Depths of Despair ✶ Theodore Nott

sixteen. problems can't be avoided for eternity

Most of all did Valerie despise feeling useless, and when stuck in a bed in the Hospital wing for three days following their encounter with Peter Pettigrew, she was just about ready to launch herself out of a window — certain madam Pomfrey was attempting at killing her slowly rather than actually making sure she properly healed.

     No matter many attempts at defiance, the woman was determined: Valerie was to rest if she had any desire to be released within the week, but only after receiving threats of being magically restrained to her bed did the teenager cease her complaining.

     "Come on, it's not that bad," Kieran argued when walking inside the infirmary — finding his best friend laying flat on her back, staring emptily at the roof as if near loosing the very small remains of her sanity. Valerie had sat up, crossed her arms and then aimed a glare his way: Kieran immediately raising his hands in surrender, sighing deeply in feigned acceptance.

     She was none the less displeased at his disapproval while he approached her bed, Kieran unable to suffocate the snort escaping past his lips: scanning her expression, her features displaying nothing but the look of pure misery.

     "You're being over dramatic, Val," he declared while dumping a tower of books by her feet. She had rather fiercely insisted he brought along half of the school library — hoping to ease her boredom with some reading. Kieran could not fathom why she would repeatedly, willingly put herself through the pain of studying for exams they did not even have. Either way, before them laid a Potions book, a Defense against the Dark Arts book, and a Transfiguration book: all meant for fifth year students, not third. 

     "I'm not—," Valerie began countering his, to her, outrageous statement, however Kieran held up a hand: silencing his best friend.

     "Don't yell at me," he quickly voiced: ignoring her glare. "I brought you half the library, had Madam Pince scold me for almost knocking down an entire bookshelf on the way out, and then had to carry it all here. You should be thanking me."

     "Idiot," Valerie huffed, however when reaching for the books, her anger seemed to subside. Happily did she flip through the pages, scanning words regarding the making of different potions, until Kieran became bored of her silence — reaching out a hand to pinch her rather harshly in the arm. "Ow!" she exclaimed while her whole body flinched away from his reach.

     He snickered for a total of five seconds before a pillow was launched toward his face: Valerie taking over the look of amusement while watching him stumble backwards in surprise.

     "Bloody hell," Kieran mumbled after regaining his balance, deciding against giving the pillow back considering she would simply throw it at him again. Instead, he sat down at the end of her bed, ran a hand through his hair to remove some disheveled strands from shielding his eyes, and then seemed to consider his next few words for a while — as if unsure whether or not to actually dare speak them aloud.

     Valerie quirked an eyebrow upwards, looking at him with curiosity evident within her gaze. "What?" She asked, knowing not whether to add in humor or seriousness within her tone.

     "Have you spoken to him yet?" Kieran finally voiced, watching his best friend immediately grimace.

     Valerie knew exactly who Kieran was talking about, however wished to avoid the conversation as religiously as possible. She had yet to quite figure out how to act regarding the newfound-father-situation, hence the noticeable awkwardness whenever she and James Potter stood present within the same room. "No," she quickly replied — Kieran tilting his head to the side, then reaching toward the very same pillow she had used to smack him across the face: aiming and then repaying the same efforts.