Olivia brushing out Leah's hair before bed had become routine and Leah looked forward to it all day. Valentine knew this because more then once Leah had said as she prepared for the day, 'I can't wait until tonight'. Unlike Valentine, it wasn't the sleeping she looked forward to. Not as if Valentine was getting a lot of that these days.

Tonight Leah had requested braids and Olivia happily compiled while Valentine sat on her own bed, back against the Slytherin chest carving of the headboard, eyes on her hefty book. On nights when Valentine was actually present in her dorm, this was how things tended to go.

"-and then Darcy flew off! Just like that!" Leah exclaimed from her seat on the floor, crossing her arms over her chest with a huff. "He scared the pants off Draco."

"Somehow," said Valentine, "I seem to recall you being fairly frightened yourself. In fact, I seem to remember you screaming about something with orange eyes."

"Well, I was right wasn't, I?"

"I think sometimes as people we forgot how intelligent animals can be." Said Olivia, she sat on the bed behind Leah, her lap full of the girl's silky hair.

"I see what you mean," Valentine hummed, "take Snape for example. He can open doors on his own and everything."

Leah giggled at that.

"If he was here he would kill you!"

"If he was here he'd have a lot to answer for." Valentine scoffed. "Being in a girls dormitory near lights out when everyone's getting ready for bed."

"Well, I'm sure you'd deal with him." Olivia gave her a knowing smile.

Valentine didn't look up from her book but allowed herself a satisfied smirk, because, hell yes she would.

"I thought you were going to kill Lockhart, today!" Said Leah.

"Good. If you managed to pick up on that then my intentions must have been clear."

"He is a bit..." Olivia searched for the right word.

"Obnoxious?" Valentine suggested.

"...overconfident?"

Valentine snorted at that.

"That's the understatement of the century. He's a complete imbecile who clearly doesn't have any idea of how to teach a class with any degree of success." Just thinking about him made Valentine itch to punch something. "Trust me. We won't learn a thing from him."

"Yeah." Leah nodded, "I know I'm supposed to be an airhead and all but I'm not sure knowing his favourite colour is going to come in handy in our futures."

Everything about the man irritated her. He was really going to make them waste an entire year taking quizzes about his personal interests and achievements and Valentine wasn't going to allow that quietly. She cursed the Ministry and their choice.

Freaking politics. How the hell is that man qualified to teach?

"If the moron hadn't let loose those pixie's, I would have squashed him with my bare hands." Valentine's grip on her book tightened.

"Haven't you read that like a billion times already?" Leah recognised the well worn blue cover.

"How many times have you mistaken salt for sugar?"

"That's not fair!"

"How so?"

"Because I say it's not!"

"Try not to move so much." Said Olivia, repositioning the girls head. "It must be some book."

"Hmm." Valentine hummed distractedly.

She acted like she couldn't see the knowing smirk Leah shot up at Olivia. Not everyone was privy to the more subdued, less life-threatening Lestrange. Valentine supposed to them that it was quite like a rare animal, only seen under certain circumstances. Valentine had purposely designed the situation so that much of the fear she caused was by the rumours and anticipation of what she might do and not what she did every day. This way she didn't have to walk around just constantly attacking people. She felt it was probably more terrifying knowing that she usually appeared to be incredibly sane and in control. It's what made her change to psychotic Lestrange all the more jarring.

"I can't believe Snape really gave you detention!" said Leah. "I mean, it was Lockhart that set the pixies free in the first place!"

Snape had dragged her down that hall kicking and screaming. By now it was a fairly familiar sight for the students and staff. As long as no blood was shed, they let them go about their business of arguing and forceful remove all. It wasn't as though there was any other teacher who could handle her better if you took handling literally of course. Physical strength was really the only thing Snape had as an effective weapon against her.

"Yes, actually." Olivia frowned. "Snape hardly ever gives you detention compared to how often he gets upset with you."

"That's because he agrees that there isn't a purposed in torturing ourselves further with each other's presence," Valentine grumbled. "But it appears this time he is willing to suffer."

"Well, I'm sure you won't make it easy," Olivia assured her.

Valentine spared the two girls a dark smile, showing her teeth as though baring fangs.

"When have I ever made anything easy?"

By the time the prefect knocked on the door to let them know it was time for lights out, Olivia had already finished Leah's hair and was trying to convince her to get into bed.

Valentine sat her book on top of her trunk and climbed under the covers herself, staring up at the sheer curtained canopy. Sometimes it made her laugh to think of how finely furnished their dorms were. She wondered if the dorms of the other houses were the same.

"Hey, guys?" Leah whispered. "Are you awake?"

"We've been lying here for thirty seconds, Leah." Valentine sighed. "What do you want?"

"Why aren't blueberries blue?"

Valentine didn't reply.

"Um, Leah." Said Olivia. "I think you should just go to sleep now. We'll try and figure it out in the morning, okay?"

"Okay!" Leah cheered. "Night, Olivia! Night, Valentine!"

"Goodnight Leah. Goodnight Valentine."

"Just shut the hell up and go to sleep."

After all, Leah still didn't fall entirely quiet. Every few minutes she had a new question or had to giggle at a joke she remembered. But eventually, slowly but surely, she fell asleep and Olivia followed.

That just left Valentine, still staring at into the darkness. She knew when she opened her eyes again, her brain would be flooded that dream. She had gotten used to it but wasn't used to how it made her feel like she'd slept half the amount of hours she really had.

Dream or not, soon enough she shut her eyes and drifted off to sleep.

~~~

"Kreacher's master is upstairs as he was when you left. Is there anything Kreacher can do for you?"

"It's too early in the day for my brain to be forced to comprehend the words 'graceful noodlage'."

"I always wanted a wife."

"I mean, if you do the math, she was only a baby when they locked up her parents so I doubt she even remembers them. If that's the case, who could they influence her at all?"

"Do you really wish to anger me while we're down here alone, isolated from anyone who would care should you mysteriously disappear?"

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

"RONALD WEASLEY!"

"Don't say that. We don't care if your family isn't rich. You're our Olivia. You're special."

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

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

"Do you take pleasure in infuriating me?"

"Fear of a name only increases fear of the thing itself."

"If you have the power you always claim to have then you wouldn't care what people say!"

"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."

"Last time I checked I wasn't put on this Earth to get married."

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

"But who would choose such a life?"

"All you Lestrange's are madmen."

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

Valentine had never had detention on a Saturday before. In fact, she hadn't had many detentions at all when compared to her behavioural track record. Last year she'd had detention with both McGonagall and later Professor Burbage, but that detention had been shared with Draco, Blaze, Parkinson and herself due to some not overly kind statements they had made about Muggles. Then, of course, there was the detention in the Forbidden Forest and a grand total of two detentions with Snape. Not including a particular incident the previous year when they had used a detention as a cover for an emergency meeting.

Snape had quickly learned that detentions weren't going to afford him any kind of respect from her, to say the least. All it meant was that they would be forced to spend more time together than necessary and that was the last thing he wanted. That's why it had surprised Valentine to receive a detention from him.

There had been some discussion on whether or not Valentine should have been serving her detention with Lockhart, but it was quickly decided that that was a horrible idea of astronomical proportions. She had already pulled her wand on the man once. And Snape, begrudgingly so, seemed to be the only teacher with a true upper hand on her. Even if it was just grabbing her by the scruff of the neck and relocating her.

Snape had told her to report to his office directly after breakfast. Instead, Valentine took an extra twenty minutes lay in bed and then walked the long way to the Great Hall. By the time she made it there, her friends were almost finished eating. They knew what she was doing though and didn't remark upon it.

She took her merry time eating and then joined Draco and Blaze in a round of shouting insults over at Gryffindor table. Then when breakfast was over and everyone was leaving, she went to the bathroom, went back to the common room as she had decided to change her dress from one with long sleeves to one with short sleeves and then, finally, and as casually as possible, started towards the potions classroom.

If she had gotten up around her usual time, eaten and then set right off, she would have been in there an hour and a half earlier than she was arriving now. That was intentional.

"Morning, sir." She made sure to slam the door into the wall as she entered.

Snape was at his desk and immediately set a dark glower upon her.

"I do not appreciate being kept waiting, Lestrange."

"And I do not appreciate a Saturday detention for making it ever the more obvious that Lockhart is a plague on this school." Valentine strode up between the desks. "What makes you think I care if I kept you waiting for a few minutes?"

"You will not be so arrogant when you have completed your punishment," Snape said far too smugly.

"What are you going to do? Dismember me? Bury me alive? I say that because death is probably the only things that is going to achieve your desired effect, sir."

"First," Snape stood, "you will give me your wand."

"Well, that sounds like a stupid idea."

"Lestrange," Snape growled her name through gritted teeth, "you will hand over your wand immediately."

"And why the hell would I do that? Surely, not just because you ask."

"Because if you do not I will prevent your cousin from joining the Slytherin Quidditch team." Snape's black gaze narrowed. "And your uncle will know precisely why."

"Draco has nothing to do with this." Valentine brow twitched in annoyance.

"He does now. Make your choice or I will contact your uncle immediately."

Valentine wanted to scream. She wanted nothing more than to tell Snape where he could shove his threat and to go right ahead and tell her uncle. But it wasn't that simple.

Draco's been talking about joining the team all summer. He'd be crushed if he was suddenly told he couldn't join at all, ever. Even without my uncle's connections, I'm sure Draco could still make the team but his talent all means nothing if Snape decides me handing over my wand is more important than a chance at beating Gryffindor. Not to mention all the crap I'll get the moment Lucius can get his hands on me. Why the hell did he need to bring Draco into this?

Snape's expression was far too triumphant for her taste. He had already won and they both knew it.

She jammed her hand in her pocket and grabbed her wand. Snape held out his hand.

First, she pointed it at him as if to cast. He arched a silent brow and Valentine gave a low feral growl. Then she flipped it over for him to grasp it by the handle.

"Was that really so difficult?" Snape tucked her wand away into his own robs.

"Just hurry up and tell me what to do so I can leave."

During their first detention, Snape had made her write out lines. 'I must not disrespect my teachers or disrupt the class'. Now, it hadn't turned out quite like that. Valentine sat there for two hours instead, writing, 'I must not remind Professor Snape of his many shortcomings as an educator and human being and I must not provide the class with the daily entertainment that Snape cannot'. Snape turned so red Valentine thought he might explode.

For the second detention, he had her stand facing the wall for three hours which only allowed for her to described the entire plot of a six-book series she had read to him. Snape was unable to shut her up and end up just leaving the room, of course, Valentine wasn't just going to keep standing there. She left a message on the blackboard reading, 'The seventh book comes out next month, shall we schedule another appointment?', and then left.

That had been early in the first year and Valentine had the feeling this time there wouldn't be any line writing or standing around and staring at walls.

"You will organise the students-use ingredients stock as well as the textbook cabinet. You will wash and store all the instruments including the cauldrons. You will then replace all the candles and sweep the floor. I will return in an hour and if it is not completed to my standards then you will do it again until I approve of your work. If you do not manage to complete the work today then you will return tomorrow until you have."

"Sir. I think I'll have to remind you that child labour laws exist and breaching those laws is highly illegal."

"If you fail to comply then I shall contact your uncle and your cousin will never join the Quidditch team."

"That's blackmail, sir. Which also happens to be illegal."

"As I thought," Snape scoffed, "I doubt you've worked a single day in your life. With your servants and maids, it would be completely out of the skill set of a prodigy raised in the fine lap of luxury."

Oh, he is good. Evil and overtly so, but good.

"I'm upper class not an invalid." She hissed.

"We shall see," Snape smirked down at her. "I shall return in an hour, all the things you will need are in the storage closet. I'm sure you'll be able to memorize everything places for by tomorrow."

Valentine was seething, but she through her curls back over one shoulder and smiled with an air of grace that Narcissa would have been proud of.

"I'm sure I'll manage, Professor. Don't you worry about me."

Snape's smug little smile faded, shoved past her and marched towards the door.

"The door has been reinforced with a security charm and if you should leave I will be notified immediately."

"Wow. You really are all about breaking the law today, aren't you."

"Please, it would only be illegal if I locked you in, which I'm not."

"I'm not entirely sure that lessens that criminal nature of child labour laws and blackmail, Professor."

"It's also not entirely legal for me to physically extract you from one place and put you in another while you throw a fit like a two-year-old," said Snape, "and yet it occurs with irritating regularity."

"I've been told I'm a special case."

"Yes, well. I'm sure you won't feel so special when it's revealed how useless you truly are."

"Don't you have somewhere to be?"

Snape sent her one last hateful glare before shutting to the door with a thunderous crash.

Valentine sighed, took a breath and slammed her boot into the nearest desk. She imagined it was Snape's smug face and did it again. He always managed to get under her skin and today he had done that in epic proportions. Involving Draco, insisting she was useless and incapable of anything when they both that wasn't true.

She took another breath and pulled a hand back through her hair.

Stop it. If you know it's all rubbish then why listen? Snape's opinion means nothing and therefore, so does he. Bloody idiot. He crossed a line by bringing up Draco. Not that I'm surprised. Bastard. Whatever. The best revenge would be to do all he demanded flawlessly and all before he returns. I sure as hell am not doing this again tomorrow. I'll kill us both and Lockhart for good measure before that happens.

She looked over at the shelves of potions ingredients that were fit to be left out in the open. Students weren't always the most careful when taking what they needed. She knew Leah definitely wasn't.

Well. I've got to start somewhere.

Although it wasn't something she was accustomed to, Valentine wasn't afraid of manual labour, much less cleaning and organising. She had spent enough time watching Haley, Emma and Dobby do it but then, of course, they all had access to magic and Snape had taken her wand to purposely make things as close to impossible as he could. Even then, Valentine was confident that she could handle it.

The thing about manual labour was that for the most part, all one need was some common sense. All the ingredients and bookshelves were labelled, the new candles were in the closet with the broom and other cleaning supplies. She put two and two together and went to work.

Just like with Herbology, she didn't mind a little dirt on her hands. At least the dandelion root and eel eyes couldn't scream at her like a mandrake.

She had no way to tell an exact measure of time but she was certain that she was making good time. She organised the potion ingredients and the textbooks and then moved on to the part she thought would definitely take the longest. This she knew, was completely a product of Snape's undying hatred for her.

The cleaning could be done with a quick flick of his wand and that would be that, but she could tell from one glance that the cauldrons had been used yesterday and left out untouched.

She took a sniff before touching with her bare hands and found it was just Cure for Boils potion. She still didn't touch it. It was a first-year potion and she knew that of brewed incorrectly may cause boils rather than cure them.

Valentine briefly wondered if it would be completely and totally out of character for her to approach the Weasley twins about covering Snape in so many boils it might have actually improved his face.

She went by carefully, using the sink to fill them with water and rinsing them out as much as she possibly could before daring to put her hands inside. Once that was over and done with the rest of the instruments were quick and easy. Though she did imagine that if you were someone who loathed to clean then it could take hours and feel like a lifetime. But Valentine didn't have hours, she