This chapter's songs are:

People Pleaser by Yet To Bloom

Dirty Little Secret by The All-American Rejects

I Know It's Over by The Smiths

Chapter 5

Valarie wiped the sweat off her brow with the back of her dirt-covered hand, standing up to look at her progress. She smiled at the thought of Severus seeing what she had done with his small backyard, which had been severely neglected for what appeared to be a very long time. For how much vine overgrowth and mass amounts of weeds that had built up, it was like she had been transported into the Amazon rainforest.

Now that all of the weeds were removed, the vines reduced, and with some pruning here and there, Valarie had made a disaster of a yard into a potentially beautiful space. There was room to plant some flowers, if only Valarie had the proper supplies. And if Severus would allow it, she could manage to put a hammock between the two crab apple trees in the center of the yard.

For now though, she decided this would have to do. With a big sigh, she put away the gardening tools she found in a shed nearby, and turned back to the house to clean up. She brushed as much dirt off of her clothes as best as she could before making her way inside and up to her room. Walking down the hallway, she bumped into Severus, who gave her the most disturbed look yet.

"What in Salazar's name have you been up to?" He asked, eyebrows raised. "You're covered head to toe in dirt."

"I found your gardening tools out back and decided to put them to good use." Valarie said confidently.

It had been awhile since she had been so sure about a decision she made.

She wanted to make her keep. If not, she only felt like a liability.

"It's only been a month and you've scrubbed this place head to toe, and now you've made your way to the backyard..." he grumbled. "You mustn't be working yourself this hard."

"I only want to help you out..." she whispered.

"I appreciate everything you've done around here, but you're a guest in my house, and you shall not be doing house chores so often. I should be taking care of you."

"I know but-"

"No buts. Valarie, please..." he sighed. "I want you to enjoy your stay...and relax for once. Can you manage that?"

"Yes..."

Severus straightened up and smoothed out his dark grey sweater vest.

"Okay, good. Now, go and get cleaned up, and we can discuss our lesson for today. I hope you've done your readings?"

"Yes, Severus."

He nodded and ushered Valarie away.

Valarie stepped into her room, squeezing the water from her hair with a towel. Mavis gave a welcoming meow and trotted out the door.

She opened the curtains, letting in some light. The windows were foggy from recent rain, and the leaves on the trees were just starting to show their fall colors. Although it was quite early for fall to begin, Valarie couldn't wait for it to begin any later.

She smiled to herself, thinking about her mother and her playing in the leaves at Hyde Park. Watching the geese out on the pond before they migrated south for the winter.

Somehow, Spinner's End reminded her of those happy memories she shared with her mother.

She walked over to her desk and say her half finished letter to Aunt Mandy. She was having trouble writing it, having sent three letters already, but with no reply. Valarie's eyes furrowed at the thought of her Aunt dancing around the sitting room with joy after her departure.

She shook away the thought and quickly dressed in her favorite loose fitted jeans, an oversized white knitted sweater, and her black Oxford shoes. She felt especially scholarly today.

Valarie then gathered up her notes, and the textbooks Severus lended to her, before making her way downstairs into the sitting room.

Severus sat in his usual spot in the faded blue armchair, reading the daily newspaper. Valarie squinted at the lettering on the front which read The Daily Prophet. And the front picture was...

"Moving! Why are the pictures moving there on your newspaper?" She asked curiously.

Severus' head snapped up at the sudden noise and subtly cleared his throat.

"Ah, yes. It's called a Magical Portrait. When a picture is taken, the witch or wizard artist will naturally use enchantments to ensure that the painting will be able to move in the usual way."

Severus held up the head article to Valarie, which showed a photograph of several Goblins from Gringotts Bank conversing with each other. The title read, Break-in at Gringotts:Goblins' Heads are up in Arms.

Valarie's eyes widened.

"Wait is that...?"

"There was a break-in at Gringotts, just a few weeks ago."

She took the paper and began reading.

Investigations continue into the break-in at Gringotts on 31 July, widely believed to be the work of Dark wizards or witches unknown. Gringotts goblins today insisted that nothing had been taken. The vault that was searched had in fact been emptied the same day.

"But we're not telling you what was in there, so keep your noses out if you know what's good for you," said a Gringotts spokesgoblin this afternoon.

"It happened only a day after we were there!" Valarie exclaimed, pointing at the date.

"Yes. I'm very relieved it didn't happen when we were there..." Severus' eyes diverted to the floor.

Valarie eyed him curiously. There was something he wasn't telling her, but she quickly remembered they were straying from the task at hand. She would have to ask him later.

"Well, we're very lucky, indeed." She replied finally. "Why don't we begin the lesson?"

"Certainly."

Valarie opened her book on "A Wizard's History of the Magical World " by Huard Finn and flipped to the last chapter. She then pulled out her notes to look over them one more time.

"Ah ah ah," Severus objected, snatching the note sheet out of her hand. "Too late for a last-minute look. The quiz begins now."

"Oh, fine then." Valarie replied, rolling her eyes. "Besides, I've memorized every last bit of this book, just wanted to double check."

"We shall see if your efforts have played off then."

Severus flipped to a random section of the text and skimmed until he found something to his liking.

"Question one. What Village did the founder of Gryffindor live in?"

"Easy. Godric's Hollow. Named after him."

"Second question." He said with a smirk. "Who led the 18th Century Goblin Rebellion? Because we are on the topic of Goblins and whatnot..."

"What? You picked the hardest one..." Valarie hesitated, eyebrows deeply furrowed in concentration. "Urg the...Urg the Unclean? Or was it the Ugly?"

"You were correct the first time."

Valarie smiled widely. "See, I told you I had this memorized."

"Indeed, you are doing quite well...so far."

"Fine then bring it, old man."

Severus gave her his signature eyebrow raise before flipping to, yet again, another section of the book.

"Let's see...Question three. What is the disagreement that caused the founder of Slytherin to-"

Valarie and Severus jolted from the sudden knocking at the door behind them.

"Now, who would that be? We hardly have people stopping by at this time of the day." Valarie said warily as she walked up to answer the door.

"Wait, Valarie" Severus intervened quickly. "I should get it."

She eyed him curiously as she slowly sat back down on the sofa. She wouldn't dare question his orders, as he always had a good reason for everything. Still, she was unsure why he looked at concerned as he did.

He strided over to the door, wand in hand, before unlocking and opening the door.

There stood a pale man, with long blond hair, dressed in regal attire fit for royalty. He held an elaborate cane in one hand. A boy around her age stood next to him. There was no mistaking that he was the man's son, having his matching cold stare and blond hair.

"Lucius Malfoy. What finds you at my doorstep at such a questionable hour?"

"Good evening, Severus. I was wondering if we could have a little chat. Catch up on things." He glanced over to Valarie, and she felt a chill run down he spine when their eyes met.

"I hope I'm not interrupting anything...I see you already have a guest."

"Not at all." Severus replied smoothly before motioning to the girl behind him. "This is-"

"Valarie Rook, sir." Valarie said boldly. "Pleased to meet your acquaintance."

She gave an awkward bow of the head. She wasn't sure where she got the confidence from to be so outward, but Severus seemed pleasantly surprised by her actions.

Lucius gave a curt nod before putting a hand on his son's shoulder. "This is my son, Draco."

"Draco Malfoy, if you please." The boy replied eyeing his father.

Valarie merely nodded in response. "What a pretentious little brat. He definitely takes after his father."

"Well, shall we come in? It's quite gloomy and damp out." Lucius offered.

"Certainly. Come in."

The two strangers stepped through the door and into the living space. Valarie began packing her supplies quickly.

"I hope you don't mind, but I'm just going to bring these upstairs."

"Not at all." Lucius replied lazily. "In fact, Draco can go with you. I've been meaning to talk with Severus in private."

The boy glared at his father in response, but didn't dare retort. "Of course, father." He said through gritted teeth before finding his place next to Valarie.

Severus nodded slightly in approval, and Valarie exhaled lightly before walking up the stairs, Draco following behind.

There was an eerie silence as Valarie and Draco climbed the stairs, but she could feel his eyes piercing the back of her skull, making her uncomfortable. She chose to speak up before the blond could come up with a snide comment to give her.

"So, who are you anyway? How does Severus know you?"

"I could ask you the same thing."

"Fine, then. I'll put it as straight as I can." She replied bluntly as she opened the her bedroom door. "I'm his daughter."

The boy glanced over at her as he sauntered over to her bed and plopped down lazily.

"I can't picture Uncle Sev being the fatherly type." He raising an eyebrow. "There must be an interesting story behind this."

"Well...it's rather complicated." She said, moving her desk chair to face him before sitting down.

"We have time to burn. Seems as though Father and Sev will be talking for a while." He leaned in for extra measure, to show her that he was listening.

"It's a recent change. I had no knowledge of my father until a couple months ago, still a lot to take in." She said slowly, fiddling with the hem of her sweater.

"So, where did you live before this?" He asked, urging her on.

"In London. With my Aunt...shes a muggle."

Draco's nose scrunched up, as if he had smelled something awful. "That's...horrible."

Valarie glared at him, "You're wrong. She's a good guardian. Took care of me well."

"Something tells me that's not true..." he replied on a serious tone, a little too serious for the likes of him, which made her nervous.

Valarie hesitated. She would have retorted, but something stopped her.

And she hated herself for it.

"So...Severus is your Uncle then? I don't see the resemblance." Valarie finally said, changing the subject.

"God Father, actually." He stated matter-of-factly. "He and Father are pretty close. You could say they used to be co-workers."

She eyed him curiously, "It's odd then...that he hasn't brought your family up yet, or much about his past for that matter."

"Maybe it's for the best you don't know. I wouldn't think you could handle the truth." He smiled devilishly. "But, of course you didn't hear that from me."

Valarie's eyes darkened at his words. She wondered what sort of secret Severus would keep so close to his chest. He was usually so honest and direct with her.

"I assume you've got your letter by now?" Draco asked.

She simply nodded.

"Mother and Father took me shopping in July. Got a new broomstick."

"You play?"

"Of course." He replied, suddenly sitting straighter. "Might be good enough to get on the team my first year. You see, students aren't allowed to play until their second year, but Father can arrange something for me."

"You seem very confident about this." Valarie smirked.

"I am." Draco assured with his chin held high.

"Speaking of Hogwarts, I'm very excited to ride the express train. I've never been on a train before..."

"Neither have I," he agreed. "Usually floo to places, or apparate."

"Floo?"

The boy cocked his head to the side, "Right...raised by a muggle. It's traveling by the Floo Network. Fireplaces in almost every wizard household."

"Right. I think I got it." She said. "Traveling by fireplace. Strange..."

"From your perspective, sure." he rolled his eyes. "I honestly pity you for living with non-magic people."

"I'm still learning. You're forgetting I had no knowledge of magic existing until a little bit ago. Give me a break." She grumbled as she walked over to the window.

The sun was setting, as oranges and pinks flooded the sky, and golden light shone through the trees. She never knew how much a sunset could fill her head with memories of her past. It may have only been two months since she left London, her life, but it felt like a lifetime ago.

"Well don't get your trousers in a ruffle, Rook." Draco said lamely. "You're not alone, unfortunately."

"How?" She turned around to face him.

"Mudbl-Muggle-borns are what they're called. You know, muggle parents." He said. "Although, father says that magical ability should be kept within magical families. To be Pure-Blood like us. There are very few Pure-Blood families left in the wizarding world, and he fears magic will die along with it."

"That may happen, but people have a choice in who they be with, magic or lack thereof." She said quietly, thinking about Severus and her mother.

"Tell him that."

"So what are people like me called? The ones who fit in the middle?"

"Half-bloods, like most people..." He looked away. "...unfortunately."

Valarie frowned at him, naturally. But she didn't blame his passive aggressiveness on himself, but the beliefs of his father, which he kindly bestowed on his son.

The two of them jerked their heads toward the bedroom door at the sound of Mr. Malfoy calling from downstairs.

"I guess we better go. Father is calling." Draco said, standing up from the bed and taking the lead downstairs. Valarie quickly followed.

Mr. Malfoy stood at the door patiently while Severus waited nearby, hands clasped behind his back.

"We best be off, Draco." He said ushering his son to him. Draco obeyed. "Well then. It was nice to visit with you, old friend."

Severus nodded curtly. "Be well, Lucius."

"It was nice meeting you, Miss Rook." Lucius hinted with a knowing glint in his eyes that made Valarie's stomach sick. Severus must've told him.

"You too, sir." She gulped.

Draco came up to her his hand raised as if to offer a handshake, "Nice meeting you, Valarie. Hope to see you on the train to Hogwarts.

She took it and gave a sturdy shake. "Will be looking forward to it." She said, and meant it, to her surprise.

Draco nodded and the two of them left without another word.

"Charming people you know, Severus." Valarie said, as they ate dinner at the table.

"Oh, yes." He grumbled as he took a bite of some roast. "Im delighted they showed up...in the middle of our lesson."

"Yeah...but I think would've passed with flying colors regardless." Valarie chimed. "Besides, Draco wasn't too bad of company, surprisingly. Not sure what you endured with Lucius Malfoy."

He didn't say a word in response, but Valarie wasn't going to let him get away this time. There was something he was keeping from her.

"Draco told me you were co-workers."

He snorted. "Co-workers, huh?"

"Yes...I was wondering what you did together." She tempted.

He sighed deeply, as if he was waiting for her to bring it up. "It's best that you don't know."

"He said that, too. But I don't care! I'm tired of you keeping secrets from me. I want to trust you, but you're making it really hard to. If I'm going to stay here with you, then you have to tell me some things."

"It doesn't involve you." He sneered.

"It doesn't? Really?" She spit back. "Lucius appears to be a dangerous man, and I remember you said you were affiliated with certain things before you met my mother. It obviously most directly involves me."

"You're walking in thin ice, young girl." Severus warned, piercing his dark eyes into hers.

"I'm not little anymore, and Im definitely not stupid. If you don't tell me, I will find out myself."

Severus' dangerous glare faltered for a second.

"Please, just tell me. I know you know I won't stop until I get answers. Especially if it's about Mother."

There was a moment of silence, and Valarie thought he would walk away, not say a word.

Severus let out a deep breath and set down the fork he was clenching tight in his white-knuckled fist.

"Okay...fine. But you'll need to get comfortable, it's a long story."

"I am." She said intently.

There was an uncomfortable silence between the two of them, and Valarie could feel his hesitancy in the air. She lost her appetite and noticed he must've felt the same way because he slowly pushed his plate away from him before clasping his hands tightly together.

"Right. Well, you already know about...Voldemort. From your readings."

Valarie nodded slowly. "Yes...I do."

"I was young, just graduated from Hogwarts. I wasn't in a good place, stuck around the wrong people." He swallowed hard for a second before continuing. "He came to me once. In a bar. He was looking for supporters for his cause, and I was a naïve, young, without a purpose...an easy target. He was very persuasive, so I agreed to join him. Some of my fellow Slytherins had already joined, including Malfoy. I thought maybe it was my duty as a Slytherin to follow suit."

Valarie just stared, unsure what to say.

"I was a fool." He said shamefully. "I brought it all on myself."

Valarie couldn't be upset with Severus anymore. He looked hurt, and was still having trouble escaping the past. He needed someone there for him, to comfort him. She decided it would be best to set he bitterness aside and be that person for him.

"Interesting...well that certainly makes more sense." Valarie said quietly, mostly to herself.

"I trust you don't think differently about me..." Severus said remorsefully, not looking her in the eyes. "I did bad things to please the Dark Lord, regretfully."

"No...I might not understand yet, but I try to be as open minded as possible." She admitted. "It's not like you had a choice, really. I can see that much."

"Maybe, but you do understand now why I didn't want to tell you. It's dangerous for anyone to know about my past affiliations. I've been known to be a supporter by those who don't know me well. I'm not one, but I couldn't say the same about the Malfoys."

"Yes, well...I probably would have found out eventually. I'm glad you told me. And please no more secrets and I will return the favor." Valarie promised.

"Okay. You're right. It's better if you know, even if it's hard to bring up the past at times."

"Besides, You Know Who isn't around anymore. There's nothing to worry about." She assured with a smile.

"There is still his supporters to be aware of. As far as they know, I'm still a loyal servant of the Dark Lord, and should be kept that way." He replied. "I trust you with such information. I only hope it doesn't put you in harm's way."

"I assure you, none of what you told me will leave this room. I give you my word." Valarie said with a hand to her heart.

"I will protect you if anything happens, but try your best to stay away from Lucius Malfoy." He urged. "Draco doesn't worry me, but he tends to notify his father about many things. Do try to keep any sensitive information to yourself, especially around him."

"I will...and I'm sorry about what happened. The past is in the past."

"Thank you..." he chuckled lightly "You have a way of persuading people to say things. You're stubborn."

"Like you?" She smiled mischievously. "I supposed we do have some things in common. Like what Mr. Ollivander said."

"I suppose you're right." He agreed with a small smile, looking out of the window behind her. "It's getting late. It think it's time to go upstairs for bed. Tomorrow I'll teach you some brewing pointers. You've a fine talent for potions."

"I don't think so...my last brew turned to sludge, nearly burned a hole through my new cauldron."

"Never said you were a master. Takes practice, and patience."

"I most certainly don't have that." She laughed.

"Off you go, I'll clean up down here."

"Goodnight Severus."

"And you as well."