"Do you truly believe that a being as powerful as Voldemort would be complacent with his current position?"

"Now, don't judge me too harshly. Animal taming through the art of the harp isn't exactly my speciality."

"I always wanted a wife."

"Do you think he really has the scar?"

"He's got the Snitch! Harry Potter receives 150 points for catching the Snitch!"

"You will look at me when I speak to you."

"I'm getting hints of bacon, orange juice, pepper, sausage and...yeah, that's definitely milk."

"Perhaps it does not even know itself."

"Watch your mouth, traitor. Girls have claws."

"TROLL! IN THE DUNGEON! T-TROOLLL IN THE DUNGEON!"

"Clean that up."

"Do you...do you ever miss your parents?"

"Oh, to hell with it! SLYTHERIN!"

"Just because you find the lesson boring does not give you the right to take a learning opportunity away from others."

"This world isn't yours to command."

"Merry Christmas, Professor."

"I think we're going to need another feather over here, Professor."

"Sir, I don't treat anyone with respect between the hours of ten PM and eight AM."

"She's a scary one."

"Wait! Don't. Please, I was just coming here to protect the stone! I swear!"

~~~

Valentine's eyes fluttered open.

What was that?

She frowned, rubbing at her eyes.

I've never had a dream like that before.

She blinked several times, waiting for her vision to focus. She let her head roll to the right. Draco and Leah were still dead asleep on the other side, trapped in a pile of their own limbs.

That's what they get for being so damn tall.

Valentine sighed and looked back up at the ceiling, it was morning and the dull sunlight coming in through her window painted the space above her bed with strange stretches of squares and rectangles.

That dream...it was like some demented kaleidoscope of memories. Like someone cut up them up and rearranged them out of order. Well. Whatever.

She pulled herself up with a groan.

It was just a dream.

-----Pretending To Hate-----

"Leah, would you play seriously for once in your life?" Draco scowled over at the girl building a house with her handful of cards.

"Nope. Never." She said, the tip of her tongue sticking out in concentration.

Draco grumbled some insult under his breath and looked up at Valentine, who, as always, was reading on the couch.

"Why couldn't you play?" He pouted. "She might actually play properly if you did."

"I'm busy," Valentine replied, not looking up from her book.

"Right."

"This is a library if you haven't noticed." Said Valentine. "Reading is it's intended purpose."

"Yes, but you've been reading all morning."

"And I intend to continue into the afternoon, so if you'd kindly shut the hell up, I can get on with it."

"Draco! Draco!" Leah waved to him, pointing down at her self constructed house of cards. "Look what I made."

"Yes, very nice," Draco answered drolly. "If you're mentally challenged."

"Well, in that case, I'm sure you could make one with no problem," Leah said snidely.

This had been Valentine's morning so far. They'd woken in her room. She and Leah always shared and this particular time Draco had fallen asleep in there with them. They didn't care that he was a boy or anything like that. They'd been sharing things like this their entire lives, after all. So, they'd woken in Valentine's room.

While Leah jumped around the room, drawing patterns on the mist of Valentine's window, Valentine and Draco debated on whether or not to actually physically get out of bed at all. But Leah wanted up and that was it. They were up and dressed and down to breakfast. By then, the adults combined in had taken enough sobering potions to keep them alert for a week.

Valentine was fairly certain they weren't even aware of how aware she, Draco and Leah were of this. It was actually somewhat funny watching them pretend like they hadn't been essentially blackout drunk the night before.

They ate breakfast. Draco and Leah argued about what was better on toast, strawberry jam or plum. Rose and Narcissa scolded them and clearly, their hearts weren't in it so the arguing didn't stop until Leah accidentally knocked the strawberry jam jar off the table and it shattered in a globby, sticky, sharp, red mess.

Then they'd spent the next hour in Valentine's room. Draco and Leah, again, argued about how to spend the day while Valentine started on a new book she'd gotten for Christmas. When Valentine decided to escape they squabbling and head down to the library to read, they simply followed.

And that's what led them to sitting by the fire that morning.

"Are you two still fighting?" Narcissa sighed as she and Rose entered the room.

"What I wouldn't give for their energy." Said Rose.

"I'll stop when Draco stops being mean to me!" Leah pointed accusingly.

"Don't hold your breath!" Draco spat back. "Or better yet, do!"

"I don't know how you put with it, Val." Narcissa leaned her elbows on the back of couch beside Valentine.

"I don't," Valentine replied uninterestedly. "For every argument, I note one day. Each day subtracts from their natural life span and once their current age coincides with their last day, which will be drastically reduced by their arguing, I'll simply kill them both."

"Excuse me?" Draco practically choked on his words.

"That's some plan." Rose laughed.

"Mama!" Leah whined.

"Well, perhaps you two shouldn't fight so much then." Rose gave her a pointed look. "You may as well be siblings so you should at least make an attempt at getting along."

"I actually did try once." Draco nodded. "Worse ten minutes of my life."

"I wouldn't bother with them." Valentine sighed. "They're a lost cause, trust me."

"Well, if they're so hopeless, maybe we should just let them get back to their arguing then." Said Narcissa. "It's not as though there's anything better you could be doing."

Valentine's gaze narrowed and she actually looked up at her aunt for the first time since she entered the room.

"What was that?"

"Nothing, nothing." Narcissa waved her off nonchalantly, shooting Rose a knowing look. "It's not as like you'd be interested in getting out of the manor anyway."

"Huh?" Leah blinked.

"But it's freezing outside." Draco frowned. "We'd probably get frostbite and die."

"Well, when they put it like that," Rose sighed. "I suppose we'll have to leave the trip for another day."

"What trip?" Leah perked up like a curious dog.

"Nowhere special," Narcissa said flippantly.

"Awe, what?" Leah pouted. "Tell! What trip!"

"Just spill before she combusts," Valentine warned Narcissa.

"Oh, if I must." Narcissa sighed dramatically, then grinned. "Who wants to go to Diagon Alley?"

-----Pretending To Hate-----

Leah's new winter coat was a ridiculous, blue ruffled thing with yellow bows and white lace. It suit her although it didn't suit Valentine that it made them stand out so much.

People were thin on the streets of Diagon Alley today. Being the day after Christmas, Valentine assumed most would be with family or sleeping in. Most out today seemed to be in a hurry, probably getting a single item before heading home.

Valentine sucked in a cold breath and let it out again, watching the mist swirling in front of her face.

"Oh, look!" Leah had her face pressed up against the front window of Magical Menagerie. "It's Puffskeins! Awe, they're so cute!"

"As if Leah." Draco scoffed. "You could barely keep a plant alive let alone an actual pet."

"Why can't you just let me be happy?" Leah glared at him sourly.

"Because I delight in making you miserable." Draco quipped. "Obviously."

Valentine just rolled her eyes at the both of them.

"Are we going in or not?" Valentine gestured to the colourful storefront of Sugarplum's Sweets Shop.

"Oh, right." Leah grinned.

This was where Narcissa and Rose left them with plenty of money and strict instructions to be careful and meet them outside of the Leaky Cauldron at three PM.

Valentine kept a firm eye on Draco and Leah. Although it hadn't been said in words, she was essentially in charge. Even if she wasn't, Draco and Leah could hardly be left to their own devices, so she attached them hand by hand, despite Draco's grumbling. It was the best way to keep them from straying far from one another.

Leah shoved the front door open and a bell rung out. There were several other customers inside, all children or teenagers. Leah ran straight for the biggest and brightest of the shop's selection, dragging Draco along with her.

Valentine went down another aisle, keeping a mental note of where they were and comforted by the fact that she could have heard the two clear across the store if need be.

Valentine scanned the row of Fizzing Whizbees and the Toothflossing Stringmints beneath them with mild interest. She didn't have the beastly sweet tooth of Leah or Blaze but she liked them just fine.

"Oi, don't hog all the Liquorice Wands!"

Valentine's attention was caught by several young voices giggling in the aisle to her right.

"I'll stop if you share some of your Pumpkin Pasties."

"But that's not fair! I can spend my Christmas money however I want!"

"Well, then you can't tell me what not to hog when you are in fact, the biggest hog I've ever meet."

Valentine heard more laughter and pig-like snorts. Then the children exited the aisle and passed her, followed by a tired-looking older man.

Of course. They're seven-year-olds at the most and yet their arguing is practically indistinguishable from Draco and Leah, and Blaze too for that matter. And why I'm I relating to an exhausted, middle-aged man?

Valentine pulled her eyes away before she could be caught staring at young children like a bloody weirdo and continued further into the store.

She lifted a box of Exploding Bonbons off the shelf and for a moment pondered the fun she could have had if she'd been born a Weasley. This led to her thinking about that particular prank again, the one that had left Snape covered and bright orange and quickly hardened goo. She bit back a laugh. She surely wasn't going to forget that anytime soon.

"Val. Val!" Then Draco was shaking her arm fervently.

"What is it?" She snapped, putting the bag back. She turned to look at him with an arched brow and noticed Leah wasn't with him. "Where's Leah?"

"That's what I'm telling to tell you." Draco bit his lip, worry glimmering in his pale eyes. "I don't even know how she got away from me! One minute she was there then she wasn't. I've searched the whole store and I can't find her."

"Bloody hell." Valentine groaned, rubbing her eyes in exasperation.

Now I understand why I related to a tired, middle-aged man.

"Val, what do we do?" Draco hissed. "She's so stupid and naive. What if she went off with some creep? What if she followed a butterfly or something stupid like that and got herself kidnapped?"

"Draco." Valentine groaned again. "Calm the hell down. I doubt Leah's been kidnapped."

"But how can you be sure?" Draco pulled a hand back through his hair, musing it's usual perfect form. "What if someone found out that she's from the rich family and wants to hold her for ransom?"

"Or," Valentine gave him a steady look. "Leah decided to give you the slip while you were distracted and went to look in that bloody pet shop next door."

Draco blinked.

"Oh."

"Your welcome."

"I didn't think of that..."

"I know." Valentine sighed and pushed past him.

Draco rushed after her.

"Well, I'm sure she's fine then." Draco cleared his voice. "But you should tell her not to do that again. Tag on a little threat so she gets the message."

"Oh, I intend to." Valentine all but kicked the door open.

And when she kicked that door open, it swung wide and smacked someone trying to enter the store right in the face, ricocheting off their head.

Crap. Well, that's got to hurt.

The door clambered shut behind Valentine and Draco with a loud slam.

"Ouch! What is wrong with you, you bastard? Bloody hell, that hurt! I think my face is broken!"

Then it was Valentine's turn to blink because she recognised the boy with the neatly cropped hair, holding his face in pain and the taller boy standing behind him looking completely bewildered.

"Are you alright?" Liam asked, turning Blaze towards him to look at the damage.

"Am I bleeding? I feel like I'm bleeding. It's probably brain fluid." Blaze sent her a cold glare before he could see who she was. "Are you stupid? You could have..."

"Yes, Blaze?" Valentine pursed her lips expectantly.

Immediately all of his anger evaporated.

"Awe, man." Blaze sagged, rubbing at his forehead that was quickly forming a lump and was indeed, bleeding a little.

"Val." Liam seemed to finally be able to speak. "Draco."

"Liam." Valentine nodded in return.

There was a moment of silence where the four simply stared at one another. That was until Draco spoke.

"Wow. Leah sure chose the worse time to disappear because she would have loved that."

"You're kidding me?" Blaze grumbled. "She's here too?"

"No, we left her chained up in the backyard." Valentine snorted.

Blaze touched his forehead tenderly and felt the small trickle of blood.

"I think I lost all my remaining brain cells."

Then the front door to Magical Menagerie flew open and Leah stood out into the street, ridiculous coat and all.

"No, look." Said Draco. "There it is."

She didn't seem to notice them at first, she tilted her face towards the sky and inhaled a deep breath. Then she lowered her chin and whispered to herself;

"I smell the blood of a well-deserved suffering."

"Huh?" Was Liam's intelligent response.

Leah's head snapped over to them and her eyes immediately lit up.

"Boys!" She sprinted towards them like a charging bull and before they could even consider fleeing for their lives, she threw herself at them, a long arm around each neck.

They went down in a tangled pile with a long screech from Blaze.

"I missed you guys! Mostly you Liam but yeah, I guess Blaze too!" Leah grinned at the mess of limbs that she was responsible for.

"You could have told us that without taking us out!" Liam hissed.

"But I was just so excited!"

"Your not a dog, Leah." Liam pushed her off him. "And now I'm covered in snow. Great."

"I'm sorry." Leah pouted, giving her lap a pensive stare. "I just missed you."

Liam gave a long strangled sigh.

"Come on." He offered her a hand. "I don't think Blaze can breathe with your foot in his windpipe like that."

"Oh!" Leah took his hand and quickly jumped up. "I totally forgot he was even here."

Blaze sucked in a breath of cold air, face twisted into a pained grimace.

"I don't know..." He wheezed. "who I killed in another life...but I do not deserve this."

"No, you definitely did." Leah nodded decisively. "I smelt it."

"I think I may have died...and gone to hell..." Blaze seemed truly disoriented. "That's the only explanation...yeah...and Leah's the devil..."

"I think he may have hit his head." Said Valentine.

"Again." Draco tacked on.

"Help him up." Valentine sighed, shoved Draco towards him.

Draco and Liam hefted Blaze to his feet and Leah stepped right up to his face.

"This is all a dream." She waved her fingers about with wide eyes. "When you wake up, you will resume your life as a garden gnome."

"Stop that." Valentine slapped her arm and pushed her away. Valentine grabbed Blaze's chin in one hand and tilted his face towards her. "Now. Are you actually injured or are these just your typical dramatics?"

"My head..." Blaze blinked blearily. "...really hurts. Am I still bleeding?"

"We should probably go sit down somewhere," Liam suggested, checking out Blaze's newest lump forming on the back of his head.

"There's a cafe down the end of this street." Draco gestured with his head.

"Let's go them." Valentine led them.

As they walked she scolded Leah for disappearing like she did. Even if she wasn't likely to be kidnapped and held for ransom and even if it wasn't helpful for Draco to jump to the first case scenario, it still wasn't safe for her to just run off on her own like that.

They headed inside the cafe that had been right where Draco said it would be. Inside, it was warm and homey, decorated with holly branches and tinsel.

A good number of the tables were taken but it was still far from crowded and they quickly moved to grab one at the back.

"Oh, look at that. I'm starting to get the feeling back in my toes." Liam brushed snow from his hair and peeled off his jacket, folding it in his lap.

A man came and took their order of five hot chocolates while Liam cleaned off Blaze's forehead with a napkin.

By now, Blaze had come around a bit and was more or less himself again.

"You." He stabbed an accusatory finger in Leah's direction. "You are so dead when my head stops throbbing."

"I didn't do that!" Leah objected. "You only hit the back of your head when you fell!"

"Yeah, but Valentine did the front half and I can hardly beat her up."

"Eh, fair point." Leah conceded.

"I think you'll live." Liam apprised. "But if you start getting dizzy then you should probably see someone who actually knows what they're doing."

"Or if your vision starts going blurry." Added Valentine offhandedly. "Or you start getting nauseous or sensitive to light or start losing your memories. And, you know, if you go to sleep and don't wake up."

"Awe, man." Blaze probed at his two matching bumps. "If I got brain damage because of this my mum is going to flip out."

"You need a brain to damage in the first place." Leah stuck her tongue out at him.

"Ugh." Blaze took Liam's jacket to use as a pillow on the tabletop. "I'll fight you once the room stops spinning."

The man returned with their hot chocolates and Leah was quickly silenced.

"So, didn't expect to run into you guys." Said Liam. "Or, you know, for Blaze to run into a door."

"It was a last-minute trip." Explained Draco.

"We were actually going to invite you guys but we weren't sure if your families wanted you home for Christmas and stuff." Liam nodded. "And we thought it would be a good opportunity to get you guys presents so we could give them to you when we got back to school."

"Well, we might as well do it today then." Draco shrugged. "Since we're literally all here by chance."

"Not all of us." Leah suddenly looked deeply troubled. Or at least she would have if she wasn't sporting a thick, frothy moustache.

"You'll live." Valentine tossed a napkin at her.

"Hey, Val, you bump your head as well?"

Valentine turned to see Liam pointing at her still fresh scar, bright pink and half-hidden by her hair. Narcissa had insisted that with the treatment she'd received, it would fade