Depths of Despair ✶ Theodore Nott

thirty. to outrun fire

Valerie.

It is with utter dismay I have to say this, but I expect you to come home for Christmas this year. Do not ask me why, because at the moment I cannot reveal such information. Fail to follow through with my request, and you will face consequences.

Your mother, Olenna Leclere.

Valerie had read the letter over and over and over again, for in no way seemed she able to grasp what the woman, after so many years, could possibly want.

     Her mind going over different theories, neither appeared to truly make sense, and after loosing yet another night of sleep she came to the final conclusion the woman was to be ignored.

     Valerie had spared no remorse when casting a wandless Incendio that very same morning, watching the envelope go up in flames. There was no way she'd let herself be controlled by a woman living her life fabricated of lies and threats. After having escaped her cruel crutches for so long ago, her mother was a mere memory of times she wished to forget.

     And like that, Valerie wished for her to remain.

It would turn out, that with the Triwizard tournament, the beginning of their fourth year passed by in a haste. Months felt like days, and a merely a day after her birthday, it was time for the first task.

Taking company with Pansy Parkinson, Blaise and Daphne Greengrass she and Kieran arrived at the arena: taken aback as to the size of the audience. All the Hogwarts houses were gathered together, cheering on primarily Cedric, but also showing Harry their support although most remained unsatisfied with him being allowed to participate. The Beauxbatons and Durmstang students were attending in full amounts, and within the crowds Valerie could have sworn to have seen Rita Skeeter sneaking around: gathering information from people talking, her magical quill noting even the slightest rumor down to use in an upcoming article.

She and Kieran laughed at the pathetic woman, sparing no hesitation in expressing their dislike for her nosy ways, before following along the rest of their group through the sea of students taking up most of the bleachers.

Finding seats turned out to be a challenge. The only ones left vacant were located in a corner with bad view, hence why Pansy easily located Draco and used him to scare away a bunch of first years in order to claim their seats in the middle instead. Valerie chuckled lowly at the sight— amused at everything from the poor eleven year olds' eyes widened in terror, to Draco's unwilling mannerisms. He truly could be intimidating, even when being forced into the role of a bully without individually commuting to it.

"I thought you said you wouldn't watch, Draco?" Valerie recalled after having to sit down next to the platinum blonde Malfoy heir. The seat to her right was empty, but she silently registered the absence of Theodore Nott — assuming he would arrive to join them soon.

"I wasn't," Draco scoffed. "But then I heard a rumor that the task would be dragons. I come here in hopes to watch Potter go up in flames."

Perhaps should she have defended her poor half-brother, but Valerie knew she was morally flawed, hence allowing herself to laugh at his statement. There truly was little chance of the fourteen-year-old Gryffindor making it out of the task without held unless he'd come up with some miracle.

"You attention, please. This is a great day for all of us...." Dumbledore began yet another of his speeches, but at the sound of approaching footsteps, Valerie tuned out the Headmaster's voice: her eyes trailing upon Theodore Nott approaching the vacant seat alongside her.

"Fashionably late, I see," she jokingly exclaimed the moment he sat down.

"Better to be late than not show up at all," came his response, and Valerie turned: surprised to meet his deeply blue gaze at an instant. His hair fell messily down his forehead, and for the shortest second Valerie fought the urge to brush the disobedient strands away from his eyes. Of course, she restrained herself. "So, who do you think will place first?"