Valentine had her legs slung over Draco's lap with a book in her hands. She hadn't been so relaxed in months. Since the issue with the Chamber of Secrets had been solved, things were quiet again in the castle, or at least, as quiet as anyone could expect. The Weasley twins had glued Flitwick to a chair and Leah had made a giant paper crane half the size of herself that came to life and wreaked havoc for a few minutes before Valentine threw water at it. So, they were back to things as usual.

Draco was replying to a letter from Narcissa and the others were elsewhere in the common room with Crabbe, Goyle, Parkinson and Meriton. A group was a little too rambunctious for Valentine and Draco. They barely managed with the six.

Valentine could hear them laughing loudly at something Blaze said. Clearly, Blaze wasn't trying to be funny because he was shouting his typical baseless threats at them. Leah was the only one low enough to be at risk of anything Blaze could do. Then Hasani said something and Leah requested an immediate high hive.

Valentine thought she ought to thank him one day. If he hadn't dared to approach them just to let Draco know that his father had been around the school, things could have played out differently. He was a nice guy, again, really too nice to get much too involved with them. He certainly seemed to know better and Valentine was glad for that.

"Leah, could you not interrupt for like two-"

"NOPE!"

They laughed again that.

"Come on, just-"

"NOPEEE!"

"Why!" Demanded Blaze.

"N.O.P.E."

"I hate you so much."

"You say that like I value your opinion of me."

"That's cold, Leah."

"Like ice, yes."

"You guys are so weird." Crabbe's laugh sounded more like a wheeze.

"Oh, don't even get me started." Liam groaned.

"I'm not that bad!" Blaze insisted. "It's that spaz that's the weird one!"

"Don't be like that!" Leah poked at his head. "We're weird together!"

"Don't poke me, woman!"

"You're funny when you're mad. Like a little ball of fury."

"So, what if you've got a few inches on me! I'm still growing here!"

"You're not even five-foot, Blaze."

"Stay out of this, Liam! You're even taller than she is!"

"By like an inch."

"For now on I'm not talking to anyone who's over five feet tall!"

"That's like everyone except for Val." Said Leah.

"Then so be it!"

"Can't they hear themselves?" Draco rolled his eyes. "Do they always have to scream so much?"

"I believe Leah would say yes." Said Valentine.

"Leah would say yes to marrying an octopus." Draco scoffed. "I'm not going to take her word as law."

They'd been living out all their free periods like this. It was what had become of their Defense Against the Dark Art's classes. They could have just replaced Lockhart for the last month of the school year but why bother exams had already been cancelled? After a year of living in fear of petrification, they deserved some extra free time. For Valentine's friends that meant being as loud as humanly possible. For Valentine herself, it meant a cut back on creeping through dark hallways and her feet thanked her for it. But it wouldn't last. The end of the year was soon approaching. Just another week.

"Val?"

"Hmm?"

"So...that bruise...the one that was on your face?"

"What about it?" Valentine shot him a terse side glance. "I ran into Madam Pomfrey early that morning and she flipped out. Stupid woman wouldn't leave me alone until she fixed it. Like I care if my face is a little purple."

"I just..." Draco swallowed. "I just wish you'd be more careful. You know father can have kind of a short temper."

"Kind of?" Valentine scoffed.

"Mother said he's been trying his best to...you know, work on things, so we should be patient with him."

"He has had almost thirteen years to work on things." Valentine visibly bristled.

"I'm not trying to fight you on this, but wouldn't it just be easier to do as he says?" Draco bit his bottom lip. "It'd save you so much trouble."

"Right. And I'll just roll over for Snape too while I'm at it. I'm not going to cower before him because he has self-control issues and an inferiority complex."

"I'm not-"

"Yes, you are." Valentine snapped her book shut. "What the hell is wrong with you, Draco? Why can't you see it? You shouldn't be making excuses for him and neither should Narcissa."

"But we're family." Draco damn near pleaded.

"I know that means something to you bloody Malfoy's, but blood ties don't give him the right to hurt you."

"Val." Draco hissed, eyes wide and panicked. "Keep your voice down."

"Why can't you see how pathetic he is? He's weak and he'll do whenever he can to hide it from you."

"I'm just trying to look out for you. You're always causing trouble and making him mad and it's my job to stop you but-"

"Typical." Valentine swung her legs off his lap. "You really buy into that, don't you? That crap he feeds us about me being your responsibility. Do you think everything would be better if I just behaved myself? Honestly. Sometimes you're just as pathetic as him."

Valentine stood and turned away from him.

"Val-"

"I'm getting ready for next period. Why don't you write your damn father and tell him all about how I'm not listening to you? Maybe he can beat it out of me and make things easier for you."

She walked away before he could reply.

That was cruel but he's just so obstinate when it comes to this. He usually listens to me but the second his father enters the scene he ignores everything I've got to say! Why the hell can't he see it? I know he looks at me and see's a monster so how can he possibly look at that man and not see the same thing!

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

It was History of Magic and Leah and Blaze were asleep. Again. It seemed they had learnt their lesson and stopped sitting beside one another to avoid ending up as Draco and Liam's playthings. They now sat in the order of Leah, Olivia, Valentine, Liam, Draco and Blaze. Leah was slouched over the desktop again, arms crossed over her book, while Blaze had stretched out on the bench itself. Oh, what Valentine would have done for a nap.

With the lack of stalking and skulking, she had been getting more sleep as a whole but it was still short of what she needed. The strange dream plagued her so often that she was more surprised when she didn't have it.

Draco and Liam had brought a deck of cards with them and we're playing openly on the desk. As perusal, Professor Binns was too preoccupied droning on about the history of the first communications between humans and Grindylows. Olivia was the only one paying attention, writing down a page worth of notes while Valentine read a novel. She hadn't had as much time to read as before and so she was glad to take every opportunity she could.

"Hey, girls." Said Liam. "Want to play a round?"

"No, thank you." Said Olivia, not looking up from her work.

"Val?"

"No."

"Alright then." Liam just shrugged and dealt the cards for him and Draco.

Valentine rarely played with them and the approaching headache she could feel didn't exactly put her in a playful mood. It was still very distant but she'd become quite good at recognizing the feeling. This one was coming fast. She decided she could hold out for the rest of the day. Most of the teachers ignored her in class and with the threat of exams gone she had no reason to pay any real attention.

"Wow, Draco. You're really off your game today."

"Shut up, Highcourt. Ever think I was going easy on your out of kindness?"

"No. Because you'd never do that in a million years."

"...yeah, that's true."

Valentine glanced at Draco from the corner of her eye. They weren't aruging, not really and whenever they did it didn't last. But he was still nervous around her and she was still pretending to be irritated. They weren't the type to apologize and with this kind of argument, what could they say? Valentine wasn't ever going to change her opinion and Draco himself seemed reluctant to ever bring it up for that reason. Either way, apologies wouldn't fix their problem. Valentine thought the only thing that would achieve that would be an anvil and a well-timed drop from a high window.

She let her eyes wander to the front of the class. Hermione usually insisted on sitting to the front and so the boys went with her. There would be no jumping over desks and screaming insult, at least not under those same circumstances. Hermione was safe, unpetrified and few to point out Ron's mistakes like she was doing right now. Valentine caught Harry with his hand over his mouth, shoulders trembling slightly in laughter. It must have been an obvious mistake, Valentine thought.

"How do you keep winning?" Draco groaned.

"Guess I'm just brilliant like that."

"Guess you're just cheating."

"Maybe. Find a way to actually prove it and I will kiss you clean on the mouth."

"Hmm. Blaze would probably get jealous."

"Oh, what he doesn't know what hurt him."

"Liam Charlemagne Highcourt." Draco gaped at him in mock horror. "You absolute slag."

"Do not bring my middle name into this, man." Liam's gaze darkened.

"Oh? Why not, Charlemagne? It's just a name."

"Fine then. No kiss for you."

"Um, excuse me? You said I just said all I had to do was figure out how you were cheating!"

"Ah, don't worry about it."

"Don't just dismiss me like that!"

Are they arguing because Draco thinks Liam's cheating or because Draco wants a kiss? Boys are confusing.

"Now, now. You're just getting all worked up."

"You are so going down, Liam Charlemagne Highcourt."

"Okay, please stop. It's bad enough just having that name without people reminding me."

"What kind of name is Charlemagne away?"

"It was my mothers, father's name. And his father's and then his uncle's if I remember correctly."

"Who puts Liam and Charlemagne together?"

"Apparently my father choose it." Liam shrugged. "I wouldn't know what he was thinking, him being dead and all."

"Point taken. I'll shut up now."

"You still going to make a guess on my cheating strategy or are we just going to play?"

"Give me a second, I have to think about this!"

Valentine could feel the burning in her temples more urgently now and rubbed at her face. She reminded herself that the day was over half done. All they had was a last period potions class.

"You alright?" Asked Liam, both him and Draco staring at her. "Look kind of pale. Paler than usual, I mean."

"I'm fine. Don't you two have a kissing arrangement to get on with?"

"Right." Said Draco. "You have to be using magic."

"Hmm. What kind then?"

"Not a spell obviously. The cards must be jinxed or something."

"Well, prove it."

"Let me think for a second won't you?"

Valentine was fairly certain Liam wasn't cheating. She doubted he would waste the effort on a zero stakes game like this, especially seeing as he wasn't a sore loser. Apparently, this hadn't occurred to Draco as he inspected the cards with a critical eye.

"Figure it out yet?"

"Shut up and let me work, Charlemagne."

"I regret telling any of you my middle name."

"Well. At least it's not as bad as Blaze's. At least you look like you could be a Charlemagne."

"That's true. But in defence of Blaze's parents, I don't think they knew he was going to turn out like..you know, him."

"Blaze Peregrine Zambini." Draco spoke like he was tasting the name. "Nope. Still sounds weird to me."

"I know, right? Like, Blaze? Sure, I can see that. But Peregrine? No. Not by a long shot."

"Who's slandering my name...?" Blaze slurred as he sat.

"Liam was." Said Draco.

"Hey, don't throw me into the fire!"

"You can't talk Charlemagne." Blaze glared at Liam tiredly.

"Okay, then. So, I'm officially banning all middle names. They no longer exist, starting now."

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

"I don't even know why we have to go to these last days of class if we're not even doing exams," Leah grumbled and slouched in her chair.

"For once I agree with the alien." Said Blaze.

"I'm not an alien!" Leah hissed.

"I thought he would have forgotten that by now." Said Olivia.

"Yeah, but I guess old habits die hard." Liam shrugged.

"Alien, alien, alien, alien, alien!" Blaze chanted.

Arg. Must they be damn so loud?

"Gah! STOP! My ears!" Leah cried out, slapping her hands down over her ears dramatically. "My EARS!

"Come on! I thought you liked chanting?" Blaze goaded her.

"Not when it's your stupid face calling me names!"

"Awe! But I'm so good at it!"

I am so close to slapping one of them.

Just as Valentine had predicted, her headache had crept forward and then smacked her in the head like a brick. It rarely got as bad as this and it was only due to her perfected mask of indifference that no one had yet to notice.

"Alien! Alien! Alien!"

"It's not what I would call a high-quality insult," Said Draco. "but it'll do for Leah."

"Come on, Blaze." Liam laughed. "Don't wind her up too much, you might break her."

"Break her? Break her!" Blaze exclaimed. "She was broken when her parents pulled her from her SPACE SHIP!"

Okay, so Blaze is first then.

"I SAID I'M NOT AN ALIEN!"

Be quiet!

"SILENCE!"

Every student in the room jumped in their seats at least an inch with the exception of Valentine, who curled her hands into fists under the desk.

Snape stormed up to the front of the room like a black hurricane covering everything in darkness. Or at least, Valentine wished it had been darkness. Even the dimly light dungeon seemed too bright to her today.

"Just because the exams have been cancelled doesn't give anyone the excuse to slack off!" Snape glared down at the students with a sneer. Clearly, he was not in the best of moods today.

Bloody hell. He acts like he actually enjoys grading test papers.

"I will still be assigning homework that must be completed by the end of the term! Now...if you will all kindly shut your mouths, we can begin the lesson." Snape pulled out his desk chair with a near-deafening scrape.

The sound grated on Valentine's nerves both figuratively and literally. She raised her hand, her face expressionless despite the raging pain thumping in her head.

"What is it, Lestrange?" Snape grounded out his words like he was the one in pain.

"Can you keep it down?"

"Excuse me?" Snape bristled.

"I said, to keep it the hell down."

He glared daggers at her until it dawned upon him. He gave her a cruel smirk.

"Oh. Have a headache do we? Well, then you should have thought for that before you walked into my classroom." He grabbed the large worn textbook on his desk and slammed it open. It took all of Valentine's control not to flinch. "Turn to page, 312."

Why you overgrown bat of a smug bastard...shall I slap you instead? Will a brick be sufficient?

"Val?" Draco whispered behind her. "You weren't feeling well in history either, weren't you?"

"Stop being a pest." She snapped at him and shot Snape a deathly glare of her own.

She wanted to stand up and scream insults at him. Maybe kick a desk or throw a book, but alas, the throbbing in her head begged against that. So, instead, she didn't move an inch. She had no intention of opening her textbook like she'd been instructed to. She simply stared at Snape like it would cause him to cue over and die.

The other students in the room looked between the Professor and student in utter confusion. Why wasn't Lestrange raging with vengeance? Shouldn't Snape be kicking her out right about now?

Valentine could see Blaze at her side glancing at her and then back at the others like they were trying to communicate without words. Which was highly unlikely since they could barely communicate with words

Snape completely ignored her piercing stare and begun the lesson.

"Everyone split into groups of three quickly." Ordered Snape. "Or I will be choosing groups for you."

His words spurred every breathing body in the room to hastily move into collections of three. Snape was in a mood and if Lestrange wasn't going to rage some hell then it was time to get on with class.

Leah and Olivia moved to form a group with Valentine while Blaze moved to do the same with Draco and Liam.

"I hope you guys were listening!" Leah said, with a typical cheeky smile. "Because I didn't hear a word."

"Don't worry. I remember." Olivia assured her. "And anyway, I think we'll be just fine as long as we have Val."

"Shut up," Valentine growled lowly. "Both of you."

"I'm sorry." Olivia seemed smaller than usual. "Was I being too loud? I'm really sorry."

Valentine didn't even bother to scold her for apologizing like she usually would.

"Just go get the bloody ingredients, would you? And hurry it up. I'm not in the mood to deal with any little accidents you may feel like causing." Valentine sent a pointed look.

"On it." Leah frown seriously and gave a salute

"Alright, Leah you get the
ingredients and I'll get everything else." Said Olivia. "The list is in your textbook."

"Okey dokey- OW!" As Leah turned she hit her knee on the desk.

"You are alright?" Asked Olivia.

"That hurt." Leah was rubbing at it with a pout when she caught the dangerous glint in Valentine's eye. She slowly lowered her leg. "Okay. Sooooooo. I'm just going to go get that stuff then."

Leah and Olivia hurried off, leaving Valentine to collect everything. She decided she'd let Olivia take over. She was more than capable enough to keep it from blowing up in their faces.

She felt eyes on her and looked over at Harry, Ron and Hermione.

"What?" She snapped viciously and they immediately looked away.

She'd been keeping this headache a secret quite successfully until Snape opened his big mouth. She made a mental note to flay him alive once she had the chance. Covering up any pain was worth not having her friends fret over her like chickens without heads. It was like multiple Narcissa's. But Valentine didn't want to think about that. She just wanted this class over and with.

A group of students near the front of the class laughed amongst themselves, bringing Snape's rage down upon them. His voice boomed and Valentine's head throbbed. Again she wanted to throw something at him but just the thought of standing up made her busy. Then Snape moved on to his favourite students.

"Well. If it isn't our heroes?"

"We don't call ourselves that, sir." Said, Harry.

"Do not talk back to me. Five points from Gryffindor!"

"But-" Tried Ron.

"How about another five?" Snape threatened.

What a freaking jerk. What the hell is his problem? Is he just pissed because he can't torture everyone with exams this year? What a goddamn slime bal-

A sharp pain shot through her head like a heated knife. Her right temple stung with a pain she could only describe as feeling like something was trying to chisel its way out of her frontal lobe.

She dropped her head in her hands, clamping her teeth down on the soft flesh inside her mouth to stop herself from