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

𝟒𝟑. Moments

William dropped off Blaze and Liam first, leaving both of them at the steps of the Zambini mansion. Leah had wanted to go with them but William insisted that she couldn't keep imposing on the Zambini's and that her mother wanted her to spend at the least the first night at home. Leah had tried to argue but when William quickly added on that there was a special gift for her at home she instantly succumbed. She kissed her boyfriend on the cheek and demanded they leave immediately. Much to Leah's annoyance, first William took them to Malfoy Manor. 

They arrived on the front drive, the four of them staring up at the house and at Narcissa standing at the top of the steps. 

"My darlings." A smile spread across her face as she hurried down to them in an elegant manner that only she could pull off. 

"Hello, Mrs Malfoy." Leah greeted politely and then turned to her father. "Can we go now?"
 
"Leah..." He sighed at behaviour.

"Oh, don't let us hold you up." Narcissa assured him, sending Leah a knowing look. "Your mother is waiting for you at home and she can't wait to see you."

"See!" Leah grabbed William's hand. "Let's go, let's go!"

William sighed again, but nodded to Narcissa in thanks before disappearing with his daughter. 

"Now." Narcissa put a hand on each of Draco's shoulders. "How are we, my dear?"

Draco just stared at her for a moment before his eyes grew glassy and he fell into her, wrapping his arms around his mother in a way Valentine was certain she'd never seen him do past the age of eight. 

Narcissa's eyes widened but she quickly hugged him back. She looked over to Valentine who simply shrugged. 

"Let's just say it's been a shit week." 

Narcissa's expression shifted to one of sympathy as she rubbed Draco's back. 

"Well, you're home now." She kissed the crown of her sons head and stepped back from him. "Let's go inside."

"Oi, Lestrange." An all too familiar voice sneered down at Valentine from the top of the stairs. 

A grimace twisted into her face before she even saw him. Frank, who for once was not accompanied by Charles, was glaring down at her. The last she'd seen of him was on the first day of school last September, when he'd been with the group of Death Eater's searching for a Turkish Muggle Born boy. And, because he was an idiot, he'd mistaken Meriton- who was in fact, Albanian- for this Muggle Born. 

Valentine had set Frank on fire that day and not for the first time. She could already feel her fingers itching to reach for her wand. 

"What the hell do you want?" She sneered back at him.

"I don't want anything from you." He huffed. "But the Dark Lord requested that I delivered a message as soon as you arrived. He wants to speak to you in the library. If I'm lucky he'll punish you for going against orders and killing Carrow."

"You want to be next on my list?" Valentine hissed. 

"Why did you leave me behind? That's very rude you know! I told you all to wait for me!" Rabastan's whine drowned out Frank's reply as he appeared down by Draco and Narcissa. "I told William specifically to wait for me!"

"Ugh." Valentine looked from Rabastan to Frank. "I'm surrounded by idiots."

-----No More A Pretender-----

I'll never get used to this fucking feeling.

Whenever Valentine heard those words, 'The Dark Lord wishes to speak to you' or 'The Dark Lord has requested your presence', she felt a large portion of her typical confidence abandon her. She wondered if this was how ordinary people felt on an everyday basis. She was strong and often correct and so that had always led her to be very self-assured, but Voldemort was another matter entirely. If he found out her secret, he'd kill her. And if he'd found just about any reason to doubt her, she'd be lucky to leave with her life. And there was just so very little she could do about that. It made her feel powerless.