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

𝟒𝟎. Tainted

TRIGGER WARNING; Contains depictions of violence. 

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Benjamin insisted that they have another picnic before the Easter Break came along, but this one didn't go over quite as smoothly as the last. Draco was in a bad mood, Anna and Chloe decided not to come and the dark grey cloud cover hanging above them suggested rain. Although none of this seemed to bother Benjamin, not everyone could boast his infallible spirit. 

As Valentine stared out at the glassy expanse of the Black Lake, she could hear him talking excitedly with Leah and Blaze about the approaching holiday from where they sat on the picnic blanket. She wondered how he managed to stay so cheerful all the damn time. She understood that people with generally pleasant dispositions existed but he was practically an enigma of never-ending smiles and energy. Much like Leah with less crying, pouting and shouting. 

As for the others, Liam and Meriton were walking further up the mossy bank together, hand in hand and Draco was back in the tree line, sitting on a very large rock and scowling. He really wasn't in the mood for a picnic today and had only come to stop Leah from throwing a tantrum. 

Valentine turned away from the lake and took a seat on the blanket, sitting the furthest from Leah, Blaze and Benjamin as possible. 

"I expect to get taller by the end of the school year." Benjamin told them, reaching for a ham sandwich as he did. "Both my parents were short until they were about thirteen or fourteen and now my dad is pretty tall. And mum is barely five foot five but apparently, she wasn't even five feet at all when she started school so that says something. Do you two suppose you're done growing?"

"Unfortunately." Blaze sighed. "But I've made my peace with it. You kind of have to when you're dating a giraffe."

"Mama and Mrs Malfoy measured me over Christmas. I'm five foot eleven and still growing." Lead said proudly. "Father is super tall and mama's still got an inch or two on me so I always going to be tall. I'm even taller than Draco and Liam and Liam used to be, like, the tallest in our year when we were younger."

Benjamin nodded, seeming to find this all very interesting.

"My friend Gia is probably one of the tallest in our year. The taller out of the Slytherin's anyway. Shelby's totally jealous too but she doesn't want to admit it. You should see how red she gets when Chetan called her 'fun sized'. Well, it could also be partly from the rage, but I like to think it's just a little jealously. Mum said it's normal to feel that way when you're growing up."

Blaze scoffed, leaning back on his elbows. 

"My dad once told me that I and my sibling were all such ugly babies that we should just be happy with how we look now because it's a major improvement." 

"What? No!" Leah gasped in sheer horror. "But I've seen your babies pictures and you were so cute!"

"I don't recall showing you those..." Blaze frowned disconcertingly.

"You didn't. Bridget and your mother showed me, my mama and Mrs Malfoy the Christmas before last." 

Blaze dropped from his elbows onto his back woefully.

"I'm going to kill them."

"Don't say that! You were literally so freaking cute!" Leah assured him, although it only seemed to embarrass him further. "You had these chubby little cheeks and this big smile and Bridget said that you used to follow her and Beck around every chance you got! It makes me wish that I had a brother or a sister."

"But didn't you grow up with Lestrange and Malfoy?" Said Benjamin.

"Oh, I did and yeah, it was sort of like having siblings but we're all the same age so it's not like having an older or younger one."