Fake Truth

XII

A/N-- You guys got this to OVER 300 reads!!!! To some that may not be many but that's LOADS for me.Thank you guys so so so much. Sorry I have not updated sooner; been really busy for the last week and a half. Anyway, I really hope that you enjoy this.

It was getting dark quite quickly as it was winter. As Valerie drew further away from the Manor she found herself at a small village a few miles east of the Manor; unluckily it was a muggle village. She knew that because as soon as she arrived there people were walking around using muggle 'smart phones' and many of the houses were lit up using light bulbs; meaning electricity.

Valerie had spent a year in the muggle world when in hiding, yet she was still not confident that she could pass as one of them. Especially now, when it was drawing to evening and everyone would be going inside with their families. She felt so out of place here, much rather be with her kind but it was too late to go back to the Manor now; she didn't want to seem weak in front of Draco, she didn't want him to know that she needed him. Tomorrow was Christmas, so surely all the bed and breakfasts would be full with visiting families, though there was nowhere else to go without questioning. Hogwarts would accept her for the holidays yet the faculty and even the children would ask her why she was not with Draco at Malfoy Manor.

Stupid Draco, she thought, stupid, stupid, stupid. "'Oh, it's okay. We don't have to keep our plans private. Let's tell everyone. 'That way Minerva will also know that we don't hate each other." She put on a girly high-pitched voice as she said that, why did she ever listen to him.

Why did she trust so easily? What was her problem? Every friendship she had had broken down because she trusted way too easily. She depended on others and seeming that she now had no family she knew of

Giving up on finding any other way of avoiding this town she started to walk up the main street of the small village that she learnt was called 'High Burgh', looking for a bed and breakfast that was empty, sadly the last three that she had visited had all turned her down and referred her to the next. Apparently there were only four bed and breakfasts in this small community and luck definitely was not on her side.

The last one Valerie came to had red ivy growing up three of the four red brick walls. The window frames needed replacing and the evergreen hedges around it were too high and needed cutting. She walked up the cobbled driveway to where she would hopefully receive a bed to sleep in for the night. The old house belonged to an old couple who looked at her as if she was normal; others hadn't as she was wearing her long, black teaching robes. "Is there any space here?" Valerie enquired as she saw the old couple at the desk in front of the door.

They smiled at the witch replying with a simple 'yes' and showing her to her room. They stopped at the threshold of the bedroom, "you know, no one really comes here, you're the first customer we have had this whole holiday season," the old man, whose name she learnt was Albert smiled at her, "could I ask you a question?" he looked a little nervous when proposing the idea.

"Of course," though she was tired and wanted to rest she felt the need to oblige to every word they spoke, the two muggles had saved her life had they known what had happened just hours ago at Draco's home. She wondered how he was doing, by himself after she had stormed out without letting him explain. She was a very hot headed girl and let it get to the best of her sometimes.

"Are you a witch?"

*

Draco paced nervously in his study, he had sent out his house elves to go and find Valerie. He hadn't meant it in that way, he just didn't want to make her feel uncomfortable or even force her to share a room with him. There were plenty of others but ever since his parents had left his life he decided not to use them and had thrown out all of the furniture. There was no way that they could fix up another room in just a day, magical or not. He just regretted the fact he upset Valerie, he was getting so close to her, slowly regaining her trust and friendship and he blew it. Snap. In just two minutes they were back to being enemies.

He had to find her, she could be anywhere, especially seeing that she did not know her way around here very well and it was getting close to night fall. Rushing out the door and sliding down the banister he shouted at whoever was listening "I'm going out. Be back whenever." How long would it take to find her? Did she apparate? To where? Did she walk?

Draco Lucius Malfoy stood outside his house, thinking. Thinking. Why didn't he think before he said those things about Valerie? He apparated to Hogwarts, thinking that she would definitely go there, where else? It was the only place that she knew of as a home.

The remaining students were making their ways down to dinner in the Great Hall. Draco stopped and looked at his pocket watch which held one of the most precious items his family owned; a green emerald. He looked at the time: noticing it was almost half past six and the pair hadn't had lunch that day.

'She must be starving', he thought as he made his own way to the hall. Standing by the side of one of the doors, he peaked in. She wasn't there. The Christmas decorations sparkled in the candlelight and he felt a pit of guilt at the bottom of his stomach.

'Where to now? He walked back outside, into the now wet grounds, the heavy rain hit the blonde hard on the back of his neck, forcing him to transfigure a handkerchief in his pocket into an umbrella.

*

"A-a wit-witch?" she spluttered, looking at the elderly couple in front of her. They nodded in sync.

"We are both squibs." The elderly woman put her hand on Valerie's shoulder, she stopped tensing looking a little more relaxed than before. Valerie nodded at the two of them, smiling.

"Is there any reason that you are here this close to Christmas?" Albert asked, opening the door to her room and carrying in her trunk for her and placing it at the end of the bed. The room was impressive, with vintage floral wall paper and matching double bed. A dark desk stood in the corner by the window looking out to large fields behind the building.

"Oh, Albert don't ask such personal questions," Mary-Anne slapped her husband playfully on the arm, "Any way I'm sure you're just here to see your family."

"Actually I'm not." she spun around, looking at the couple who were just leaving the room. "But i believe you could help me with something?"