Valentine glared at Snape across the classroom. He returned it with a scowl. It was the first day of classes and the very first class at that and things were business as usual. She sat towards the back with the others in a perfect vantage point to watch Harry sitting closer to the front.
They were doing theory work for a Calming Draught they'd be brewing next lesson. While the others copied down notes from the blackboard, Valentine scratched her dry quill back and forth over her parchment. Writing down something she knew seemed like a waste of ink to her.
She glanced at the boys sitting to her left. Blaze was on the end, writing as quickly as possible. Snape had a tendency to give them less than adequate time to get everything down. Beside him, Liam was working at a steady pace, handwriting neat and tidy. Between Liam and Valentine was Draco who was thoroughly distracted with glowering at the back of Harry's head.
At least I have the time to glare at people during class. He should actually be getting this down.
And that was made all the more evident when Snape waved his wand at the board and the duster rose, wiping away the words. Several students groaned.
"Well, then perhaps you should write faster!" The Professor just snapped at them and waved his wand again, writing a new line on words on the board.
Valentine sighed and dropped her quill. It was times like this when she thought about Lupin's offer the year before. Academically speaking, she likely would have been much better off if she was moved up a grade. She might have actually had to study or pay full attention in class. But that wouldn't do. This way she was close to Harry throughout a decent portion of the day. Not to mention she'd be graduating a year before him if she had moved up a grade. No, it was much better for her to stay where she was.
She glanced to her right this time. At Leah. She was paying even less attention than Valentine and although that wasn't uncommon for her, it was only due to distraction. She was usually drawing all over her textbook or trying to balance something on her head. But this was different. She was just staring off at nothing, something she was doing a lot of lately, even at breakfast which usually had her rapt attention
"Hideous, don't you think?" Valentine leaned into the other girl and whispered.
Leah blinked like she'd heard her wrong and looked at her, brow crinkled in confusion.
"Old bat breath." Valentine tipped her towards Snape.
He was lurking over Neville's shoulder like a prison warden.
"I swear he gets uglier every time I see him. At first, I thought my eyesight was going, but no. It was just his hideous mug. I wouldn't be surprised if I started going blind at this rate. I'd be my body's way of protecting itself."
Leah laughed aloud and then quickly slapped a hand over her mouth.
They watched the owner of said hideous mug shoot them a warning glare and then approach the board to wipe it down again.
"Ugh." Valentine grimaced. "I think I'm seeing black spots in my vision. That cannot be normal."
Leah smothered another giggle.
"Stop, you'll get us in trouble." She whispered.
"Who's getting in trouble?" Draco leaned in towards them.
"Val said that Snape was so ugly that it was making her go blind."
Draco immediately looked as though he was going to laugh himself, but quickly schooled his features into a frown.
"Val, really? We just got back and you're already starting?"
"I have no idea what you're talking about."
"Lestrange." Snape wasn't facing her but she could hear how he gritted her name through his teeth. "I can hear you talking."
"Really? How odd. I don't think I was."
Snape shot a sardonic look over this shoulder.
"I'm not in the mood for your jokes."
"Oh, I never joke, sir. You should know me better than that by now."
"Malfoy."
"Uh, yes, sir?" Draco sat straighter.
"Control your cousin."
Valentine laughed out loud, bitter and harsh.
"Doesn't he sound just like your father, Draco? About the same amount of brain power between them as well."
"Lestrange!" Snape slammed a fist on his desktop, startling a handful of children.
"Hmm." Valentine nodded thoughtfully. "That's Lucius alright. Although usually he just calls me ungrateful or something dull and unimaginative like that."
"Why do you always insist on this constant disrespect!"
"Why would you ask me like you'll get a straight answer? Wow. You really don't know me at all do you, sir?"
"I only wish that was true!"
"Glad there's something we can agree on!"
Draco dropped his face into his hands, muttering.
"One year. That's all I ask. Just one damn year."
-Pretending To Live-
Initially, Valentine had been making good time. When Liam had spotted Jane Philips and gone off after her, the others had followed as if flirting was some kind of spectators sport. Valentine had just rolled eyes at them and gone ahead on her own. They were already a little late as it was because Snape had held her back after class to scold her. The others had waited for her even though she'd told Draco to go on ahead. She didn't need an angry letter from Lucius complaining that his son was late for class because of her bad influence.
Despite Snape, Valentine thought she was making excellent time on her journey to the Defense Against the Dark Arts classroom. The halls were almost empty by now but she wasn't worried about being a little late herself. A late arrival and typically flippant attitude about such would probably make her seem arrogant, which wasn't exactly something she strived against. A new teacher meant a new person to impose her character. Maybe Snape hadn't been as much as an inconvenience as she had told him that he was being.
Valentine rounded a corner and though she wasn't going particularly fast, the person that flew into her was.
The other body collided with hers with a grunt and Valentine fought to keep her footing on cobblestone. Her eyes were immediately ablaze with a vicious glare.
She glowered down at the student, a small girl, even smaller than she'd been in her first year. And she was certainly a first year as Valentine recalled her two ginger braids, hanging even longer than Leah's waist-length hair. Her robes were black and yellow; a Hufflepuff. She stared up at Valentine with wide green eyes, decently terrified to tie it all up in a nice little victim package.
"Oh, gosh! I'm so sorry, are you alright?" The girl gasped an air of caution in the way she stepped back slightly. It may have been only the first day of classes but Valentine's reputation had been designed to spread fast. "I'm really late for class and this place is so huge! I have no idea where I'm going. I'm really sorry I just ran into you like that."
The girl rambled off another apology, avoiding Valentine's intense gaze. Then the girl shifted and the light of a nearby window crossed over her gaze. It lit her eyes like bright gems. Bright, bright, almost lime green.
Valentine blinked and she saw the face of another girl who apologised like that like the world would end if she didn't. Like everything was her fault and she needed to immediately make amends. Valentine blinked again and that girl was gone, leaving only the nervous Hufflepuff in her place.
"Um. Are you alright?" The girl asked again.
She seemed nice. It really was a pity that their paths crossed.
"Are you? Or are you really just that stupid?" Valentine snapped abruptly.
"W-what?" The girl stuttered in surprise at such a harsh reply.
"You clearly need to learn a thing or two about the way these halls operate." Valentine's lips curled back into a snarl and she took several threatening steps forwards. "One; Watch where the hell you're going. Two; Eye contact with your betters is insulting."
Valentine lurched forwards completely and grabbed the top of the girls head, forced it down to face the floor.
The girl gave a frightened squeal and tried to pull away but Valentine's hands tightened in her hair.
"Stop squirming, you little rodent. And do not look me in the eyes. Don't look in my general direction. Don't even think of me. Your mind isn't worthy of thoughts of me." If Valentine were someone else, she might have listened to the words that left her mouth and pretended they were not her own, but they were her own and she didn't hide from that. "These halls belong to me. You should be grateful, vermin, grateful I don't kill you where you stand."
An older student suddenly froze at the end of the hall. Staring. Startled. Conflicted. Expression torn between guilt and their own preservation. They made a quick decision and with a lingering apologetic glance, hurried on without a word.
The Hufflepuff whimpered under Valentine's grip.
"Please...please let me go."
Valentine clicked her tongue with disdain and shoved the girl away.
"Run on to class, you pathetic little badger. And keep your mouth shut or I'll carve those eyes from your skull and you'll never be able to look at anyone ever again."
The girl gave a fearful nod, tears misting her gaze and then she scurried away in haste.
Valentine watched her go. She blinked and for a split second, she was outside in a courtyard. She blinked again and she was back in the hall.
She sighed heavily and twisted at the ring on her finger.
Now, both our days are effectively ruined.
-Pretending To Live-
Valentine could hear the ear-piercing screech through the door as she approached. She pushed it open without hesitation, biting back a wince as it grew louder. She had only a singular moment to observe the scene before her.
Neville Longbottom and MadEye Moody standing by the teacher's desk across the room. The boy's face was locked up in a painful, tormented grimace. MadEye Moody had his wand drawn and pointed at a large spider on the desktop. It writhed in agony, its many legs twitching and contracting. This was the source of the horrible noise and filled Valentine's skull like a scream. She realised what was happening almost immediately. There was only one spell that could do this.
"Stop it!" As Hermione cried out, Valentine was already moving.
The Cruciatus Curse. The freaking curse that destroyed Neville's parents. Parents that were destroyed by my own. This is wrong.
"Can't you see it's bothering him, stop!-"
Valentine marched up between the desks, eyes narrowed. She grabbed the textbook from Lavender Brown's desk as she passed.
I'm putting an end to this.
Before Hermione could complete her desperate plea, Valentine was standing before them all. No one had even seen her at the door, let alone how she had suddenly appeared beside Neville in such a short time. But they all heard the sound of the textbook hitting the desk and silence that followed from the tormented creature.
She could feel the eyes on her and yet she lifted her head as if they weren't even there. She tossed a curl over her shoulder and looked up at MadEye.
"It was annoying me." She smiled at him with a too sweet, patronizing kind of tone.
The man's eyes darkened upon her.
She didn't even glance in the direction of the trembling boy beside her. She thought he'd been through enough today already.
"Ah, Miss Valentine Lestrange, so good of you to finally bless us with your presence." MadEye's words were laced with a heavy dose of both irritation and sarcasm.
"Oh, the pleasures all mine, Professor." She spoke too pleasantly to be genuine.
The students watched, silent, on edge. The tension filling the room was thick enough to choke on. Each had seen her goad on the likes of Severus Snape and live to talk about it, but this felt less like bloody threats thrown back and forth in a battle of wits and much more like two murders sitting down for tea. Far more concerning and certainly foreign to them.
The man's lip curled at her, artificial eye twitching erratically as if taking in every inch of her at once
Bloody hell. I've seen some disconcerting things, but he creeps even me out.
"I would apologise for my tardiness, sir, but I think you'll find I don't do much of that."
MadEye grunted in a manner that could have been either a laugh or a snarl. Valentine had no way to decipher which.
"As you can see, Miss Lestrange, we're going over an introduction to the Three Unforgivable Curses." MadEye lifted up the book to show the spider, half crushed and still twitching.
"How delightful." Valentine nearly laughed herself, a casual tone only adding more to the tension in the air.
MadEye watched her for a moment longer, searching her eyes for something she couldn't place. Then he scooped the insect in the palm of his hand, wand still drawn. He moved past both Valentine and Neville, standing in front of Hermione's desk. It seemed her disapproval had not been lost on him.
He dropped the spider down onto her textbook. It clung to life, just barely, and tears had gathered in Hermione's eyes as she tried in vain to look away from it.
What the hell is wrong with this man? Why is he doing this?
"Perhaps you can give us the last unforgivable curse, Miss Granger?"
Hermione shook her head.
"I can. It happens to be my favourite." Valentine spoke up, strolling boldly over to them, MadEye watching her again. She paused and leaned down to poking at the dying creature with the tip of her finger. She smiled. "The Killing Curse."
She met the Professor's eyes, bright blue gaze sparkling with sick interest. He almost seemed to smile himself and it unnerved her.
He raised his wand.
"Avada Kedavra!" The spider gaze one last screech as light struck it. It curled up there on the desk, never to move again. MadEye turned his attention to the class, looking out over their disturbed faces. No one spoke, or moved. They just waited in quiet horror to see what would happen next.
He approached Harry's desk while pulling out his flask from his coat and it put Valentine on high alert.
"The Killing Curse." MadEye confirmed. "Only one person is known to have survived it. And he's sitting in this room."
He took a deep swing from his flask, gaze still on Harry pointedly.
"Oh, please." Valentine grumbled. "If I have to hear that damn story one more time-"
"Yes, yes, Miss Lestrange." MadEye cut her off abruptly, wiping at his mouth with his sleeve. "Now take your seat so we can continue the lesson!"
Valentine huffed but did so, seeking out where her friends sat. She saw that Pansy had found the gall to take a seat next to Draco and saw the panic that crossed over her face when their eyes met.
"Move." Valentine hissed and Pansy scrambled to her feet to find another spot.
Valentine slid in beside Draco, sighing like this was all some great inconvenience for her.
"What?" Valentine asked when she took a moment to look at his pale face.
"N-nothing." Draco stuttered out. "I'm fine."
-Pretending To Live-
Watching overconfident, seventeen-year-old boys swaggering up to the goblet and throw pieces of parchment into it wasn't exactly what Valentine would call a good time and yet, here she was. Finding it exactly the opposite of a good time. The other's though seemed to find it particularly novel, as did half the school.
Ugh. Why am I here? I would rather be outside in the rain.
Draco insisted that if he had been of age, then he most certainly would have put his name in as well. The mere thought raised Valentine's blood pressure and she could only imagine how Narcissa would feel about that. Originally, the tournament had been held every five years. That meant that if they were to restart said tradition, that Draco would completely miss out on his chance at either glory or death by two years. That knowledge settled Valentine somewhat. If Draco was safe due to his age then so was Harry. Not that she thought he'd be interested in something like that.
Harry, from what she had observed, had never been overly fond of his fame. She glanced at him across the hall to where he was standing with Ron. He didn't seem like he was itching to put his own name in. He'd been in enough dangerous situations by now that putting himself in another one just for the fun of it, probably didn't hold the same appeal as it did with everyone else. Valentine herself thought that if her circumstances had been different, she wouldn't have been overjoyed with people's assumptions and preconceived misconceptions of her, all due to her heritage and the parents she didn't even have any memories of. And she certainly found herself in enough dubious situations that throwing herself into a death match seemed like a poor decision. She already had a life-sucking parasite in her head as it was.
What would he even do with eternal fame and glory anyway? He practically already has that.
A Gryffindor boy was followed by two other boys as he marched up to the goblet, straight through the misty white age line drawn to prevent underage students from trying to add their names. At first, the boy seemed decently self-assured, shoulders square, chin level. Then he paused and glanced around the room like he had just realized how many people were watching.
"Come on, man!" One of his friends nudged with a grin.
"Get that glory!" His other friend slapped him on the shoulder.
The boy forced a smile back onto his face and dropped his name into the goblet. Applause spread throughout the room and he turned to bow to them all comically.
Well. He's going to be eaten alive if he gets in, that's for sure.
"I hope he doesn't get picked." Draco scoffed, loud enough that half the hall could hear. "Hogwarts won't even last the first task if he's the Champion."
A Durmstrang boy went up next and without hesitating, admitted his name.
"He might be alright though." Said Liam. "Not for Hogwarts but for entertainment in general."
"Wow. You're really not being subtle about this, are you?" Said Draco.
A dark Ravenclaw boy was next, he smiled the whole time like he had already won.
"Oh, come on!" Draco groaned. "We need something better than that."
By now other students were sending him dirty looks.
"Well, who do you reckon would be better than?" Asked Blaze.
"Oh, what about him?" Leah pointed across the hall. "He's Hufflepuff's Seeker, isn't he?"
"Come on, Cedric!"
A large group of students had rallied around the tall boy, Cedric Diggory. Leah was correct. He was Hufflepuff's Seeker and Team Captain. He had warm brown eyes, shiny dark blond hair soaked from the rain and the kind of smile that made you trust him instantly. He was well known for his friendliness, intelligence, Quidditch skills and physical appearance. Being a seventh year Hufflepuff, Valentine had never had much of anything to do with him despite his popularity. The more she thought about it, the more evident it was that he might actually have a chance at winning this.
"Diggory?" Said Draco. "He's alright, I guess. Better than the other half-wits anyway."
"Do it!"
"Go on, put it in!" Cedric's friends cheered him on, shoving him towards the cup and through the age line.
He turned back to them for a moment, shaking his head in amusement.
"Do it, Ced!"
Cedric turned to face the goblet, his smile dropping and being replaced with a serious expression. He sucked in a breath and then reached up and put his name in as well.
The hall was filled with applause once more as Cedric returned his friends, handing out a round of high fives.
"Whether he wins or not, at least he'd be fun to watch." Liam shrugged.
"I get the feeling that I suddenly know why you go to all of Hufflepuff's games." Blaze shot him a side-eyed glance.
"I'm allowed to look, Blaze."
"And just how many are you looking at?"
"That's for me to know and for you to mind your own business."
"Hey, Val." Leah nudged the girl next to her.
"What?"
Leah poked Valentine's cheek, gently just under her right eye. Then she pointed over at the brilliant flames burning in the goblet.
"Your eyes look just like that."
"Is that so?" Valentine arched a sceptical brow at her, moving the finger away from her face.
"Yeah, only the fire is less, you know, scary and dangerous looking. Like if your eyes were a dinosaur, then they'd be like a T-Rex but the fire would only be like a...a...what's those ones with the long necks, again?"
Leah lifted one arm and posed it above her head as if that would help her remember.
"A Brachiosaurus?"
"Yes! Those!"
"Leah?"
"Hmm?"
"Do you ever think about these thoughts in your head before spewing them out loud?"
"Nope." Leah shrugged. "Cut's down on time that way."
Figures.
"WAHOOOO!"
"YEAHHHHH!"
Here's trouble.
Fred and George came running in, bellowing excitedly.
"Oh, look." Draco didn't seem as impressed as the cheering students around them. "The circus is here."
Valentine had heard rumours all day that the twins were concocting something to bypass the tournament's age minimum. As deceptively clever as they were, Valentine didn't have particularly high hopes for this little scheme of theirs.
The twins ran over to the large group of students, welcomed warmly with pats on the back.
"Thank you, thank you!" They laughed triumphantly.
"Well, lads, we've done it!"
"Cooked it up just this morning!"
"It's not going to work." Hermione sang out from where she sat not far away.
"Oh, yeah?" The twins descending upon her, one hovering at either side of her.
"And why's that Granger?"
"You see this?" Hermione gestured pointedly. "This is an age line. Dumbledore drew it himself."
"So?"
Hermione let out an annoyed huff and shut the book in her lap.
"So; a genius like Dumbledore couldn't possibly be fooled by something as pathetically dim-witted as an aging potion."
"Ah, but that's why it's so brilliant!"
"Because it's so pathetically dim-witted!"
I'm with her on this one. I can see their logic. Their plan is banking on the hope that Dumbledore, being so intelligent, completely over thought the situation and believes that no one would be stupid enough to try something, well, stupid. Please. Have they even met Dumbledore? Good luck boys because this can not end well.
Hermione looked so utterly done with the entire conversation when the twins moved towards the goblet with a chuckle. The two pulled a vial each from their robes.
"Ready Fred?"
"Ready George."
They yanked off the stoppers and intertwined their arms.
"Bottoms up!" They declared in unison and threw back a shot each.
Then they jumped right through the age line. They paused, waiting for some kind of noticeable reaction. When nothing happened they let out a cheer, the other students joining in with roarous applause.
"YEAHHHH!
"They can't really do that, can they?" Asked Blaze.
"Of course, not." Valentine scoffed.
"Ready?" The twins grinned at each other and the crowd grew quiet again.
They reached up and placed their parchment in the goblet. Another pause. Nothing. And more cheering.
"Uh?" Leah stared at them.
"Just wait." Said Valentine.
As if on cue, fire spurted from the goblet, whipping in a large arch through the air. Students screamed and leapt back but it was the twins who were standing too close. The flames hit them directly in the chest and they went soaring across the room.
"Bloody hell!" Blaze exclaimed.
"And here I thought they were clowns instead of acrobats." Draco snickered.
The twins hit the ground with a loud thump. Their hair was quickly turning grey, beards growing from nothing with rapid speed. By the time they'd sat up, each looked a hundred years old at the very least.
"You said-!"
"You said-!"
They immediately launched at one another, hands going for the other's neck. They rolled around on the ground, growling accusations at each other.
The students quickly gathered around them, laughing and chanting.
"Fight! Fight! Fight! Fight!"
Valentine's friends stuck by her side but they stood to see better, joining in on the chant.
"If we're lucky they'll kill each other!" Said Draco.
Valentine rolled her eyes, crossing her arms over her chest. Hermione didn't seem any more impressed than she did, opening up her book again with a sigh.
Oh, the burden of having a fully functional brain.
The heavy doors at the back of the hall creaked open, pulling the attention of the students. In walked Viktor Krum and Durmstrang's High Master, Karkaroff. The students fell silent, the sounds of the twins plummeting each other echoing behind them.
Liam took several steps forward as if pulled by a string. Blaze and Draco each grabbed at a shoulder to hold him back.
"Are we going to have to put a damn leash on you or something?" Blaze grumbled.
"I know he's amazing but have some self-respect." Draco shook his head. "People can see you, you know."
"He has really big shoulders." Leah observed.
"Doesn't he though?" Liam grinned.
"That's it." Said Draco. "We're getting him a leash."
"Can we call it a Thirst Restraint?" Asked Blaze.
"Why do you say things?" Draco sighed.
Krum marched up the goblet and without a hint of hesitation, placed his name into the fire. There was no cheering like there had been before. Everyone was too stunned.
Krum turned to leave and locked eyes with Hermione as he did so. He gave her a ghost of a smile which she returned.
Bloody hell. Is this the Year of Hormones or something?
-Pretending To Live-
Valentine glanced over at the textbooks carried by her friends. Their intention in the library was to study, but the likelihood of that actually happening was fairly low. Valentine didn't know why they bothered at this. Especially in Blaze as he had a natural aversion to all forms of academic effort. Leah was hardly better and with the state she was in, zoning out in class and ignoring her homework, she was likely to fail a handful of classes.
They walked down towards the back where Valentine would usually sit and usually alone. A student sitting not too far from the chosen spot saw them coming and stood, quickly snapping their book shut and hurrying off between the towering bookcases.
They were halfway there when Liam saw of interest and stopped dead in his tracks, Blaze smacking into him from behind.
"You forget how to walk or something?" Blaze hissed in annoyance.
"I'll, uh..." Liam didn't seem to notice how ticked off Blaze was. "...be right back."
Valentine craned her neck to see what was so special that Liam had froze on the spot. Through the gap left by a missing book on a shelf, she could just barely catch a glimpse at a head dark of mahogany waves. Jane Phillips.
Despite what he had said, Liam still hadn't moved.
"Would you hurry the hell up?" Valentine kicked at Liam's leg.
"Ow!" Liam grabbed at his leg, wincing. "Why'd you do that?"
"Why do you find the need to stop and drool over every person that looks your way?"
Liam turned bright red.
"I don't- I mean, I don't drool over every per-...okay, so yeah, but only the pretty ones!"
"Who knew you'd turn out to be such a hoe?" Blaze snickered.
"Shut it, Zambini." Liam slapped at his arm.
"What's a hoe?" Leah asked, blinking innocently. They all stared at her. "Like that gardening tool? How is Liam a gardening tool?"
"Uh, forget I said that." Said Blaze.
"But you did say that."
"I know, but just forget it."
"Why?"
"Because-"
"I do not have the patience for this." Valentine cut Blaze off abruptly and then turned to Liam. "You. Hurry up and go before I drag you there myself."
"Going." Liam shoved his book at Blaze and quickly disappeared into the shelves.
"I still don't know what a hoe is." Said Leah.
"Ask your mother." Said Valentine briskly and started heading towards the back wall again.
"Just don't mention us." Draco added seriously before following.
"Why?"
"Because that way we might escape with our lives."
"But I thought you wanted to die?"
"Not like that I don't."
"I'm confused."
When no one answered Leah she just pouted and started dragging her feet like a sullen child.
When they reached the back of the library, Valentine immediately sat and opened her book. The others did the same but their books remained unopened.
Shocker.
"So, back to Liam and Philips. Do you think he really has a chance?" Asked Blaze.
"I hope not." Said Leah.
They all stared at her again.
"Right, you said something about not liking her the other night, didn't you?" Draco remembered.
"Uh-huh." Leah nodded.
"What's not to like?" Draco arched at her. "She's smart and attractive. Her family could be better, I doubt Liam could ever actually marry her, but for a bit of fun, why not?"
"I heard this rumour back in like, second year, that she was screaming at this girl for wearing the same gloves as her," Leah whispered conspiratorially. "Like, she went completely mental out of nowhere."
"Hot and crazy." Blaze nodded.
"There's always a catch."
"We're not talking about you, Blaze." Draco scoffed.
"What?" Blaze forced out a laugh, pointedly looking as far away from Leah as he possibly could. "What does that even mean?"
This is painful to watch.
"You're an idiot." Draco sighed. "Anyway. It's just a rumour. I demand hard facts or this whole conversation means nothing to me."
"But I heard this from a sixth year who was actually there when she lost her marbles! She said it was like she became a totally different person!"
A librarian walked past them slowly, giving Leah a look.
"Sorry." The girl in question sunk several inches in her chair.
"Trust Liam to have a thing for a total nutball." Said Blaze. "Hotness is great and all but at what cost?"
"Don't just agree with her." Draco snapped at him. "Look Leah, full offence, but you're not exactly a reliable source of information."
"But I'm telling the truth!"
The librarian walked past again, this time clearing her voice. Leah sunk another several inches.
"Seems fake to me." Draco practically turned his nose up at her.
"It's nottttttt." Leah grumbled bitterly.
"But if it is true and she and Liam get together, won't she start hanging around us all the time?" Said Blaze. "What if she goes crazy on one of us?"
"You think Val and I would just let that happen?" Draco scoffed without hesitation.
"Nuh-huh." Leah shook her head firmly. "Val's too cool for that.
"You going to protect us, Val?" Blaze asked Valentine with a wide grin.
"I said Val and I." Draco repeated, but no one was listening.
Valentine glanced up from her book for the first time since they'd sat down. She fixed Blaze with an unwavering stare.
"The only one who gets to mess with your heads is me." Her lips pulled into a small, untrustworthy smile.
This was one of the few times that she was being completely honest while using such a dark tone. She'd always had strong protective instincts ever since she could remember, first towards Draco and Leah and now towards the others. She wouldn't let anything hap-
She stopped that thought. Because something had happened and even though it wasn't her fault, if things had gone differently that night Olivia would still be alive. Despite the pain radiating from deep in her chest, none of it showed on her face.
Blaze looked slightly lost for a moment before bursting out into laughter.
"That's our Val!"
"Quiet!" The librarian stuck her head around a bookcase and hissed like a wild animal.
Blaze sunk down in his seat as well and waited for the woman to leave again.
"Who spat in her coffee?" He muttered under his breath.
"Hey, I've got a better topic than Liam's possible crazy girlfriend." Said Draco, still far, far away from actually studying. "Who do you think the Champions are going to be?"
"I dunno." Blaze shrugged. "How does the cup even decide? Is it a random selection or what?"
"However it works, I want Krum in the tournament for sure." Said Draco. "And I heard that Beauxbatons girl, something Delacour put her name in as well."
"I heard that she was part Veela." Said Blaze.
"Really?" Leah perked up. "That's so cool. But Diggory put his name in too, remember? I think he'd make a good Champion."
"Better than those bloody Weasley's, at least." Draco sneered.
"God, I will never forget the looks on their faces when they realised how bad they screwed up." Blaze laughed. "I heard that Madam Pomfrey chewed them out for hours before curing them."
"Serves those filthy Muggle lovers right." Draco laughed as well.
"Too bad none of us are old enough. It freaking sucks!" Blaze exclaimed. "Val would completely destroy the competition! Maybe they'd make an exception because she's way stronger than most seventh years away."
You're pushing it, but thank you.
"I wouldn't be caught dead taking part in something so pointlessly juvenile." Valentine quipped.
"Seriously? I thought you'd be all over this." Blaze looked genuinely confused.
"Yeah, Val. Nice and violent. Just the way you like it." Said Draco.
"Please, like I'd waste my time proving what's already obvious."
"That you're completely superior to everyone at this school?" Said Draco.
"But what about the eternal glory!" Blaze gaped.
"What the hell would I do with that?"
"Uh..."
"Precisely."
"Aw, but come on! It'd be so cool!"
"Yeah!" Leah chimed in.
"Be quiet!" The librarian stormed up to them again, slamming her hand on the tabletop.
Both Leah and Blaze sunk down to their chins, halfway off their chairs.
"Why did we even come here?" Blaze grumbled.
I should be the one asking that.