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

𝟐𝟗. Queen

"And that would be checkmate, Professor." Valentine smiled pleasantly, offering him her hand to shake. "Good game?"

He scowled at her innocent act, glaring down at her hand as if it posed a threat.

"Fuck, fine." She lowered her hand as she started rearranging her pieces for another match. "Way to be a sore loser."

"I am not a sore loser."

"Could have fooled me."

They had already cleaned up the blood and shattered glass with a quick spell and with the Carrow's gone, Valentine didn't feel the need to escape anymore. Even if Amycus didn't end up in St Mungo's, he was going to be bed-bound in the hospital wing for at least two or three days. She hoped that he and Alecto would hold off on any revenge until after he was released. A break in the ongoing crisis that was her life would be most welcome.

"You know, in another life, I could have done this professionally." Valentine muttered aloud.

"Been utterly sufferable?" Snape irked a brow. "I don't think that's a profession, Lestrange."

"I meant play chess, asshole."

Snape sent her a particularly murderous glare for her language. She ignored it.

"Or maybe I could have been a published author or world-renowned violinist." She mused and then frowned over at Snape. "Instead, I'm sitting here with you."

"Flattery will get you nowhere." He replied sarcastically. "And since when do you play the violin?"

"Since I was like six years old? Did you really not know that?"

"Obviously, I do not." He rolled his eyes.

"Well, I do. And I'm damn good at it. Draco plays the piano. We learnt together at Narcissa's insistence. Something about trying to turn us into cultured and accomplished people."

"That particular failure must sting."

"Most likely. But I feel as though Narcissa is accustomed to the general disappointment of the children she raised not turning out as she might have hoped. I'm sure she and Leah's mother lament upon it often."

As Snape was rolling his eyes at her idle talk she was reaching for the bottle still sitting on the edge of the desk. Alecto had left it behind, half full. Valentine turned it in her hands to read the label when it was yanked away from her.

Snape hadn't cast the spell out loud but now the bottle was in his hand and he was staring her down darkly with disapproval.

"Oh, stop it." She slouched in her seat. "I wasn't going to drink any."

He didn't seem entirely convinced, still eyeing her from the corner of his gaze as he placed it on the edge closest to himself so that she wouldn't have been able to reach before he stopped her.

"Fucking hell, I'm not going to become a raging alcoholic by simply touching the bottle."

"I believe caution should be taken regardless." He replied sharply. "You aren't known for moderation."

Valentine pursed her lips sourly. She wanted to argue that point but couldn't entirely disagree with him. Valentine Lestrange didn't half-ass anything. How else would she have gotten in this situation, after all?

She watched him glance at the bottle for a split second and sat a little straighter. A small smirk crept onto her face as she tracked his every movement with her gaze.

"I don't care if you drink in front of me, you know. It'll probably be the least questionable thing to happen to me tonight."

Snape's brow furrowed severely.