PRETENDING TO LIVE~ {The Lestrange Daughter #2}

𝟗. First

"DIGGORY! DIGGORY! DIGGORY!" The crowd cheered in excitement.

Lost among the many, the older boy beside Valentine threw his arms up and just barely missed smacking her in the face. Before she could threaten to throw him down into the arena, Liam reached forward and shoved the boy back, sending him stumbling into his friends and creating a chain reaction down the entire row.

"Watch yourself!" Liam snapped. "You're not the only one here, you know?'

"You alright, Val?" Asked Draco, tugging her closer to him by her elbow.

"I'm fine." She growled, tearing her arm away. She turned to Liam with a glare. "I don't need you to push people for me."

"Right. Sorry." Liam blinked. "I wasn't thinking."

"You sure weren't." Draco snickered.

"Shut up, you." Liam pouted sourly.

"I didn't say anything." Draco cocked his head to the side in mock innocence.

"Ugh, the both of you can shut up." Valentine groaned and turned her attention down into the arena where Cedric Diggory was stepping into view.

He stood at the opening of a cave, smiling widely and waving to the crowd. Once he saw the Swedish Short-Snout, its silvery-blue scales winking in the light, his smile dropped and fell into a determined frown. The goal was to retrieve a golden egg placed somewhere inside the rocky terrain of the arena. That was easier said than done with an irritated dragon inside with him. From then on, Valentine, for the most part, barely feigned interest.

Cedric was a clever guy and seemed to handle himself just fine, give or take a few scorch marks from the dragon's glaring blue flames, so she didn't feel the need to wind herself up with worry. No, she would save that for Harry's turn.

If Harry gets eaten by a damn dragon today, I'm feeding the Minister to it next. And Snape. And Lucius. And Parkinson. Maybe I should write this down.

Leah was cheering loudly without abandon. She was at Blaze's side, jumping up and down and practically screaming in his ear.

"DIGGORY! DIGGORY! DIGGORY!" She chanted along with the crowd.

"Can you not do that directly into my ear!" Blaze glared at her but she just grinned and did a strange little dance.

"Nope!"

Blaze grabbed Draco by the shirt sleeve and yanked him close.

"Please, tell me why I like her?"

"How should I know? I don't even know how she's still alive after all the glitter she's inhaled over the years." Draco scoffed.

Valentine tuned out their chatter, staring down into the arena as Delacour and Krum went head to head with their own dragons, one after the after.

Fleur Delacour had faced a Welsh Green, which as its namesake would suggest, was green from the tips of its horns to the barbs of its tail. It certainly wasn't the most dangerous of all dragons, but of course, the nature of any dragon was danger itself. She managed a rather decent success, charming it to sleep and only catching fire once when the dragon snored and fire shot from its nostrils. Leah almost cried at the sight of Fleur's silky blue skirt after. The girl hosed herself down with her wand, and then, with all the dignity of someone pretending that didn't happen, she retrieved the egg and left before the crowds cheering could wake the dragon.

Valentine found that it interested her little more than Quidditch ever had. It just all seemed so unnecessary for the dragons to be dragged all the way from Romania and students having to risk their lives for something even more unnecessary like eternal glory. Weren't there other ways to be entertained without the chance of someone dying? Soon enough, she found herself sighing and leaning against the wooden railing.