NO MORE A PRETENDER~ {The Lestrange Daughter #3}

𝟐𝟎. Baskets

TRIGGER WARNING; Contains body shaming towards a plus-sized character. Please take care if you are sensitive to such things.

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Valentine wrote out the notes on scraps of parchment one at a time. They were to go with the supplies she would be leaving for the Gryffindor's, Ravenclaw's and Hufflepuff's. So far, the Slytherin's had been spared any great amount of torment as the Carrow's usually either favoured or simply left them be. For now, there was no reason to send them a package as well.

Snape glanced over her shoulder, reading what was written aloud.

"Please stay safe and look after one another. I'll do what I can to help. A Friend." He arched a brow at her. "A friend?"

"Yes?" Valentine bristled. "What's it to you? If they think it's from someone they know to be on their side then I'll be the last person they look in the direction of." 

"And still none of that guarantees that the students be will trusting enough to accept these." Snape gestured to the three wicker baskets, no bigger than one used for a standard picnic. 

"Well, I won't know until I try, now will I?" Valentine huffed.

Snape rolled his eyes at her, casting a glance at the classroom door. 

They were in the unused classroom, the very same Valentine had retreated to after her fight with Ginny. It was still untouched by any of the students or teachers but Snape was on edge regardless. Valentine, however, thought this was the perfect place for the time being as the Shrieking Shack was too far out of the way and half of her year knew the whereabouts of the Room of Requirement by now. 

She peeked inside the Ravenclaw's basket, it was enchanted with an Undetectable Extension Charm so it held much more than you would assume, looking from the outside. There were simple fruits and vegetables, bread, cheese and sliced as well as a glass bottle of milk and some chocolate that Valentine had spent over an hour nagging Snape to get. Everything was charmed as to stay fresh several weeks longer than it would have otherwise.

Then there were the medical supplies in the form of some bandages, basic healing tonics and mild pain killers. It wouldn't cover much more than some headaches, stomach bugs and minor injuries and unless Valentine thought they would have to deal with anything more serious on their own, she didn't want to completely deter them from going to Madam Pomfrey for emergencies. She hoped it never got to the point where that wouldn't even be an option. 

"I'll be staying here over the Christmas holiday too, by the way." She felt she should mention. "Unless that reptilian fuck face requests otherwise, of course. I need to be here if we get news about Harry or if any of the other students staying behind need help."

"Will you're aunt accept that?"

"Probably not. But let's just say that I'm not giving her the choice. "

"And what about your cousin?"

That made Valentine pause and frown. She'd already thought about that for some length of time.

"Draco's being doing a little better recently. Better than he was a few months ago at least. I haven't told him that I plan to stay and I know he won't react well to that but I really don't want to leave if I don't want to. The plan is to spend the holiday with the Zambini's again so I'll have the others watch him and he should be able to manage all things considered. I just can't leave. I have to be here encase Harry needs me." 

"It's better this way," Snape said gruffly. "The boy should learn not to depend on you for everything."

"Spare me the 'all children are lazy and stupid' speech, would you?" She rolled her eyes and closed the lid on the Ravenclaw's basket.