PRETENDING TO LIVE~ {The Lestrange Daughter #2}

𝟓𝟑. Always

The world outside her room was drowned out by the heavy rain that had hung around for several days now. Fat droplets shattered against her windows panes and raced each other down the glass.

"Have you found anything?" Valentine peered over Draco's shoulder.

"Maybe." Draco muttered, eyes scanning the words rapidly. "I don't know."

"How promising."

Draco was hunched over her desk and had been for almost two hours. The stack of books beside him completely dwarfed him in height.

Voldemort so often occupied the library that it left Draco to set up in Valentine's room instead that day. Of course, he could have done this in his own room which is what made Valentine certain that this had more to with Draco needing help with big words and terms that he didn't understand than anything else.

She offered to help multiple times but Draco was being uncommonly stubborn about doing the bulk of the work himself. Valentine supposed that he'd brought into what she'd said about Voldemort giving him a chance.

She sat back on her bed, reading a novel and glancing up every so often to watch Draco scratch his brow in confusion.

This went on for another two hours before Valentine had had enough of listening to him yawning.

"Bed." She snapped her book closed and set it on the nightstand.

"Just let me finish this page-"

"Hurry up."

Draco stood slowly from his chair as he hurriedly read the last of the page.

"Come on." Valentine took the book from his hands and placed it on the desk. "Get some sleep."

"You're not my mother." Draco yawned.

"No, I'm not. I am far scarier." Valentine shoved him towards the door. "So, get to fucking bed before I have to drag you there."

"Good night to you too." Draco muttered under his breath as he left the room.

Valentine sighed and pulled a hand back through her hair, turning to look at the tower of books.

She grabbed the one Draco had been reading and flicked through it, reading titles and subheadings.

Curses. Cheery topic, that is.

Then she heard the sound of tapping and her head snapped up. She looked to the door, but quickly realized it wasn't coming from that side of the room. There was no one in there with her and the tapping wasn't coming from her door. As she scanned the room, her eyes froze over the window.

A large red bird was sitting outside on the window sill, tapping its beak on the glass.

Fawkes?

She hurried over to the window. She quickly undid the latch and pushed open that section of the window.

The rain blew in towards her with a blast of frigid air.

"What are you doing here?" She asked the bird who blinked intelligently in reply.

She then noticed the tiny cylinder container attached to his leg.

"A message?" She mumbled, removing the container.

She opened it without delay and unfurled the small piece of paper. It read;

Come to Hogwarts as soon as possible. It's urgent. A.D.

She flipped it over but that was all that had been written.