"Ah, yes!" Olivia hurried to catch up. "So. Your aunt is really nice. And so pretty."
"She's a seasoned master at forced affection, that's what she is." Valentine scoffed.
"I think it's sweet."
"You would."
"Um. Okay." Olivia swallowed and then cleared her throat. "She and Draco don't look all that much alike, though. Does he take after his father?"
"Unfortunately."
"I get my eyes from my mother. Exact same shade and anything."
"That's nice."
"Um...you get your eyes...from your father, right?"
"So, I've been told."
"I think they're amazing." Olivia wrung her hands awkwardly. "You're eyes I mean. Sorry, that was a weird thing to say, wasn't it?"
"Not as weird as betting that someone can't eat fifty pieces of toast in ten minutes. You should already know that those idiots have stranger conversations then this several times a day."
"Hmm. You have a point." Olivia hummed thoughtfully. "Leah asked me a riddle the other day, completely out of nowhere and I still have no idea what the correct answer is."
"Well?"
"I'm sorry?"
"What was the damn riddle?" Valentine snapped.
"Oh, sorry. Um, it was something like 'Three men are in a boat. It capsizes, but only two men get their hair wet. Why?'. It's very Leah like, now isn't it?"
"Hmm." Valentine pondered it for a second.
"Tricky, isn't it?"
"Not if one of them was bald."
"What?" Olivia blinked.
"That's the answer," Valentine said with flippant irritability. "One of the men in the boat was bald and therefore his hair couldn't get wet."
Olivia burst into a bout of laughter.
"I didn't even think of that!"
"Leah must have felt particularly superior."
"Oh, she did. It was pretty cute though, I'll admit." Olivia laughed again. "I think I'll let her think she's got me for just a little while longer."
"You shouldn't cater to her like that." Valentine huffed. "She's only going to get worse."
"I know." Olivia just shrugged and smiled. "But it's so hard to say no to her."
"That makes one of us."
"Val?"
"No more riddles."
"No, it's not that." Olivia was laughing again and the students that scurried past them stared at her like she'd sprouted a second hand and third arm to go with it. "It's just that, you being so smart, I wanted to ask you something."
"Well? Hurry it up. My generosity is waning."
"You know, how you can see into the Black Lake from the common room? Have you ever seen anything in there? And I mean other than fish and stuff. I asked the others but they said they've never seen anything strange."
"Why do you ask? Have you seen something?" Valentine slowed as they approached the library.
"Well, yes, actually." Olivia nodded. "While you were I swear I saw something...rather large. Leah was with me at the time but she never saw anything."
"Hmm." Valentine shoved the door open and waited for Olivia to enter. "You're in luck. Earlier this year I'm certain I saw something. Not that I gave it much thought."
"At least, I'm not the only one then. What do you think could be in there?"
"With this place? Who knows." Valentine let the door shit behind them and faced inwards into the library.
Students sat frozen with friends or books piled in front of them. From their perspective, it looked quite like she was blocking the exit.
Okay, this is a little ridiculous. Am I really that scary?
-----Pretending To Hate-----
"Forty-two, forty-three, forty-four, forty-five..."
"What am I looking at here?" Draco blinked as he and Valentine arrived upon the scene.
Don't ask me.
"... forty-nine, fifty, fifty-one..."
Leah was upside down, holding herself up on her hand, legs pressed against the wall behind her. She had a love heart drawn on her forehead and her hair tied in a knot under her chin to keep it off the ground. Olivia stood in front of her, flushed bright pink, holding Leah's skirt in place while Blaze counted.
"Oh, hey guys." Liam greeted them with a smile that almost immediately dropped. "Don't ask. It's not worth it."
"I'm starting to think nothing in life is worth it." Draco glanced around the rest of the inner courtyard.
It was usually packed this time of day but the other students were keeping their distance, and that was apparently before Valentine even showed up.
Valentine glanced around as well and something concerning caught her gaze.
Harry, Hermione and Ron running full barrel across the court.
Okay, something is definitely wrong. Weasley only runs when his life is in danger.
"I'm not watching this." She said and turned from the group.
"Wait, I'm coming with you." Draco moved to follow.
"You want to come with me to the bathroom?" She shot him a look.
"Ahhhhh. No." Draco shook his head. "I sure as hell do not."
"Didn't think so." She turned on her heel just in time to see the Gryffindors disappearing back into the school.
She hurried after them, no one daring to block her path. The three were far to busy getting to where ever it was they were going to notice her following.
They turned another two corners and headed straight into McGonagall's classroom.
Valentine pressed her back against the wall and held her breath.
"We have to see Professor Dumbledore, immediately!" Harry cried adamantly.
"I'm afraid Professor Dumbledore is not here." Said Professor McGonagall "He has gone to London to attend a very important Ministry meeting. He left this morning."
Of course. Of, freaking, course! What could have possibly happened in the last few hours? What hell have they been up to!
"He's gone! Now? But this is important! It's about the Philosopher's Stone."
Valentine gritted her teeth, resisting the urge to scream.
WHY? WHY CAN'T YOU JUST BE NORMAL?
"How do you know..." McGonagall's voice trailed off.
"Someone's going to try and steal it." Harry insisted.
"I don't know how you three found out about the stone, but I can assure you it is perfectly well-protected," McGonagall said sternly, Valentine could practically feel the firm stare through the stone wall. "Now would you go back to your dormitories? Quietly."
Valentine heard the retreating footsteps and quickly backed up to hide around the closet corner before she could be seen.
She waited for the footsteps to grow nearer but all they did was steadily fade.
They must have gone in the other direction.
Valentine crept back out and started following, holding her breath again as she passed McGonagall's room.
"...no stranger Hagrid met in the village." Harry's voice echoed along the corridor as they neared the open path along the courtyard. "It was Snape, which means he knows how to get past Fluffy."
Are they still on about that? Why would-?...Actually, no. Nevermind. I'd blame him too if I could, big, bloody, infuriating, egotistical, jerk-
"Good afternoon."
-and would you look at that? Did I just summon a Snape? Not the kind of ability I would particularly choose to have.
Valentine took a quick step back into the corridor, not yet seen.
"Now, what would three young Gryffindors such as yourselves be doing inside on a day like this?"
"Uh...we were just..." Hermione stumbled for a believable excuse.
"You want to be careful. People will think you're...up to something."
Valentine inched back further into the hall as Snape hurried past. Still not breathing once he did.
"Now, what do we do?" Hissed Hermione.
"We go down the trapdoor." Said, Harry. "Tonight."
Valentine turned to face the wall and more firmly than necessary, smacked her forehead against. It hurt. Alot.
She groaned and rubbed her temples.
Well. Guess that means I haven't died and gone to hell then.
-----Pretending To Hate-----
"Professor!" Valentine marched up the hall after the man.
Students quickly backed away, not eager to get in between whatever this was.
"Professor!"
Snape could hear her, she was completely certain of that.
"Excuse me, you miserable git!" She cursed at him for making her run. "Has old age finally rotted away your hearing?"
He spun on her with an enraged growl like a sufficiently poked bear.
"Do you intend to end up six foot under, Lestrange? Because I would be very glad to arrange that for you."
"Oh, I have no intentions whatsoever." She folded her hands behind her back innocently. "Unfortunately the same cannot be said for everyone."
Her stance was relaxed but her gaze was meaningful.
Snape studied her for a moment like he was deciding whether or not this was some prank or she was being serious.
"Is this the kind of face that would lie to you, sir?" She smiled sweetly and fluttered her lashes at him.
His face twisted into a revolted expression, lip curled.
"Detention." He snarled. "My classroom, immediately after dinner."
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