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

𝟐𝟔. Parents

TRIGGER WARNING; Contains graphic depictions of violence. Anyone sensitive to such scenes please take care.

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"Ready to have a nice evening out with the family?" Asked Rabastan a little too giddily when they arrived on the front drive of Malfoy Manor.

Valentine directly shook his hand off her shoulder and looked over at the others standing not too far from them. 

Valentine hadn't thought she'd be seeing any of these people again so soon and yet here they were. Two out of the four looked as glad to her see as she was to see them. Then there was Rabastan, who seemed strangely delighted to be near her considering they'd left off on rather uncivil terms before the school year began. And then there was William who generally lacked any kind of readable expression to begin with. 

"I see you're still alive then." Bellatrix sighed, looking her up and down.

"Sorry to disappoint." Valentine replied flippantly.

"You should be."

"Let's get this over with." Rodolphus quickly interjected. "The Dark Lord expects results, not childish bickering."

Bellatrix rolled her eyes at him, muttering bitterly under her breath. 

Rabastan reached for Valentine but she jerked away with a sneer. 

"Niece." He slapped a hand over his black heart. "I'm wounded."

"How tragic." Valentine didn't give him a second glance as she approached William instead. 

He held out his hand to her, wordless and unprompted.

Rabastan shrugged and started to roll up his sleeves.

"Well, I guess we have to fight now, William old boy."

"Rabastan." His bother halted him coldly. "Stop acting the fool and let's get going." 

"Fine." Rabastan gave a sigh that very nearly rivalled Bellatrix's.

Rodolphus disappeared first and Valentine put her hand over the top of William's. Almost immediately after, she felt that well-known sensation of being compressed and stretched out again, her body twisting and pulling without any pain and all occurring in the blink of an eye. 

Now, they stood on a wide frost-covered plain, the moonlight peeking out from the heavy cloud cover above. Before them, perhaps twenty metres away, a tall brick building loomed over them all. It was shaped quite like a medieval tower with many vines growing their ways up the sides from the garden below. Even in winter, it seemed strangely green and vibrant. 

There was a low wooden fence circling around it and creating a yard that Bellatrix simply stepped over. She strolled up the path to the door and Valentine couldn't help but scoff.

"Are you seriously going to knock?"

"Yes, for you're information," Bellatrix replied snidely. "Unlike you, I'm not a complete brute. And I do love the look on peoples faces when they answer."

They all moved up behind her, stepping over the fence that was only knee-high on everyone but Valentine. She pretended not to be irritated when William offered her his hand again to help her get over. She ultimately decided that it was better she accept with some dignity rather than falling on her face in front of every other living Lestrange. 

"Go look for a back door." Rodolphus whispered to his brother. "If you find one stand guard encase they try to run."

"Aye, aye, Captain." Rabastan nodded a little reluctantly and ventured off into the garden, disappearing from view around the curved side of the house.