PRETENDING TO LIVE~ {The Lestrange Daughter #2}

𝟑𝟕. White

​Valentine pulled open her wardrobe doors hesitantly. Narcissa had seemed particularly excited about the dresses she and Rose had selected and that was never a good sign. Valentine knew she was going to end up with another dress to be stashed away in a box never to see the light of day again. She looked at the row of solid black, only broken by a slither of white.

Oh, you're fucking kidding me.

Valentine slowly reached for the dress as if it was a dangerous creature. She pulled it from its place and cursed aloud.

The dress was completely and blindingly white. The skirt was oddly layered lace and it was cut in the same low-high style Valentine recalled Leah's Yule Ball dress had been. It wasn't as horrid as other things but white was a colour she was not accustomed to in any way shape or form.

Why did they have to pick white of all colours? Ugh. If Bobby was here he would help me dose it in gasoline and torch it without even asking.

She could handle some colour, even bright ones. Some odd design, some unflattering angles but this was freaking white.

There was a knock at her door and she quickly threw the dress back into the wardrobe, embarrassed to even be holding it.

"What is it?" She called out, closing the wardrobe door.

"It's Emma. I'm here to clean the windows, but I can come back lat-."

"Come on." Valentine cut her off.

Emma pushed the door open slowly, her eyes on the floor. She held a bucket in one hand, her wand in the other.

"Forgive me for the inconvenience." She spoke only loud enough to be heard from across the room.

Emma stood there for a moment in tense silence before Valentine snapped at her.

"Well? Get to it."

"Yes, ma'am." Emma jumped slightly and hurried to her work.

Valentine moved over to her desk, watching the maid stand before the windows, setting down her bucket.

"Where's Haley?" She asked. "She usually handles my room."

"She was requested to help the Mistress with the Christmas celebration."

Emma never stuttered the way Haley did. She was still on edge of course but it didn't show in her voice so clearly as it did with Haley.

Valentine had always assumed it was a nervous tick on Haley's part and Valentine happened to make her nervous a lot.

Emma preferred to keep her head low and her eyes diverted at all times, although this did nothing to hide the pure distress that being in Valentine's presences caused. The staff of Malfoy Manor had been her unwilling and unknowing means of practice in those two years before Hogwarts. Valentine could never fault them for fearing her after all the things she'd done to them.

If I can, I'll make it up to them one day.

Valentine sat at her desk and busied herself with unread mail from Blaze and Leah. Blaze wished her Merry Christmas and Leah had drawn her a picture of some indecipherable creature with what looked like two heads and a candy dispenser attached to its back. She pulled out her own parchment and quill to reply when there was another knock at the door.

"What?" Valentine groaned like all these interruptions were building upon her annoyance.

"It's just me." Narcissa popped her head in through the doorway with a smile. "You can leave that until later, Emma. Haley will need your help in the main sitting room."