softly.
"Probably." Draco shrugged.
Leah looked nothing less than displeased.
"Do you really not like her that much?" Blaze gave her a confused look.
"I don't know!" Leah waved her arms about wildly. "I mean, she's nice, but all those rumours..."
"They're just rumours." Draco insisted, rolling his eyes. "I've told you a million times not to believe everything you're told."
--Pretending To Live--
The first thing Leah had done when they'd gotten to the Great Hall table was grab the biggest chicken leg she could find, hold it above her head and declare herself the Chicken Queen. She then demanded that Blaze become either her Gravy or Baked Potato King, the choice was up to him.
Collectively, without saying a word, the others decided that the best way with this situation was to pretend as though it wasn't even happening in the first place.
Valentine sat as far away from Leah as possible so that if she decided to get particularly clingy, Leah wouldn't get her greasy fingers all over Valentine's robes.
Draco sat beside her as usual but then Liam sat beside Blaze and right across from herself. She couldn't tell if he was trying to go about business as normal and forget everything that happened, if it truly didn't bother him now that he had Jane Philips or if he had just made a terrible decision on both their parts.
Meanwhile, Leah had dubbed them all royal subjects of Roast-land and was now brandishing the large chicken leg like a sceptre.
Valentine could have sat there, eating, listening to Leah's dinner fantasy world and trying to avoid making awkward eye contact with Liam, but instead, she looked at the staff table.
Down the end furthest from the Slytherin table, sat McGonagall, Snape and a short woman wearing an obscenely pink set of clothing.
That must be Umbridge.
Now, Valentine was rather accustomed to bright colours due to growing up with Leah but this was particularly bizarre to be seen worn by a teacher and Ministry Official. Her two-piece suit was boxy and fuzzy, with ruffles in odd places. Even her shoes, stockings and strange quilted hat were pink. Valentine was convinced that even if the entire ensemble had been black, it still would have been the ugliest thing she had ever seen.
She met eyes with Snape briefly, neither of the two lingering. Valentine almost wanted to laugh at how utterly displeased both Snape and McGonagall appeared to be. They looked like sullen, disturbed children but Valentine knew it was nothing to laugh about. Umbridge couldn't be trusted.
With her eyes already in that direction, Valentine saw Dumbledore approaching the podium before he began to speak.
"Good evening, children." He said, and the hall began to quiet. "Now, we have two changes in staffing this year. We're pleased to welcome back Professor Grubbly-Plank who'll be taking Care of Magical Creatures while Professor Hagrid is on temporary leave. We also wish to welcome our new Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher, Professor Dolores Umbridge."
The woman in question gave a pleased, high-pitched giggle at her mention. Valentine watched Snape's head turn slowly towards her in lightly veiled disgust and could do nothing but agree with him.
"And I'm sure you'll all join me in wishing the Professor good luck." Dumbledore didn't pause for applause which was an intelligent choice as there was none. "Now, as usual, our caretaker, Mr Filch, has asked me to remind you-"
Umbridge cleared her voice loudly, interrupting the Headmaster's speech.
Dumbledore turned to her with a questioning and dumbfounded expression.
The woman stood up from the table and approached the podium herself. Everyone was too stunned to do anything but stare at her.
What the fuck does she think she's doing?
"Thank you, Headmaster, for those kind words of welcome." She folded her hands in front of her. "And how lovely to see all your bright, happy faces smiling up at me. I'm sure we're all going to be very good friends."
Valentine and her friends all exchanged the same bewildered expression. There was nothing about how the students were receiving her that could be described as 'bright' or 'happy'.
"She works for the Ministry." said Liam, seeming confused how she had become a teacher. "She's friends with my grandfather."
"Then why is she here?" Blaze frowned but no one could reply when Umbridge continued to speak.
"The Ministry of Magic has always considered the education of young witches and wizards to be of vital importance. Although each headmaster has brought something new to this historic school," Umbridge smiled at Dumbledore in acknowledgement. Dumbledore returned it with a thin, merely polite smile of his own that faded the moment. Umbridge turned back towards the students. "Progress for the sake of progress must be discouraged. Let us preserve what must be preserved. Perfect what can be perfected and prune practices that ought to be prohibited."
The woman gave another girlish giggle. She stood there, watching them all as if waiting for some kind of booming applause.
"Thank you, Professor Umbridge. That really was most...illuminating." said Dumbledore, taking up the applause as she returned to her seat.
The students followed suit, clapping their hands enthusiastically and only because Dumbledore had done so. Valentine refused to lift her hands from her lap.
Dumbledore finished off his speech without much delay, knowing the students would like to return to their meal and probably try to mentally process what the hell had just happened.
"Okay, so I'm the crazy one so I might be wrong but...that was weird, right?" said Leah.
"Definitely weird." Blaze confirmed.
Valentine's eyes were still on Umbridge as her heels clacked all the way back to her seat.
"Oh no." said Draco.
"Oh no?" said Liam.
"I've seen that look before...Val?"
"Hmm?" She spared him a fleeting look.
"Wait." Liam blinked. "That's how she used to look at Lockhart."
"Oh, shit, it is." Blaze's jaw dropped open in realisation.
"You're not going to try something, are you?" Draco asked nervously. "She's from the Ministry, Val. We can't get away with the things we did to Lockhart this time."
"...We'll see once classes begin."
Draco swallowed thickly and looked at the others.
"That's not good."
Valentine and Snape exchanged another fleeting glance.
This is going to be one hell of a year.
--Pretending To Live--
Valentine and her friends had headed to the Slytherin common room after dinner as they usually had and Leah suddenly remembered that Liam hadn't heard anything about her time in the Zambini household. There was no escape for him. Or for any of them.
"...and then Blaze's dad told us this story about when Beck was in school and they got a letter home from Dumbledore because half of the boys and girls in his year were crying over him!" Leah practically bounced in her seat as she relayed the story.
"I honestly don't see what any of those people were crying about." Blaze sighed. "I mean, Beck is far from a catch but he had half of Hogwarts trying to get into his pants. And at least half of them probably succeeded knowing him, but why? Apparently, they used to just throw themselves at him like he was the greatest thing since sliced bread?"
"You're biased because he's your brother." said Liam.
"Yeah, of course, you're not going to see how attractive he is." Leah shrugged like it was obvious.
"Okay. No. No, no, no. Not cool. Not even a little." Blaze leaned away from her as far as he could, pushing Valentine as he did and forcing her back into Draco's shoulder. The couch was already a little small for all four of them and he was making it much worse. "Please do not talk about my brother like that when I'm around. I seriously think I'm going to get hives."
"The truth is the truth, Blazie."
"That's not the point!" Blaze leaned away from her even further.
"Excuse me." Valentine shoved her shoulder hard against Blaze's back and he immediately sat up straight, turning to her with a sheepish smile.
"My bad."
"Yes." Valentine narrowed her gaze in warning. "Your bad."
"He was pretty nice to look at though." Leah continued, directing her words at Liam, who was the only one there likely to appreciate what she was saying. "He looked a lot like Blaze but taller and a sharper jawline. Oh, and his arms were way more defined."
"Please!" Blaze slapped his hands over his ears. "If you have to say it can you wait until I'm not around!"
"Sounds decent to me." Liam laughed.
"Don't start Highcourt!" Blaze glared. "Thirsting after Krum was one thing but my brother is a hundred per cent off limits! Besides, you're spoken for now! Don't forget that!"
"Calm down, man. I've never even met your brother."
Liam leaned back in the large armchair beside the couch, ever collected compared to Blaze's fervour.
As Valentine turned to stare into the emerald flames in the hearth, ill-fatedly, their eyes met. Liam's eyes flashed with a brief glimpse of pain before quickly turning back to Leah. It was the first instance of direct eye contact they'd had since his confession.
Valentine felt his pain in her chest like a steel trap. She had seen it before when she turned him down.
And there's that guilty feeling again. This is exactly the type of thing I should be avoiding. It wasn't my fault. It would have been crueler to have lied to him and accepted his feelings when I see him as nothing more than a friend. I shouldn't give him hope for something that won't ever be between us, or between me and anyone for that matter.
She hated this. Not being able to look a friend in the face.
If I keep acting like this, someone is bound to notice. Sure, it's awkward as hell seeing him again, but it's not supposed to be like this. I turned him down so I shouldn't be behaving any differently.
She shot a side glance at Draco. He was the most likely to know what had happened but he had shown no signs thus far. It seemed that Liam had kept it all to himself.
Leah continued on with her summer stories, Blaze occasionally chiming in as he was present too and often needed to correct facts that were set askew by Leah's unique world view. Liam listened attentively in that patient manner of his while Draco sat there with a withering, dull look on his face. He'd heard all these stories before again and again and yet Leah hadn't lost a shred of fondness for them.
Eventually, Liam excused himself for bed and Valentine felt like a weight on her chest that she hadn't even known was there, was lifted. After Liam, Blaze began yawning every thirty seconds and Leah eventually let him go with only a small complaint about him being lame.
"Now, it's just you and me." Leah scooted over to Valentine's side. Draco arched a brow at her as if to say, 'excuse me, I'm here too', but stayed silent. "Are you going to tell me where you were all summer, then? Every time I came over no one could even tell me where you'd gone!"
"No one knew, because no one was told." Valentine told her cool.
"Oh, come on!" Leah whined. "Why can't you tell me? We're you in Diagon Alley? There's no way you could have spent so much time there. You don't like people."
"It's none of your concern where I was Leah." Valentine brushed her off.
"Just tell me!" Leah slapped at the other girl's leg in frustration. "Don't make me come up with theories you won't like them!"
Valentine shot Leah a dangerous glare that said it all and smacked her hand away.
"Fine!" Leah pouted. "You asked for it! There's plenty of places you could have been. Oh! I know! All those Durmstrang boys seemed to like you a lot. Maybe you were with them, eh?"
"I have not seen them since they left and I have no desire to."
"Arg! Why can't you just tell me!"
"Because I do not have to tell you anything."
Leah crossed her arms over her chest with a grumble.
"Fine. Meanie. I'm going to bed." Leah lifted her chin and spoke as if she was taking the high road in the situation. "Good night."
And she stomped off towards the girls dormitories, Valentine and Draco watching her leave without a hint of remorse.
"And she was worse over the summer then she was today, you know." Draco huffed. "Just wouldn't shut up. I think she's told me more about Blaze's family then he has."
"Not surprised are you?"
"Surprised? By that lunatic?" Draco scoffed. "Hardly. She'd have to start using common sense and logic for that to happen. Even her mother was getting sick of her after the first week she came back.
"Yes." Valentine frowned. "And Blaze is dating that."
"I'll never understand it." Draco shrugged. "But better him than me."
"Not to completely turn the tables on you, cousin, but I don't think anyone that knew you as a child could ever fall for you."
"Ouch." Draco winched. "Let's change the subject. What about Liam and Philips?"
"What about them?" Valentine turned her eyes back towards the fire.
"Well, I for one never thought Liam would actually ask her out. I don't think anyone did."
Valentine cocked her head to one side, leaning back on the couch leisurely.
"I knew."
"What?" Draco blinked, brows furrowed. "Did he tell you? Was it over the summer? Is...is that where you were?"
"What? Did I spend the entire summer secretly hanging out with Liam? No, that's ridiculous. I knew he would ask her because I'm the one who told him to do it."
"What are you talking about?"
"Liam came to the manor over the holidays. To see me. He didn't stay long." As Valentine spoke she watched Draco's eyes widened. "He confessed romantic feelings for me. I turned him down and told him to pursue Jane Philips instead."
Draco stared at her for a moment, utterly wordless. Then he suddenly seemed to find his voice, starting with a furious hiss.
"He told me he wasn't going to try anything! We both agreed that he didn't have a chance!"
"He didn't do anything inappropriate, idiot." Valentine scolded him, before her eyes darkened. "And that's beside the point, Draco Lucius Malfoy. Liam also told me that you already knew. You knew and you never thought to tell me."
Draco looked like a white rabbit caught in a trap.
"I-uh-I-um..." He stuttered helplessly.
"Why didn't you tell me, cousin?" Valentine leaned towards him, malcontent radiating from her small form.
"Liam...Liam wouldn't have wanted me to!" Draco argued weakly. "Anyway, it's not as if you like him, right? "
"Of course not. But next time I find you hiding something from me, anything, you'll wish you'd hadn't."
"I won't." Draco shook his head earnestly. "Okay?"
"Good." Valentine leaned away from him. "I don't need to be caught off guard like that again."
"You...you, ah, really never noticed it before?" Draco asked carefully.
"It's not as if I keep an eye out for romantic gestures." Valentine shot him an annoyed look.
"Yeah, I suppose..."
This romance stuff really sucks.